WAKING LIFE, BOOK 2: EPIPHENOMENA / Script and Art by BEN HUMENIUK / Published by COMICKER PRESS

Once upon a time, there was a very lucky boy named Robbie Boone. Out of all the children in the world, Robbie was chosen to be a companion to the Princess of the Dreaming Realm. Their nights while he slept were filled with grand adventures, protecting her father’s lands from rogue nightmares and other threats.

That was several years ago, however, and now that lucky boy named Robbie Boone is a less than lucky teenager. His dreams are now devoted to becoming a professional animator. A dream that distracts him from his studies and disappoints his mother. This leads the Princess to adopt the name Stacey, as she sets out to see what’s so great about the Waking World that Robbie wants to spend all his time there now. Unfortunately, this also leads to a golden opportunity for one of her father’s greatest enemies to attack the heart of the Dreaming Realm…

Ever imagine what it would be like if Neil Gaiman and Raina Telgemeier collaborated on a comic together? Me either. But if they did, I imagine it would look exactly like Ben Humeniuk’s Waking Life. While Humeniuk credits Winsor McCay’s classic comic Little Nemo in Slumberland as his inspiration, his mythology is as rich as Gaiman’s The Sandman, and his art style and slice-of-life scenarios compare favorably to Telgemeier.

The first book of Waking Life is also good and I recommend both highly. At the time of this writing, Book 2 is still being financed on Kickstarter, but is due for release in December. If you have a teen who is into comics, this would make a fine holiday stocking stuffer. Yet I think this will also appeal to those adults who live with one foot in the world of dreams.