World Famous Comics NetworkWorld Famous Comics Network World Famous Comics CommunityComic Book ClassifiedsSketchCards.com
WFC Home | About | Columns | Comics | Contests | Features | Freebies | Gallery | Links | News | Shop
SHOP >> David Mack | Andy Lee | Amy Allen | Michonne | Dean Haglund | Virginia Hey | WFC Published | WFC Auctions



ScheduleUPDATED TODAY! Sun, 5-Jul-2009
Anything Goes TriviaAnything Goes Trivia
Bob Rozakis
Megaton ManMegaton Man
Don Simpson
TrevorTrevor
Piper & Lee


NewsNEWS 4-Jul-2009 9:19pm
Summer heroes still find time to save th...
3 Days of Comics, Cards and Toys
10 Best Ongoing Comics
Top 10 Most Delayed Modern Comics

Comic Book - Movie - Video Game - Anime 

Please Support
CBLDF
Hero Initiative

Friends & Affiliates
Adobe Store
Amazon.com
Anime Studio
Apple Store
Dick Blick Art Materials
eBay
GoDaddy.com

StarWarsShop.com
TFAW
World Famous Comics: The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
By: Neil Gaiman, Malcolm Jones III, Charles Vess, Steve Erickson
Publisher: Vertigo
Average Rating:4.50 out of 5.00 stars
Binding: Paperback
Label: Vertigo
Number of Items: 1
Number of Pages: 160
Publication Date: September 24, 1991
Release Date: September 24, 1991

More Comics By: Neil Gaiman, Malcolm Jones III, Charles Vess, Steve Erickson
Enlarge Image
The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
List Price: $14.99
Used Price: $7.25
Collectible: $19.99
3rd Party New: $8.36
Amazon's Price: $10.19

You Save: $4.80 (32%)
Usually ships in 24 hours


Similar Items

The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House

The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists

The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes

The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You

The Sandman Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections
More Similar Items...

Editorial Comments

Product Description:
The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. What's remarkable here (considering the publisher and the time that this was originally published) is that the main character of the book--the Sandman, King of Dreams--serves only as a minor character in each of these otherwise unrelated stories. (Actually, he's not even in the last story.) This signaled a couple of important things in the development of what is considered one of the great comics of the second half of the century. First, it marked a distinct move away from the horror genre and into a more fantasy-rich, classical mythology-laden environment. And secondly, it solidly cemented Neil Gaiman as a storyteller. One of the stories here, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," took home the World Fantasy Award for best short story--the first time a comic was given that honor. But for my money, another story in Dream Country has it beat hands down. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" has such hope, beauty, and good old-fashionedchills that rereading it becomes a welcome pleasure. --Jim Pascoe

Amazon.com Review:
The third book of the Sandman collection is a series of four short comic book stories. What's remarkable here (considering the publisher and the time that this was originally published) is that the main character of the book--the Sandman, King of Dreams--serves only as a minor character in each of these otherwise unrelated stories. (Actually, he's not even in the last story.) This signaled a couple of important things in the development of what is considered one of the great comics of the second half of the century. First, it marked a distinct move away from the horror genre and into a more fantasy-rich, classical mythology-laden environment. And secondly, it solidly cemented Neil Gaiman as a storyteller. One of the stories here, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," took home the World Fantasy Award for best short story--the first time a comic was given that honor. But for my money, another story in Dream Country has it beat hands down. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats" has such hope, beauty, and good old-fashioned chills that rereading it becomes a welcome pleasure. --Jim Pascoe


Customer Reviews
Average Rating:4.50 out of 5.00 stars

4 out of 5 starsREDICULOUS
I've gotta admit I didnt think I would like this series, but WOW! I was pleasantly surprised by the first volume and absolutely blown away by the second. Although this is my least favorite volume so far that isnt to say it's not amazing. The main reason it is not as good is because it isnt a part of the over all story arc. It is just a collection of four short stories. But what stories they are. Leave it to Gaimen to actually make me feel for a cat! You should know that this book is not half as epic as the first two but it takes a more laid back, sedate approach. And also this volume is very short and is a quick read. If you arnt totally interested in collecting every Sandman volume this is probably a good one to miss. (You can read it online @ comicoo.com) I recommend getting the first two Sandman's and depending on how much you enjoyed them decide weather or not to purchase this.



3 out of 5 starsGood but not Great
"Dream Country" is the third volume of the Sandman collection which is actually just a compilation of four short stories that have no connection to each other.

The first story is "Calliope". This story is fairly intriguing, but in my opinion the artwork was terrible. Dream looked ridiculous. It tells the tale of Dream's first love and mother to his child. There are some cool historical connections. "Calliope" is definitely worth the read.

The second story is "Dream of a Thousand Cats". This is one of the dumbest things I've ever read. It's a shame to see such a shallow story about cats under a Sandman title. This is an unfortunate comic and I don't know how it made its way in this book. Apparently it was supposed to be funny but I just read crap. The ONLY thing that makes this story bearable whatsoever is the artwork. It was drawn very well. This story alone loses this book a star in my review.

The third story is "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Gaiman actually won the World Fantasy Award (as read in the amazon.com review) for best short story. In a previous Sandman story, Dream tells William Shakespear that he has to write two plays for him and Dream will make sure that his words are carried through generation to generation. The actors perform a play for the faeries represented in the play. It's a decent story but I have to disagree with those who said this book is worth it just because of this entry. The artwork was awesome, but it just seemed like something was missing from this story. It was very straightforward and didn't leave an imprint with me like other Sandman stories have.

