Gaiman's note at the back of the book calls this clumsy, awkward, but with things that he's still proud of, and it all plants the seeds of what's to come. I think I agree.

In many ways this is a remarkable volume. Morpheus, Dream, the Sandman, whatever he's called, is an interesting figure and his interactions with others, both people and not people, are gripping in an oddly natural way. Whether he's a god or a dude feeding pigeons, he is who he is.

But the plot is a bit wonky. It's almost a superhero story, and crosses over with the DC comic universe heavily, but with characters that don't feel like they quite belong. From the perspective of what happens in the world, we end up back at the status quo that existed before Morpheus was captured in the beginning. 

Despite that awkwardness, this is a great read and I'm excited to finally experience it. The art and characters are interesting, and I'm curious to see where things go now that it feels like we've hit the starting point.