I had picked up a couple issues at the comic shop a while back, when I had money in the budget for comics. The artwork is eye catching, and Colonial America/Revolutionary War stories are a favorite sub-genre for me. I found the GN at the library and decided to see what I've missed. It was a quick read, as comics usually are, but being only the first volume, it's not entirely gripping. I'll check out the next volume, but I probably won't buy it.

Summary: Bea has been having strange dreams that are so vivid that they seem real. In her dreams she involved with a handsome soldier Alan Warren who is a ranger in the Revolutionary war. Even though they are distracting her from her everyday life Bea plunges into a dreamworld that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. With romance, adventure and danger are they just dreams or something more? Add a dash of real life romance and the everyday struggles of school and friends Bea soon finds herself wondering if its better to stick with the fantasy.

Awards and Recommendations: None

Themes:
Revolutionary war
Knowlton's Rangers
Romance
Relationships
Dreams/meanings
Family conflict
Friendship
Historical adventure/danger
General Washington
Independance

Comments: It is hard to find good graphic novels for teen girls that are not candy fluff and one dimensional flops. The Dreamer fills a much needed niche with a good complex (but not overly so) storyline, romance, adventure, danger and life choices that teen girls might face. Bea is a typical teenager with almost unbelievable dreams. Innes does a great job of making the reader believe and relate to the dream world she has created. The added historical reference is well placed and fits in with the story without making the reader feel like their reading a textbook. I highly recommend this for any school or public libraries graphic novel section. You can also read most of the first book for free online to formulate your own opinion and to see if it fits in your collection.

Extensions: This would be a great addition to a Revolutionary War study. Students could research the Knowlton Rangers and their contributions to the war effort. Additional studies could be done on how women and young teens played roles in the fight for our independance.

For the most part I liked it but it was too short even for a volume 1.

Very enjoyable webcomic (I read it online, not in print form) about a girl having very vivid dreams about the Revolutionary War and a certain (gorgeous) patriot!

I find that I care waaaaaaaaaaaay more about the 1776 side of things than I do about Bea's "present day" life. This is less of a problem for me than it is for her. :) Still, give me more 1776, or give me.... something way less dramatic than death.

The artwork is pretty consistent, although it seems to be moreso for the guys than for the girls. Innes' art develops as the comic goes on, obviously, and I think she gets more consistent in drawing Bea's facial expressions.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes!

Great story, easy to follow and quite interesting.

I met the artist/creator for this series at Anime Boston 2012 was instantly attracted to the art work, and her enthusiasm for the story as she was describing it to me so of course I had to start reading it immediately!

*****

After reading the first volume worth of this delightful webcomic I can totally say without a doubt that it is adorable and I love it. Seriously. I am enjoying each issue more and more.

The story centers around Beatrice "Bea" Whaley - a normal semi popular girl, who is into theater/drama, hanging with her girlfriends, and crushing on hot guys. But when she goes to sleep she find her self "waking up" in a totally different world - one that is in the midst of war, full of hot boys in breeches carrying muskets, and corsets - in other words 1776 Massachusetts/New York and oh yeah....THE BRITISH ARE COMING....AND THEY ARE PISSED.

I am totally enjoying the story so far simply because of the characters though I like the 18th century cast much more than the 21st one. Alan Warren is everything I would hope an American patriot would be, brave, loyal, smart, and passionate. Nathan Hale, Alan's friend and fellow soldier is completely endearing. Lt Colonel Thomas Knowlton, Alan's commanding officer, is a great leader, good to his men, and to his son. And Frederick Knowlton, Thomas's son is so wonderfully idealistic and sweet. They are all portrayed with such complex emotions and reactions. The 21st century cast comes off as shallow, self centered, and apathetic to the world around them...so I guess the author nailed them all right on the head! The only character I don't really care for is Ben, Bea's love interest in the 21st century. He is the quarterback of the football team, and now participating in the drama productions, and is overly sweet and damn near perfect - in other words he is totally channeling High School Musical and Zac Efron. Maybe its just that I have known high school football players and most were basically douchbags that it is too hard for me to imagine one as a good guy!

