Review of Sleepwalker issues

Sleepwalker

#'s 10 & 11

January 1992 - February 1992

Trapped in the mind of college student Rick Sheridan is a mysterious alien who claims he's a guardian of the Mindscape, the dimension that borders on the minds of all intelligent beings. And when Rick sleeps, the alien walks - into our reality, where he can continue his noble mission and use his powers to strike fear in the hearts of Earthen-evildoers everywhere! Stan Lee presents the heroic, horrifying… Sleepwalker

Miscellaneous Comments: 10 September 1999

I'm not sure what to make of this really.

The first issue is very basic and unenjoyable, and there is nothing very mature about the second part either, yet mid-way through it I was feeling fairly entertained.

Go figure.

The events herein take place on January 12^th, 1992. In New York City.

The peace of a family home is disrupted by the arrival of hi-tech government operative on the train of Sleepwalker.

It soon transpires that a whole squad of these goons has moved in on the area and their mission is to Seek and Destroy the alien. So intent are they on their mission that they care not who (or what) gets in their way.

Before long Sleepwalker and these goons go into battle, with a lot of collateral damage. So much so that Sleepwalker finally surrenders, rather than have more harm done.

At this point, with Sleepwalker held captive and facing certain doom, who happens by but Ghost Rider and the battle begins anew. A misunderstanding causes the two "heroes" to fight - at first - but they eventually get their act together and defeat the baddies.

Yaaaaah!

Type of Series: Super-Hero.

Similar Comics: Ghost Rider and The Incredible Hulk spring to mind. Series about guys who transform into something else. Of the three, Peter David's The Incredible Hulk is easily the best.

Strengths:

Weaknesses: The writing.

Plotting:

Logic: Very, very bad. I was particularly shook when mid-way through the first part Tolliver Smith jumped to the - correct - conclusion that "Sleepwalker's hideout is inside the mind of a person!" Not that, to me, is an incredible leap of deductive reasoning. One that also happens to be correct.

Originality:

Ending: Issue #11 built to an impressive climax. Tolliver Smith has turned Sleepwalker into a virtual bomb. One that will go off as soon as he re-enters Rick's body - thus killing Rick. Goggles have been placed on Sleepwalker and only Smith can remove them. But before he can get to Smith, Sleepwalker must beat Ghost Rider. Not an easy task.

Meanwhile, water from a leaky pipe is dripping onto Rick and he is getting close to walking up.

When he does, Sleepwalker will vanish and Rick will die.

Re-Readability: None. I can't imagine why anyone would subject themselves to this more than once.

Impressive Characters: Ghost Rider. Even in this story, he's a cool character.

Impressive Writers:

Impressive Artists:

Impressive Dialogue:

Impressive Scenes: I'm not sure if "impressive" is really the word to use, but I did kinda like the idea of it being water from the leaky pipe Rick was told to fix in part one that was the cause of nearly waking him up in part two.

Less-Than-Impressive Characters: Colonel Tolliver Smith - the chief baddie - is a pathetic two-dimensional character. There is nothing to him. Except that he's out to stop Sleepwalker and he thinks this is somehow linked to the betterment of America.

Less-Than-Impressive Writers: I wasn't impressed with Bob Budiansky's work here. I think he was aiming at a lower age-group than I'm currently in. Not that excuses anything. Twenty years ago I was reading Christ Claremont's The Uncanny X-Men. Had Sleepwalker been available in 1979 I don't think it would have been on my must-buy-list.

My major gripe is with Smith and he crew. Their tactics are heavy handed in the extreme. So heavy-handed and obnoxious that I just couldn't buy into them. Budiansky would have needed to rein things in a little to make me buy into them.

Less-Than-Impressive Artists:

Less-Than-Impressive Dialogue:

Less-Than-Impressive Scenes:

Continuity: Strong. In the opening pages of Issue Ten, various characters who appeared in earlier stories are hassled by the Government agents.

Guide:

Reviews:

Other Info:

Three Things I Really Like About These Issues:

Ghost Rider. Once he appeared my enjoyment factor went right up.