Book Review: "Sandman, Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes" by Neil Gaiman

[jpskewedthrone]

I've heard lots about Sandman from various people and so I finally broke down and decided to get the first volume and read it. I haven't read many graphic novels (Watchmen and V for Vendetta are the other two), so that's what I'm comparing this to in the long run. Overall, I thought the story itself was not as involved as the other two, not as developed, and a little erratic in quality. There were issues in here that I absolutely loved and ones that I read and could easily have passed on. A very erratic start. I realize that there are 10 other volumes of novels after this, and having talked to a few people, I know that the story gets much more involved and fully developed as it progresses, but if I'd read this one volume without having heard about the improvement in those that come . . . I probably would not have continued to read the series. There was some really good storytelling in here in places, and I can see the potential for the rest of the series, but I'm not certain I'd have continued regardless.

One of the things that I found disappointing was the artwork. I wasn't as drawn in by the style of the art, although it got better as the issues progressed again. It feels too . . . cluttered to me, with alot of detail and background elements that I didn't feel needed to be there. I also had some issues with the colorations of panels. But in the end, I'm willing to go with the flow as long as the story draws me along and for the most part that's what happened here.

And the story did draw me along, even if there were a few missteps on occasion. It pulled me along enough (and I've benn reassured enough by others) that I've already bought the second volume. The last few issues, that focused more on Sandman himself and tried less to integrate him into the DC universe, gives me hope that what people are saying about what happens later is true.

Comments

[threeoutside.livejournal.com]

Heh heh heh. I SO envy you your first reading...

[sabotabby]

It gets better. The series as a whole is uneven, both story-wise and art-wise, but I'm still rather attached to it.

After the first volume, there's no real attempt to put Morpheus in the DC universe, other than the odd appearance of Constantine.

[herefox.livejournal.com]

The last issue, Sound of her Wings, was the only thing that really kept me reading after the first volume since the DC cross over stuff did nothing for me, really. Thankfully the second volume made me absolutely fall in love.

I adore the series as a whole and kind of want to be Delirium when I grow up. But I'm odd ;-)

[hand2hand.livejournal.com]

Delirium rocks!

[shard-baenre.livejournal.com]

Try Batman: The Killing Joke or Batman: Year One on for size. The former really gets into The Joker's head and the latter deals with Bruce Wayne first getting back to Gotham. I particularly enjoyed seeing Commissioner Gordon in a new way.

If Batman isn't your thing, then Lex Luthor: Man of Steel is pretty fantastic as well. Once again, you get to see the world through the eyes of the villain.

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Batman ones are on my list of things to check out.

[thelauderdale.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. It gets better. (Although there are parts I like from the first volume as well. I'm a sucker for "24 Hours": I think it's a mean, amazing little story.) But yeah: "Sound of Her Wings" is the signal that Sandman is going to be a very different kind of comic from what was expected, based on what had come before.

[stormsdotter.livejournal.com]

Pssst. If you want lovely art, try ElfQuest. (This icon is from the series.) You can even read it for free online (http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics3.html).

[hand2hand.livejournal.com]

I have rarely been as gobsmacked as I was by the totality of the Endless stories. I hope you do persevere; it does get better as it goes along.

It's an amazing vision.

Enjoy!

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

The art gets better, too -- and if you're not reading the Ultimate edition, try to find it! (It's pricey, but your local public library might have it.) I couldn't believe what a difference the recolouration makes. See here (http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=54869) (if you haven't already) for examples.

[nerinedorman.livejournal.com]

This was probably one of the top ten most influential works that got me writing. Do yourself a favour and persevere. If you can, invest in the copies that have cover art by UK illustrator Dave McKean. Once you see how all the different threads intertwine it's absolutely huge in scope. I still need to have a marathon reread of all The Sandman books.

[mythusmage.livejournal.com]

In a comic book, manga, or graphic novel the art is often as important---if not more so---than the writing at establishing the feel, the tone, the mood of the work. Where in a novel it is the writing that sets that atmosphere, in a graphic novel it is the art that conveys much of the world and the action.

Sandman's world is a dark and surreal one. A world filled with the outre and the strange. It has the logic of dreams, and the rationality of the unsane. Morpheus is a truly amoral creature, for he does not condemn a murderous pedophile for his actions, but ends the creature's depredations by sending the poor soul into an unending dream where the children are always agreeable, and never grow up.

The dreamtime is a different place, and the art in the Sandman stories reflects this. It is subtle and blatant, calming and disturbing. It is the way it is to remind us that it is not our world and that we do not belong there. As Robert E. Lee might have put it, had he ever spoken on the subject, "It is well that Fairy is such an awe full place, else we should grow to love it too much."

[jtglover.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel better, I do remember a point somewhere in the second story arc where I thought "well, this isn't what I expected." There are other similar shifts in tone and type of story throughout the series. As to the art, if you don't want "cluttered," just wait for the next-to-last story arc ("The Kindly Ones"). The artwork is tight, neo-expressionist, and a marvel.