Dream Country contains four short stories which explore the nature of the dream, and begin to give some insight into who Dream used to be and how his imprisonment has changed him. “Calliope” is about the muse Calliope, Dream’s former lover and mother of his child, Orpheus. She has been trapped by humans who want her to serve as their inspiration. Her quest for freedom, and her desire for revenge pulls Dream into the story. “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” is one of my favorite stories. It explores the power of dreams to shape reality. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” illustrated by Charles Vess is one of the more well known of the Sandman short stories, and many people’s favorite. The artwork is gorgeous, and the subject of the Faerie court being entertained one last time before they leave the human realm is ideally suited for Vess. “Façade” illustrates the consequences of getting what you wish for, and is one of the creepier stories in the Sandman universe.
The Sandman, vol. 3: Dream Country ISBN: 9781563890161 By Neil Gaiman Art by Kelly Jones, Charles Vess, Colleen Doran, Malcolm Jones III DC Comics/Vertigo 1991
Season of Mists sends Lord Morpheus down into Hell in order to free the soul of the woman he loved whom he sentenced to an eternity in Hell (see “Tales of the Sand” in The Doll’s House). Dream goes prepared for battle and instead finds Hell abandoned. Lucifer hands him the keys to Hell and leaves, tired of his exile from Heaven and his rule in Hell. Dream is now faced with the dilemma of what to do with Hell, and what to do about all the denizens of Hell who are loose upon the world, not to mention the dead released back into the world of the living. Dream does not want Hell, he has his own kingdom to run, and there is no shortage of people who would like to inhabit and rule in Hell. But, to whom can Dream give the realm of Hell? And, what about the fact that maybe the world needs a Hell?
The Sandman, vol. 4: Season of Mists ISBN: 9781563890413 By Neil Gaiman Art by Kelly Jones, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones, III, Matt Wagner, Dick Giordano, George Pratt, P. Craig Russell DC Comics/Vertigo 1994
A Game of You tells Barbie’s tale. In the waking world she lives in a small, run down apartment, and is perpetually broke. In the dream world she is the hope of an embattled world. She is a Princess leading a hopeless quest to save the world. What happens when the dream world takes over? When you cannot escape your dream self? This volume also introduces Thessaly, who is one of the most mysterious and eeriest characters in the Sandman world. She’s also one of the most fascinating. She breaks through the barrier of dream to lead Barbie’s waking friends into Barbie’s dream world to save her, and save the world on both sides of the border. But, what are the consequences of doing that?
Sandman, vol. 5: A Game of You ISBN: 9781563890895 By Neil Gaiman Art by Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryant Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch, Dick Giordano DC Comics/Vertigo 1993
This book is a series of short stories which have been brought together into one volume. They were not necessarily written at the same time. The fact that these stories were brought together to form a volume may explain the somewhat disjointed feel of the book. If you are looking for a book to skip in the series, this would be it, which is not to say that its not worth reading but you won’t miss essential plot points if you choose not to. The stories are not part of the meta-narrative of the Sandman universe per se, although they do offer insights into Dream’s character.
In “Three Septembers and a January” Despair tries to play head game with Dream, and we learn the story of the first and last Emperor of America. In “The Hunt” what seems to be a fairy tale is revealed to be Lucien’s (Dream’s librarian, whose library contains every book ever written or dreamed) quest to regain a book (“The Merrie Comedies of the Redemption of Doctor Faustus” by Christopher Marlowe) which was stolen from him. “Soft Places” looks at the areas where the geography of dream intrude upon the real world. “Orpheus” gives some back story on Dream’s son. “Ramadan” tells the story of a sultan who wishes for his city to never fade and die and thus makes a deal with the Dream King to keep it prosperous and vibrant forever. It also has some of my favorite artwork in the whole series.