History wise it is immediately apparent that Innes did her homework! She seems to be making a dedicated effort to be historically accurate with dates, people, battles, etc. And that is what makes the story seem to much more real.

I will say that it definitely glosses over some of the worst aspects of the war, ie. the hunger, lack of supplies, weather conditions, but she doesn't ignore it completely. These things are hinted at just not addressed head on. Then again that isn't the focus of the story, so while I notice the Disney-esque attitude at times it doesn't detract from the overall story.

The art that I was totally attracted to when I met the creator was present but not as much as I hoped. I think in my mind I was expecting the beautiful cover art to be present throughout the entire novel, as in every page, like a graphic novel. But this is a web comic, so the coloring is more general with minimal shading and detail. Time is a factor here since they are publishing new pages 2x a week! It is still lovely though and I especially love the movement of the art. Bea's hair is always waving in the wind, clothes always have great drapes and folds, and when the characters run they don't look posed but rather caught in a snapshot of actually running.

Overall I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this to anyone who is a fan of comics, graphic novels, history, fantasy, or just a bit of freaky Friday type fun! I am definitely a now a fan and cannot wait to read more, and continue on this journal with Ms. Innes, Beatrice, and Alan!

This is the first graphic novel that I have ever read. My brother has been trying to convince me that I would like this genre and found the perfect place for me to start. As a historian focused on the American Revolution - I LOVED THIS STORY! It was the perfect blend of realism (like the references to CATO, for instance), historical accuracy (although Bea's period undergarments were not quite correct), and fantasy. I've always been enamored by the colonial/revolutionary period, while understanding the horrors of war. This graphic novel captured both and the artwork was beautiful. I will admit that it took me a little while to get into the flow of reading this graphic novel (like the order of conversations, for example).

I did not give this one five stars because
1. I found I didn't care about Bea's real life and only her "dream life."
2. It was not in-depth enough for me. Since I readily admit that I am new to the genre, this may be something that I just have to get used to. However, I wanted to know more, learn more, feel more about the characters.

Still, I would gladly follow this series to the end. I love the fact that you can keep up with the story online and read a new page each day! I'll be checking in to keep up without a doubt and hoping that Major Alan Warren will invade my dreams!

"The Dreamer" comic is a fantastically drawn and written story about a girl named Beatrice Whaley who keeps on having strange dreams. Of course, everyone get weird dreams, but her dreams actually feel and look REAL. It's as if it's reality, and...possibly, might be. This comic is really interesting because the "dreams" are set in the American Revolution, and how many comics are set in that time period? Also, it's pretty fast-paced and crazy, so you never know what might happen next (especially when you only have Friday updates).

This is the first graphic novel/comic book I've read, and if more of them are like this, it definitely won't be my last. I've debated reading a comic before (mainly because I love the Marvel arcs), but have always felt overwhelmed by the options and didn't want to commit to the research I felt it'd involved. Goodreads itself actually recommended The Dreamer comics to me, and when I checked it out, I saw the author offered it free on her website. (which is awesome btw)

The Dreamer has so much to offer: historical fiction, suspense, action, romance, and even mystery (how are her dreams so real? and later...which part is reality; is there a psychological reason? time travel?). There were so much I loved about this comic. It was refreshing to see high school kids act like actual teenagers- fawning over crushes, feeling distant and disagreeable with their parents, the petty fights with friends. And of course the dreams, when history came in to play, was so action packed and emotionally ridden. These sequences were my favorite.

I really felt Bea's turmoil as she first found the dreams disconcerting and later became obsessed with them, spending almost every waken minute thinking about Alan, Nathan, and the other Patriots. I also liked how Bea's character stayed essentially the same, whether in present day or the 1700s. There were subtle differences (there's no way she could get away with being a 21st century girl back then...), but her overall personality remained unchanged. It helped with the cohesiveness of the story and also made for some great dream scenes.

As Bea becomes more invested in her dream world, she begins to neglect her reality, and she has to deal with the consequences. Like Bea, I am thoroughly invested in her American Revolution dreams and cannot wait to see what happens next.

you mean my obsessive reading of webcomics can actually count towards my goodreads reading goals?! win!!

but seriously, lora is a genius. bye.