Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes

I watched the Netflix adaptation first, and I think I enjoyed that more because of the changes they made, so that is colouring my rating and review a little bit. This is an enjoyable volume, with a very strong beginning and end, but some of the middle part didn't quite hit for me. The attempt to integrate other DC superheroes and villains falls flat if you're not familiar with the DC verse (which I'm not for the most part). I do like the world Gaiman has set up, and am interested in continuing to see where it goes.

If you're picking this up because of the adaptation, you should know that it is a lot less diverse. The showrunners and Gaiman made a lot of changes in the show, and IMO it's a vast improvement. It probably makes sense considering when this was published, so this is just a warning to read this with the right expectations.

Content Warnings

penguinface's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Content Warnings

geekywoman14's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Content Warnings

aep215's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

jenny_d's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

mpbookreviews's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

doomluz's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Never read Gaiman’s comics, but it’s an interesting start to the series.
I started the series after finishing this volume and read the second while watching it. The pacing of the comic feels a little rushed and there are some changes in the show that I prefer over book version, but I still really like this comic.
Spoilers for the comic and the series:

The battle between Dream and Lucifer in the series instead of Choronzon is more dramatic. Doctor Destiny's motivation in the show gives him a little more depth than just being a villain.
Though I missed the Etrigan cameo in the show, separating the story from the larger DC world works better for the story, though there's still a gender-bent Constantine. It's trippy to think about The Sandman and Doom Patrol series being part of the same world.

Content Warnings

hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

More...