Absolute Sandman Volume One

Well, its sandman right! Wish I could give it 10 stars.

The world of comic books was a very different place before the Sandman came into being. Neil Gaiman revolutionized the graphic novel with "The Sandman," an exquisite story filled with shadowy realistic art and strange magical beings. Bringing together the first three volumes, "The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1" is one of those rare collections that tantalizes you with beauty and chills you to your core, all at the same time. In "Preludes and Nocturnes," a group of occultists are attempting to summon and trap Death... but instead, they capture Dream and lock him in a glass orb. Decades pass, and countless people are locked in slumber -- unable to dream, unable to wake for long. One day, Dream escapes his prison and reenters the world, but loses the last of his power with his final act of revenge. His Dreamworld palace has fallen into ruin, and his magical items have been scattered. To regain his power, he must get back his helm, his pouch of sand, and his dreamstone. His journey to regain them will take him across worlds -- to John Constantine and a woman destroyed by dreams, to the depths of Hell at a demonic club, and a ghastly madman who drives various people to depravity and death. But his problems do not stop there -- in "The Doll's House," Dream discovers a dream vortex. That vortex is Rose Walker, the granddaughter of Unity Kinkaid (who has slept most of her life), who is searching for her imprisoned little brother. And even worse, some of Dream's creatures have escaped, and are wreaking havoc on the waking world. And in "Dream Country," Gaiman tells us a quartet of haunting stories -- a cat seeking revenge who wanders into the Dream Country, a struggling writer who buys and rapes a muse, an elemental superheroine who longs to die, and Shakespeare performing his classic play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for the court of Faerie. The world of "The Sandman" is a strange one -- it lightly interlocks with other graphic novel series, effortlessly slips from one world to another, and exposes both the beauty and ugliness of our own world. "The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1" is an excellent introduction to Neil Gaiman's strange, expansive world -- as well as his hollow-eyed anti-hero. And the artwork is sublime -- realistic in style, but often bizarre and a little frightening in theme. And despite the core colors being shadowy greys, whites and blacks, there are splashes of bright colors everywhere. Green fields, blue hallways, psychedelic skies, hallucinations filled with sickly pallid hues. And Gaiman created one of his most iconic, complex characters in Dream -- his inhumanness is underlined by acts of great cruelty and kindness, and his sad, grim demeanor is more than a little touching. The author also spun up a very nonstereotypical version of Death. No robes, scythes or skeletal faces here. In fact, forget about anything sinister -- this version of Death is a delightfully quirky, perky goth chick. As for this omnibus edition, it is absolutely gorgeous -- oversized, with gorgeous enhanced colors, strong fabric covers, a sturdy slipcase and some pencil sketches. It's not really one for casual reading, but for collectors. "The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1" is a gorgeous rerelease of Neil Gaiman's classic series, but this would be nothing if the material were not so sublime. A delight for comic readers.

