paperback, 240 pages
Published Oct. 30, 2018 by Vertigo.
Preludes and Nocturnes collects the first eight issues of The Sandman comic by Neil Gaiman published by DC Vertigo. The series centers on Morpheus (Dream of the Endless). Dream is imprisoned for decades by an occultist seeking immortality. Upon escaping, he must reclaim his objects of power while still in a weakened state, confronting an addict to his dream powder, the legions of Hell, and an all-powerful madman (Doctor Destiny) in the process.
Went back and re-read this after watching the Netflix series. I think I enjoyed it more this time as watching the show helps to clarify a few things in the story. An excellent read, particularly when you factor in that this may be the weakest book of the series. I say that also as someone who very rarely reads graphic novels.
This is probably controversial considering that Sandman is such a classic, but I just had a pretty hard time following the plot. I love Death annd Dream and the dream world, but I was confused and somewhat put off by there apparently being terrestrial superheroes in this universe? It's a traditional comic thing, I know, but not really for me.
On top of that, the latter half of the book about the central villain of this story arc was off-putting and disgusting to me. I liked the resolution, but would have liked the book much much more without any of that ark at all.
I think I'll still give the next one a try. We'll see if it focuses more on the things I loved or those I didn't.
I have read this when I was in highschool. Re-read it again in time for the Netflix series. I loved it more. It takes time, your may not like it at first but give it another try. It will be rewarding.
3.5 stars.
and so begins the Sandman marathon after binging the show. I have read nearly all of Gaiman's work so i'm surprised it took me til now to start this iconic comic. However, i think it was for the best, because the tv shows tweaks really improved how the story is introduced to a fresh audience, imo. The art was not really my taste, but that is coming from someone who gravitates towards contemporary series from pubs such as Image, so that is to be expected. nonetheless, i am excited to continue this series! I can tell we have only scraped the surface of understanding these complex characters (ESPECIALLY our protagonist, Morpheus.......cuz OOF).
I've heard a lot about this series over the years, but I never actually read it. I gave it a try, and it didn't really catch me. It's probably too dark for my taste as it clearly has horror elements. I didn't like seeing people suffering because of the cruelty of deities, it's not really my thing. The art is beautiful, though.
I've feel like I've heard forever about about how great this is. The first volume was fine, I guess! The foreword suggests that the first few issues are really figuring out what to be, and that series really finds its voice later. I'll read more and see how I get on. The last issue was by the most interesting, which is a good sign. (Now I just need to figure out how to find them.)
Everyone has high praise for Gaiman’s The Sandman, and I am here to join them—this first volume of his infamous series is phenomenal. I picked it up from the library months ago (thanks, infinite renewals, and apparently the fact that no one else in my city is willing to read this masterpiece), but finally picked it up as a distraction from my previous book. Though I don’t typically read comics or graphic novels, I was easily hooked. Some time ago, I read Gaiman’s book Stardust; in my edition, there was an included essay by Gaiman at the end which discussed his ideas about mythology, storytelling, and mythmaking. All of these themes are relevant to The Sandman, of course—and a dozen other themes.
Ostensibly, the story follows an anthropomorphic Dream, the ruler of Dreamland, who is imprisoned and whose artefacts are stolen by a strange Order. Gaiman …
Everyone has high praise for Gaiman’s The Sandman, and I am here to join them—this first volume of his infamous series is phenomenal. I picked it up from the library months ago (thanks, infinite renewals, and apparently the fact that no one else in my city is willing to read this masterpiece), but finally picked it up as a distraction from my previous book. Though I don’t typically read comics or graphic novels, I was easily hooked. Some time ago, I read Gaiman’s book Stardust; in my edition, there was an included essay by Gaiman at the end which discussed his ideas about mythology, storytelling, and mythmaking. All of these themes are relevant to The Sandman, of course—and a dozen other themes.
Ostensibly, the story follows an anthropomorphic Dream, the ruler of Dreamland, who is imprisoned and whose artefacts are stolen by a strange Order. Gaiman in the afterword himself describes the various issues contained in this first volume as his attempts to do different kinds of storytelling—Victorian Gothic horror, British 40s/50s story, superheros, etc. Each issue therefore brings a new element or ambience to the storytelling, and yet all these seemingly disparate parts wind together to craft an immensely clever story. I am a huge fan of learning about different mythologies, playing around with language, and exploring the more confusing and malleable elements of human consciousness. The Sandman delivers a kind of strange dream, a reverie but also a quest, a long and winding road of self-discovery… all of these things and more. I’m beginning to sound like a cringy advert at this point, so I’ll stop while I’m ahead.
The art and pacing of the story flows well in each issue; I found myself always wanting to keep reading after each issue was over. As these are preludes and nocturnes, and thus suitable for nighttime, I readily tested my half-baked promise to try to sleep early each night. Even if you’re not into comics or graphic novels, I suspect it is quite easy to get lost in the story—Gaiman is masterful at it, and the art lends itself to the story, rather than overpowering it. I am eager to read the additional volumes in this incredible series. I can verify that its reputation as one of the best graphic novels is well-deserved, and definitely recommend reading this even if it isn’t your usual medium. It’s extremely worth it for Gaiman’s imaginative storytelling and delightfully constructed anthropomorphic characters. (I found myself simultaneously pitying, loving, and fearing Dream—a perhaps questionable reaction to a character in any other circumstance, but for Dream, it makes sense.)
If you’re still reading this, stop here and go read this already, please. You won’t regret it. The 30th anniversary edition is beautifully done, crisp, and worth holding in your hands.
Whenever I review a graphic novel I have to begin by mentioning I'm not much of an enthusiast for the genre. But this was on the giveaway shelf in my building's laundry room and Neil Gaiman is pretty famous so I figure I'd take a look.
As graphic novels go, this one's pretty decent. The story kept me interested, it has some fine vignettes, and the drawing is quite good.
I know I'm rating this low relative to what genre fans give it, but for me, for a graphic novel, this is me saying it's good for what it is.
These were the first graphic novel I read, and I didn't know what I was doing, reading them out of order and incompletely. Fixing that in 2019, a fine start.
I'm not sure why I have not read this until now. Beautiful, engrossing, and I couldn't read it fast enough.
Hmm... I admit that I found this collection to be rather unwieldy and quite disorienting. I was bored through a majority of it, but really enjoyed the artwork throughout. Interestingly enough, it's the final issue that I liked most and it's the one Gaiman himself says was the first to feel "right". So, despite my boredom, it finished strong enough to warrant continuing into volume 2.
A brilliant start into a brilliant series. In fact, it's a little bit like the entire series in one volume. Re-reading Sandman (especially after also reading the sequel-prequel Sandman: Overture) actually enhances the entire experience a lot.
Why did I not read this before? I am not usually a comic reader. I loved this. The story is great. I find it quite fascinating how minimalist story telling can become and still create such a rich world.
The entire Sandman series is just excellent
Not all Graphic novels are comic books and these series is much more novel than graphic (though the art is amazing). I first read it in college and have been in love with the darkness of the characters and the mystery of the stories ever since.
The Sandman tells the tale of a family of personifications of archetypes. The title character is Dream, his sister is Death (I had a crush on her!), one brother is Fate. Each rolls through stories and into each other's lives as they help humans get through theirs (and receive help from humans too). It's a fairy tale but gripping.