Sandman, vol. 6: Fables and Reflections ISBN: 9781563891052 By Neil Gaiman Art by Bryan Talbot, Stan Woch, P. Craig Russell, Shawn McManus, John Watkiss, Jill Thompson, Duncan Eagleson, Kent Williams, Mark Buckingham, Vince Locke, Dick Giordano DC Comics/Vertigo 1994
Brief Lives begins to explain what happened to Dream’s brother Destruction, and why his absence has had such impact on the Endless. Previous volumes have demonstrated the highly dysfunctional family dynamic between the Endless, and in Brief Lives Delirium asserts that it all went wrong when Destruction left and she wants to find him again to set things right. She petitions all of her brothers and sisters to aid her in her quest, but they all turn her down except Dream, who agrees to go with her because he is nursing a broken heart (which translate to an endless climate of rain in the Dream realm, to the irritation of the Dream realm’s inhabitants). At first Dream goes with Delirium with no intention of really finding Destruction, but events conspire (or are helped along with a healthy conspiracy) to make it imperative to actually find Destruction. Talking about what happens at the end would spoil it, so all I’ll say is that they have reverberating consequences for Dream, and Delirium gets to kick a little ass to the surprise of her siblings.
Sandman, vol. 7: Brief Lives ISBN: 9781563891380 By Neil Gaiman Art by Jill Thompson, Vince Locke DC Comics/Vertigo 1995
This is another collection of short stories, connected by a common theme. They, like Fables and Reflections, are not necessary to the overarching plot of the Sandman universe. These are the stories of the guests of the World’s End Inn. It is a place which exists outside, or perhaps between, time and space. Each of the inn’s guests has been caught in a storm, and wait out their time until the storm passes telling stories to entertain each other. Many of the characters are familiar favorites from earlier volumes, and some are new characters.
I particularly liked story of Mister Gaheris in which he is caught in the dream of a city. I also liked the last story in the volume about the caretakers of the Necropolis, literally the city of the dead. The vision that the travelers share at the end of the book is a wonderful foreshadowing of events in the last two volumes. The imagery that Gaiman conjures and the artists translate to page is wonderful.
Sandman, vol. 8: World’s End ISBN: 9781563891717 By Neil Gaiman Art by Michael Allred, Gary Amaro, Mark Buckingham, Dick Giordano, Tony Harris, Steve Leialoha, Vince Locke, Shea Anton Pensa, Alec Stevens, Bryan Talbot, John Watkiss, Michael Zulli DC Comics/Vertigo 1995
This book blew my mind. If I had to pick a favorite in the series, this would be it hands down, no contest. It is the culmination of all the plot threads that Gaiman has spun in the previous eight volumes. This is when all the events of Dream’s life, all the choices that he has made come back to haunt him.
SPOILER WARNING: If you haven’t read the previous volumes and don’t want to be spoiled, don’t read further. I can’t talk about this story without spoiling earlier stories. Sorry.
The mythological characters that Gaiman populates his books with may seem to be capricious, but they all must obey the rules of their own mythologies. The Kindly Ones, also known as the Hecateae, or the Fates of Greek mythology, cannot harm Dream because he is king in his own realm. But, once Dream spilled the blood of his family when he killed his son, a door was opened for the Kindly Ones to kill Dream. Lyra Hall blames Dream for killing her son, and she seeks the aid of the Kindly Ones to enact her vengeance against Dream. Thessaly, for reasons of her own, helps Lyra Hall gain her wish. In the end, the consequences of Dream’s actions leave him only one path to travel, and he cannot escape the inevitable end.
The Sandman, vol. 9: The Kindly Ones ISBN: 9781563892059 By Neil Gaiman Art by Marc Hempel, Richard Case, D’Israeli, Teddy Kristiansen, Gyln Dillon, Charles Vess, Dean Ormston, Kevin Nowlan DC Comics (Vertigo) 1996
SPOILER WARNING: Don’t read this if you don’t want to know how The Kindly Ones ends. Then again, I imagine if you read this far in the series nothing that I am going to say one way or another is going to stop you reading The Wake.
The Kindly Ones ended on a bang. Dream died. How do you write another book after that? Well, this iteration of Dream died, but Dream is of the Endless, so he can’t really die. But, the Dream who takes the dead Dream’s place is a different person, and The Wake is a chance for the Endless to bury their brother, and for Dream’s family and friends to mourn. The transition from Dream that was, to Dream that is, is particularly hard on Matthew, Dream’s crow, who would have followed Dream into death, but was denied the chance. It is also a chance for all of the disparate plot lines, and characters of the “Sandman” series to come to some kind of conclusion. The Wake doesn’t have the wrenching emotional impact of The Kindly Ones, but it is an excellent end to an excellent series, which allows you to come down off of the breathless tension of The Kindly Ones.
