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The Sandman
The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House
The second installment of Neil Gaiman's seminal series, THE SANDMAN VOL. 2: THE DOLL'S HOUSE, celebrates its 30th anniversary with all all-new edition!
New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman's transcendent series SANDMAN is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling. Gaiman created an unforgettable tale of the forces that exist beyond life and death by weaving ancient mythology, folklore and fairy tales with his own distinct narrative vision.
During Morpheus's incarceration, three dreams escaped the Dreaming and are now loose in the waking world. At the same time, a young woman named Rose Walker is searching for her little brother. As their stories converge, a vortex is discovered that could destroy all dreamers, and the world itself.
Collects THE SANDMAN #9-16.
New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman's transcendent series SANDMAN is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling. Gaiman created an unforgettable tale of the forces that exist beyond life and death by weaving ancient mythology, folklore and fairy tales with his own distinct narrative vision.
During Morpheus's incarceration, three dreams escaped the Dreaming and are now loose in the waking world. At the same time, a young woman named Rose Walker is searching for her little brother. As their stories converge, a vortex is discovered that could destroy all dreamers, and the world itself.
Collects THE SANDMAN #9-16.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,150 reviews
February 27, 2017
Every time I try to write a review for a Sandman comic, it just sounds like an outpouring of positive emotions and generic statements about what makes a good story good. I literally love this series, and to try and review it in a conventional way is rather difficult. So instead I’m going to show you some images and do my best to explain why this comic is so incredible.
Morpheus, Dream of the endless night.
Dream is a character, a concept and a force of nature. He is one of the defining pillars of the human psyche, and this is his story. This is the story of how, after he was restored to his full power in Sandman volume one, he regains the control of the remainder of his weird minions that went rogue. And I say weird because his creations are very strange. He has created them from the dreamscape with the sole purpose of being a means of creating dreams for a human sleeper. They are ideals and entities both. It’s hard to explain if you haven’t read it, but in Gaiman’s world dreaming is a powerful tool. And the creatures involved are dangerous if not controlled properly by their lord and master.
The Corinthian
And this is one of the creatures in question. He was specifically designed to combat nightmares, to use fear against fear itself; however, in Morpheus’ absence he has been doing whatever he pleases. And what pleases him is eyes, eating them and biting them out with his own teeth-socket eyes. So Morpheus actual presence in his own realm is vital in controlling such evil things so he may do some good with them. Indeed, because what the Corinthian does here is inspire an entire generation of serial killers to go and collect the body parts of other humans.
Shakespeare?
Now this image isn’t in this volume, I couldn’t find the scene online for this one, but it works nonetheless. Dream meets Shakespeare who is dreaming of becoming a wonderful playwright. He is in awe of Christopher Marlowe’s work, and wants to be able to write with the same degree of artistry. He makes a deal with Morpheus, a dream in exchange for something yet to be revealed. And for me this becomes one of the best things about this comic. It sits oddly at place with the real world. It’s almost like Gaiman has cleverly devised these characters that could actually exist. It may sound slightly irrational, but the point is the real world has been used to demonstrate that there are concepts and powers that will always be beyond human recognition. Despite advances in science, we will never be able to define such vague and ungraspable ideas such as emotions and dreams. Instead we have art, and in this case a comic, to attempt to express such things so eloquently.
I feel ill-equipped to review this in such a way that demonstrates the sheer intelligence of this story. It’s like I’m trying to talk about a masterful piece of music, but I know nothing about the formalities of music so I can’t put my feelings into precise language. Perhaps that’s a poor allegory because I do know a fair bit about books and stories, though trying to capture how creative and innovative this is still rather difficult. All I can suggest is that you go read this series and see it for yourself.
Morpheus, Dream of the endless night.
Dream is a character, a concept and a force of nature. He is one of the defining pillars of the human psyche, and this is his story. This is the story of how, after he was restored to his full power in Sandman volume one, he regains the control of the remainder of his weird minions that went rogue. And I say weird because his creations are very strange. He has created them from the dreamscape with the sole purpose of being a means of creating dreams for a human sleeper. They are ideals and entities both. It’s hard to explain if you haven’t read it, but in Gaiman’s world dreaming is a powerful tool. And the creatures involved are dangerous if not controlled properly by their lord and master.
The Corinthian
And this is one of the creatures in question. He was specifically designed to combat nightmares, to use fear against fear itself; however, in Morpheus’ absence he has been doing whatever he pleases. And what pleases him is eyes, eating them and biting them out with his own teeth-socket eyes. So Morpheus actual presence in his own realm is vital in controlling such evil things so he may do some good with them. Indeed, because what the Corinthian does here is inspire an entire generation of serial killers to go and collect the body parts of other humans.
Shakespeare?
Now this image isn’t in this volume, I couldn’t find the scene online for this one, but it works nonetheless. Dream meets Shakespeare who is dreaming of becoming a wonderful playwright. He is in awe of Christopher Marlowe’s work, and wants to be able to write with the same degree of artistry. He makes a deal with Morpheus, a dream in exchange for something yet to be revealed. And for me this becomes one of the best things about this comic. It sits oddly at place with the real world. It’s almost like Gaiman has cleverly devised these characters that could actually exist. It may sound slightly irrational, but the point is the real world has been used to demonstrate that there are concepts and powers that will always be beyond human recognition. Despite advances in science, we will never be able to define such vague and ungraspable ideas such as emotions and dreams. Instead we have art, and in this case a comic, to attempt to express such things so eloquently.
I feel ill-equipped to review this in such a way that demonstrates the sheer intelligence of this story. It’s like I’m trying to talk about a masterful piece of music, but I know nothing about the formalities of music so I can’t put my feelings into precise language. Perhaps that’s a poor allegory because I do know a fair bit about books and stories, though trying to capture how creative and innovative this is still rather difficult. All I can suggest is that you go read this series and see it for yourself.
November 12, 2022
Alright, I really enjoyed this one a lot more this time around.
The first time I read this it just seemed to be a jumble of loosely connected, sometimes weird stories. Maybe it’s because I’m reading the volumes back to back instead of waiting a bit in between? Not sure. But the stories make more sense to me and the art style bothers me less.
The storytelling isn’t necessarily linear, and as always, Gaiman tends to ramble a bit. But I’ve found that I can take his rambling within the confines of a graphic novel much better than I can when he’s given free rein with the page count of a book.
The main plotline centers around a girl named Rose who is having strange dreams. She meets her biological grandmother for the first time (one of the sleepers from the first volume) and then goes on a trip to find her little brother.
This was extremely odd to me.
