Sandman: Overture

Sandman: Overture 1-6

One of the few Really Good comics that I remembered almost nothing about.  I only read this every month it came out, and never revisited it.  So this was like reading a new Sandman story for the first time, and that’s pretty cool.  It’s not the best Sandman story ever, but it’s no doubt the most beautiful.  JH Williams brings his absolute best to the table, and it’s stunning beyond belief.  Rarely does the artist surpass Neil Gaiman’s words, but it’s totally (but barely) the case here.

It's not just the quality of the art...

...it's the inventive layouts as well.

And despite their complexity, they're always easy to follow.

Alianora!

What nice way to phrase it.

Heh, not even Dream wants to handle that question.

That comment about holding hands is so sad.

No one mixes art styles on the same page like Williams.

I need to track down more JH Williams.

Storywise, there’s a lot to like.  Gaiman mixes in the thousand-dreamers concept from “Dream of a Thousand Cats” with nods to Alianora from “Game of You” and Morpheus’s rift with Desire.  It’s a prequel leading right up to the beginning of the main series, just like Rogue One, and like that movie, it totally stands on its own merits while making considerable contributions to the canon.

So cool.

I hope Sam Keith gets royalties.

This series was such a nice surprise.   

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Sandman: Dream Hunters

Sandman: Dream Hunters 1-4

P Craig Russell said that he’d been wanting to adapt the original illustrated story for ten years, so it must have been some itch that he wanted to scratch.  I still question the need for this given the superior nature of the Amano version, but if it weren’t for that, this would be an excellent Sandman story on its own.  I basically re-read the same story with only a four-day gap, and it’s still a beautiful, simple story of sacrifice, love, and revenge.

I like the dry humor.

Very nice.

Still love that final admission.

*wistful sigh*

The most important life lesson.

Russell's art is perfect for this story, in a totally different way from Amano's.

My one reservation is Russell’s rendition of the fox.  She lacks the simple elegance of Amano’s white creature, and looks like someone out of a Don Bluth cartoon; Fine on its own merits, but completely improper for the tone of this solemn work.

Not the place for this art style.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

That Texas Blood

That Texas Blood 7-12

Same as the first trade; Really well done, but not something I need to revisit.  Worth a library borrow moving forward.

This shit gives me nightmares now.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

That Texas Blood

That Texas Blood 1-6

Re-reading this because I’m on vacation and I didn’t want to lug my Sandman singles around.  These trades are a lot better for traveling.  

Given that I first read this less than a month ago, it still holds up well; I wasn’t bored or anything like that.  But this is less of a mystery than a “stupid people doing stupid things” crime story, and it’s hard to care when pretty much everyone but the protagonist is acting like an idiot.  There’s no real tension when it’s inevitable that the culprits are going to get caught.  

The craft by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips is top-notch, but the subject fails to captivate me.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Sandman: Dream Hunters

Sandman: Dream Hunters HC

Neil Gaiman’s formal, elegant prose is perfect for this kind of fairy tale.  Yoshitaka Amano’s ethereal art, full of swirling colors, is equally suitable.  (Though I’m still not a fan of his faces.  They’re not pretty.)  But otherwise, this is a lovely, lovely work.  

I mean, come on.

My favorite piece in the book.

Say you love her without saying you love her.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Sandman: Endless Nights

I’m reading all of the ancillary Sandman comics I have before I finish out the main comic (Kindly Ones and on).  I really want Sandman 75 to be last thing I read for this project.

Sandman: Endless Nights

Neil Gaiman returned to the world of Sandman seven years after the last issue with this hardcover.  Seven short stories to cover the seven Endless.  The lineup of artists is stunning; Glenn Fabry, Milo Manara, Frank Quitely, P Craig Russell, and Bill Sienkiewicz do some amazing work.  Miguelanxo Prado and Barron Storey, whom I’d never heard of before, are just as good.  

Unfortunately, the writing isn’t up to snuff.  I’ve always maintained that Gaiman peaked with the original Sandman run, and this does nothing to disabuse me of that opinion.  Nothing here adds to the canon in any meaningful way; I’ve never returned to this, didn’t remember anything from it, and I’ll most likely forget everything here once more in a couple of weeks.  

Great art, though.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck

Sandman

World’s End.  Another mix of short stories of various quality. 

Ramadan: Fricking amazing.  P Craig Russell’s art has never looked better, and it’s perfect for this story.  

Rating: Really good

Tale of Two Cities: I love this story of a city that dreams, as well as the question that naturally follows:

Rating: Really good

Cluracan’s Tale: Bleh. John Watkiss brings an interesting stained-glass window look to the art, but the story underwhelms.

Rating: Fine

Hob’s Leviathan: Always good to see Hob again.  The story isn’t particularly standout, but the execution is flawless, and Michael Zulli’s splash page is quite impressive.

Rating: Good

Golden Boy: Prez.  I love this story.  It combines my love of American presidential history with the fantasy of a leader who actually has the best interests of his country at heart.  (It’s like West Wing.)

Rating: Pure joy

Cerements: An odd tale about a city focused on burial rituals.  It feels a little pointless except for the setup of Dream’s future funeral.

Rating: Nice

World’s End: Wraps everything up in an unspectacular way, even with the massive funeral procession.

Rating: Pretty good