World Famous Comics: The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
By: Neil Gaiman Publisher: Vertigo Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Vertigo Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 240 Publication Date: December 07, 1993 Release Date: December 07, 1993
Amazon.com: "Wake up, sir. We're here." It's a simple enough opening line--although not many would have guessed back in 1991 that this would lead to one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comics of the second half of the century.
In Preludes and Nocturnes, Neil Gaiman weaves the story of a man interested in capturing the physical manifestation of Death but who instead captures the King of Dreams. By Gaiman's own admission there's a lot in this first collection that is awkward and ungainly--which is not to say there are not frequent moments of greatness here. The chapter "24 Hours" is worth the price of the book alone; it stands as one of the most chilling examples of horror in comics. And let's not underestimate Gaiman's achievement of personifying Death as a perky, overly cheery, cute goth girl! All in all, I greatly prefer the roguish breaking of new ground in this book to the often dull precision of the concluding volumes of the Sandman series. --Jim Pascoe
Product Description: "Wake up, sir. We're here." It's a simple enough opening line--althoughnot many would have guessed back in 1991 thatthis would lead to one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comics of the second half of the century.In Preludes and Nocturnes, Neil Gaiman weaves the story of a man interested in capturing the physical manifestation of Death but who instead captures the King of Dreams. By Gaiman's own admission there's a lot in this first collection that is awkward and ungainly--which is not to say there are not frequent moments of greatness here. The chapter "24 Hours" is worth the price of the book alone; it stands as one of the most chilling examples of horror in comics. And let's not underestimate Gaiman's achievement of personifying Death as a perky, overly cheery, cute goth girl! All in all, I greatly prefer the roguish breaking of new ground in this book to the often dull precision of the concluding volumes of the Sandman series. --Jim Pascoe
Enough to make me stick around... I have to admit that I wasn't as blown away by this as I'd hoped to be, given how many people had recc'd this series to me. The going was a little muddled and slow at first, but definitely picked up steam as the story progressed. I guess even masters like Gaiman have to find their feet sometimes! Anyway, I'm glad I persevered, and the set up certainly left me curious enough to pick up the next volume, so I guess it did its job.
I am glad to hear that random 'guest stars' from other comics series aren't going to play much of a role in Sandman in the future, because I thought that was a bit of a weak link in this volume.
I'll Stick Around For More In the first volume of Gaiman's epically long "The Sandman" comic series, there is such a variety of stories that I'm sure you'll come across stuff you like and stuff you really don't like at all. The format is pretty basic. This collection is made up of the first eight issues of the series, which--when read together--form a story arc about Dream taking back what is his after being captured for many years. I'll break each individual issue down for you.
SLEEP OF THE JUST: This, the first issues, shows Dream being captured and the events that follow his capture and escape. There is a lot of story, many characters, and the horrid art really doesn't help. Fans of contemporary artists (who've adopted a clearer, more cinematic style) won't find much good in the art at all, really, but the earlier issues contain the worst of it.
IMPERFECT HOSTS: We see Dream back on his feet, and this sort of introduces the situation that we'll be dealing with for the next few issues. Moderately entertaining, but I still wasn't wowed at this point.
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME: John Constantine (AKA Hellblazer) is pretty much the star of this issue. His narration makes this one of the best of the lot, as the plot deals with true horror while also, for one of the first times, giving Dream a bit of humanity.
A HOPE IN HELL: Again, I got the feeling that all of this mythology was pushed on us a bit too quickly, but at least what we are given is very interesting. I didn't like this issue as much as the previous one, but there is a sequence in here where Dream fights a demon in a battle of wits, and I gotta say, that whole scene was brilliantly thought out and the artist did a great job as well.
PASSENGERS: I like that even though this issue shows that this series is firmly set in DC continuity, that it also makes sure those unfamiliar with the years of DC back story won't have trouble reading and understanding this. Though I've never read another major DC title, the appearance of Dr. Destiny in this was frightening. Things started to pick up at this point.
24 HOURS: We get a look at the repercussions of Dr. Destiny acquiring Dream's ruby. This was another of my favorite issues, as it sets out to show how interesting, brutal, heroic, and disgusting humanity can be.
SOUND AND FURY: Pretty huge letdown. The previous issue really set up what looked to be a great conflict between Dream and Dr. Destiny, but in the end, it was a bit of an anti-climax. Most of that is due to the artist, who couldn't seem to make the 'battle' scene that clear. The ending was nice, though.
THE SOUND OF HER WINGS: Brilliant. Once again, Gaiman is at his best when showing the humanity of characters like Dream, and his sister, Death. This issue would seem depressing, as it follows Death as she goes on her rounds--and there are some sad moments--but overall it's just poignant, insightful, very philosophical, and even funny at times.
I wasn't overly impressed with this book as many people were, but most of my problems with these comics were with the art, not the writing. I'll absolutely be buying the second volume, because anything that can be praised so highly is worth checking out.
7/10
To The Unstimulated: Read This. Packed full of human emotion and real depth, this collection of essays invites you to consider the relevancy of dreams to your life. Throughout this vivid journey, you might discover a renewed interest in the concept of dreams, and how they may be impacting the quality of your life, and of those around you. Or perhaps how they SHOULD be affecting you, and those around you.