How does a mother just lose track of her son because of a divorce? In what world other than the Parent Trap universe are children split up between parents and then never heard from again?
Fine, fine, fine.
So, for contrived reasons, neither Rose nor her mother has tried to contact her little brother since the divorce. And let’s also pretend that when Rose’s father unexpectedly dies, no one contacts his mother and he is instead sent to live with his paternal grandfather. Who also dies. Again, no one tries to find his other parent, they just farm him out to hillbilly relatives who then keep him chained in a basement.
However, all of this trauma leaves the little boy open to the nefarious schemes of a few of Dream’s less conscientious servants, who decided to take advantage of his absence and have a mini-vacation.
Things happen. Weird things.
Things like the Sandman falling in love for the first time, a Serial Killer convention whose special guest speaker has teeth where his eyeballs should be, Morpheus gaining an immortal drinking buddy, and also maybe killing a teenage Vortex.
Mostly, I'm interested to see what's going to happen with the sibling infighting happening with The Endless.
Very enjoyable in one of those don’t look too closely kind of ways.
Recommended.
The first time I read this it just seemed to be a jumble of loosely connected, sometimes weird stories. Maybe it’s because I’m reading the volumes back to back instead of waiting a bit in between? Not sure. But the stories make more sense to me and the art style bothers me less.
The storytelling isn’t necessarily linear, and as always, Gaiman tends to ramble a bit. But I’ve found that I can take his rambling within the confines of a graphic novel much better than I can when he’s given free rein with the page count of a book.
The main plotline centers around a girl named Rose who is having strange dreams. She meets her biological grandmother for the first time (one of the sleepers from the first volume) and then goes on a trip to find her little brother.
This was extremely odd to me.
How does a mother just lose track of her son because of a divorce? In what world other than the Parent Trap universe are children split up between parents and then never heard from again?
Fine, fine, fine.
So, for contrived reasons, neither Rose nor her mother has tried to contact her little brother since the divorce. And let’s also pretend that when Rose’s father unexpectedly dies, no one contacts his mother and he is instead sent to live with his paternal grandfather. Who also dies. Again, no one tries to find his other parent, they just farm him out to hillbilly relatives who then keep him chained in a basement.
However, all of this trauma leaves the little boy open to the nefarious schemes of a few of Dream’s less conscientious servants, who decided to take advantage of his absence and have a mini-vacation.
Things happen. Weird things.
Things like the Sandman falling in love for the first time, a Serial Killer convention whose special guest speaker has teeth where his eyeballs should be, Morpheus gaining an immortal drinking buddy, and also maybe killing a teenage Vortex.
Mostly, I'm interested to see what's going to happen with the sibling infighting happening with The Endless.
Very enjoyable in one of those don’t look too closely kind of ways.
Recommended.
August 19, 2019
The first volume of the Sandman was a fascinating experiment that enlarged the borders of the comic book world; this second volume is a fulfillment, a wildly imaginative narrative which is also a disciplined example of the story-teller’s art.
In an excellent introduction by Clive Barker—one of the masters of modern horror—the author distinguishes between two types of fantastic fiction: 1) the most common form, in which “a reality that resembles our own” is invaded by the fantastic, which is eventually “accommodated or exiled,” and 2) the less frequent form in which there is “no solid status quo, only a series of relative realities.” Barker suggests that this second variety—of which Poe is an acknowledged master—is the more interesting of the two, and poses a question: “is it perhaps freedom from critical and academic scrutiny that has made the medium of the comic book so rich an earth in which to nurture this second kind of fiction?” I answer “yes,” along with Mr. Barker, and believe Neil Gaiman’s “The Doll’s House” to be one of the finest exotic plants produced by this rich soil.
The plot is based on the premise that occasionally a “dream vortex” is born who may unite the dreams of others into herself, becoming in the process a danger not only to our shared—and our separate—realities but even to the existence of the great Lord of Dreams. After a prologue, in which an old man of a desert aboriginal cultural tells a young initiate a story about the dire consequences of the love between Dream and the “dream-vortex” Queen Nada, we are introduced to New Jersey girl Rose Walker who is flying to England to meet her grandmother for the first time. During her week in London, and later, when she moves into her new rooming house, peopled with eccentrics, near her Florida campus, we begin to suspect that she may be one of those dream-vortices too, and we fear for her, and for our world also.
My favorite things about this narrative were the folk-tale purity of the old man’s initiation story (“Tales in the Sand,” Prologue), the interlude which chronicles Dream’s periodic meetings with a man who cannot die (“Men of Good Fortune,” Part 4), and the exciting and surprising conclusion in which an endearing fat Englishman with a sword cane—who is called Gilbert and looks suspiciously like G.K. Chesterton—does his utmost to save Rose Walker from what seems an inevitable fate.
This is a masterpiece of the genre. It is self-contained, and can be read with pleasure without knowing anything of the first volume. Then again, the first volume is very good too. Perhaps you should do what I am doing: start at the beginning, and read them all.
February 15, 2015
Note: This is part two of a rambling multi-volume re-read of the series. It will probably make better sense in context of other reviews...
In this volume, we get several cool stand-alone stories and our first longer story arc with a non-sandman character. It's good stuff. Clever and fun and smart. Everything you'd expect from Gaiman.
When I first read it, it wowed me. It was cool and real and mythic all at once.
Reading it now, I look back on my first-read-through self and smile fondly, thinking. "Oh you sweet boy, you have no idea what cool is yet. Just wait... just wait....
In this volume, we get several cool stand-alone stories and our first longer story arc with a non-sandman character. It's good stuff. Clever and fun and smart. Everything you'd expect from Gaiman.
When I first read it, it wowed me. It was cool and real and mythic all at once.
Reading it now, I look back on my first-read-through self and smile fondly, thinking. "Oh you sweet boy, you have no idea what cool is yet. Just wait... just wait....
February 2, 2020
Re-read 2/2/20:
I STILL love the Corinthian and the convention best! Hob and Dream's unlikely friendship still warms my heart. Oddly enough, it is Fiddler's Green that really made me melt. :)
Original Review:
The Corinthian and the serial murderer's convention was rather special, and Rose Walker was somewhat interesting the first time reading this, but the second time? I think it was much better.
It's all about how we are shaped and what we shape, from feelings of listlessness (Dream), making a new life (the escaped dreams), or friendship with Hob, the humanity of Death, of Desire's machinations.
All of which touches on something deeper than a single series of comics should ever have a chance to commit.
Very impressive storytelling, and weird, full to the brim with images and sequences that go very deep indeed.
