The Sandman Vol #1 – #8 book review
Published by Vertigo on December 1, 1998
Pages: 233
Goodreads
Librarian Note: If you're looking for the Audible adaptation of the first three volumes it is here.
New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman's transcendent series SANDMAN is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling. Gaiman created an unforgettable tale of the forces that exist beyond life and death by weaving ancient mythology, folklore and fairy tales with his own distinct narrative vision.
In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps her younger brother Dream instead. After his 70 year imprisonment and eventual escape, Dream, also known as Morpheus, goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey, Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine, and an all-powerful madman.
This book also includes the story "The Sound of Her Wings," which introduces us to the pragmatic and perky goth girl Death.
Includes issues 1-8 of the original series.
I picked up The Sandman collection when I was on holiday and hoisted it all the way back from the States but then it sat on my shelf for a really long time. I decided that the challenges this year was going to be the perfect excuse to force myself to read it. I am so glad that I did, I have always been a fan of Neil Gaiman’s work and I think the addition of the beautiful artwork really joined the story together. I adored watching the plot unfurl in front of my eyes and seeing the characters and world in such vivid and beautiful detail, it really is a stunning book.
The main character of Sandman is Dream, basically a God who controls dreams and nightmares. I know I should be completely terrified of him as a character but I actually really loved him. I loved watching his humanity and mercy come to the forefront but then also experiencing his desire to destroy was the most perfect thing. I especially enjoyed the fight with the demon, I thought it was a brilliant comedic device that added a little bit of levity to the situation and really brought his characteristics to the forefront. It was a really impressive part of the story and I really enjoyed it all.
I know I haven’t read all of the volumes but the side characters in this one really piqued my interest and I definitely think that they are going to end being some of my favourite things about Sandman. I loved watching them all interact with one another and I spent a lot of time figuring out who was who and what their relationship was. It was very well written and I can’t wait to meet more of them when I start to read the next volumes.
The best bit of Sandman for me was definitely the artwork, this book is BEAUTIFULLY illustrated and although some of the parts are a little bit gross on each page there was something beautiful and I truly adored this book because of it. I think that the story itself is a really interesting concept and I can’t see where it is all going to end up going to! But I guess that’s half the fun of it all.
The worst bit for me was the joltiness of the story, sometimes and I think this is because they were separate comics once upon a time the story shifted quite abruptly. There were also endings that came about really quickly and the story moved on, it wasn’t a massive deal but it did jar me one or two times and I did struggle with the some of the parts.
Ohh, yes yes yes yes would I recommend this one. I’m not usually a huge fan of comic books/graphic novels but this one has blown me away and I think I have fallen in love all over again! I will definitely be picking up the next volumes and reading them soon!
What are some of your favourite graphic novels? Let me know!