While a page-turner, it also causes you to pause. Beautiful drawings and brilliant colors beseige each page, perfectly complementing the dialogue and narration, causing you to WANT to spend the time required to drop your eyes on every inch of the page. I found myself looking up and down, physically moving my head and my hands, turning the book this way and that, to make sure that I understood what I was supposed to take from the two pages in front of me. The visuals are stimulating, thoughtful, and passionate. It's even worthwhile to randomly pick a page, after you've read the book, to look at the artwork again, to make sure you remember the underlying message and how it might matter to you.
For those leading a boring life right now, read something like this. Minimally, it's a good distraction but, most likely, it will be a good launching point for thinking creatively about whatever you put your focus on, and move you to consider the characters around you as having their own quests, challenges, and dreams.
A Brilliant Piece of Literature My experience with graphic novels has been regrettably limited, and after hearing rave reviews from friends and reading extensive praise for the series online, I decided to take the plunge.
Graphic novels are sadly overlooked and not considered literature by most critics, shrugged off as nerdy pubescent obsessions or erotic adult fetishes. While this can be true (at least in my limited experience), there are a number of wonderfully complex, bitingly intelligent, metaphorical graphic novels...and The Sandman is certainly one of the elite.
Boy, am I ever glad I finally read this classic work of art and literature.
While I haven't (yet) read any of the following volumes, Preludes and Nocturnes is the one novel that can be read as a standalone as it marks the beginning of the series, and has a conclusive ending (although you would be mad not to want to read the subsequent volumes after devouring this).
The novel is divided up into separate stories/chapters that seemingly jump around and are unrelated at first glance, but eventually tie together nicely as the story progresses. The tale is simple, with mythological roots.It is a quest story of a lost hero, stranded from his home, who undertakes a quest to regain his power and his throne. Enslaved by greedy humans who aimed to capture his sister, Death, Dream (or Morpheus) spends years waiting for his inevitable escape, and revenge. Once freed of his prison, Dream is terrifying. More the stuff of nightmares, he is imagined beautifully in bold dark ink and burning red eyes. After exacting revenge on the son of his captor--the man responsible for his imprisonment long dead--Dream begins his search for the three tools he needs to regain his throne: a bag of sand (a reserve of dreamstuff and power), his helm (the symbol of his monarch), and his ruby (the dreamstone which contains a piece of Dream's soul and source of his power).
The quest for three objects leads Morpheus down three different paths. Things have fallen apart since Dream has been trapped--people slipping into constant, unwaking slumber, the kingdom falling apart, and strange behavior at every turn (an exchange between brothers Cain and Abel demonstrates this strangeness pretty effectively). Through consulting the Weird Sisters (the mythological three Fates), Dream discovers where to find his lost symbols of power. For the Bag of Sand, he travels to London and enlists the aid of John Constantine. Vanquishing wild dreams and renegade nightmares, Morpheus regains the bag and is strong enough to search for his helm. The helmet is possessed by a Demon in Hell--where Dream travels, and discovers Lucifer Morningstar is now part of a triumvirate that governs the kingdom, along with Beelzebub and Azazel. He must battle the lesser Demon for the return of his helm, which is carried out in stunning fashion, both in the art on the page, and in Mr. Gaiman's flowing prose. For the last symbol of power, Dream looks to the Justice League for information, and faces a demented Doctor Destiny who has been using the ruby for his own twisted purposes.
The novel is rich in metaphor and allusion, drawing heavily on Greek myths and folklore (as is Mr. Gaiman's hallmark), which is woven seamlessly into story and art. Dream transitions from an enraged and terrifying thing of power and smoke portrayed through jagged, harsh black lines and deathly pale skin, to a being more tangible and human. By the last chapter of the novel, ironically when he has at long last regained all his power and glory, Dream looks more like a sulking emo kid than an awesome Prince of Shadow. It is this transition, and the ability to make something as abstract as dreams become accessible and personified, that astonishes and awes the reader.
My two favorite stories/chapters are "The Sound of Her Wings" and "24 Hours". Death, Dream's beautiful big sister, is introduced in "The Sound of Her Wings". And like all elder siblings, Death chides and scolds Dream for wallowing in self-pity and reminds him to fulfill his responsibilities. Contrary to popular depictions of Death as a morbid, chilling presence, this personification is perky, charming, and sympathetic--and so very cool, as other reviewers have stated. In "24 Hours", John Dee (aka Dr. Destiny) has regained control of Morpheus' Dreamstone Ruby, and has twisted and corrupted its power to suit his own dark purposes. This chapter is truly horrific, as chaos is unleashed upon the world and in a microcosm through a small diner that Dee has taken hostage. It is deliciously creepy.
I loved the DC crossovers in this volume (although from what I can garner from reviews here, this isn't a popular reaction). At the very least, if you are familiar with some older DC comics, Preludes and Nocturnes allows you a frame of reference to familiarize yourself with. For my part, I was delighted to see Constantine, Green Lantern, Scarecrow, the shoutouts to the Justice League of America, and even a setting in Arkham Asylum.
Truly, this novel is wonderful, and should be read by all--not just by fans of graphic novels, but by anyone even remotely interested in literature. My only regret is that it took me so long to find and read this work.
Review courtesy of TheBookSmugglers.blogspot
Far to few truely creative writters left This series....but especially this graphic novel really redefined the concept in the way Alan Moore did. The creativity....the flow of the writing the use of the art.....I read a article in which Alan Moore talked about the graphic novel as an artform....why it was worth while...the ability to tell a story and put a subtle detail in one page that the reader flips back to look at after reading something else.....that is what gaimon really captured in this series.
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