I STILL love the Corinthian and the convention best! Hob and Dream's unlikely friendship still warms my heart. Oddly enough, it is Fiddler's Green that really made me melt. :)
Original Review:
The Corinthian and the serial murderer's convention was rather special, and Rose Walker was somewhat interesting the first time reading this, but the second time? I think it was much better.
It's all about how we are shaped and what we shape, from feelings of listlessness (Dream), making a new life (the escaped dreams), or friendship with Hob, the humanity of Death, of Desire's machinations.
All of which touches on something deeper than a single series of comics should ever have a chance to commit.
Very impressive storytelling, and weird, full to the brim with images and sequences that go very deep indeed.
December 31, 2014
I'm sorry Neil Gaiman..That first book in this series was kinda bland.
I think you way stepped it up in this book.
Yes, I know..you has some fangirls..err Kelly and Synesthesia..might want to send those to some fan mail..they got your back.
This one featured Dream guy but it actually made some sense..or did I drink the kool-aid?? Am I dreaming now..Now I'm paranoid.
I hate to give much away because these books aren't very long. So you gonna have to read these suckers.
Oh! Wait! I will tell you. If you check into a hotel with a "Cereal Convention" going on..you might just want to keep chucking on down the road.
I think you way stepped it up in this book.
Yes, I know..you has some fangirls..err Kelly and Synesthesia..might want to send those to some fan mail..they got your back.
This one featured Dream guy but it actually made some sense..or did I drink the kool-aid?? Am I dreaming now..Now I'm paranoid.
I hate to give much away because these books aren't very long. So you gonna have to read these suckers.
Oh! Wait! I will tell you. If you check into a hotel with a "Cereal Convention" going on..you might just want to keep chucking on down the road.
May 20, 2015
An extraorDinary masterpiece!
Creative Team:
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Illustrators: Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Michael Zulli, Steve Parkhouse & Chris Bachalo
Letterer: Todd Klein
dOLLS & dREAMS
So, this is no man, no god, but something else.
You know that this TPB is something else when Clive Barker does the introduction!
While I only read (so far) four of the first TPBs of The Sandman, at least in this moment I have to say that this is the strongest storyline.
The first time that I started to read it, when I reach the part of the “cereal convention”, I had an odd Déjà vu. I knew that I have heard about this concept before. An instant later, I realized where I thought I had heard it before and I couldn’t believe it. I had to check it out. I looked into my comic book collection and I found my TPBs of Swamp Thing and there it was! In one of the TPBs of the iconic run by Alan Moore in Swamp Thing there was a story developed in a single issue about a serial killer and there he did a casual mention about the intention of serial killers around the United States about organizing a convention. And even the nickname of that serial killer plays a pivotal role in The Sandman’s story. But neither of them put any reference to the story of the other, because it’s the reader who has to make the connection...
...Priceless!!!
Morpheus, the King of the realm of the Dreams, the very embodiment of Dream, is now back in business. He already got back his tools of office and possess all his power at full.
Tall he was, and dressed all in black; flames danced in the blackness of his robe, and his eyes were stars in deep pools of dark water.
Now, he is doing a census in his realm and disturbing news are found. Four of the major arcana big beings are nowhere in the realm of dreams. This isn’t good for anybody. Those four beings are very powerful and they can do a lot of damage in other realms, specially in our realm, Earth. But in the middle of that something quite inusual appears, a Dream Vortex and it’s a woman!
For love is no part of the Dreamworld. Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel.
Four powerful dream creatures are in the loose on Earth.
A Dream Vortex is in the rising.
A family is in the process of getting reunited.
A guest house has a very particular community.
A convention is held like no other before.
Another member of the Endless comes to stage and desires to play.
And everything is interconnected since coincidences are only for those who can’t see the big picture.
Neil Gaiman shows his expertise as storyteller not only with the powerful story arc of The Doll’s House but also in between with wonderful short stories taking us to the very beginnings of humanity showing cursed love affairs and through millennial dates of unlikely friends.
The Sandman at its prime, but beware because Dream is angry and this is not for the faint of heart.
Creative Team:
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Illustrators: Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Michael Zulli, Steve Parkhouse & Chris Bachalo
Letterer: Todd Klein
dOLLS & dREAMS
So, this is no man, no god, but something else.
You know that this TPB is something else when Clive Barker does the introduction!
While I only read (so far) four of the first TPBs of The Sandman, at least in this moment I have to say that this is the strongest storyline.
The first time that I started to read it, when I reach the part of the “cereal convention”, I had an odd Déjà vu. I knew that I have heard about this concept before. An instant later, I realized where I thought I had heard it before and I couldn’t believe it. I had to check it out. I looked into my comic book collection and I found my TPBs of Swamp Thing and there it was! In one of the TPBs of the iconic run by Alan Moore in Swamp Thing there was a story developed in a single issue about a serial killer and there he did a casual mention about the intention of serial killers around the United States about organizing a convention. And even the nickname of that serial killer plays a pivotal role in The Sandman’s story. But neither of them put any reference to the story of the other, because it’s the reader who has to make the connection...
...Priceless!!!
Morpheus, the King of the realm of the Dreams, the very embodiment of Dream, is now back in business. He already got back his tools of office and possess all his power at full.
Tall he was, and dressed all in black; flames danced in the blackness of his robe, and his eyes were stars in deep pools of dark water.
Now, he is doing a census in his realm and disturbing news are found. Four of the major arcana big beings are nowhere in the realm of dreams. This isn’t good for anybody. Those four beings are very powerful and they can do a lot of damage in other realms, specially in our realm, Earth. But in the middle of that something quite inusual appears, a Dream Vortex and it’s a woman!
For love is no part of the Dreamworld. Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel.
Four powerful dream creatures are in the loose on Earth.
A Dream Vortex is in the rising.
A family is in the process of getting reunited.
A guest house has a very particular community.
A convention is held like no other before.
Another member of the Endless comes to stage and desires to play.
And everything is interconnected since coincidences are only for those who can’t see the big picture.
Neil Gaiman shows his expertise as storyteller not only with the powerful story arc of The Doll’s House but also in between with wonderful short stories taking us to the very beginnings of humanity showing cursed love affairs and through millennial dates of unlikely friends.
The Sandman at its prime, but beware because Dream is angry and this is not for the faint of heart.
November 3, 2018
“For love is no part of the Dreamworld. Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel.”
Morpheus, the King of the Realm of the Dreams, is back to his full power following the events of Volume 1. Whilst doing a census in his realm, he learns that four of the major players are nowhere in the realm of dreams (which is obviously quite dangerous). And to make matters worse, a Dream Vortex is thrown into the mix!