I've loved books since early childhood, seeing them as entranceways to other worlds of wonder and imagination. These Absolute editions of The Sandman rekindle that sense of wonder. The smell of them, the look of them, the heft of them, everything about them excites the senses. They are clearly designed to be evocative of both 19th century household Bibles and late medieval magical grimoires. The stories they contain have elements of both. Underlying them all is Neil Gaiman's magical concept of the seven siblings known as the Endless. These immortal, towering entities oversee human existence from the cradle to the grave. They are Dream, Delirium (formerly Delight), Destiny, Despair, Desire, Destruction, and Death. Sometimes they appear as gigantic figures looming above the Earth. Mostly, they adapt their size, shape and dress to the people, places and times where they appear. In an afterword to one of the later volumes, Neil Gaiman admits that he began work on the Sandman as a regular gig that would bring in a monthly pay cheque. It didn't take him long to turn it into something far more than just another job. In this, he was encouraged by his editor, Karen Berger, who seems not only to have given him an amazing amount of freedom but positively demanded that he take it and run with it wherever the fancy took him. Hence what begins as an apparently straightforward horror comic quickly breaks through the confining straps of the genre and takes flight, going to places few if any comics had explored before. Even the early stories that most resemble horror comics are remarkably well-written, reflecting the fact that Gaiman is remarkably well-read. The first issue references the notorious 20th century occultist, Aleister Crowley and features a brief appearance by Wesley Dodds, the first DC character to bear the Sandman name. The third issue features DC's very own English master of the occult arts, Mr. John Constantine. Having the whole DC universe at his disposal, Gaiman introduces various alumni of the Justice League and characters from Jack Kirby's awesome Fourth World saga. Later in this volume, Gaiman folds his own flight of fancy into Will Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' a perfect choice of play for a book whose central character is Dream, a.k.a. the Dream Lord, the Changer, or the Sandman. The Midsummer Night's Dream issue is illustrated by the great Charles Vess, the perfect choice of illustrator. This issue is the only comic book ever to have won the prestigious World Fantasy Award for a short work of fiction. This brings us back to Karen Berger, since I'm assuming she was largely responsible for teaming Gaiman up with the various artists who bring his stories to life on the page. The first few issues are drawn by Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg, of whom I'd not previously heard but who do an excellent job. After Sam Kieth drops out, the equally skilled Malcolm Jones III takes over. Chris Bachalo then steps in for an issue, followed by Mike Zulli before Mike Dringenberg returns with the most horrific tale in the entire run, where we meet the deeply unpleasant character known as the Corinthian. Move over Dracula, there's a new murderous menace in town with teeth to put your pointy canines to shame. Often in comics, when artists chop and change the changes in style are jarring and off-putting. With Sandman, they aren't. In fact, you get the impression that artists are being auditioned and selected for the roles they are to play and the stories they have to tell. Gaiman writes in another of his afterwords of the joy that he had in working with artists he trusted to pick up his words and run with them, often with minimal instruction from him in terms of breakdown or layout. The artists clearly loved to have such literate, entertaining scripts to work from. Speaking of artists, it's impossible to talk about the Sandman series for long without mentioning Dave McKean. His extraordinary photo-montage covers gave each issue of the Sandman its highly individualistic look, making it impossible to miss on the stands. Some of these covers, all faithfully reproduced here, appear almost abstract until you look closely into them, when you find weird hidden imagery floating into or out of focus. They are genuine works of art. McKean has also designed the covers and slip cases of these Absolute editions and they too are a wonder to behold, dark, mysterious, enticing. As so many others have said, the quality of the writing is what initially raised these stories high above the standard normally expected of a comic book. Add to that the editorial freedom the writer was given and the quality of the artists he was given to collaborate with and you have a nigh on perfect package. There are a few signs in the early issues of a writer finding his feet and discovering his characters, but even these are handled with such panache, wit and intelligence as to be instantly engaging. Then, with issue 19 and the Dream King's encounter with Shakespeare, it becomes obvious that this is a work destined to go beyond any previously recognised comic book genre and become a fully-fledged literary gem that repays frequent re-reading. A triumph for all concerned. And that includes the oft-overlooked letterer, Todd Klein, who goes above and beyond the call of duty, creating entire new fonts to differentiate major characters from one another or to match the style of a particular tale. Just brilliant. Last to be congratulated are the DC design and production team and the printers who physically put the thing together. These are books as works of art. The thick, sturdy slip case, bearing beautiful Dave McKean designs front and back, looks as though it'll last a lifetime. The book itself, again graced by Dave McKean designs, is bound in jet black faux leather, stamped with silver lettering and an impressed design of a lock and key. The book is about 50% larger in area than the original comic book size, which really enhances the often incredibly detailed artwork. The print quality is excellent throughout, the blacks clear and crisp, the colours perfectly balanced. I'd read all these stories before in paperback editions, but it has been a huge pleasure re-reading them in this sumptuous format. If you're going to read the Sandman, this is definitely the way to do it. Pick up these volumes while you can. Pass them on to your children and grandchildren (but not until they're at least sixteen unless you want to give them nightmares for life!). These are stories to last the ages in a form to do them justice. Well done, DC! Hey, I nearly forgot, just to top things off there are 66 pages of extras including the full script and original pencil art for the 'Midsummer Night's Dream' episode. Yeah!

I bought this as a gift for my partner and she loves it. The book feels significant and weighty, like a tome. The artwork really pops and the print quality is fantastic. It comes in a thick protective sleeve that does a great job of housing the book when not in use. It's a fantastic piece to add to your collection, highly recommended. Note: some people are complaining about the binding not being great. I would agree - however, I would also note that because it's such a huge book you're best reading it on a surface, and not treating it roughly as you would a cheap paperback.

