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

Out of all of Gaiman's works, The Sandman has been hailed as one of his most creative endeavors. As an avid fan of Gaiman, and after hearing all the praise for this series, I finally got around to starting it and am so ecstatic that I did. The story telling and art are so captivating as we jump into the story of Morpheus, The Sandman and Lord of Dreams, when he is captured in the 19th century and locked away for decades due to refusing his captures demands. That is till he eventually escapes with two things on his mind; revenge and to reclaim his relics of office that were stolen from him. These trials are as exciting as they are horrifying, and as we see how Morpheus deals with and reacts to various characters we get an idea of who he is, his morals, and what he stands for. What I especially liked about this story is how human Morpheus is in his reactions to his imprisonment and release; going through moments of rage, to purpose, to finally lost in the wake of all the time taken away from him.

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kribol1113's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-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

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khakipantsofsex's review against another edition

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dark

4.0

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.0

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.

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candies's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

3,5 stars?

Of course I'm reading this because I watched the new TV show and it made me curious enough to seek the comics.

I didn't like the show very much, but the comics were nice, I liked the drawings and I found the characters way more interesting, with more style and everything.

The whole plot was pretty cool, I usually have troubles with comics because there's little place for details but it was satisfying and consistent enough here.

I want to read the other volumes so to make me that invested in comics it has earned its more than 3 stars!

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moosaysmoo's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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doomluz's review against another edition

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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.

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hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition

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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

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