Sandman, vol. 10: The Wake ISBN: 9781563892790 By Neil Gaiman Art by Michael Zulli, Jon J. Muth, Charles Vess DC Comics/Vertigo 1997
I was not enthralled with this volume. Then again, I didn’t have to wait seven years and think that there was never going to be anymore Sandman. I came late to Sandman, as in last month, and I knew that when I finished The Wake there was another volume waiting for me. Its hard to top The Kindly Ones and The Wake. That said, this is an interesting collection of seven stories, one for each of the Endless. And, if you’re hungry for more Sandman after The Wake this is definitely worth reading, but it is not part of the meta-narrative of the previous volumes.
“Death and Venice” is the story of an island of people who try to cheat Death, but Death is patient and has all the time in the world.
“What I’ve Tasted of Desire” is the story of a woman who got all the she wanted from Desire, and then had to live with the loss. As a comment, I wouldn’t read this on the bus to work. It’s both racy and explicit.
“The Heart of a Star” is the story of the only mortal woman Dream ever loved.
“Fifteen Portraits of Despair” is, well, fifteen portraits of despair.
“Going Inside” is about surviving going inside Delirium’s fractured mind and putting her back together again.
“On the Peninsula” is about Destruction. Even through he left his family and his obligations over four centuries ago, sometimes you can’t escape who you are, or who you were.
“Endless Nights” is an interesting insight into Destiny’s psyche, perhaps the hardest to connect to of any of the Endless.
Sandman: Endless Nights ISBN: 1401200893 By Neil Gaiman Art by Glenn Fabry, Milo Manara, Miguelanxo Prado, Frank Quitely, P. Craig Russell, Bill Sienkieicz, Barron Storey DC Comics/Vertigo 2003
Ah, Preacher. It’s a comic to make the censors’ heads explode: profanity (heaps), violence (extra-gory), sex (various flavors), blasphemy (but of course!), and other sins too numerous to mention. As its many fans will attest, Preacher also features intelligent writing, deft characterization, and an intriguing view of Heaven and Hell. The series works because its human characters have an essential sweetness; despite appearances, they all want to do the right thing. The Preacher in question is Jesse Custer, a minister whose faith has been eroded by the petty evil of his flock. His companions on the journey he’s about to begin are Tulip, an ex-girlfriend with a dark past, and Cassidy, a foul-mouthed Irishman with a mysterious aversion to sunlight. Jesse and his unlikely allies are on a mission to find God, who left Heaven on a trip a while back and never returned. How does Jesse know this? He’s just had his belief in a higher power restored in a dramatic way. While God’s AWOL, bickering factions in Heaven have allowed an awesomely powerful being escape. Genesis, the child of forbidden love between an angel and a demon, wants to bond with a human soul. Guess who it chose? Now Jesse’s got various forces of Heaven, Hell, and Earth chasing him. If Jesse ever finds God, God will have some explaining to do!
Gone to Texas introduces a host of interesting characters and subplots. I’m looking forward to reading further volumes; while the first book got my attention, it didn’t have time to develop all its intriguing ideas to their full potential. Like Transmetropolitan, Preacher pushes the boundaries of comics. Both titles appeal to teens and adults, and both will raise eyebrows.
Preacher, vol. 1: Gone to Texas ISBN: 9781563892615 By Garth Ennis Art by Steve Dillon DC Comics/Vertigo, 1996
Dream Country contains four short stories which explore the nature of the dream, and begin to give some insight into who Dream used to be and how his imprisonment has changed him. “Calliope” is about the muse Calliope, Dream’s former lover and mother of his child, Orpheus. She has been trapped by humans who want her to serve as their inspiration. Her quest for freedom, and her desire for revenge pulls Dream into the story. “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” is one of my favorite stories. It explores the power of dreams to shape reality. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” illustrated by Charles Vess is one of the more well known of the Sandman short stories, and many people’s favorite. The artwork is gorgeous, and the subject of the Faerie court being entertained one last time before they leave the human realm is ideally suited for Vess. “Façade” illustrates the consequences of getting what you wish for, and is one of the creepier stories in the Sandman universe.
