Summary
- The Dreaming and the Green are crucial forces in the DC Universe, with the Green being even older than initially thought.
- John Constantine reveals that the Green predates the Dreaming and both realms are described as “echoes of life.”
- This major revelation in
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America
#4 adds new layers and possibilities to the Green in DC lore.
Warning: contains spoilers for John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #4!
Sandman lore holds that the Dreaming is one of the oldest realms in the DC Universe, but a major revelation now calls this into question. The Dreaming, popularized in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, is home to Morpheus and Daniel, and has existed as long as humanity. However, in John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #4, fans learn the Dreaming may not be as old as initially thought.
Throughout John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #4, written by Simon Spurrier and drawn by Aaron Campbell, John and company have been trying to enlist Swamp Thing’s aid. The Earth Elemental is unwavering, citing his contempt for humanity. John tells Swamp Thing that he was supposed to be “the secret weapon.”
John goes on to reveal that the Dreaming and Swamp Thing’s the Green are virtually the same, but that the Green is much older.
The Dreaming and the Green Are Crucial to the DC Universe
The Green Stretches Across DC’s Multiverse
Like the Dreaming, the Green is an abstract concept given physical form. A primal force in the DC Universe, the Green connects all plant life in existence. The Green creates avatars, also known as “Swamp Things.” At the end of their lives, these Swamp Things go to the Parliament of Trees, which represents the Green. The Green is an ancient concept as well, but it was always assumed it was younger than the Dreaming. John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #4 upends all of this, revealing new and exciting layers to the Green.
The Green is one of Alan Moore’s many contributiions to Swamp Thing lore, and was first mentioned in 1986’s
Swamp Thing
#47.
In addition to revealing the Green predates the Dreaming, John Constantine also stated the two were also alike. Constantine equated Swamp Thing with Dream (currently Daniel) as they were both rulers of their realms. Yet Constantine takes it a step further, calling both the Dreaming and the Green “echoes of life.” As both realms are personifications of ideas common on nearly every planet, this is an apt description. The Dreaming alters its form based on the perceptions of those in it, as does the shape of its ruler. The same can be said about the Green.
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The Green Just Got a Major Upgrade in DC Lore
The Green is Ancient, Predating Other Abstract Concepts
And while the Dreaming and the Green may be mirror images of each other, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #4 makes it clear: the Green predates the Dreaming. While Constantine does not expand upon the ramifications of this change to Sandman lore, it makes the Green even more exciting. It also opens up intriguing story possibilities, namely the first meeting between the Green and the Dreaming. The Green, and the Parliament of Trees that sits at its center, have just become more powerful and more impressive. Older than the Dreaming, the Green just became even more mysterious.
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #4 is on sale now from DC Comics!
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John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #4 (2024) |
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