This volume was a whole lot of fun. I actually struggle to write these reviews, because the whole experience of reading Sandman is very ethereal. It feels like these different strands of storylines are floating around in the air and it’s difficult to really condense and discuss them in a way that makes sense. So bear with me.
Each volume seems to be comprised of contained vignettes that somehow link into the major storyline and further expand upon the Sandman canon. One minute you’re reading about a character who has lived for many, many years and doesn’t want to die, who Dream meets up with every one hundred years in the same tavern. And the next you’re reading about a serial killer convention (this was really the standout part of this Volume for me. Obviously). It’s a bit all over the place at times, and is clearly very philosophical, which can make my brain hurt, but I’m more than willing to give the series the time and patience it deserves.
I really liked the introduction of Rose Walker within this volume. Her search for her brother is very touching and she encounters so many interesting characters throughout her journey that I was always happy to see her pop up. I also appreciate that even though Morpheus is our main protagonist throughout the series, he’s not always “nice”. He’s quite terrifying at times and has to make some tough decisions for the sake of his realm. It’s a little different to the usual set-up and I dig that.
So I’m enjoying my Sandman journey so far but I do worry that I’m missing out on some huge intellectual narrative cos I can be a dumb dumb at times… but we’ll see how that progresses. 4 stars.
Morpheus, the King of the Realm of the Dreams, is back to his full power following the events of Volume 1. Whilst doing a census in his realm, he learns that four of the major players are nowhere in the realm of dreams (which is obviously quite dangerous). And to make matters worse, a Dream Vortex is thrown into the mix!
This volume was a whole lot of fun. I actually struggle to write these reviews, because the whole experience of reading Sandman is very ethereal. It feels like these different strands of storylines are floating around in the air and it’s difficult to really condense and discuss them in a way that makes sense. So bear with me.
Each volume seems to be comprised of contained vignettes that somehow link into the major storyline and further expand upon the Sandman canon. One minute you’re reading about a character who has lived for many, many years and doesn’t want to die, who Dream meets up with every one hundred years in the same tavern. And the next you’re reading about a serial killer convention (this was really the standout part of this Volume for me. Obviously). It’s a bit all over the place at times, and is clearly very philosophical, which can make my brain hurt, but I’m more than willing to give the series the time and patience it deserves.
I really liked the introduction of Rose Walker within this volume. Her search for her brother is very touching and she encounters so many interesting characters throughout her journey that I was always happy to see her pop up. I also appreciate that even though Morpheus is our main protagonist throughout the series, he’s not always “nice”. He’s quite terrifying at times and has to make some tough decisions for the sake of his realm. It’s a little different to the usual set-up and I dig that.
So I’m enjoying my Sandman journey so far but I do worry that I’m missing out on some huge intellectual narrative cos I can be a dumb dumb at times… but we’ll see how that progresses. 4 stars.
August 9, 2018
There are, generally speaking*, two diametrically opposing views held by people who do and don’t read Sandman: Loyal Sandman readers tend to believe that people who don’t understand the book’s greatness are mouth-breathing knuckledraggers, and that the world would be a better place if said knuckledraggers’ fathers had expelled the genetic material that resulted in their creation via a round of fellatio rather than implanting it deep within their mothers’ wombs. Those who don’t read the book tend to believe that even if loyal Sandman readers had the sticks surgically removed from their asses, they would suffer fatal accidents as a result of accidentally wandering into traffic while spending too much time spent staring down their noses at the capes-and-cowls crowd.
I’m somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, I appreciate Gaiman’s creative genius; he thinks about the concept of story on a whole other level, and he’s often able to apply that thinking in very satisfying ways (see, for example, the story in this book entitled, “Men of Good Fortune,” which was brilliant). On the other hand, I have a tendency to get lost in the heavy philosophical frame narrative, which can bog down the pace of the story. On the third hand, I’m having a procedure soon to remove my third hand—please send flowers and chocolate during my convalescence.
On balance, I think this is a series well worth exploring, but, for me, it’s not the kind of story I can binge in the same way I can other brilliant vertigo books like Transmetropolitan, Fables, or Preacher—mainly because Sandman makes my brain hurt in a way those other books don’t, and it’s not as bitingly satirical (yet hopeful) as Transmet, character-driven as Fables, or viscerally compelling as Preacher. Still, it’s good brain pain, and I’m looking forward to diving deeper into Dream’s world.
And, no matter how much I like it (or don’t like it), I promise not to tell anyone that I wish they had been a blowjob or to offer a discount on ass stick removal.
*I’m totally stereotyping here for comedic effect, obviously…most comic readers are wonderful people who, whether they should have been oral ejaculate or struggle with rectal rods, get along famously with each other.
I’m somewhere in the middle. On the one hand, I appreciate Gaiman’s creative genius; he thinks about the concept of story on a whole other level, and he’s often able to apply that thinking in very satisfying ways (see, for example, the story in this book entitled, “Men of Good Fortune,” which was brilliant). On the other hand, I have a tendency to get lost in the heavy philosophical frame narrative, which can bog down the pace of the story. On the third hand, I’m having a procedure soon to remove my third hand—please send flowers and chocolate during my convalescence.
On balance, I think this is a series well worth exploring, but, for me, it’s not the kind of story I can binge in the same way I can other brilliant vertigo books like Transmetropolitan, Fables, or Preacher—mainly because Sandman makes my brain hurt in a way those other books don’t, and it’s not as bitingly satirical (yet hopeful) as Transmet, character-driven as Fables, or viscerally compelling as Preacher. Still, it’s good brain pain, and I’m looking forward to diving deeper into Dream’s world.
And, no matter how much I like it (or don’t like it), I promise not to tell anyone that I wish they had been a blowjob or to offer a discount on ass stick removal.
*I’m totally stereotyping here for comedic effect, obviously…most comic readers are wonderful people who, whether they should have been oral ejaculate or struggle with rectal rods, get along famously with each other.
February 15, 2017
The Doll’s House, the second installment of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman series, is an entertaining offering of graphic novel collaboration.
Gaiman’s imaginative storyline is brought to life by illustrators Steve Parkhouse, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli, Mike Dringenberg and Malcolm Jones III. Taking off from the introductory The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes, this volume follows a thematic plot about a “dream vortex” about which Morpheus must contend.
Other vignettes featured continue to expand the Sandman canon and further demonstrates Gaiman’s narrative skill.
The serial killer convention is especially noteworthy.
Gaiman’s imaginative storyline is brought to life by illustrators Steve Parkhouse, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli, Mike Dringenberg and Malcolm Jones III. Taking off from the introductory The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes, this volume follows a thematic plot about a “dream vortex” about which Morpheus must contend.
