dark emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

It took me awhile to get through this chunker, and I've been reading it on and off throughout the month and in between school but I finally hit a high point tonight and finished it all.

I adore Neil Gaiman. I adore his writing and world building and this was no exception. The dialogue and characters are wonderful and beautiful and this collection gave me a lot to think about. The world is fascinating and never, ever boring. The characters and haunting and heart tugging while at the same time, they're these incredible beings that makes me look out the window and wonder if they really do exist.

There is just... so many great and amazing things about this series so far. I really really really really enjoy it so far, but at the same time I'm waiting to fall in love with it.

I was reading Neil Gaiman's author notes and I have to agree with him that to a certain extent, the first issues were awkward. But that's expected, there's a lot of story setting up and world building- but as the series progressed I was addicted, I could not out it down. Literally. I've been holed up in my room for these past couple of hours reading this instead of working on school stuff.

I have a great feeling about this so far, it's just getting better and better and I can't wait to continue on.

I'd nearly given in up during the initial chapters. But after the setting was established the narrative switched to Morpheus's viewpoint, and it got more interesting. Still very weird though. All of the stories were about dreams, and each had a dream-like, surreal quality. Tending toward the nightmarish. And worse nightmares than I'd ever had.
adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
dark reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

For some reason I can't seem to shake my image of DC as the stodgy, predictable, older cousin of Marvel. I grew up reading a lot of the DC Archive editions of gold and silver age titles, and as enjoyable as they were, they were pretty white bread. A friend in college loaned me 'Batman: The Killing Joke', 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'; and other game-changing titles, but that just wasn't enough.

'Sandman', though. Wow. I've enjoyed a lot of Gaiman's writing, but I wasn't sure what his work in comics would be all about. I should have known that his brand of dark urban fantasy and attention to detail didn't first appear in 'Neverwhere'.

This massive volume has issues #1-20 plus bonus features that longtime fans will get a much greater kick out of than I did: Gaiman's original pitch, some scripts and sketches for selected issues (particularly #20's on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream') and collected introductions.

The ties to the rest of the DC Universe, from what I can see, are tenuous, John Constantine and some references to earlier Sandman incarnations (and presumably) supporting characters.

But, the glory of this comic is that it creates its own mythology and therefore can function as its own entity. For comics, especially a title starting in the late 80s, that is too good to pass up trying. There's also the fact that it has ended and Gaiman oversaw the entire run and the title had to end when he left, so it can't be screwed up by new writers. Of course, he could probably always come back to it and ruin it himself...let's hope that doesn't happen.

Sandman

Next: 'Volume 2'

My second read through this series. It's still great! Imaginative, twisted, dark, brilliant, creative. Neil Gaiman truly creates worlds worth exploring. I should grab a copy of the regular edition to compare the art. But I'm pleased with the quality of the book and art.

The Absolute Sandman Volume One is not a good version to collect. The additions in the Absolute edition don't add much to your enjoyment and while Volume One of the Absolute Edition is the one with the most and the best extras in it, it's still not worth the price tag and definitely not worth buying all of the Absolute editions. The Annotated Sandman is even worse. You lose out on all the beautiful colors for a few annotations that add little to the actual story. Sandman was not meant to be read in black and white.

As for the quality of the actual book, it's far better than the usual DC/Vertigo omnibuses due to it having a rounded spine like the Marvel omnibuses. The printing is good and the coloring and quality is good too. I wouldn't recommend it unless you really wanted something to show off in your library I guess.

So so so creepy.

I have owned The Sandman in almost every iteration, from the original monthly comic books to softbound 'graphic novel' collected works. With Absolute Sandman, I will never need another copy as they are simply beautiful. Each large leather bound tome is encased in a matching sleeve with artwork by the legendary Dave McKean. His distinctive stylings are further reproduced on each cover, with attractive stamped detail and silver lettering. Whether you are an old fan or a newcomer, I can't recommend this set of books highly enough. They are still as fresh and immersive today as the first time I found them, and stand up well as the pinnacle of the author's storytelling powers. I'll forever be appreciative of Neil Gaiman's other work but for me The Sandman is a true legacy.

Volume One begins with a foreword by Paul Levitz. We then are introduced to the world of the Endless with now classic stories, laid out in vivid retouched colour on high quality paper. It's still enthralling for me to follow Morpheus through his imprisonment, or meet his sibling Death in "The Sound of Her Wings" as if it were the very first time. These stories still have the power to captivate, and I make it my business to enjoy them once a year or so. At the end of the book, alongside the original proposal for the series by Gaiman, is a printing of the pencilled Midsummer Night's Dream with notes from the man himself. It's an interesting way to draw back the curtain for the reader, and a fun fresh perspective. A brilliant read.

I've never read the Sandman, but my interest was piqued when referring to it flippantly as a comic book series got me dagger-looks from Gaiman's rabid fans.



I was blown away by this first volume. Once a sceptic, I've come to regard the graphic novel as a genre of literature in its own right. The richness of mythological references - ancient and contemporary - and the way Gaiman took the whole Sandman/Dreamweaver legend and turned it on its head is amazing, to say the least. And lest you think it's just a whimsical one-trick idea, Gaiman's thoughtful representation of the Dreamlord across the ages and cultures, with a host of identities and names, as one of the Endless, with familial ties with Death, Despair, Desire and the other dark forces of nature, gave his protagonist a depth and relevance that a mere comic book anti-hero can't.



The rich intra/inter-textual references also enrich this visual text and the different issues in this set are either interconnected or stand-alone episodes that blends into a thematic whole.



I look forward to being chilled by the other volumes with equal parts anticipation and unease.