On June 5th, 2010, a very bored 16-year-old version of myself was looking around Google for information on Nathan Hale. That search lead me to this photo:
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Which somehow lead me to this blog post about a thing called “Fanart Palooza” that just so happened to be from a webcomic called The Dreamer, by Lora Innes. At the time there were nine and a half issues published on the site, and I devoured them in roughly 20 hours (I had to sleep at some point, right?). For the past six years – and not stopping in the near future – I have been faithfully following this comic, and am honored to have made many friends through the constantly chattering comment section.
You’re probably wondering by now, “Why is she talking about this?” Well, besides being a fan of the comic, the themes and historical setting are highly important not only during July 4th, but year-round. The Dreamer is all about – as Lora once said on her home page - “Adventure, Romance, War.” The story stars 17-year-old Beatrice “Bea” Whaley, who very suddenly finds herself having vivid dreams about the American Revolution. In these dreams she knows she is from the 21st century, however everyone there seems to also know her as part of an upper-middle-class Boston family of the 18th century.
Without spoiling very much, Bea ends up going on some great adventures through some notable points in the war and meeting figures such as Nathan Hale, Alexander Hamilton, Hercules Mulligan, George Washington, and Thomas Knowlton. Oh, did I mention Bea is also in love with Alan Warren, the fictional cousin of real-life Rev War hero Dr. Joseph Warren? Yeah, that plays a part in the story too. Unfortunately we only get to see the good Doctor in flashbacks, but he is well worth the wait.
Although it can’t stand in for an actual American History textbook, it comes rather close. The research Lora did on Nathan Hale alone is staggering, and all the work that she puts into this comic is saturated in her love for the subject. As I understand it, Lora took at least two or three years (I think I’m underestimating to be honest) to do research before publishing The Dreamer. That isn’t even taking into consideration the work she put into her concept art for each of the characters, many of which can be found on her deviantart.
Speaking of art, Lora’s work is drool-worthy. I mean, look at this page:
Look at that, Lora drew all of that. I cannot fathom how long it took her to draw just one of those ships, and there are eight of them that we see in at least partial detail.
If you can’t tell, I love this story, this art, and Lora. She is an amazing author, and such a wonderful person to know. That’s another reason to read The Dreamer, this isn’t something where the author is some vague and distant figure. Lora is right there in the comment section with you, chatting, joking, and handing out “best comment stars” (while getting a few herself). She’s there letting you know that she cares about you as a person, and about letting you know what’s going on if something happens. To paraphrase what I said in a recent comment: I came to The Dreamer for Nathan, but I stayed for the people, and Lora was a huge part of what drew me in irrevocably.
I’m going to warn you, we are on hiatus right now, but don’t be discouraged! This is the time to catch up on the action and stalk go through old blog posts from Lora about the comic and life (she posts about all of her history-related escapades and they are AMAZING) so you can get to know her and the fandom.
In closing, I'll leave you with what Lora says on The Dreamer’s “About” page:
And if history just isn’t your thing, there’s room for you here, too.”
