Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Sandman 05 Über die See zum Himmel oder Das Spiel von dir

Dream takes the back seat yet again in his own series. What I like the most about this arc is that one of the main characters is trans, in 1991; be prepared for a ton of transphobia and deadnaming though, which is unfortunately accurate. This was a mostly interesting story and decently paced for another limited location tale. I wish there had been more time with Martin Tenbones.

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magneto's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

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

3.0

Torn on how to rate this, settling on 3. The treatment of the trans character and sole black character are... questionable at best. I know this is a product of its time so keeping that in mind with the rating. Really not a fan of the art style and choices in this volume as usual and looking forward to a modern adaptation of this handled by a diverse writers room.

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avscarlett's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

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wilde_for_books's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

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

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piplodocus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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byrdies's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark 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? No

3.75

My enjoyment of this volume of The Sandman was limited by Neil Gaiman’s portrayal of Wanda, a transgender woman. Wanda’s gender is repeatedly questioned by friend and foe alike

She dies in the end and an epilogue centers around Barbie’s feelings on the matter as Wanda is deadnamed by her family

While there is a time and place for stories exploring transphobic violence, The Sandman is clearly not appropriate for it (nor is Gaiman the appropriate author). This is a shame because I personally really loved all other aspects of this volume, and think it could have been his strongest work in the series if not for Wanda.

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bealiy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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thanesiel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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