Our Dreams At Dusk
Reviewed 25 April 2022

Our Dreams At Dusk is a comic that explores what it means to accept yourself and how to live with it. Which is why it's disappointing to see such a dull, trite effort from the author. It seems tailored for a wider, more general audience and that really works to it's detriment.

As aforementioned, this comic's greatest sin is it's unrelenting need to be as simple as possible. Now, simplicity is not a problem. To be 'simple' can be good, but with a subject of this nature, to be simple is to be 'safe'. And to be 'safe' is to be dull. The lack of any really explosive moments, or anything exciting or of interest(personal or otherwise) makes for a rather uninteresting read.

The comic serves as a sort of overview or introduction to the world outside of heterosexual relationships. Our hero is a young man conflicted about his own sexuality who happens upon a club whose members are in similar conditions. Some have made peace with themselves but are yet to be explicit about it, some have long since made peace with it but most are still figuring it out. Taking each day as it comes.

Each member represents a different sexual orientation and as our hero learns more about them, he comes one step closer to living with who he is.

This isn't much of a terrible premise except that the author seems to gloss over the realities of these situations. And by doing so, they rob the story of what could be real eye-opening moments for many. Especially those that see themselves that way.

So, the story ends up being a bland, unimaginative piece that is neither memorable or exciting. And that is something that a comic should never be.

But the story is only one half of the equation.

Let's talk about the art. Normally, when a story is mediocre, you'd expect the art or the portrayal of events to pick up the slack. After all, if the story is bad it may as well be nice to look at. Unfortunately, dear reader, this comic is not so good to look at. It's not the worst, especially for the genre. But there isn't much to praise. It just exists.

And with limited spreads and really unremarkable presentation, this art is nothing to write home about. Which is really bad because the story really would've benefitted from some good art that really gets to the art of the message the author is trying to share. Like, somehow, even the covers are uninteresting.

And there we have it. This isn't the worst comic out there and it does have it's moments, as rare as they are, but this is neither a comic worth reading or a worthwhile endeavour for the author. If you can get past the bland presentation and boring story then you might find a sweet, simple tale of acceptance.