Sandman Review

The Sandman is one of the most impressive comic series that I’ve ever read.  For those unaware, The Sandman was a comic series written by the master story teller Neil Gaiman in the late 80s, early 90s.  It is considered one of the greatest comic series of all time.  If you haven’t read it yet, hopefully I’ll be able to convince you to.

Sandman is at its heart a story about stories.  It follows the narrative of Morpheus, aka Dream of the Endless, an anthropomorphic personification of dreams, imagination, creativity, etc.  He’s not a deity; he’s older and more powerful.  The series follows what appears to be a number of short stories involving Dream’s activities both in and out of the physical world.  However recurring characters crop up here and there who play a large role in the overall narrative of the story.  When you read the series, keep an eye on some characters as they’ll probably show up later.  The story is rich and interwoven with historical events and persons, mythological and divine creatures, and the occasional DC comic character.  Basically, it’s an English Major’s dream comic.  The stories range from dramatic, to comedic, to horror, to the plain out weird.  There’s a story for everyone here.

One of the most striking aspects of the series is its visual style.  The artists change frequently and each brings their own unique style to the table.  Some are surreal, some detailed, and one is reminiscent of the German Expressionist movement.  The artwork fits perfectly with the story and is really just beautiful to look at.  Each artist is fantastic.

One of the interesting aspects of the series is that the main character Dream is sometimes not the focus of the story.  There are some whole issues where he doesn’t even appear.  But when he’s there, oh, he shines.  He’s a deeply complex character whose internal conflict drives the story.  He’s extremely wise and powerful but still remains a flawed character.  He is a romantic, almost, whose commitment to duty and pride often leads to his failings.  He says little but what he says speaks volumes about the character.

Overall The Sandman is a great, great series.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading every second of it. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys deep, intellectual story telling.  The characters, setting, and overall feel to the series give it a timeless quality that begs for rereading over and over again.

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