Comic Review – Sleepless #1

The idea of court intrigue within a fantasy world did not start with Game of Thrones, but as fans prepare themselves for the final season of the television adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s epic, the stage is cleared for new players. Could Sleepless fill that void?

Writer Sarah Vaughn manages to pack a lot of foreshadowing into a first issue without giving a lot away; Lady Pyppenia, Poppy to her friends, is the illegitimate daughter and only living offspring of the recently deceased king. We join her on the day of the new king’s coronation, her Uncle Surno.

Poppy is always in the company of the mysterious knight Cyrenic, who we are told is one of the eponymous Sleepless. Another similarity to Game of Thrones– magic plays a prominent role in the plot, but the ramifications of said magic are not fully explained. While some things seem obvious (like the fact that the Sleepless do not sleep) and others are hinted at (Sleepless are given special burial rites, there may be some kind of vow taken to become Sleepless), we have not yet been given a full rundown of how magic works in this world and what it costs. It may turn out that Vaughn handles magic very well in her worldbuilding and simply isn’t giving it space in the narrative at this point- a perfectly valid choice. It’s something that we’ll have to wait and see.

Artist Leila Del Duca also really brings Poppy and Cyrenic to life. The events of this first issue are clearly one of the most difficult times in Poppy’s life and Del Duca’s ability to portray these through Poppy’s bearing and facial expression allows the reader to be in touch with her throughout the entire story. Similarly, with Cyrenic, she makes some design choices to set him apart from regular knights, to make him more intimidating instead of just looking tired. However, there is also a gentleness that we can see in his body language whenever he interacts with Poppy so that when one of the guards says something rather fore-shadowy to another about their relationship, the reader is already on board.

One of the best things, I assume a collaborative effort between Vaughn and Del Duca, is how so much of the intrigue and foreshadowing comes from characters that haven’t been named yet, that don’t even have any lines. The way that the courtiers watch Poppy at the coronation, their facial expressions during the celebration. The new queen’s face when Surno thanks Poppy for the coronation gift she presents to him. The tension that all these details help build up really pays off with the issue’s climax.

The second issue of Sleepless releases January 10, so start the new year right by checking out this fantastic high fantasy series.