The Sandman, Volume 1, Preludes & Nocturnes
by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm
Jones III
Colorist is Daniel Vozzo
Letterer is Todd Klein
Covers by Dave McKean
Graphic novel of horrors.
This month I am dedicating my Friday reviews to
graphic novels, and as an avid fan of Neil Gaiman’s writing, it seemed fitting
to read some of the Sandman series. (Of course, it didn’t hurt that my husband
had it on hand.) This volume includes five separate comics brought together
into one book.
Once, long ago, a man tried to trap death using
spells. Instead, he caught something else. This other . . . being, wouldn’t
speak to him or work for him in exchange for freedom. Instead, he bided his
time for freedom, decades. The man took his items of power and sold them off.
Finally, the man died, and the son tried to keep the being contained, but of
course, eventually, someone failed.
The being escaped, revealing who he was at last - Morpheus,
lord of the dream realm. Things had changed in his realm of dreams while he was
in captivity. And he no longer had his three items of power. He went to the
Fates to ask where they could be found. They gave him some clues.
Morpheus, also known as Dream, goes to John
Constantine whose former girlfriend stole his bag of sand. A bad idea, like any
drug. The story becomes darker here.
He ventures into hell to retrieve his helm, a mask of
pure dream, but must win it back from a demon.
“The Hellfire Club. It feels like a bad joke. And like
everything else in hell, it is deadly serious.”
The ruby he created from his own souls has been taken
by someone else, changed, and used against people. It has also warped the user
and the horror he creates is some of the worst in the book. He must retrieve
that.
The stories go on but this where I must part company. If
you like horror, then this is a good title for you. The writing is good, the
ideas interesting, but the imagery and events are quite horrific.
I adore Neil Gaiman’s writing – Neverwhere, Good
Omens, and The Graveyard Book are among some of my favorite books.
There are elements of that writing here, such as the concept of the lord of
dreams being taken hostage by a greedy human, and I enjoyed those, but in the
end, the writing was too far into the horror aspect for me to enjoy as a whole.
The artwork is often beautiful and the coloring is
lush, but I have to admit I’ve never been fond of the way human faces are
depicted in comic books and this is no different. I prefer something more
realistic.
The pictures often come in panels that are irregularly
shaped and spaced. It takes a bit of work to get used to reading them, left to
right, then down and across again. Then you come across a page in a more
irregular grouping and the pictures are placed at an angle. It’s odd, but I
suppose that befits a book about dreams and the lord of dreams, Morpheus.
I’m afraid, as much as I love Neil Gaiman’s writing,
this is just a little too dark for me. I don’t think I’ll continue reading
these.