Other vignettes featured continue to expand the Sandman canon and further demonstrates Gaiman’s narrative skill.
The serial killer convention is especially noteworthy.
July 29, 2020
I'd forgotten how many of these early Sandman stories are grounded in horror. Parts of this are dark, disturbing and unsettling. The Corinthian is an excellent creation and nightmare. The Cereal Convention slayed me (Well, not literally.) I still enjoy how Gaiman repurposes obscure DC characters like Brute and Glob (or even Hector Hall and Fury from Infinity Inc. for that matter.) Sometimes the pacing is slow but I always enjoy the ride. I really like how even these one off tales like the story of Nada flesh out things that were mentioned before. (We met Nada briefly in Hell during Preludes & Nocturnes.) Hob's story where he meets Morpheus every 100 years was glorious. I'm really enjoying this re-read of one of my long term favorite comics.
July 8, 2020
6/8/2020: My third reading of this volume, which I think where Gaiman and the crew really begin to figure out what they're doing. Features some real highlights, to illustrate how story/dreaminf/imagination work across historical and psycho-socio domains. I have since my last reading become more of a horror comics fan, so better understand how both fantasy and horror fit into Gaiman's conceptual universe. I didn't get the horror piece before, but both scary and uplifting all fit for him. The artwork gets darker, more serious, and a bit more Dave McKean-influenced, which is what it needs.
10/8/14 review, somewhat edited: 2nd reading of this volume, and I liked it even better, and though I am not exactly a fantasy nor horror buff, I was actually pretty moved by it all, in the end. Part of it is that I am rereading it and understanding the intertextual references better, the layering of effects. There's a lot of wonder in it, a lot of good writing, and Morpheus/Dream really comes alive, periodically visiting with one human, Hob Gadling, that Dream first meets in the middle ages ad whom he allows to be alive for centuries, so you get an historical sweep of his effects.
We also have a section set in Africa, "Tales in the Sand," where we presume story/religion happens through griots, and where Morpeus once fell in love. There's this myhtological dimension of story that is crucial to Gaiman.
That dimension provides a backdrop for story as it happens in the contemporary world, and the long story of Rose Walker, who we are told is a possible Dream Vortex (which I really don't quite understand yet) that Dream must contend with, in various ways, and also her mother and grandmother (who was in volume 1, too as someone who was asleep during the time DReam was imprisoned). (This trilogy of female spirits we see in other Gaiman stories and across many literary sources, of course). In this volume we see Dream work to get his World back in order, after having been held captive for seven decades in volume 1, and he does this by roping back in several of his most difficult rogue comic/horror henchcreatures. There's a lot going on, and it is potentially confusing, for sure, but you also have to admire the sheer ambition and reach, and play, to have Dream (our Neil Gaiman look-alike creator/author of the imagination) both deal with his most brutal creation, The Corinthian, and on the other hand, influence young Will Shakespeare in a pub along the way (he makes a deal with Will, the fruits of which we will see in coming volumes, and of course in literary history).
Gaiman can be deadly serious, and also fun and sort of snarkily funny at times. At base he is a romantic, a dreamer himself, of course, who believes in the ultimate triumph of goodness, though pure evil wins its battles (the Corinthian is a good example) and even wars from time to time, as we also know. There's a kind of macabre/silly Cereal (a cover for Serial Killers) where you hear the Corinthian's chilling keynote speech in justification, but just this morning I read that Ann Coulter recently said, "Give Ebola to the migrant children," and the Holocaust and all the other genocides should be enough for us to understand that humans are capable of atrocity, but you can see how Gaiman finds its ludicrous/horrific source in hate, or some Jokerish nihilism.
So, yes, there's real horror in this book we as readers have to contend with in a couple different ways; another example is the very real and scary plight of Rose's little brother Jed, who is imprisoned in foster care. Gaiman point in sharing horrific stories is that there really are terrible people out there, and that evil that must be faced in all its manifestations. Nightmares are useful in Gaiman's Dream World because they can help you recall that there are real bad things out there, and to learn to fight against them and our real world horror as we need to. The imagination brings us Beowulf AND Grendel, of course.
Anyway, it all comes together in an entertaining and meaningful and even finally moving way, for me, at least. Pretty danged impressive, I'd say, ending with some surprises (with respect to Rose, for instance, or call it a deux machina?) and a twist concerning Dream's sister Desire, who it would seem can never portend much good for future volumes.
10/8/14 review, somewhat edited: 2nd reading of this volume, and I liked it even better, and though I am not exactly a fantasy nor horror buff, I was actually pretty moved by it all, in the end. Part of it is that I am rereading it and understanding the intertextual references better, the layering of effects. There's a lot of wonder in it, a lot of good writing, and Morpheus/Dream really comes alive, periodically visiting with one human, Hob Gadling, that Dream first meets in the middle ages ad whom he allows to be alive for centuries, so you get an historical sweep of his effects.
We also have a section set in Africa, "Tales in the Sand," where we presume story/religion happens through griots, and where Morpeus once fell in love. There's this myhtological dimension of story that is crucial to Gaiman.
That dimension provides a backdrop for story as it happens in the contemporary world, and the long story of Rose Walker, who we are told is a possible Dream Vortex (which I really don't quite understand yet) that Dream must contend with, in various ways, and also her mother and grandmother (who was in volume 1, too as someone who was asleep during the time DReam was imprisoned). (This trilogy of female spirits we see in other Gaiman stories and across many literary sources, of course). In this volume we see Dream work to get his World back in order, after having been held captive for seven decades in volume 1, and he does this by roping back in several of his most difficult rogue comic/horror henchcreatures. There's a lot going on, and it is potentially confusing, for sure, but you also have to admire the sheer ambition and reach, and play, to have Dream (our Neil Gaiman look-alike creator/author of the imagination) both deal with his most brutal creation, The Corinthian, and on the other hand, influence young Will Shakespeare in a pub along the way (he makes a deal with Will, the fruits of which we will see in coming volumes, and of course in literary history).
Gaiman can be deadly serious, and also fun and sort of snarkily funny at times. At base he is a romantic, a dreamer himself, of course, who believes in the ultimate triumph of goodness, though pure evil wins its battles (the Corinthian is a good example) and even wars from time to time, as we also know. There's a kind of macabre/silly Cereal (a cover for Serial Killers) where you hear the Corinthian's chilling keynote speech in justification, but just this morning I read that Ann Coulter recently said, "Give Ebola to the migrant children," and the Holocaust and all the other genocides should be enough for us to understand that humans are capable of atrocity, but you can see how Gaiman finds its ludicrous/horrific source in hate, or some Jokerish nihilism.
