Johann (jobis89)'s Reviews > The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes

“I am hope.”

A man named Roderick Burgress wants to prevent death in the world by summoning and capturing Death – but what he ends up with is Dream instead. Dream is imprisoned for 70 years and loses his tools that give him his power. Upon Dream’s release he must embark on a journey to retrieve his tools before the world falls into turmoil.

I’ve been so psyched to read the Sandman series since I first heard about it on bookstagram. It’s considered by many to be the pinnacle of graphic novels - an epic, sprawling masterpiece that might even be Gaiman’s best work. My first impression was that the artwork is dark and gritty, just how I like it—and hey, doesn’t Dream look a lot like Gaiman himself? But I was hooked pretty quickly.

Gaiman’s imagination will never fail to impress me, he is insanely creative and his ability to incorporate mythology into contemporary settings is extremely clever. This volume does really feel like a “prelude” to the entire story, a prolonged introduction almost. We get to meet Dream aka Morpheus aka The Sandman (choose whichever name you prefer) and as a character, I find him incredibly intriguing. He is a sympathetic character, but can be brutal when he feels it’s necessary. We also meet a few other characters who you get the impression are going to become huge players within the series – his sister Death and then Lucifer himself. Excited to learn more about both of these characters!

My favourite issue in this volume was 24 Hours. It’s gory and graphic and you won’t want to stop reading until you’re done.

What annoyed me slightly was the inclusion of some DC characters, I haven’t read any of these comics so their significance was pretty much lost on me. I’m not sure if having prior knowledge really matters or not, but I hate the feeling that I’m missing out on something.

I’m really looking forward to continuing with this series as I feel like the real story is only beginning…