Felicia Day mentioned The Dreamer in her Flog vlog this week for Independence Day! What a pleasant surprise. Hot guys, what the Revolution was really all about…
Happy Independence Day, Dreamers!
Even if you don’t live in America, feel free to join us in our not-so-little celebrations today. Light a sparkler, sneak some red, white and blue into your outfit or hum the Star Spangled Banner while no one is listening. (We’re glad to have you here.)
Though the Continental Congress officially ratified the Declaration of Independence on July 2nd, 1776, Jefferson’s first draft made some claims that not every delegate was comfortable with. So they passed the notion of Independence knowing they would make changes before they sent it over to King George III. The final wording wasn’t settled until July 4th. Which is why we celebrate today.
Famously John Adams made claims in a letter to his wife that July 2nd would be the date that all Americans should celebrate “with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” He was right about the gravity of the event and it’s prominence in our history.
Happy Birthday, Dreamer!
Crazy to think of, but on the fourth of July, 2007, we launched the first pages of The Dreamer! So today we are celebrating our FIFTH birthday. That’s pretty old in webcomic years!
Hip, Hip, Huzzah! to all of The Dreamers who have found and loved our comic, whether you’ve been here from the start or been here for a week. It’s your support and enthusiasm that keeps this project going. Much love from the bottom of my heart.
Four Ways to Celebrate your Fourth.
1. My favorite thing to do on the Fourth of July is listen to Bill Barker, Colonial Williamsburg’s Thomas Jefferson actor interpreter, read the Declaration of Independence. Better yet, make all of the guests at your picnic listen, too!
(I’ve never done that. Okay, maybe once or twice or… Hey, why doesn’t anyone come to my cookouts anymore…?)
2. If you own the HBO John Adams mini-series, I highly recommend stealing away for 45 minutes to watch the second episode about the Declaration of Independence. Their depiction of the event is so powerful. Then go, return to your picnics and eat your hotdogs with gravitas.
3. If you are still looking for a way to kill time, go check out the Frederick Knowlton Dreamer Short Story which takes place on the Fourth of July, 1776! Find out what Knowlton’s Rangers were doing while Congress was committing treason.
(hint: They were also committing treason.)
4. Well, how about a new Dreamer Cover? Issue #15 kicks off today!
VOTE to see the silly reference photos I took of myself while drawing this one.
I love the new cover.
Happy 4th of the July!
COMMENTS! in no unrandom order.
-Heh….silly Lora pictures are silly.
-the new spider-man movie is awesome and everyone should go see it. I said NOW, people!
-freaky cover is new and cool and……a little disorienting, actually (Is Alan feeling a little flushed?)
-WE’RE FIVE! YAY! *plays pin the spontoon in general gage*
-that Felicia Day stuff was great (and a little frightening), and that she mentioned Dreamer is so cool. Plus, if you ever see her at a comic-con somewhere, well…..
-Don’t hate me for what i’m about to already have done, Lora.
INCENTIVE CAPTION!!!
“BLAHHH!!!! I am the great and powerful Lora! You are all my slaves and spontoon-holders! If any of you oppose me it shall be this hand that….that…..hey, my fingers are really small from this perspective.”
There’s absolutely no way I can top Brent’s comments, so I’ll just say: Happy 5th and Happy 4th!
First I must say: Happy Fourth everyone!!!!
Second: Brent, spiderman was amazing!
Lastly: for those of you who will be watching “1776″, Robert Livingston didn’t have a son. That movie lies. He left Continental Congess because New York was freaking out.
Now I must suffer the heat as my boss dresses me up in colonial attire.
Saw Spidy yesterday before work…I swear, with the glasses on he looks just like a young David Tennant!!!!! cowlick and alll <3
oh, and we should play that spontoon game at the next meetup!!!
Maybe with a full-size spontoon? THAT would make it interesting! Perhaps a bit dangerous, to…
LOL!! Brent, I don’t know what I’d do without your incentive captions to brighten my week. :)
Agreed! :)
Uhoh, the Ominous Red Outline hath (partially) reappeared??? *runs for cover, and hides tea cozies*
Yeah but cover scenes are never actually part of the storyline, so I think we’re safe
Wait…..there was Harlem Heights….and Ben at the stadium…uh-oh *hugs*
But the ominous red outlines aren’t *always* the worst thing ever. I mean, Alan had one and he’s still alive. Right?!
Unless he’s waking up “on the other side”? But Lora wouldn’t do that to us! Would she?
SURELY SHE COULDN’T POSSIBLY!! :O
Oh goodness, Bea’s not gonna be able to take her mind off 1775! Red outlines are very ominous. And the blackhole. Oh noeeeesss!!
yay a new cover! And Happy Birthday to the Dreamer!
Anyone else get the feeling Bea is trying to pull Alan into the 21st century?
That would be cool if she could actually DO it, but then she’d have a LOT of explaining to do!
Wow! Dramatic cover is dramatic! Can’t wait to see how this plays out.
Happy 5th birthday to The Dreamer!! You keep rockin’ on with your awesome self.
And Happy 4th everyone! Off now to our traditional annual viewing of “1776″.
Great Cover! Love the reference photos … I figure you do that for everything. I’m glad you’re taking the time to tell this story right (and surprised how you keep us reading) – I think some people might be tempted to just end it – but not Lora.
First…Happy 4th! Happy Birthday! And ave fun stuffing faces with hot dogs hamburgers and various goodies while I’m stuck in the garden all day!!! lol
Second….THAT’S NATHANS HAND SHE’S TRYING TO GRAB ISN’T IT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
You’d LOVE that, wouldn’t you? :)
I’d trade spots with Bea in a heart beat. Even though I have the shirt and pillowcase, I’m still in Nathan Withdraw…..