The fourth story is "Facade". Personally I think this is the best story in the book. Dream does not make an appearance but Death does. The premise is essentially a women who wants to kill herself but can't die. It's a fairly emotional tale and is written/drawn very well. I won't go into any more detail because you need to read "Facade" for yourself. This book is worth the buy solely for this story.

Overall I give this 3 stars. It's disappointing to see crap like "Dream of a Thousand Cats" in this book. I think "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is overrated. "Calliope" is a solid story but with terrible artwork. "Facade" is a simple, powerful story with awesome artwork.



5 out of 5 starsGood Quality and Price
The condition was very good for having bought it used and it arrived faster then I had expected. The stories were interesting, dark and somewhat intense. The artwork is unique and it was a very enjoyable read.



4 out of 5 starsA Collection of One-Shots
After reading Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll's House, I began to wonder if the hype behind Neil Gaiman's long-running "The Sandman" series had any substance to it. Both volumes had their fair share amount of good points and bad points, evening out at a 7/10 each. I saw none of the astonishing writing people were talking about, but I did notice one thing. Gaiman is way, way better at writing one-shots than he is at writing story arcs. So I was very pleased that "Dream Country," the third volume, wouldn't just feature one one-shot like the previous two books did... it is entirely composed of four very different one shots.

Calliope: I liked this story a lot. The art is a big sketchy and at times even ugly, but Gaiman's script is able to keep the issue afloat. The tale is tragic and really creepy, delving into the darkest corners of a writers mind and what that writer will do to get recognition. It's a disturbing tale, but also one of my favorites.

Dream of a Thousand Cats: This might be the single most original concept I've ever read about. It's fantastically written and drawn well too, and is easily the best Gaiman story I've ever read. Finally, I'm starting to see what everyone is gushing over.

A Mid-Summer Night's Dream: It's a good concept that Gaiman got a bit carried away with. In this story, Shakespeare performs A Midsummer Night's Dream for Morpheus and the various fair folk that are featured in the play. It's interesting watching the fair folk's reaction to their depiction, but that's about as far as the issue goes. It's tedious and filled with "Alright, I get it" moments. Some praise it is Gaiman's best, but for me it felt like a surprisingly soft spot in an otherwise solid work.

Façade: Like he did in "Preludes and Nocturnes," Gaiman gives a very dark take on a DC superhero here. Element Girl is the star of this comic, and Gaiman utilizes her horrified appearance (think the female version of Metamorpho) to craft a story about self-loathing that really hits a tender note. The end felt a bit fast, as if Gaiman should have cut down on the "woe is me" narration a bit from the beginning so he could really sell the end, but other than that, this is a very solid story.

This edition also includes Gaiman's script to "Calliope" which is, the say the absolutely least, a very... unique way of scripting comics. It's mildly interesting to read, and anyone who really loves Gaiman's writing will be thrilled to get a glimpse (actually, "a long stare" is more appropriate) into his writing process.

Overall, this is the best volume in the Sandman series thus far. If the comics are able to maintain this level of quality, I'll definitely stick around to the end.

8/10



4 out of 5 starsGraphic SF Reader
A few stand alone stories are in this volume. William Shakespeare produces the first play that Morpheus has requested, and puts on a live performance in the wild for Titania and Auberon.

A man literally gets his muse from another writer, we see the Dream of Cats, and the final fate of an Element Woman who has had enough.


Related Categories:Similar Items

The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House

The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists

The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes

The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You

The Sandman Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections
More Similar Items...

Books
 Comics
  Comic Strips
  How to Draw Comics
  How to Draw Manga

 Graphic Novels
  AiT/Planet Lar
  Alternative Comics
  Archie Comics
  Avatar Press
  DC Comics
    Batman
    Justice League
    Superman
  Dark Horse Comics
    Hellboy
    Sin City
    Star Wars
  Drawn & Quarterly
  Devil's Due Publishing
  Dreamwave
  Fantagraphics Books
  Gemstone/Gladstone
  IDW Publishing
  Image Comics
  Kitchen Sink Press
  Marvel Comics
    Fantastic Four
    Spider-Man
    Wolverine
    X-Men
  Oni Press
  SLG/Slave Labor
  TwoMorrows
  Top Shelf Productions

 Manga
  ADV Manga
  Antarctic Press
  Central Park Media
  Digital Manga
  Gutsoon
  TokyoPop
  Viz Communications

 Books
  Animation
  Antiques & Collectibles
  Art Instruction & Ref.
  Art Reference
  Arts
  Business
  Cartooning
  Children's
  Computer Graphics
  Computers & Internet
  Digital Business
  Drawing (general)
  Entertainment
  Entrepreneurship
  Figure Drawing
  Games
  Graphic Design
  Horror
  Humor
  Literature & Fiction
  Movies
  Music
  Mystery & Thrillers
  Nonfiction
  Photography
  Pop Culture Collectibles
  Popular Culture
  Publishing & Books
  Reference
  Role Playing & Fantasy
  Sci-Fi & Fantasy
  Screenwriting Film
  Screenwriting TV
  Sketchbooks/Journals
  Stationary
  Teens
  Television
  Toys
  Video Games
  Writing

 Calendars


WFC Home | About | Columns | Comics | Contests | Features | Freebies | Gallery | Links | News | Shop



World Famous Comics Network
World Famous Comics Community
ComicsCommunity.com
Comic Book Classifieds
ComicBookClassifieds.com
SketchCards.com
SketchCards.com

GO SHOPPING >>

© 1995 - 2009 World Famous Comics. All rights reserved. All other © & ™ belong to their respective owners.
Advertiser Info . Terms of Use . Privacy Policy . Contact Info
World Famous Comics Network