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https://www.comicsbeat.com/graphic-novel-review-strange-bedfellows-dreams-of-a-romantic-solarpunk-future/>
"On the distant planet of Meridian, humans have created a fair and benevolent
society. Advanced technology is freely available to everyone, as are education
and healthcare. There are no barriers constructed by differences in race,
gender, sexuality, or family structure. Humans celebrate the diversity of
cultures that the older generations brought from earth, maintaining their
linguistic and religious heritage with joy and pride. Soaring architecture and
refreshing green spaces fill the cities, and everyone has a place to live.
Still, even in a world with no externally-imposed conflicts, human nature is
still beautifully complicated.
Strange Dreams, the newest graphic novel by Ariel Slamet Ries, is a sweet and
gentle love story that plays out against the pastel-colored backdrop of a
solarpunk world. Meridian was only settled several dozen years ago, and the
third generation of children born on the planet are now reaching adulthood.
Many of these children are “ghosts” who exhibit small-scale psychic powers. In
keeping with the story’s optimistic tone, ghosts are not shamed or monitored by
the government, but fully accepted and integrated into society.
Oberon never manifested ghost powers, so he was always “the clever one” in his
family. When he got to college, the dazzling range of choices overwhelmed him,
and he decided to take a leave of absence and move back in with his family.
This was a huge blow to Oberon’s self-esteem, and he’s started to suffer from
severe headaches. He’s also been having unusually realistic dreams about Kon, a
boy he briefly dated in high school.
One morning, Kon doesn’t disappear after Oberon wakes up. To his dismay, other
elements of his dreams begin to manifest in the real world, from mermaid scales
to a giant floating tardigrade. It seems Oberon is a ghost after all, and he
must learn to control his powers while haunted by the psychic manifestation of
his high school crush.
Kon is clearly more than a manifestation of a dream, and Oberon can be forgiven
for being overwhelmed and making questionable decisions. Thankfully, he’s
surrounded by a large cast of supporting characters who help him understand
that it’s okay to make mistakes and ask questions. All of the secondary
characters are organically integrated into the weave of the story, coming and
going as they deal with issues that tangentially intersect Oberon’s
adventures."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
