There’s plenty of action this last issue. I adore how the past and present have been knitted together, weaved into this narrative. Cyrenic approaches the King this issue saying, “Walk with me, your Majesty and learn of things lost to time.” Finally Poppy’s own words are about time. Even Oranto asked Poppy in the last pages of Issue #10 “What came before me?” The past matters. As a couple, as two fated for each other, they had been running out of time to simply be together due to all the murder and court drama. Cyrenic was running out of time to be at Poppy’s side, to protect her due to his “drifting”, which could have taken him forever.

And yet these two were always running out of time individually: Poppy herself, was running out of time to figure out how to leave court to join her mother, running out of time to not get married to Helder, to get stuck in court, and so on. It seems like Poppy and Cyrenic were always running out of time as a pair: to discover who wanted her dead, to find out who was around the corner, to reveal plots made in the dark. I have enjoyed the mentioning of time in the writing by Vaughn as a theme as well. Now in the final issue we see that fleshed out in another way in revealed baddie Oranto, who has waited and waited for his chance to strike, staying vigilant and on his toes year after year. This is what our Princess Poppy and the knight of hers, have always been attempting to be, and failing at. That kind of hyper-vigilance can lead to weakness that spells your doom. The implicit meaning is about anyone who strives to always be vigilant, perhaps on the edge of constant anxiety. One of the major themes of this comic is that the Sleepless are ever ready. We learn the the mastermind is: Oranto!? Not the one who smiled and counseled both princess and sleepless knight as one of their few allies in court?! It has been an exciting ride, with all the pieces finally falling into place to reveal Poppy’s enemy. This is where the fates of Poppy and Cyrenic are finally decided. I am so sad to finally see this issue as it brings the finale of fave series Sleepless. The future looks bleak, but both Poppy and Cyrenic are fighters.Writer: Sarah Vaughn / Artists: Leila Del Duca and Alissa Sallah / Image Comics

And though Poppy has allies old and new, she buckles under the pressure to marry Lord Helder. Cyrenic adjusts to life after being released from the Sleepless Vow.

Language eng Summary Nearly a year later in the court of Harbeny, Lady Poppy and Sir Cyrenic must forge ahead without each other.

02 Statement of responsibility Sarah Vaughn, writer Leila del Duca, artist Alissa Sallah, editor & colors Creator

Sleepless, Vol. 1 by Sarah Vaughn