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unladylike's review against another edition
5.0
***Update/request*** I read the paperback collection back in '09 and would like to know if there are any must-have additions to the 2012 Deluxe Edition hardcover re-release. Please comment on this review to let me (and others) know.
In the main introduction to this collection of mostly stand-alone comics, Neil Gaiman says that one of them is the best short story he's done. Having read a lot of Neil Gaiman and loved most of it, this struck me as a big piece of genuine hype, and I hoped that he would leave the readers to pick for themselves which story he was talking about. I have an aversion to superlatives in general, and it seemed to me that for an acclaimed author to declare such a thing would be folly, for it would set up a good thing for perceptual failure by calling it great.
The Swamp Thing stories kicking the book off were fantastic, and their individual intros by Gaiman gave tremendously appreciated insights into the behind-the-scenes of comic production. Then he went ahead and did what I hoped he wouldn't do. He set up a rare John Constantine: Hellblazer story called "Hold Me" by talking about how we were about to read the greatest comic he'd ever written and how the art was going to be amazing (Dave McKean) and how it sells for more on its own than the retail price of the entire Midnight Days collection.
I took a deep breath, tried clearing my mind of expectations one way or the other, and read it. And he wasn't lying. It was great. I won't declare it to be the #1 Best Ever, but it made me, a person who gets all her comic books from the library, deem it worthy of not only my praise but my money. This is a collection I would very much like to own, re-read, and share.
In the main introduction to this collection of mostly stand-alone comics, Neil Gaiman says that one of them is the best short story he's done. Having read a lot of Neil Gaiman and loved most of it, this struck me as a big piece of genuine hype, and I hoped that he would leave the readers to pick for themselves which story he was talking about. I have an aversion to superlatives in general, and it seemed to me that for an acclaimed author to declare such a thing would be folly, for it would set up a good thing for perceptual failure by calling it great.
The Swamp Thing stories kicking the book off were fantastic, and their individual intros by Gaiman gave tremendously appreciated insights into the behind-the-scenes of comic production. Then he went ahead and did what I hoped he wouldn't do. He set up a rare John Constantine: Hellblazer story called "Hold Me" by talking about how we were about to read the greatest comic he'd ever written and how the art was going to be amazing (Dave McKean) and how it sells for more on its own than the retail price of the entire Midnight Days collection.
I took a deep breath, tried clearing my mind of expectations one way or the other, and read it. And he wasn't lying. It was great. I won't declare it to be the #1 Best Ever, but it made me, a person who gets all her comic books from the library, deem it worthy of not only my praise but my money. This is a collection I would very much like to own, re-read, and share.
brandonadaniels's review
4.0
A mixed bag. The Swamp Thing stories are pretty good, and this may be the only place you can find them. Hold Me is one of the all time great Hellblazer stories and single issues. The Sandman Midnight Theatre story is interesting but a real slog.
garcin's review against another edition
2.5
En esta colección se recopilan algunas de las primeras novelitas gráficas que escribió Neil Gaiman. Ha sido mi primera incursión en el imaginario de este autor. Los dibujantes que dan vida a las historias son realmente buenos, pero al argumento de cada uno de los relatos le falta algo para cautivar al lector. Se nota que son trabajos de iniciación.
chitownbookworm's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ogreart's review against another edition
4.0
I love Gaiman's work, but found this volume to be a little uneven. He himself said he wrote a lot of these as he was learning his craft. Still worth the read: a good Hellblazer story and a story where the Sandman meets Dream.
michael_benavidez's review
4.0
More Neil Gaiman, huzzah!
Seriously, ever since I've been turned on to his Sandman works, if I see a graphic novel or even a comic strip with his name on it, I get it.
This contains a sort of one-off/small arcs from various titles he wrote for including Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Sandman Mystery Theater , and House of Mystery.
The Swamp Thing and Sandman Mystery Theater seem to take up most of the book which isn't necessarily bad. There's three Swamp Thing tales, one is a nice short lil story that's quite innocent in a way. The other is a bit longer and better, focusing less on the Swamp Thing (I don't know where this takes play continuity wise, but it's probably after I had a read in it) but is a deeper and a hopeful story in a way, with it's balance of hardened personalities. The last story seems to be a bit of a whimsical thought and less of a story, where there were tons of ideas but not much to go on for a full story. It's not bad, just seemed to lead nowhere.
Next was my favorite, the Hellblazer one. It's a gut wrenching one, and the art is a beautiful match for the story and the type of story that it is. Being rather short I don't want to spoil it. That actually goes with all these stories. Gaiman seems to hype up many of these without meaning to, though he definitely hypes up Hold Me, and it may lead to an overly hyped expectation.
The next is Sandman Mystery Theater. It's a hell of an arc, and though I've seen it around, I never really read them. It seems to be a pretty straight forward kind of comic mythos, though this one does feature a nice little cameo, and the art is sublime. Very noir style. It really made me want to read this comic.
The last seemed out of place. It's an intro to the House of Mystery, and yet it's all the way in the back. I think the placement would have been best at the beginning. It is funny, cute styled, but just at the end? I don't know, that bugs me for some reason.
All in all, it shows Gaiman's taste for all types of genres, and his talent for writing without any limits.
Seriously, ever since I've been turned on to his Sandman works, if I see a graphic novel or even a comic strip with his name on it, I get it.
This contains a sort of one-off/small arcs from various titles he wrote for including Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Sandman Mystery Theater , and House of Mystery.
The Swamp Thing and Sandman Mystery Theater seem to take up most of the book which isn't necessarily bad. There's three Swamp Thing tales, one is a nice short lil story that's quite innocent in a way. The other is a bit longer and better, focusing less on the Swamp Thing (I don't know where this takes play continuity wise, but it's probably after I had a read in it) but is a deeper and a hopeful story in a way, with it's balance of hardened personalities. The last story seems to be a bit of a whimsical thought and less of a story, where there were tons of ideas but not much to go on for a full story. It's not bad, just seemed to lead nowhere.
Next was my favorite, the Hellblazer one. It's a gut wrenching one, and the art is a beautiful match for the story and the type of story that it is. Being rather short I don't want to spoil it. That actually goes with all these stories. Gaiman seems to hype up many of these without meaning to, though he definitely hypes up Hold Me, and it may lead to an overly hyped expectation.
The next is Sandman Mystery Theater. It's a hell of an arc, and though I've seen it around, I never really read them. It seems to be a pretty straight forward kind of comic mythos, though this one does feature a nice little cameo, and the art is sublime. Very noir style. It really made me want to read this comic.
The last seemed out of place. It's an intro to the House of Mystery, and yet it's all the way in the back. I think the placement would have been best at the beginning. It is funny, cute styled, but just at the end? I don't know, that bugs me for some reason.
All in all, it shows Gaiman's taste for all types of genres, and his talent for writing without any limits.
ula_j's review
3.0
A bit hit or miss but some of the stories were fantastic classic Gaiman so it definitely recommended for fans (but only if you've read a lot of his previous work)
sarah_grey's review
3.0
Hold Me was excellent and my favorite, but most of the others were not meant for me.
jasmiinaf's review
5.0
Hold Me is a beautiful story and I loved all the other stories too. But Hold Me is definitely the comic which made me give this collection five stars.