Neil Gaiman's Sandman

Television, Movies Games and Books Comics
#1

has anyone read this comic? it’s mostly a fantasy book, with some elements of horror, plus a dash of good old-fashioned superheroics. it revolves around Dream, aka the Sandman, aka Morpheus, and his dysfunctional family known as the Endless. the Endless are sort of personifications of aspects of the human experience, including Dream, Desire, Death, and others. they are not merely the physical incarnations of these concepts, they are the full embodiment of these concepts. got it? me neither. absolutely fascinating, and steeped in allusions to other pieces of literature. there are 11 tpbs, all of which are phenomenal, and come fully recommended by me, some guy on the internet. if you’ve never read it, i’d recommend starting with Season of Mists, the fourth trade. it follows Dream as he journeys to Hell on personal business, only to find Lucifer (who bears an uncanny resemblance to David Bowie) about to abandon his throne. since Dream is there already, and pissed Lucifer off at some point in the past, Lucifer hands him the key to Hell and with it, the task of finding a new ruler.

ok, that was long. anyway, it’s a really great book, with gorgeous art by a rotating cast of greats, and brilliant covers by Dave McKean. it also features the most interesting characterization of Death i have ever come across. so, you should read the crap out of it.

#2

It’s a brilliant read actually. And start at the beginning with: Preludes and Nocturns, then Dollhouse… You can actually get the novels with little numbers on the sides… I do not recommend starting at seasons of mist cause then you don’t understand what is going on… Get the full story… Enjoy the whole experience…

Other than that…It’s like jumping into BSG during season 3…

#3

Sandman was actually my first experience with comics, other than the sunday paper and a few “Archie’s” that had been my mom’s. I will thank my friend Sam for that for the rest of our lives.

I ADORE Neil Gaiman. I ADORE the Sandman. IMHO, Gaiman is one of the most intelligent and creative writers working today. I love the way he seamlessly blends so many different traditions and mythologies together into a lovely/frightening/comfortable/dangerous world.

My favorite Sandman quote:

“To absent friends, lost loves, old gods, and the season of mists;
and may each and every one of us always give the devil his due.”

I may need to put that in my sig line…

#4

while i agree that if you’re going to commit to tackling the whole series, it’s best to start with #1, Preludes & Nocturnes, if you just want to check it out and see if it interests you, Season of Mists is far more indicative of the feel of the series as a whole, whereas in P&N the book is still kind of finding itself. i don’t think it spoils much of anything to start with SoM, except for so many of the Endless having been revealed by that point. and honestly, who the Endless are (at least, those Endless that have been revealed by that point) aren’t really one of the big mysteries of the story. in my mind, it’s much more like jumping into BSG with 33 and skipping the miniseries. but everyone should read the whole series, so starting with P&N is probably the best idea.

Apollymy - if you don’t use that quote, i will. i completely forgot about that. so, you know. act fast.

#5

Sandman is one of the best things I’ve ever read…

#6

now that is a statement that just warms my heart. and from a fellow new jerseyanite, no less!

#7

Did you know that Gotham City is in Jersey? I, on the other hand, do not live in Newark, despite everything that TFG is going to try to tell you.

As for Sandman, I just finished Doll’s House last night. I started reading Sandman because I heard some buzz about the Midsummer Night’s Dream story in Dream Country and the award it won and since I’m a big Shakespeare fan, I checked that out. I’m usually more a superheroes guy, but I enjoy some Sandman once in a while. I’m planning on reading The Wake soon, for there’s another Shakespeare story in there.

#8

I concur regarding the Sandman series. I have spoken about it in various other places, but will reiterate here.

Seldom does one encounter such a narrative laced with mythological, literary and historical references interwoven with an entirely new universe…the closest to come to this level of expertise and beauty is “The Eyre Affair” by Jasper Fforde.

The Sandman to me is perfection of storytelling, combining written word with beautiful art, deep characters with bold characterizations. I find myself coming back to them at least once a year and once again finding myself swept away.

This is what literature is all about.

#9

So say we all!

Gaiman is a (capital S) Storyteller of such skill, you can’t help but be swept away. Reading (any and all of) his writing fills me with a sense of joy. And the artwork in the Sandman series is so incredible… Dave McKean is an absolute visionary. I would give up a limb for the Vertigo Tarot deck he created. It’s extremely sought after, because of its stark and almost painful beauty. Very expensive and very hard to find.

And I too loved the Tuesday Next series. Jasper Fforde is another Storyteller of great skill. The characters have such depth and the universe he creates is so fascinating. I’ve not read any of his Nursery Crimes series, but I’m sure I will eventually.

#10

Oh that Sandman series. How do I love thee? Let me list the ways…

Oooo thinly veiled reference there huh? Seriously, I love the series and have since it was first out. I’ve re-read it many times and it gets better every time I read it. So much so that I’ve spent the cash on the Ultimate Edition books that have come out. That is my Christmas present to myself each year now and I’ve been making new happy memories reading it during the holidays.

I can’t tell you all enough how deeply I feel that everyone should read this series, comic fan or not. The story is brilliant and there’s something that everyone can relate to in it. And yes, Dave McKean’s art is simply stunning. So go, read it! Beg, borrow, buy, whatever it takes to get your hands on this series. It’s worth it!

“You get what everyone gets. You get a lifetime.” ~ Death

#11

Ooohh, you have the Absolute versions! What kind of bonus features do they have? I heard some of the coloring has been retouched, but didn’t know what else was included.

#12

Well, there’s the spiffy classic book binding, the slipcase, the ribbon placeholder and the pages are nice thick glossy stock.

The colors do look a bit cleaner than the old books did, they’ve obviously retouched a bit. There’s also a bunch of pre-vis from McKean, Vess and others in it. I mostly skipped through that and just marvelled in the glory that is the story.

If you’re looking to invest try Buy.Com. They have really good prices on them. Like $57 compared to Amazon’s $77 for volume 1 and the other two are comperabley lower as well.

#13

Besides the obvious (Bigger! Great quality paper! Pretty slip-case!) It’s been re-coloured and touched up in a few places. But the real fun stuff is the backmatter, scripts, sketches, and just… so much extra information.

I can’t say it’s an essential buy if you have any of the other editions, but… really, it’s just so pretty.

#14

jealous I would love to have those!

And that may be my favorite Death quote. It’s the utter truth.