So, yes, there's real horror in this book we as readers have to contend with in a couple different ways; another example is the very real and scary plight of Rose's little brother Jed, who is imprisoned in foster care. Gaiman point in sharing horrific stories is that there really are terrible people out there, and that evil that must be faced in all its manifestations. Nightmares are useful in Gaiman's Dream World because they can help you recall that there are real bad things out there, and to learn to fight against them and our real world horror as we need to. The imagination brings us Beowulf AND Grendel, of course.
Anyway, it all comes together in an entertaining and meaningful and even finally moving way, for me, at least. Pretty danged impressive, I'd say, ending with some surprises (with respect to Rose, for instance, or call it a deux machina?) and a twist concerning Dream's sister Desire, who it would seem can never portend much good for future volumes.
June 29, 2023
Iconic, indelible, revolutionary, haunting, and beautifully rendered from start to finish. This was a reread for me, and it feels even more wonderfully rich than ever.
February 7, 2023
Avevo ignobilmente snobbato il Sandman di Neil Gaiman quando uscì negli anni ‘90, un’ epoca in cui, a parte rileggere fino alla nausea Il ritorno del Cavaliere Oscuro ed il Daredevil di Frank Miller che mi avevano folgorato la vita verso la fine degli anni ottanta, le mie letture fumettistiche consistevano vergognosamente per la maggior parte a base di storie aventi come protagonisti supereroi e vigilanti ipertrofici, antieroine maggiorate e siliconate i cui attributi fisici andavano senza ritegno oltre ogni confine tracciato da buon senso, buon gusto e legge di gravità in un tripudio di banalità, esagerazioni e linee cinetiche di velocità.
Un’ era che si concluse fortunatamente quando misi le mani sul primo volume del Preacher di Garth Ennis, vera e propria pietra miliare nella storia della Nona Arte che per me fu anche uno spartiacque varcato il quale iniziai ad orientarmi verso letture più adulte ed impegnative, senza comunque disdegnare tutti quei personaggi inverosimili acchittati in costumi più o meno aderenti e succinti, che avevano accompagnato la mia vita da quando iniziai a leggerne le avventure alla tenera età di cinque anni quando, annoiato da topi e paperi antropomorfi, piccoli e sfortunati allenatori di baseball ed i loro bracchetti indisponenti, capitò fra le mie mani una copia dello Spider-Man di Stan Lee e John Romita in tutto il suo colorato e luminoso splendore.
Ma poniamo pure fine a questa tortuosa premessa e rientriamo nei binari giusti, prima di annoiarvi a morte, o gentili e pazienti lettori della suddetta.
Non ho idea del vero e proprio perché non abbia mai letto Sandman prima dell’anno scorso pur essendo da sempre un appassionato lettore di Neil Gaiman e dei suoi racconti. Troppi fumetti? Storia e disegni non mi hanno mai ispirato troppo? Chissà.
L’occasione è arrivata finalmente ad inizio estate del duemilaeventidue, quando il fantastico ed inquietante universo narrativo di Locke & Key creato da Joe Hill e Gabriel Rodriguez , che già seguivo dalla sua prima pubblicazione avvenuta in Italia qualche anno prima grazie alla Magic Press, ha inaspettatamente incontrato il Sandman Universe nel suo ultimo e conclusivo volume, Locke & Key: L’età dell’oro, tributando un doveroso omaggio a tutte quelle storie meravigliose che avevano spinto autore e disegnatore a raccontare le oniriche e spaventose disavventure della famiglia Locke e delle sue magiche chiavi, e lasciandomi letteralmente a bocca aperta, reo imperdonabile di non aver mai letto prima nulla di Morfeo, Morte e degli altri Eterni che intervengono nella vita degli uomini condizionando la loro esistenza.
Uno splendido volume che ho adorato dalla prima fino all’ultima pagina, ma che, pur essendo perfettamente godibile non avendo mai letto prima Sandman, mi ha lasciato letteralmente assetato dalla voglia di saperne di più.
Così, recuperati rapidamente i primi quattro volumi della collana Sandman Library pubblicata da Panini Comics, ho finalmente colmata la mia vergognosa lacuna, perdendomi fra le terre del sogno come un novello Randolph Carter, ed assaporandone ogni splendido, meraviglioso e terrificante momento.
Perché dopo aver terminato questo secondo arco narrativo della saga, posso dire con certezza che il primo era solo uno stuzzicante antipasto, e che Casa di Bambola non è altro che una delle cose più belle ed inquietanti che abbia mai letto in vita mia, tra divinità capricciose e machiavelliche, sogni fuggiaschi, citazioni shakespeariane, incubi agghiaccianti, storie d’amore maledette che risalgono agli albori dell’umanità, orrori deliranti che sembrano essere scaturiti dalla mente di Clive Barker, uomini che non vogliono morire ai quali viene esaudito il loro desiderio… e convegni di assassini seriali.
Un vero e proprio capolavoro nel suo genere che tutti dovrebbero leggere o sognare almeno una volta nella loro vita, ma fate attenzione a non incappare in Morfeo quando è arrabbiato e a non attirare l’attenzione di Desiderio o, ancora peggio, del Corinzio.
E’ per il vostro bene, un consiglio di cuore
April 10, 2021
Great addition to the series!!
I loved the complications that’s come up due to Morpheus being out of commission for so long.
This series has been unique, grim and fascinating to read so far. I love it!
Looking forward to the next volume!
I loved the complications that’s come up due to Morpheus being out of commission for so long.
This series has been unique, grim and fascinating to read so far. I love it!
Looking forward to the next volume!
January 22, 2015
What do you do when you encounter a run of bad comics? Return to the ones you’ve read and loved before for a re-read! So it’s doubly disappointing when a comic you thought you enjoyed way back when turns out to be kinda crappy – even more so when it’s an acknowledged classic like The Sandman!
Morpheus has returned to the Dreamtime after being imprisoned for 70 years (see the first volume for how that came to be and how he escaped). He begins putting things to rights and sets off to round up his Nightmares who have escaped to Earth – among them is his most lethal creation, The Corinthian. Meanwhile, young Rose Walker discovers her grandmother is Unity Kincaid, the woman who slept most of her life in a side story from the first book. What Rose doesn’t know is that she’s also the Vortex – a being that could potentially destroy Morpheus’ Dream kingdom. And, to save his world, Morpheus must kill the Vortex…
The first chapter sets the tone of this book, ie. rambling and overlong. A pair of African tribesmen go into the desert where the younger of the two is told the story of Morpheus’ forbidden love with an African queen. It does have a point but, my goodness, does Neil Gaiman take his sweet time in getting there! In the meantime we’re told a very banal fairy tale to fill the void.
