I Don't Like Sandman
I like Wesley Dodds, but I don't like Neil Gaiman's Sandman. To be fair, I've just started reading it. But I'm just not getting whatever it is is that has made it this end all be all in the comics world. People who don't normally read comics try to impress my by saying they've read Sandman. That's fine. But I just don't get it.
And don't go all "he's a supehero snob!" accusatory on me either. Sure, I love superheroes but I'm perfectly willing to look into other avenues as well. I used to be worse about that, of course. I stayed away from Fables for the longest time because it wasn't superheroes. That was a mistake. But Sandman? It just doesn't seem to be any fun. Comics should be fun.
So, fans of Neil Gaiman's Sandman. I ask you: what is it that you love about this series so much? Why has it been elevated to such a godlike position in comics?
posted by Diamondrock @ 3:17 AM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Just wait here. I'll be right back.
*Runs off to gather torches and pitchforks*
See! See! I knew this was going to happen! *runs back to his castle and pulls up the drawbridge*
I won't try and explain why Sandman is/might be a rather good comic - instead I'll simply suggest that you start with the tpb Fables And Reflections. If that doesn't appeal to you, then fair enough, everyone doesn't need to like everything!
It's a collection of short one-off stories illustrated by various artists, many of which feature Dream in a rather peripheral way. Excellent stuff.
*walks in carrying Marvel flag*
Sandman? He's great! He survived getting turned to glass by Doctor Octopus! Twice!
*Notices ragnell and diamondrock both hefting axes, glaring at him*
What?
Seriously though, I agree with James, it's like any art form. Like some people swear Orwell's 1984 is great literature, I just felt sad and tired after reading it. I think Hemingway is great, others disagree.
That's funny. I liked Sandman precisely because it WAS so tied into so many pre-existing DC myths and stories.
Old man and the sea for the win!
I agree with JP -- best place to start is with one of the single-issue stories: try the "Fables and Reflections" or "Dream Country" TPB. The first few issues of Gaiman's Sandman, with the unappealing Sam Kieth art, are some of the worst, and likely to turn off even lifelong comics fans.
Some people swear by Sandman #17 ("Calliope"), but in my opinion, the very best intro, or gateway drug if you will, for Sandman is #31 -- "Three Septembers and a January" (included in Fables and Reflections). The first Sandman issue I really enjoyed, it's still one of my favorite stories ever. If you read that and don't like it one whit, you can save your money and pretty much skip the rest of the series. :)
There are other graphic novels I read (100 Bullets, anyone?) but what I can say about Sandman is that I akin it very much to the first viewing of Akira: You have to watch it a few times to really 'get it', it's the same with this Vertigo series.
Kinda like Greek mythology in the sense that our world is controlled by the actions of a variety of demigods (the seven brothers/sisters known as The Endless: Delirium, Delight, Despair, Destruction, Dream{the Sandman}, Destiny, Death)for good or bad stressing polytheistic undertones at each turn.
I can appreciate that the series is not xenophobic or ethnocentric in any particular aspect, only going into detail about cultural practices wheresoever it's relevant within each story arc. For example, the personification of Satan (a handsome deadly-powerful guy who travels and plays in piano bars) remains as another character in this story but the idea of 'God' is never acknowledged by name or face and 'heaven' remains the titular Silver City.
The central character (Sandman) oversees the shaping of dreams and ideas in all living creatures of every shape & form, in diff. worlds/ dimensions/ galaxies, and bonus points that the story extends towards the very beginning of creation. (to give the impression of how magnanimous they are) And all the characters evolve alongside the Sandman just like regular mortals which is both surprising and amusing.
I applaud Vertigo for hiring Gaiman. The storyline is strong enough that it survived the several versions of artists that drew the series. No matter how it was illustrated, the interpretation remained the same. You can't say that for a lot of mainstream comics in which they switch from beloved iconic artists and then the audience immediately loses grasp of the series.
I love that there's no holding back- they show it all. Violence, torture, death, love, closure, awkwardness, it's all there. And if it doesn't make you cry or uncomfortable then you're probably not reading it right.
It took 5 read-throughs for me to really get comfortable with Gaiman's style of story telling. But that's the beauty of it; you don't see all of it right away. There's subtleties you miss the 1st and 3rd time you read it so you get hooked. And if you're the type who doesn't want to spend this much time reading thought-bubbles, then you're better off reading a coloring book.
I especially appreciate how unlike other comics, Gaiman doesn't try to dumb it down for the ADD genre and tailors each and every character to it's nature. Reading these books feels like watching a cleverly written play.
That said, I'm typically opposed to comics-to-silverscreen adaptations because they're seldom done right (ex. Constantine- also a character that exists in the Sandman-verse) so, it will take an awful lot not to turn this masterpiece into a bastardized steaming pile of Hollywood turd. Hope it doesn't come to the silverscreen without an intelligent director/ producer.
And I apologize for sounding like a complete fangirl.
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