The Sandman Volume 1: 30th Anniversary Edition: Preludes and Nocturnes

But I really enjoyed this one! I loved Morpheus (or Dream, or whatever else you want to call him), and I also enjoyed John Constantine. It was totally crazy but very entertaining, and the artwork was great to look at. I think I’ll definitely be continuing with the series.

I should preface this by saying that my initial exposure of The Sandman series came from the recently released audiodrama from Audible. If my memory serves me right, I gave that a 3 out of 5 stars. My main reason for this was due to the nature of the production being a series of short stories revolving around Morpheus and the dream world. My main problems had been based around some of the stories being told in what can only be described in a "cartoony" way, while its constant jumping from horror to comedy elements could be jarring at times.So, what made this a 5 for me? Immediately it should be stated that the audiodrama was very loyal to this in every respect. From the way it was written and dialogue used, the audiodrama may as well have been performed by reading this word for word, so again, what made this different.To begin, the visual component was the first plus. Despite its age, the art is still brilliant. Upon reading The Dark Knight Returns (widely regarded as one of the best graphic novels of all time) I had to admit that the art did dissappoint me. This by contrast is drawn beautifully, again giving what can only be described (in my opinion) as the best rendition of hell in any medium. The way the panels areally organised and characters are given life is really breathtaking. Funnily enough, my only gripe with the entire graphic novel comes from this department, as I didn't like the way Dr Destiny looked. However the rest more than made up for it. It shows the horror elements of this series brilliantly. I can't fault it enough.Now, we go onto storytelling. Neil Gaiman is a master of the art. Not much needs to be said. The way in which he blends a new mythology with old mythologies and fairy tales is brilliant, while the series truly wrestles with the deepest parts of ourselves which we often hold so dear, the dreams that pervade our souls for better or worse (and so often, the desires we would nevery dare admit to others). It is within the realm of dreams that Neil masterfully weaves this tale, using it as a vehicle to peer into our strange yet wonderful nature. I don't want to say anymore for spoilers, as you can already guess that I recommend this wholeheartedly. I should also give credit where credit was due. While listening to the audiodrama I was worried that this modern ages pandering to social justice movements had pervaded this work. However, all of what could be perceived as pandering in this respect was genuine and in from the start, written long before comics have descended into what they are now. It is for this reason Neil has my full respect. He included groups that absolutely should have been represented at the time, but doing it from an obviously genuine place, not unlike today's publications and modern comic book writers who use it to push political agendas or essentially tick boxes. I fully respect Neil all the more for doing this.Otherwise, do I really need to sell this more to you if you've made it this far? Do yourself a favour, give it a try. You have nothing to lose except for £10 or so. Rest assured, your money will be well spent.

The thing about two forewords and an afterword is that the message that this series gets better is well and truly pushed home. I'm not a massive comics fan - I've read and enjoyed the Locks & Key series and that's about it. But, I wanted to read some Neil Bauman and The Sandbag is often pointed to as a classic of his.The story of Dream, a Dark God of dreams, trapped by humans hunting his sister Death. The stories in this collection take some odd twists and turns, but they're enjoyable diversions. A good dose of mythology, a smattering of horror and some fun cameos by DC Comics stalwarts including Scarecrow and Constantine and even a non-comics person like me can pick up some of those references.A good read, and I'm looking forward to the promise that it gets even better.

My boyfriend absolutely enjoyed reading this book.

I read random issues of sandman during the 90s and enjoyed them, but never really took it any further.I made a decision a while back to read all 10 of the main volumes. (Excluding any of the later stories and prequel,for now)This first volume sets the tone quite nicely.It really is unlike anything else in the comic book medium. I think its well ahead of its time. Disturbing in places. Actually very disturbing! You can tell that a lot of consideration, time and effort has gone into each panel. Great character development, great art and great story telling. I highly recommend.

It's just fab.

So I had all the original copies of this graphic novel series when they originally came out years ago but unfortunately they got lost over time, so I heard that a TV series was being done so I wanted to re read them and this just as good as when I first read it 30 years ago! If you like Neil Gaiman you should enjoy this it’s fantasy but with deeper meaning in it, I like the artwork, it does differ book to book as different artists but I think this volume has some strong artwork in it!

I subscribed to kindle unlimited to read guitar magazines and found this book when having a look at what was available . I was aware of the popular graphic novels but never had much interest in them until I read this. It really is brilliant and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.