Gah! Who is she reaching for? Can’t be Alan, we know he just woke up and will be juuuuuuuust fine. N…Nathan?
0_0 *wibbles*
It would be interesting to see Nathan’s reaction upon being introduced to a modern high school environment.
I’VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR MONTHSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! He needs to be Beas new history teacher, and remember everything from the 18th century story line!
I smell a hot young new TA…..
Wow… Intense issue cover.
But what is the mysterious hand rising up from the depths of the unfathomable deep??
Is this where Bea discovers more about what happened in the 18th century????
It’s the Matrix, Ambo ^_^
The Matrix? Dude, what if ALL this stuff is just in Bea’s head and she’s really just lying in a container somewhere hooked up to some supercomputer? Heck, for all we know she could just be a VR simulation herself! Or maybe a disembodied brain floating in a jar!
Oh noo! Is that Alan falling down the rabbit hole…?!
Happy birthday America! Happy birthday Dreamer!! I celebrated by walking in a local, all-volunteer-funded parade with a great friend (he also happens to be a pretty fabulous state rep). In 105 degree weather, no less! And tonight I’m biking with some friends to some of those good old “illuminations”.
Seconding the John Adams miniseries recommendation. It sits in a place of honor between my Horatio Hornblower and Lord of the Rings DVDs… so you KNOW it must be good. :) :)
Hehe, LOVE Horatio Hornblower. And Lord of the Rings :D
Love the new cover! Wonder what the horrified expression on Bea’s face is all about? Inquiring minds want to know!
Maybe it’s not Alan OR Nathan she see’s, but someone or SOMETHING else….
That is so awesome that Felicia Day recommended The Dreamer! And that is also awesome that she plays the violin! I had no idea.
I’m soooo glad The Dreamer is back! Not that I didn’t enjoy the guest blogs. I just missed it :D
Just started reading it and I’m completely hooked. Read all of the issues yesterday. Keep up the great work and I hope you all had a fantastic holiday. : )
Welcome aboard, Britt! We’re glad to have you.
Thanks, everyone!
For the record, I -did- check the comic yesterday from a pub on my phone. :) I’m just not commenting until today because my phone is internet-impaired most of the time, and I didn’t want to deal with it trying to handle reloading the blog just to see the comments. :P
Now, as for this cover….it’s pretty epic, and makes me VERY nervous. Either Bea is going to be a catastrophic mess this issue while in the 21st century, and/or something bad is going to happen (à la red outline of DOOM!)…either way this issue will be awesome!
……or maybe the OROOD will show up in the present!
Happy Birthday Dreamer! You don’t look a day older than two. ;)
I always knew that Felicia Day had awesome taste.
Huzzah to The Dreamer 5th anniversary!
@Lora: <3 the reference photos. Actually you looked more "disturbed" than horrified. Sort of like one of those obsessed co-eds that a 21st century Nathan would want be wary of! Oh, and I just found out that "Dovecote Crest" is back, in case you didn't know.
I saw that and was excited. I’ve missed the comic- glad they didn’t give up on it.
I know they promised not to, but you never know how those things will go.
Dude, Felicia Day mention on her vlog?! That’s totally awesome! Congrats!
Thanks. :)
New reader here! Felicia sent me here Monday night at 8 PM; I was all caught up by about 11. You’re so incredibly talented and I have already recommended this comic to a half-dozen of my friends! I can’t wait for more!!
Tell Felicia “thanks.” ;)
Thanks for passing on the comic! So glad you’ve found us!
An anonymous reader asked that I pass this on:
“Has anyone noticed that Ms. Innes has thrown in several unusual aspects for inquiring minds to mull over? The ominous red outline appears in a newly truncated form – ending at the limits of the black hole. What does it mean? Someone has speculated that Beatrice is retrieving Nathan Hale. Hale has not appeared as yet with the infamous crimson outline, though his fate would suggest ample reason for such coloring. The characters who have faced the outline are Alan Warren and Knowlton. We note that the unidentified individual sports a thick, white buttoned cuff. That would most likely be a Continental Northern Department uniform coat (red cuffs and facings were from mid-Atlantic provinces, and buff facings from the South and George Washington’s staff and life guards). Not much help there: Alan, Hale and Knowlton might all have had cuffs like that. So, perhaps Bea is horrified to realize that she is retrieving Knowlton into her 21st c. high school world. It would be hard enough to explain the presence of Alan or Nathan Hale, but Knowlton???”
Anonymous reader? Tell them to step forward before we suspect it’s the treacherous Dr. Church!
She or he hides behind a mask. We cannot tell. But they mentioned as an aside that they belong to that numerous tribe of Team Mercy. Don’t believe it was Dr. Church. His self-interested double dealing would not be the kind of behavior associated with Miss Mercy advocates.
Blech. When Mary Warren aches to see her dead son’s children, you call her heartless and cold. When Mercy gets upset that an inanimate object is being put to use in the service of the country she claims to love, you applaud her sentimentality.
Here’s the thing about Team Warren: we don’t hate Mercy and we don’t belittle her pain. Our legal claims trump hers is all. Mercy, we know you had a hard life. So did Mary and Jack, for all the same reasons. And they loved him longer.
Team Mercy! *growls*. There is your problem right there!
Ha! The Dreamer hasn’t been THIS divided since Alan punched Nathan. That admittedly was a lot uglier. There were badges we wore aligning ourselves with the proper team. It splintered from there into Team “I’m right” Knowlton and Team “You all should die” Howe.