The Dreaming – Reviews

“The Dreaming” was published from 2004-2007, and it has garnered a number of reviews and press clippings since then. I’ve also been interviewed a number of times about both myself and the series, and also after the series ended. So far, these reviews are mostly from the years when I was still working on “The Dreaming”.

 

 

Story — Gallery — Reviews — Read Chapters 1-3 Online

 

“Queenie Chan is a lucky find for Tokyopop as she appears [to] be able to really deliver the goods in both artwork and story. This being her debut effort in the graphic novel field, I am certain that her storytelling skills will only improve as time goes on as will her artwork, which has potential to not just be good but be scary good. The Dreaming is worth the cover price if only because these readers will be getting in on the ground floor of someone who has potential to become one of the best in the business.”

 

  • Animefringe — 30 November 2005, Reviewed by Tim Henderson

“Overall, this is a very strong entry into the professional manga scene, one that is well presented, effectively creepy at times, and one that actually has an ending in sight. The Dreaming is very easily recommended to almost anyone willing to read a non-Japanese manga, and particularly for those who appreciate a good comic design.”

 

“The backgrounds are some of the most sumptious I’ve ever seen in a comic, and put most shoujo manga artists and superhero artists TO SHAME. The School itself is a major character due to all this detail. Victorian dresses, disappearances and unsettling dreams as just a handful of the dangers the girls face, in one of the only horror comics to actually creep me out [the only other one I can think of offhand that I liked was Moto Hagio’s Half God, and when you get to that level it’s pretty danged good.”

 

“The Dreaming is lovely to look at, though. Chan has a solid, spooky handle on creating this kind of setting and conveying this kind of mood. Varied page composition and panel flow carry the reader along from waking life to the creepy nightmares the twins sometimes share.”

 

“However, drawings alone won’t make one a good cartoonist or, in this case, manga-ka. Using pictures with words on them, in sequences, Queenie knows how to establish plot, character, and setting so that her narrative moves with hardly a hitch. Creating comic art that captivates requires an ability to draw pages in which the layout, design, and contents come together to form a rhythm that in turn carries the reader on the journey of story. Queenie does that with the self-possession of a veteran.”

 

“The way the sisters look alike yet subtly different, enough for the reader to tell them apart, is a testament to Chan’s art. Her drawings make the story stand out, and the cliffhanger ending comes all too soon. It’s a tough wait for the next volume, due in November, with the reader’s imagination going full throttle in the meantime.”

 

“The Dreaming is one of the most effective horror manga series I’ve ever read. It’s like those horror movies where, despite having your eyes half covered, you look out to see what’s happening next. It has an extremely captivating and mysterious narrative; it keeps me guessing and wondering, impatient for more after I finished the volume.”

 

  • HorrorScope— 18 May 2007, Reviewed by Mark Smith-Briggs

“Volume one is the first of an intended three-part series and sets up more questions than it answers, but the engaging characters and eerily chilling story ensures you’re locked in for the ride to come. An extremely impressive debut from an author/artist with a big future.”

 

“Overall I quite enjoyed reading this manga. It’s quite different, especially in form, to anything else I’ve read and I’ll definitely be seeking out other work by Chan in the future.” (Also cross-posted from Australian Women Writers (2014 YA Speculative Fiction round-up)