'Waking Life' with story and art by Ben Humeniuk is a graphic novel that takes some classic characters and puts them in a modern setting.

Robbie Boone loves art and fantasies. One night in his dreams, he travels to an extraordinary world that looks like the one in Little Nemo in Slumberland. While he is there, he meets the Princess of Dreaming who wants to come to Robbie's world because, like Peter Pan, she is tired of her human friends growing up.

I liked this homage to Winsor McCay. It's got a modern take, but still feels very much like it belongs in the universe. I felt a little let down by some of the art quality, but I still enjoyed the story and where it went.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Comicker Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

This gorgeous and accessible work is a highly original and interesting read. Aimed at family audiences, it tells a timeless and engaging tale. Alas we were not able to produce a review of this work in time for our print deadlines.

I have read a ton of graphic novels and comics in the past year, so I was extra excited when I read this one. I felt that the story behind it was different enough to capture my attention, and keep me reading until the very end. I will definitely be reading on if they chose to continue the story. I loved the visual aspect of it almost as much as the story itself. The colors were very appealing, and the artwork was simply stunning.

I have received a much appreciated digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Didn’t really know what to expect from this graphic novel...a very creative, quick read about dreaming/waking realms coming together, friendship, and growing up

I didn't feel particularly strongly about this one. NOt a great deal actually happens. We're getting some basic framework for a story taking place in two dimensions. A lot of framing and introduction.

If you are a cartoon aficionado, and know about the history of American cartoonist, then you will fall in love with this node to Little Nemo in Slumberland. That strip, which came after the Yellow Kid, and was a contemporary of Krazy Kat, was printed in the days when newspapers were huge, and you could lie on the floor and read the Sunday "funnies" , as the paper stretched out before you.

This book nods to those stories. Many of the same characters are in this story, though this is more about Robbie, and his time in the dream world, the Nemo. And Robbie is a modern boy, and has modern problems, such as a mother who is too busy, and a world that doesn't understand his desire to be an animator.

This first volume just introduces the Princess and Robbie, and the bad guys, and leads us to the waking world, where the princess will see how Robbie lives.

I found it fun, and likable, and a quick read.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-712" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-08-at-8.08.07-AM.png" alt="waking life" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-713" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-08-at-8.07.42-AM.png" alt="waking life" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-714" src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-08-at-8.07.35-AM.png" alt="waking life" />

#WakingLife #NetGalley

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review

What if the world you go to when you dream was real and your best friend there found a way to come to the real world? Heavily influenced by Little Nemo in Slumberland but you don't need to have read that to enjoy this, as I have not. The artist tries his hardest to make this look like a Sunday morning comic strip. Most of this book is setup for future endeavors and I look forward to seeing where this was headed. It was a light, fun read.

This is quick and enjoyable read. I like the theme but story is bit confusing sometimes. It is a lovely comic.

"So, You Approve? ... I Permit."

And with that, the Princess of the Dreaming Realm is allowed to enter the Waking World with her human friend Robbie and learn what makes humans tick. This is a nice twist on "Little Nemo in Slumberland", which is, of course, all about human boy Nemo's adventures in the Dreaming Realm.

Here's the question. "Little Nemo in Slumberland", Winsor McCay's masterpiece, ran almost continuously as a full page weekly comic strip in various New York papers from 1905 through about 1926. Apart from being an interesting tale about Little Nemo's fantastic dreams and adventures, the strip marked an important milestone in the advancement of comics, with all sorts of innovations in coloring, panel design, perspective, layout, pencil detail, story telling, and other aspects of form that we still encounter and rely upon today.

So, if you have read and know the original there is a lot in this book of interest. It is not at all graphically innovative, or as richly detailed as the original, but it does have fun reimagining and re-presenting favorite characters, and it does wink at story lines and scenes from the original. But that only works if you know the original, (which by chance I revisited just a few months ago). If you don't know the original, or at least one of the more authentic tribute-band style homages, then I don't know how entertaining this version would be. (I mean, think of, say, an "Alice in Wonderland" parody where you've never read the original. Would you get or even appreciate any of the jokes and references?)

That said, the book does sneak up on you. By the end, Robbie and the Princess are in human high school, where their adventure will commence, and various plot wheels are turning in the Dreaming Realm. This volume, then, is mostly setup and to-be-continued. Again, by the end, it looked like interesting things might happen, and it felt like the story was ready to take charge of itself and stop looking back at the original. Whether that will happen, well, only time will tell, but indications, to me, were encouraging.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

This was cute. And kinda fun.

I thought it was a good homage to Winsor McCay. I enjoyed the style and story.

I think younger ages might enjoy this, too.

I would definitely be interested in further volumes! I want to know what happens!

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Comicker Press for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

I thought this was an interesting comic and i liked how the elements of whimsy were used in this comic. The art style made it come alive. I had a couple of issues with it. The story went a bit all over the place after a while and i felt a few of the characters felt a bit flat.

I did enjoy most of this book, it had some imagination and it all felt pretty well put-together. However, I really didn't care for the story, characters, or art. I've read/seen enough variations on this concept before (character from a fantasy realm coming to the "real world"), and there aren't any groundbreaking elements in this first book that make this story seem worth repeating. The publisher describes Waking Life as "Enchanted meets Degrassi," and while that does sound pretty fun, it doesn't have the wit of Enchanted or the (sort-of) authenticity of Degrassi. It all feels very by-the-numbers. As for the art, that's obviously going to be a matter of opinion, but I just didn't find it engaging or appealing in the slightest. Maybe Book 2 will bring some much needed originality to the story.