From there the story plods its way through, primarily focusing on Rose Walker. Rose isn’t a particularly interesting character but we spend an inordinate amount of time with her anyway. Rose goes back to America to look for her long-lost brother, Jed. She rents a room in a house that feels like a prototype for the house Gaiman will use in his later book, Coraline. Rose meets Gilbert aka Fiddler’s Green and they bizarrely team up. Her whole storyline was so boring and it takes up so much of the book!
Morpheus and the Nightmares’ storyline seems straightforward but it’s teased out to be extra-long because that’s Gaiman’s style. The Corinthian repeatedly kills young boys and pulls out their eyes, and there’s way too many sequences where Rose’s brother Jed is abused in the basement of a house. That’s the other thing that really bothered me about this book: how utterly dark it was. Gaiman in this book is still doing the Alan Moore thing of “dark = art” and I hate it.
I do understand why it’s there: to show the dark side of Dream’s world presenting a more rounded view of it, while also highlighting humanity’s savage side. The Endless are, after all, there to serve living beings like humans, not influence them to do anything (though they sometimes do regardless!). This aspect of the book just comes down to a matter of personal taste – seeing mutilated dead young boys felt like a bit too far, especially in an otherwise whimsical comic.
After too many chapters Morpheus rounds up the Nightmares except the Corinthian who he eventually gets around to during the Cereal Convention, which is a disguised serial killers’ convention - which seems like a funny idea at first but makes no sense when you think about it. Why would serial killers have a convention?! They’re all loners by nature – that’s part of what made them serial killers to begin with! Even this concept is run into the ground by Gaiman and FINALLY the Corinthian gets his when Morpheus appears.
But wait, there’s MORE! Honestly, this book goes on and on! The “real” ending follows when Morpheus has to kill Rose Walker - what a cop out! I was expecting a tough decision to be made that would change the character but a deus ex machina takes Morpheus off the hook.
There was one chapter in the book I liked when we’re introduced to Hob Gadling. As we already know about Death and Dream, they’re both kinda playful at times despite being Endless and they overhear Hob boasting that he doesn’t believe in Death therefore he’ll live forever. An unspoken agreement is made between Death and Dream as she allows Hob to live an eternal life and Dream meets up with Hob in the same pub in the same spot every 100 years. Seeing the ups and downs of history mirrored through Hob’s extended life is fun and I like that it opens up Dream’s character more – that someone of the Endless could be friends with a human.
One good chapter though out of many – that’s not a great ratio! So much of this book is padding that it makes for the most laborious of reads. The storylines could’ve been tighter and Gaiman’s numerous ramblings curtailed to much better effect.
I had it in my head that the first book was mediocre but the second book was where the series began to take off – but that idea is at least 10 years old. Re-reading it now, I found the second book much less driven than the first – and the first didn’t feel that fast-moving either – nor is it as engaging. A Doll’s House is Gaiman at his overindulgent worst.
Morpheus has returned to the Dreamtime after being imprisoned for 70 years (see the first volume for how that came to be and how he escaped). He begins putting things to rights and sets off to round up his Nightmares who have escaped to Earth – among them is his most lethal creation, The Corinthian. Meanwhile, young Rose Walker discovers her grandmother is Unity Kincaid, the woman who slept most of her life in a side story from the first book. What Rose doesn’t know is that she’s also the Vortex – a being that could potentially destroy Morpheus’ Dream kingdom. And, to save his world, Morpheus must kill the Vortex…
The first chapter sets the tone of this book, ie. rambling and overlong. A pair of African tribesmen go into the desert where the younger of the two is told the story of Morpheus’ forbidden love with an African queen. It does have a point but, my goodness, does Neil Gaiman take his sweet time in getting there! In the meantime we’re told a very banal fairy tale to fill the void.
From there the story plods its way through, primarily focusing on Rose Walker. Rose isn’t a particularly interesting character but we spend an inordinate amount of time with her anyway. Rose goes back to America to look for her long-lost brother, Jed. She rents a room in a house that feels like a prototype for the house Gaiman will use in his later book, Coraline. Rose meets Gilbert aka Fiddler’s Green and they bizarrely team up. Her whole storyline was so boring and it takes up so much of the book!
Morpheus and the Nightmares’ storyline seems straightforward but it’s teased out to be extra-long because that’s Gaiman’s style. The Corinthian repeatedly kills young boys and pulls out their eyes, and there’s way too many sequences where Rose’s brother Jed is abused in the basement of a house. That’s the other thing that really bothered me about this book: how utterly dark it was. Gaiman in this book is still doing the Alan Moore thing of “dark = art” and I hate it.
I do understand why it’s there: to show the dark side of Dream’s world presenting a more rounded view of it, while also highlighting humanity’s savage side. The Endless are, after all, there to serve living beings like humans, not influence them to do anything (though they sometimes do regardless!). This aspect of the book just comes down to a matter of personal taste – seeing mutilated dead young boys felt like a bit too far, especially in an otherwise whimsical comic.
After too many chapters Morpheus rounds up the Nightmares except the Corinthian who he eventually gets around to during the Cereal Convention, which is a disguised serial killers’ convention - which seems like a funny idea at first but makes no sense when you think about it. Why would serial killers have a convention?! They’re all loners by nature – that’s part of what made them serial killers to begin with! Even this concept is run into the ground by Gaiman and FINALLY the Corinthian gets his when Morpheus appears.
But wait, there’s MORE! Honestly, this book goes on and on! The “real” ending follows when Morpheus has to kill Rose Walker - what a cop out! I was expecting a tough decision to be made that would change the character but a deus ex machina takes Morpheus off the hook.
There was one chapter in the book I liked when we’re introduced to Hob Gadling. As we already know about Death and Dream, they’re both kinda playful at times despite being Endless and they overhear Hob boasting that he doesn’t believe in Death therefore he’ll live forever. An unspoken agreement is made between Death and Dream as she allows Hob to live an eternal life and Dream meets up with Hob in the same pub in the same spot every 100 years. Seeing the ups and downs of history mirrored through Hob’s extended life is fun and I like that it opens up Dream’s character more – that someone of the Endless could be friends with a human.
One good chapter though out of many – that’s not a great ratio! So much of this book is padding that it makes for the most laborious of reads. The storylines could’ve been tighter and Gaiman’s numerous ramblings curtailed to much better effect.
