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Chad's Reviews > The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
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I'm stuck at home during a pandemic so why not revisit an old friend. Sandman was the first comic I remember reading in high school where I first thought, "Hey, maybe comics aren't just for kids!".
Even though Vertigo later distanced itself from the rest of the DC universe. I love how Gaiman grounds this right in the DC universe while still making it its own thing. John Constantine who quickly become one of my favorite DC characters. Even the Justice League shows up with the main villain, Dr. Destiny, being a JLA villain. Rather than ignoring the Golden Age Sandman, Gaiman explains how the two are related.
Gaiman does embrace a dark, horror vibe, especially in the issue where Dr. Destiny tortures the patrons of a diner. Sam Keith and Mike Dringenberg give the book a nice 1950's horror look. The book looks like it could have been issues of Eerie! or House of Mystery. Speaking of House of Mystery I adore how Gaiman repurposes the host of those books, Cain and Abel, making them supporting characters in Sandman. I like how he uses the idea of the Dreaming to explain those old DC horror stories.
And then there's Death. Who would have ever thought that Death would be this adorable, perky little Goth girl, not so much menacing you as you die, but comforting and helping you on your journey to the great beyond. I'm so glad that I can go back and revisit this 30 years later and it's still just as magical as the first time I read it.
Even though Vertigo later distanced itself from the rest of the DC universe. I love how Gaiman grounds this right in the DC universe while still making it its own thing. John Constantine who quickly become one of my favorite DC characters. Even the Justice League shows up with the main villain, Dr. Destiny, being a JLA villain. Rather than ignoring the Golden Age Sandman, Gaiman explains how the two are related.
Gaiman does embrace a dark, horror vibe, especially in the issue where Dr. Destiny tortures the patrons of a diner. Sam Keith and Mike Dringenberg give the book a nice 1950's horror look. The book looks like it could have been issues of Eerie! or House of Mystery. Speaking of House of Mystery I adore how Gaiman repurposes the host of those books, Cain and Abel, making them supporting characters in Sandman. I like how he uses the idea of the Dreaming to explain those old DC horror stories.
And then there's Death. Who would have ever thought that Death would be this adorable, perky little Goth girl, not so much menacing you as you die, but comforting and helping you on your journey to the great beyond. I'm so glad that I can go back and revisit this 30 years later and it's still just as magical as the first time I read it.
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Reading Progress
July 25, 1992
–
Started Reading
July 25, 1992
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Finished Reading
July 25, 2003
–
Started Reading
July 25, 2003
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Finished Reading
March 3, 2016
– Shelved
July 25, 2020
–
Started Reading
July 25, 2020
– Shelved as:
2020
July 25, 2020
–
Finished Reading
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I'm revisiting it too after long time. Agree with everything you say here.
The_Mad_Swede wrote: "In fairness, Constantine had had a full year's worth of Hellblazer when the first issue of The Sandman was published, so I would argue that he'd moved past being simply a Swamp Thing character (I m..."Hellblazer was first? I'd completely forgotten that. Oh, how the memory goes after 30 years.
Lorenzo wrote: "I'm revisiting it too after long time. Agree with everything you say here."Great minds think alike Lorenzo.
Chad wrote: "Hellblazer was first? I'd completely forgotten that. Oh, how the memory goes after 30 years."I'll probably do a re-read of Hellblazer when I finish this. I wish they had absolute versions of that book like they do Sandman.
Chad wrote: "Hellblazer was first? I'd completely forgotten that. Oh, how the memory goes after 30 years.."Well, I frankly had to double-check so that my memory wasn't playing tricks on me. ;) I aim to do a re-read of Hellblazer soon too. I am just waiting for the chronological collections to finish up (they're currently in the last fifty issues somewhere), so that I can give all 300 issues (plus assorted minis) a read-through paperback style. And that will include some material I haven't actually read yet too.
The_Mad_Swede wrote: "Well, I frankly had to double-check so that my memory wasn't playing tricks on me. ;) I aim to do a re-read of Hellblazer soon too. I am just waiting for the chronological collections to finish up (they're currently in the last fifty issues somewhere), so that I can give all 300 issues (plus assorted minis) a read-through paperback style. And that will include some material I haven't actually read yet too."I think I've piece meal read everything at this point once they finally put out all the Jamie Delano issues in trade. I didn't pick the comic up on the regular until Garth Ennis took over and I started hearing the buzz about it. I'm very much looking forward to a chronological re-read.
I first read some of the first issue in Swedish translation in an anthology mag and then had a huge gap until I leaped into the early days of the Ennis run (during "Guys and Dolls"; which incidentally contained the first reference to Sandman I'd come across; didn't enter that ride till issue #50: "Ramadan", and then backtracked through TPBs quickly).
But Gaiman certainly made good use of the character (and others) both here and elsewhere.
And thanks for the reminder that I too need to revisit this magnificent series soon.