rexphantom

There's a boy named Jack and he's eight years old. His father came home from the hospital today with Jack's new sister Alice; Jack's mom didn't come with them. Jack's mom is never coming home from the hospital. Jack is sad and angry at the same time, and he's got no outlet for this except for the new little girl who lives in his house with him. His father introduces Jack to Alice and Jack can't take it. She's ugly, Jack says. He hates her. His father is upset, but he understands why Jack is lashing out like in the way he is. Jack's dad isn't quite sure how to deal with his grief either, he only knows he has to love his children the best he can. He decides it's best to let Jack be angry for a little while.

Jack runs upstairs and cries himself to sleep, surround my his books and ocmics. He drifts into sleep and seeminly awakens in a deep, black cave. The darkness parts and Jack sees stars twinkling into existence above him . . . no, that's not right, they're not stars at all. They're fireflies, and one of them drifts down from its perch and rests on Jack's finger. Another creature approaches from the shadows, a small, goblinoid beast. Jack hears its approach and recoils in fear--but the creatures is nearly as afraid as Jack is. The creature is a changeling, and he has some information for Jack--the baby Jack's father brought home, it isn't his real sister. Alice has been kidnapped by other changelings and one of their own has been left in her place. The creature offers to lead Jack through his own subconscious on an adventure to rescue his sister Alice.

Jack thanks the creature and together they leave the cave, emerging into a world of permanent sunset.

(The waking world sequences are told with full page illustrations accompanied by prose; the dreaming world is portrayed with traditional comics panels. It's drawn by a swell gal from Brooklyn. I believe it will be coming out in 2004.)