World Famous Comics: Sandman Presents, The: The Furies (Sandman Presents)
Sandman Presents, The: The Furies (Sandman Presents)
By: Mike Carey, John Bolton Publisher: Vertigo Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Vertigo Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 96 Publication Date: December 01, 2003 Release Date: December 01, 2003
More like 3.5 stars, really The bottom line on The Furies is that the art is WONDERFUL; the plot is lacking. I loved the moody, intensely-colored artwork, especially the cover piece and several of the panels introducing Lyta and Cronus. However, I sometimes found the more obvious photomanipulations a little grating, as I prefer pure painting in the end.
The premise of the plot is that former superheroine Lyta Hall is still suffering from the traumatic loss of her son Daniel at the end of the Sandman series. In an attempt to recover, she returns to her native Greece with a convenient theatre troupe, only to be entangled in a plot involving the Titan Cronus, who wants to manipulate Lyta in order to destroy the Furies. Apparently, Lyta still serves as a conduit of their vengeance.
My first impression of the graphic novel was confusion, as I honestly felt that it should have been more than one volume long, with all the ambitious initial plotting. As it was, the conclusion felt extremely rushed and pat, and there were too many underdeveloped characters. Cronus in particular seemed to have been given short shrift, though I loved the scene in which he coolly slaughtered tree-Baucis and tree-Philemon, of Ovidian fame. Hermes also could have used more development, and the use of the theatre troupe as a plot element was not at all convincing (unlike the classic Gaiman "A Midsummer Night's Dream," of course), as they essentially popped in and out of the plot without contributing very much.
Overall, the story really needed more time to be filled out, but the lovely artwork still makes the graphic novel worth buying to complete one's Sandman collection. Assuming that one still has the patience to be sympathetic with Lyta, of course.
Perhaps the best Sandman story not authored by Gaiman... Wow. I was unsure about this book, as "The Dreaming" was a big disappointment for me. But Mike Carey has done a masterful job. Many of the reviews on this page focus on the art and comment that the story is average. I do not agree at all. The art is stunning, groundbreaking and perfectly in the vein of the Sandman style. But perhaps the highest compliment I have for it is that it manages to almost overshadow a truly wonderful story by Carey. Gaiman has a way of writing that almost makes you feel like you are dreaming at times, and there were times in this book that I experienced that same feeling. This may get me in trouble with the diehard fans (even though I consider myself among them) but if this book had Gaiman's name on the cover I wouldn't have questioned it.
Decent story, fantastic artwork The guys over at Vertigo just can't seem to stop yanking at the Sandman money machine, constantly releasing merchandise and spin-offs ever since the series ended six years ago. I find myself feeling very ambivalent about this spur of new comics based on the original series; on one hand, it saddens and sometimes disgusts me to see Neil Gaiman's original and brilliant vision of the original saga being handed out and torn to pieces by dozens of other writers, rarely successfully. On the other hand, it's nice to see a series as intelligent and sophisticated as the Sandman reach the kind of acclaim usually saved for commercial crap. For good or for ill, like any truly avid Sandman fan, I still feel obliged to read every one that hits the stands.
Of the lot of them, the authors mingling with Neil's genius, Mike Carey is probably the best, and without doubt the one who best imitates the master's writing. His Lucifer, though nowhere near real Gaiman writing, was probably the best of the series occurring in the Sandman's universe but not written by Neil; likewise, his graphic novel `The Furies', looks and feels more like Sandman than any other imitation. If you're a major Sandman fan - which means you have read all ten Sandman TPBs, as well as The Dream Hunters and Death: The High Cost Of Living, and would like some more, by all means, The Furies is well worth the purchase. The story starts where `The Kindly Ones' ended (incidentally, both titles refer to the same Greek mythological beings) and follows the character of Lyta Hall - former super-heroine, half-fury and mother of the second Lord Shaper. The book ties very few of the loose ends left by The Kindly Ones, and is far from being essential reading; still, fans of Gaiman's writing will most likely enjoy the surrealist story, the many references to characters and occurrences from the original saga and the post-modern, Gaiman-ish take on mythology and theology
And if for nothing else, The Furies is well worth it for the artwork. John Bolton's (Books Of Magic, Harlequin Valentine, Batman: Man Bat) photorealistic artwork is stunning beyond words, and he remains one of the greatest artists in the field. His artwork is not as overtly realistic as that of Alex Ross, straining to paint every drop of water, every piece of skin and every ray of light to photo-perfection, but it's much warmer and more sensitive. His artwork is suited less for the epic melodrama in which Ross excels, and more for human stories. Above all, not one artist in comics can create, in one image, a person so real, so alive and breathing, as Bolton. His characters are full, complete human beings, and are beautiful, not in the shining heroism of the super-heroes but in the true beauty of a real person. That is one talent that stands out above everything else and makes any work of his, regardless the story, a pleasure.
Storyline does not measure up to the sumptuous visuals First off, John Bolton's artwork in this book is ultimately what carries this book from being the weakest contribution in the Sandman series to merely ho-hum. Bolton's paint-work along with oil enhanced photographs give the graphics incredible depth and quite literally makes the visuals drip right off the pages.
That being said, the superb artwork is dragged down by a weakly plotted storyline of vengeance (ancient Greek style) that meanders from confusing and sophmoric throughout. This purchase can only be recommended for those serious Sandman junkies who need to own every title in the series or for those who wish to savor Bolton's amazing artwork.
Gorgeous but Unsatisfying The photorealistic artwork in this book is really stunning (though I prefer the more comic-booky art style of Jill Thompson in "Sandman: Brief Lives").
The plot, though, was just ... blah. I didn't feel like Lyta Hall's story was really even resolved. The business with Cronus was never really explained (I guess I can pull out my old copy of "Bullfinch's Mythology" and look him up). Overall, it wasn't very satisfying.
Another reviewer called this the best Sandman spinoff since "Death: The Time of Your Life." I don't agree. I think the best Sandman spinoff (other than the two Death books, which were awesome) was Lucifer.
I don't know why this one was realeased in hardcover, other than so DC could charge more for it. I'd suggest waiting for paperback, or borrowing someone else's copy. The story's not worth the price tag.
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