Brooklyn Dreams

by J.M. DeMatteis

Book Overview

The complete four-issue tale of Vincent Carl Santini''s youthful experiences are re-presented under hardcover in this collection of J.M. DeMatteis and Glenn Barr''s Brooklyn Dreams. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401200516
• ISBN13: 9781401200510
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Brooklyn dreams welcomed

I owned the original separate series and lost book 4 of 4, and in search for it i found this complete in one book and enjoyed reading it all over again. I have recommended this graphic novel to friends and family, and to the ones i loan it to they told me they have enjoyed and found it funny.

dreamlike

"Can a book change your life? I don't know. But it can certainly take the unvoiced, inarticulate changes of the soul, put them into words and reflect them back at you-in brilliant, devastating ways." These words are not mine, but rather those of Vincent Carl Santini, main character of Brooklyn Dreams. In this passage he's discussing having read Dostoyevsky, but I find them very fitting words with which to introduce the novel itself. Brooklyn Dreams is Santini's story; he narrates the events of his life as he reflects backwards on his senior year of high school, 1970-1971. Part Stand by Me, part Basketball Diaries, the tale utilizes the physical setting (Brooklyn, of course) and the drug culture of the time period as a backdrop for personal exploration. It is no coincidence that the main character is named Vincent but is called Carl in parts of the story, for this is really about Santini's search for himself, trying to pin down his identity. At the same time, he is trying to find the missing piece to the puzzle, the answers to the big questions in regards to love, family, death and the nature of God. Brooklyn Dreams was an experiment when it was first released. Back in 1994 DC was just beginning to get its Paradox imprint off the ground. In those early days, Vertigo was still a place where you ran into superheroes on occasion, albeit heroes on the edge, and DC felt they needed to have a place where they could publish works completely outside of their universe, works that were for mature readers. I don't mean mature in the sense of violence and T & A but instead thought-provoking and meaningful. Paradox was that mature place, and Brooklyn Dreams was their flagship book. Eventually the line failed, just shortly after the release of the now-famous Road to Perdition, but of all the works they released in their short time of publication, Brooklyn Dreams is the stand-out. Similar to Road to Perdition, it emulated manga in its design, being published in digest size and complete black and white. However, unlike that work, Brooklyn Dreams was released in four parts; each part had ninety-six pages and sold for 4.95 a piece. Just collected together in one volume and re-released for the first time back in mid-April, the book will now cost you 12.95, a considerable amount less than it would have almost ten years ago. The writer of this graphic novel, J.M. DeMatteis, is a bit of a cipher. He is regularly known for writing titles in a vein that is a bit out there. His most recent works include the most recent Spectre series and the Seth Fisher-illustrated one-shot Green Lantern: Willworld, but he has also written some fairly standard superhero fare for Marvel with Spiderman and Captain America. He has written Moonshadow, Seekers into the Mystery and various other Vertigo titles, while at the same time he worked as co-writer with Keith Giffen of the madcap Justice League of the late '80s. Obviously the versatility of DeMatteis is not in question, but had it been,

A masterpiece of humor, spirit & autobiography!

J. M. DeMatteis' wonderful series about being a confused, angry, yearning teenager in the late 60s is finally available in one volume, and it's long overdue! Anyone who came of age in those years will recognize the emotions & situations, sometimes all too closely & accurately for comfort. And if it did nothing more than recall those times, as it does in such perfect & incisive detail, the story would be a thorough success.But as the narrator reminds us, "This is a story about God."The voice of an adult Carl Vincent (or Vincent Carl) Santini -- don't worry, that's all explained -- provides the running commentary as we observe & enter into the troubled, searching life of our young protagonist, struggling to express himself, struggling to understand himself & the Universe, searching for Something long before he's consciously aware of it.DeMatteis' prose is deceptively casual & easy-going, drawing the reader in as a confidante, but it's also insightful & honest. He cares passionately about the story he's sharing with us & that passion comes through. At the same time, his sense of humor prevents his story from ever becoming pretentious.The powerful artwork of Glenn Barr brings this story to vivid life, changing to suit the tones of the story, ranging from cartoony to photo-realistic, often in the same panel. You'll pause & linger over many a page for the illustrations as much as for the words.Quite a few writers are mentioned in the course of this story, all the usual suspects on the Road to Self-Discovery & Meaning -- Hesse, Huxley, Dostoyevsky, etc. Add DeMatteis to their company & get a copy of this superb book. I can't recommend it highly enough!