Alejandro's Reviews > The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes

FanTABulous preluDe!


Creative Team:

Writer: Neil Gaiman

Illustrators: Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg & Malcolm Jones III

Covers: Dave McKean

Letterer: Todd Klein


A PRELUdE TO dREAM

It is NEVER “only a dream”, John Constantine.

Definitely there is stuff that if you read again, you’ll get it differently, but even so, you’ll get it differently if you re-read it again in a different order.

I am re-reading again the first four TPBs of The Sandman since I was able to buy the rest of TPBs of the series, BUT I chose to read first the TPBs of Death and definitely it was the right call. Neil Gaiman commented at the end of The High Cost of Living that Death can serve as an introduction to The Sandman and he was right. I guess he knows something about it since he’s the author (he,he,he).

But, seriously, now that I read Death: The High Cost of Living first of re-engaging into The Sandman, I was able to recognize some characters and getting the importance of comments made there. Even wondering details like how Roderick Burguess was sure, with just a glance, that Dream wasn’t Death, but wasn’t able to know who was exactly. Allowing me to enjoy even more the re-reading experience of this first TPB in the series.

Of course, re-reading again this first TPB (taking in account that I already read before the following 3 TPBs) allow me to enjoy the introduction here and there of characters that they will play relevant roles in the rest of the series. And that I was able to appreciate and understanding certain scenes.
So, indeed this is a prelude to The Sandman, since Neil Gaiman is just establishing the general scenario where he will develop the story in the following TPBs.


BROKEN dREAM

I am riding in your dreams.

1916: Morpheus, the King of the realm of Dreams, the embodiment of Dream, is trapped by mistake by a black sorceress.

Roderick Burguess didn’t want to catch Dream, he was after Death.

But what’s done, it’s done.

Dream is trapped in a magic circle during 72 years and even bereft from his tools of office which are key receptacles of his own power.

1988: Dream is able to escape. Weak. Angry. Confused.

During this first TPB of The Sandman, Morpheus must seek out for his tótems of power, a little pouch full of sand, a helm with the shape of a WWI gas mask, and a ruby.

Dream needs all those three artifacts since he put inside of them too much of his own power and therefore, now without them, he won’t be able to regain control of his own realm.

Dream will have a little help from John Constantine to get back one of those items, but about the remaining two, he must face alone dangerous challenges in unexpected places and/or against unexpected oponents.

And since Morpheus needs those things to get back to full power, evidently he isn’t in top shape to fight his enemies with raw power, so he must rely in cunning and destiny to try to be again his “old self”.