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In issue #3 of Sleep, Jonathan wakes up to make a horrific discovery and starts to piece together fragments of what might be happening and what he might be doing while he sleeps. With blood and destruction all around him, he and the reader try to figure out what happened and why it’s happening. As he ventures out into the town, a group of citizens are joining together to hunt the monster that is wreaking havoc on the town. After the events of issue #2, other people have a very strong reaction to seeing Jonathan again, seemingly confirming what he may be doing while he sleeps.
The tension in this book is ramped up to 11. Jonathan making these discoveries and realizing the death and destruction he may (or may not) be causing makes him question whether he should be alive.
Sleep is written and drawn by Zander Cannon, and a book like this benefits from having a singular vision. The art is monochrome, but certain items are colored red. They stand out for a reason. In some pages blood is red, on other pages and locations it’s not. Certain items are consistently red, and it’s for a reason. The book is like solving a puzzle, for us and for our main character Jonathan. I’m not entirely convinced we really know what’s truly happening, and neither does Jonathan.
The art has a cartoonish feel to it, but it really works in this series. The use of color is deliberate and Cannon is trying to tell us something, or throw us off what is really happening. There is a use of blue in this issue briefly, which has me wondering what it’s significance is. It’s a book I can see myself reading again and again, finding small clues and hints to piece it all together.
The story is moving at an excellent pace. All of the characterizations are spot on, with each character having a unique look and personality. They all feel like people, the town feels like a character on it’s own and the guilt Jonathan is feeling is building. Because the characters all feel defined, it’s surprising and impactful when one of them is killed by the beast.
This issue of Sleep continues to impress, I love the idea of trying to solve the puzzle and I don’t think we know all of the details yet or what’s really happening. I expect this story to have some big surprises later in the series.