Esta edição é um "must have" para qualquer fã de graphic novels. É linda, com um acabamento realmente premium. Apesar de ser em inglês, a leitura não é difícil, uma noção básica da língua é o bastante. Vou além: para quem quer aprender inglês, é um ótimo material. O único ponto negativo é o preço. Infelizmente, como quase tudo no Brasil, os valores ficam fora da realidade da maioria. Se Deus quiser isso mudará e mais pessoas terão acesso a edições desse nível.

Sandman ist eine Legende. Das hat sich vermutlich auch schon außerhalb der Comic Szene herumgesprochen. Die Insider brauchen hier keine Kaufhilfe, aber für Neulinge ein paar Worte zu der langsam unübersichtlichen Vielfalt. Ursprünglich wurde die Sandman Serie als einzelne Comic-hefte monatlich verkauft. Diese sind längst heiß begehrte Sammelstücke, und werden teuer bei Ebay versteigert. Dann gibt es die Sammelbände dieser Hefte. Diese sind thematisch nach einzelnen Zyklen geordnet, und sind hier auf Deutsch oder Englisch erhältlich, entweder als Hardcover oder Softcover. Sie haben einen ergänzenden Namen, wie zB Season of Mists, oder The Kindly Ones, etc. Wer nur mal wissen will, ob ihn Sandman überhaupt interessiert, sollte dort zugreifen, denn die Preise sind moderat und die Qualität ist ok. Last but not least gibt es aber auch noch die absolute Luxusversion, zum Luxuspreis. Pro Band werden dort ca. 20 Hefte in hochwertiger Qualität mit ein paar Extras angeboten. Die definitive Sammlerversion einer der komplexesten Comicerzähungen, die man erwerben kann. Für wen lohnt sich die Investition in dieses Buch? Nun, für jeden Liebhaber dieser wunderbaren Comicserie von Neil Gaiman auf jeden Fall. Dies ist ein Buch für die Ewigkeit. Hochwertig gebunden, schwer, beeindruckend, als ob man das dicke Buch von Sandman's Bruder Destiny in den Händen hält. Das Format ist XXL, also deutlich größer als die original Hefte oder die Sammelbände, was das Lesen natürlich zu einer wahren Freude macht. Die Qualität des Papiers ist ausgezeichnet, die Farben leuchten, kurz hier wurde mit viel Liebe zum Detail ein hochwertiges Buch abgeliefert. Das Buch kann man noch an die Enkel und Urenkel vererben. Es ist natürlch auch ein super Geschenk, für jemanden, der auf diese Serie steht. Nicht ganz billig, aber für besondere Anlässe sicherlich die perfekte Wahl. Noch ein Tip. Die Preise hier schwanken. Es lohnt sich, mal eine Weile zu beobachten, und dann aber schnell zu kaufen, denn der Preis kann auch wieder nach oben gehen! In den USA kostet jeder Band 99 USD, also je nach Wechselkurs und je nach Lagerbestand werden die Bücher hier zwischen 80 und 50 Euro angeboten.

I am completely geeked out over this super-awesome tome. It's huge, heavy, thick, and has that great new-book smell. It's leather bound, features high-quality, glossy paper, and comes in a sturdy cardboard slip-cover. It's a beautiful book that's built to last, and it damn well better be with a cover price of $99.00. The Sandman is the respected, literary-minded, award-winning comic book series that ran 75 issues from the late 80's to mid 90's. Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1 collects the first twenty issues, the first eighteen of which have been completely re-colored. Three more volumes are to follow that will collect the rest of the series. Sandman is the first major project by Neil Gaiman, who has become well-known for his best-selling novels, including American Gods and Anansi Boys. The story follows Dream of the Endless, also known as Morpheus and the Sandman, a powerful entity who rules the Realm of Dreams. Gaiman blends history, classic legends and myth, religion, philosophy, fantasy, comedy, horror, and drama to weave his epic tale. The story takes us all over the world we know, in times both past and present. We also travel within the many realms of Dream, shifting places shaped both by Morpheus and our own subconcious minds. Briefly, we visit other realms as well, such as Faerie and even Hell itself. If you enjoy dark fantasy, horror, or just heart-felt human drama, you do yourself a disservice by not checking out Sandman. This book is beautiful but pricey (although it's a lot cheaper on Amazon.com). The story is available in smaller collections that are much more affordable. In short, read Sandman... you won't be sorry.