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A review by theesotericcamel
The Sandman: Overture: The Deluxe Edition by Neil Gaiman
4.0
It was great to return to the world of The Sandman with fresh new stories. It was like meeting up with a long lost friend. This particular graphic novel takes place before "Preludes and Nocturnes" and after "The Wake," so it is a prequel and a sequel at the same time...But actually it is mostly a prequel.
Although most of the graphic novels that make up the series can be read on their own I don't think that is the case with "Overture." As such, it is not really the best one to start with if you've never read anything else in the series despite being a prequel. There are a couple of reasons for this. A lot of the story is written with the assumption that we already know most the characters that take part in it. (And if you are an avid Sandman reader, you would.) The other reason is that the panel and layouts are crazy! This is both great and not so good. Personally, I happen to like the bold experimentation that is used in the telling of the story through the panels and fold outs and such. But those used to more conventional comic book style would probably find the story hard to follow. That being said, this is a very beautiful graphic novel and definitely one of the more stylistically striking of the entire series. The interior work by J.H. Williams is simply gorgeous. (He is also responsible for the art behind Promethea, another favourite of mine.) And Dave McKean even came back out of retirement to do some of the covers. The story itself reveals that Neil Gaiman has not lost touch with the Dreaming. It is true to form and on par with the rest of the series. So to conclude, I loved it, but I would not recommend it as an entry point to the series. This book was definitely written with the fans in mind.
Although most of the graphic novels that make up the series can be read on their own I don't think that is the case with "Overture." As such, it is not really the best one to start with if you've never read anything else in the series despite being a prequel. There are a couple of reasons for this. A lot of the story is written with the assumption that we already know most the characters that take part in it. (And if you are an avid Sandman reader, you would.) The other reason is that the panel and layouts are crazy! This is both great and not so good. Personally, I happen to like the bold experimentation that is used in the telling of the story through the panels and fold outs and such. But those used to more conventional comic book style would probably find the story hard to follow. That being said, this is a very beautiful graphic novel and definitely one of the more stylistically striking of the entire series. The interior work by J.H. Williams is simply gorgeous. (He is also responsible for the art behind Promethea, another favourite of mine.) And Dave McKean even came back out of retirement to do some of the covers. The story itself reveals that Neil Gaiman has not lost touch with the Dreaming. It is true to form and on par with the rest of the series. So to conclude, I loved it, but I would not recommend it as an entry point to the series. This book was definitely written with the fans in mind.