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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
I have a love hate with this one. Love the Death / Dream / Desire stories. Hated the Destiny / Delerium stories. The Destruction story was... sort of just there. The Delirium story was really quite charming. It's actually the funnest in the bunch because it's her calling a bunch of crazies to come and rescue her.
I don't know, man, this series is sort of the David Bowie of comics. It's all over the place, good and bad. Sometimes it's better suited for wall art in MOMA, other times it breaks the laws of comics, other times it tells great stories, other times it's so far up its own butt that it seems the only point is just graphic indulgence, decadence, and meaninglessness.
In all, I do love the series. I understand what it contributed. And I like Gaiman — always — his voice, particularly as a miniaturist.
But I sort of encountered these after everyone and it allowed me — I think — to encounter them with virgin eyes. And some of it just doesn't seem to live up to the hype. Other parts really do, perhaps were even undersold.
I don't know, man, this series is sort of the David Bowie of comics. It's all over the place, good and bad. Sometimes it's better suited for wall art in MOMA, other times it breaks the laws of comics, other times it tells great stories, other times it's so far up its own butt that it seems the only point is just graphic indulgence, decadence, and meaninglessness.
In all, I do love the series. I understand what it contributed. And I like Gaiman — always — his voice, particularly as a miniaturist.
But I sort of encountered these after everyone and it allowed me — I think — to encounter them with virgin eyes. And some of it just doesn't seem to live up to the hype. Other parts really do, perhaps were even undersold.
Son grandes historias que te llevan a lugares completamente desconocidos. Como toda buena historia de Gaiman, te deja con mas preguntas que respuestas. Pero, y como si fuera la primera vez, es un gusto soltar la imaginación en busca de las respuestas
This is something of an epilogue to the Sandman canton - maybe more appropriately an appendix. Very little of it ties into the main storyline - it is instead a short anthology of single issues, one dedicated to each of the seven Endless (those would be Dream's siblings, who are anthropomorphized personifications of vast life forces which happen to begin with the letter D: Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Despair, Desire, and Delight/Delirium). Each story has a different illustrator and a different style, and so like most anthologies my appreciation waxed and waned in turns.
Death and Venice: plays with time, and choices, and inevitability. Really pretty setting even though the artistic style is not my favorite. B.
What I've Tasted of Desire: I love every single thing about this. The art is great. The story is fantastic and fierce and relentless. A+.
Dream - the Heart of a Star: Possibly this tied the most into the storyline of the main series, or at least, it's meant to illuminate an episode in Dream's past that occurred a long time ago. Perhaps for that reason I didn't completely love it - I'd maybe forgotten the details of the context in which to place it. The art is a gorgeous style, and I liked the storyline, but I felt like maybe I didn't understand it well enough. Greatly enjoyed the glimpse of lil' Delight, though. B+.
Fifteen Portraits of Despair: This is art, and it is unpretty and true and not very likable. I did not much like it. That doesn't mean it's wrong. A.
Delirium - Going Inside: The art style was well matched to the subject matter, but neither one lit me up much, unfortunately. C.
Destruction on the Peninsula: Neat little compact story about Destruction-in-absentia and an archeological dig. I enjoyed it. B.
Destiny - Endless Nights: More an illustrated poem than an actual story, it's gorgeously drawn and evocative and does what it sets out to do extremely well. Also I liked it. A.
Death and Venice: plays with time, and choices, and inevitability. Really pretty setting even though the artistic style is not my favorite. B.
What I've Tasted of Desire: I love every single thing about this. The art is great. The story is fantastic and fierce and relentless. A+.
Dream - the Heart of a Star: Possibly this tied the most into the storyline of the main series, or at least, it's meant to illuminate an episode in Dream's past that occurred a long time ago. Perhaps for that reason I didn't completely love it - I'd maybe forgotten the details of the context in which to place it. The art is a gorgeous style, and I liked the storyline, but I felt like maybe I didn't understand it well enough. Greatly enjoyed the glimpse of lil' Delight, though. B+.
Fifteen Portraits of Despair: This is art, and it is unpretty and true and not very likable. I did not much like it. That doesn't mean it's wrong. A.
Delirium - Going Inside: The art style was well matched to the subject matter, but neither one lit me up much, unfortunately. C.
Destruction on the Peninsula: Neat little compact story about Destruction-in-absentia and an archeological dig. I enjoyed it. B.
Destiny - Endless Nights: More an illustrated poem than an actual story, it's gorgeously drawn and evocative and does what it sets out to do extremely well. Also I liked it. A.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Listen to my review on V for Vertigo, Episode 77 at http://vforvertigo.blogspot.com
Seven Endless - Seven Stories. Beautifully done, very fitting to the characters, though somewhat lost in comparison to the big whole of The Sandman.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a mixed bag for me.
Despite being far shorter and containing no real plot, I loved Destiny's chapter and I really wish he was explored in the Sandman series more. The stories in Death and Desire's chapters were intriguing and thought-provoking. I liked that they had clear arcs and messages. And Dream's story added some more background to his character while being a creative setting. I wish Destruction had something more fleshed out. He always seems to get sidelined in the Sandman universe and Endless Nights was no exception.
Unfortunately, I found Despair and Delirium's chapters far too abstract/surreal/experimental. After the first few "portraits" of Despair, it just dragged a bit, plus I was not a fan of the art.
As for Delirium, it was so difficult to follow along and I still don't know exactly how it all ended. Reflecting back on the entire series, she was always better as a side character with someone else to work off.
In the end, Despair and Delirium (and Destruction's lackluster chapter) really brought down my rating for Endless Nights.
Despite being far shorter and containing no real plot, I loved Destiny's chapter and I really wish he was explored in the Sandman series more. The stories in Death and Desire's chapters were intriguing and thought-provoking. I liked that they had clear arcs and messages. And Dream's story added some more background to his character while being a creative setting. I wish Destruction had something more fleshed out. He always seems to get sidelined in the Sandman universe and Endless Nights was no exception.
Unfortunately, I found Despair and Delirium's chapters far too abstract/surreal/experimental. After the first few "portraits" of Despair, it just dragged a bit, plus I was not a fan of the art.
As for Delirium, it was so difficult to follow along and I still don't know exactly how it all ended. Reflecting back on the entire series, she was always better as a side character with someone else to work off.
In the end, Despair and Delirium (and Destruction's lackluster chapter) really brought down my rating for Endless Nights.
A beautiful addendum for those of us who aren't ready to leave the Sandman. The chapters here included are not crucial for the main story that develops from vol 1 to 10, but instead offer a delightful insight into the Endless, their responsibilities and how they influence our lives. Just like a each one of them portray a different force from their very own particular personalities, so the narrative and the art (cleverly assigned to a different artist for every chapter/Endless) vary greatly from chapter to chapter: one might be more straightforward -but no less interesting-, others might prove to be a challenge to understand and follow through the end. This affinity to some parts of the book over others undoubtedly have to do with the moment in the life of the reader, and for this reason I very much look forward to re-reading it in a couple of years from now. Maybe this could be considered a book of reference, to self-check one's own state of mind every now and then.
Wonderful experience, certainly one to keep close by.
Wonderful experience, certainly one to keep close by.
More stories of the endless...can't get enough of them.