Paperback, 244 pages
Published Jan. 1, 2000 by Ithaki Yayinlari.
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.
I'm not sure why I have not read this until now. Beautiful, engrossing, and I couldn't read it fast enough.
As I had feared, I shall need to get the whole series. It's marvellous, mad, brimming with innuendo, and rather gothic.
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.
It's difficult to talk about this separately from the rest of the series. It's a little rougher, a little more primitive than what's to come, but it sets the scene nicely. I great start to one of the best graphic fiction series there is.
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.