I had it in my head that the first book was mediocre but the second book was where the series began to take off – but that idea is at least 10 years old. Re-reading it now, I found the second book much less driven than the first – and the first didn’t feel that fast-moving either – nor is it as engaging. A Doll’s House is Gaiman at his overindulgent worst.
May 31, 2024
Back in in full power, Morpheus is ready to take inventory of the Dreamworld, and work on rebuilding it. A good thing he does too, as it turns out that the palace staff, a most terrible nightmare, and the mysterious Fiddler's Green are nowhere to be found. The foursome obviously can't be allowed to roam freely in the human world, so the Dream Lord makes plans to recover them ASAP.
The Sandman doesn't actually get too much "screen time" this time around, but the intriguing events of the main story, along with the thrilling insights into Morpheus' past have managed to hold my attention for the most part.
In this 2nd volume, we follow Rose Walker in her quest to reunite with her estranged little brother, after a surprise family member reveal. Remember Felicity Kinkaid, the girl who got pregnant and gave birth all while being deep asleep during Morpheus' 70-year-old captivity? Turns out the kid was Rose's mother! And that's not all, because... actually, that'd be a huge spoiler, so just read the story youself.
Given all the foreshadowing from the first volume that seemed to hint at some rather dire consequences, we finally get to see them in here. Now that was one satisfyingly tied off story thread. Add to that, Rose's nerve-wracking search and the tonnes of interesting people she gets to meet along the way. The story of the second volume was such a treat!
I have only two complaints worth mentioning, with the second one of a truly nitpicky nature. The other one however, just drove me up the wall.
So first: the extremely inconsistent drawing style for Rose. She's supposed be somewhere between 21 and 22 (maybe 23?) years old throughout story, yet the illustrations make her look anywhere between 15 and 55. Bad enough to get annoyed? You decide...
Click image for full size
Second, the random short story of the man who refused to die, placed right in the middle of some of the more exciting turn of events. Had it been put at the end of Rose's story, I wouldn't have spent the entire reading time wondering what it had to do with the main story.
Score: 4.3/5 stars
A very exciting volume, this time without other D.C. character cameos. Or if there were, they were done much more inconspicuously. I was delighted to see the Sandman's impassive way of saving/refusing to save humans again, that made him such an interesting character in the first volume.
Now if I could just get used to the inconsistent illustration style...
============
Review of volume 1: Prelude and Nocturnes
Review of volume 3: Dream Country
Review of volume 4: Season of Mists
Review of volume 5: A Game of You
Review of volume 6: Fables & Reflections
Review of volume 7: Brief Lives
Review of volume 8: World's End
The Sandman doesn't actually get too much "screen time" this time around, but the intriguing events of the main story, along with the thrilling insights into Morpheus' past have managed to hold my attention for the most part.
In this 2nd volume, we follow Rose Walker in her quest to reunite with her estranged little brother, after a surprise family member reveal. Remember Felicity Kinkaid, the girl who got pregnant and gave birth all while being deep asleep during Morpheus' 70-year-old captivity? Turns out the kid was Rose's mother! And that's not all, because... actually, that'd be a huge spoiler, so just read the story youself.
Given all the foreshadowing from the first volume that seemed to hint at some rather dire consequences, we finally get to see them in here. Now that was one satisfyingly tied off story thread. Add to that, Rose's nerve-wracking search and the tonnes of interesting people she gets to meet along the way. The story of the second volume was such a treat!
I have only two complaints worth mentioning, with the second one of a truly nitpicky nature. The other one however, just drove me up the wall.
So first: the extremely inconsistent drawing style for Rose. She's supposed be somewhere between 21 and 22 (maybe 23?) years old throughout story, yet the illustrations make her look anywhere between 15 and 55. Bad enough to get annoyed? You decide...
Click image for full size
Second, the random short story of the man who refused to die, placed right in the middle of some of the more exciting turn of events. Had it been put at the end of Rose's story, I wouldn't have spent the entire reading time wondering what it had to do with the main story.
Score: 4.3/5 stars
A very exciting volume, this time without other D.C. character cameos. Or if there were, they were done much more inconspicuously. I was delighted to see the Sandman's impassive way of saving/refusing to save humans again, that made him such an interesting character in the first volume.
Now if I could just get used to the inconsistent illustration style...
============
Review of volume 1: Prelude and Nocturnes
Review of volume 3: Dream Country
Review of volume 4: Season of Mists
Review of volume 5: A Game of You
Review of volume 6: Fables & Reflections
Review of volume 7: Brief Lives
Review of volume 8: World's End
November 26, 2023
➤ "Porque el amor no es parte del mundo de los sueños. El amor pertenece al deseo y el deseo es siempre cruel."
4.5
Segundo arco de Sandman y, por fortuna, fue tan increíble como el primero. La historia se centra un poco en las consecuencias del anterior libro, así como introduce una historia paralela e interconectada, la de Rose.
Nos encontramos con una historia más enriquecida. Después de haber leído su predecesor, tuve varias confusiones y problemas para entender, pero esta segunda entrega trae consigo mucho más desarrollo; La trama y los personajes, especialmente Sueño, empiezan a tomar forma: conocemos más detalles de su naturaleza, pasado, habilidades, reinos, familiares y el universo en sí.
Fue más sombría y oscura de lo que pensaba, y como fan de Stephen King, no puedo negar que me agradó. No vacila al mostrar escenas crueles o repugnantes.
Sostengo que los diálogos y la narración son maravillosos, Sueño me encanta como protagonista y el resto de los eternos me dan curiosidad. Por lo que, puedo decir que,
esta segunda parte cumplió con su objetivo: hacerme querer seguir el recorrido.
4.5
Segundo arco de Sandman y, por fortuna, fue tan increíble como el primero. La historia se centra un poco en las consecuencias del anterior libro, así como introduce una historia paralela e interconectada, la de Rose.
Nos encontramos con una historia más enriquecida. Después de haber leído su predecesor, tuve varias confusiones y problemas para entender, pero esta segunda entrega trae consigo mucho más desarrollo; La trama y los personajes, especialmente Sueño, empiezan a tomar forma: conocemos más detalles de su naturaleza, pasado, habilidades, reinos, familiares y el universo en sí.
Fue más sombría y oscura de lo que pensaba, y como fan de Stephen King, no puedo negar que me agradó. No vacila al mostrar escenas crueles o repugnantes.
Sostengo que los diálogos y la narración son maravillosos, Sueño me encanta como protagonista y el resto de los eternos me dan curiosidad. Por lo que, puedo decir que,
esta segunda parte cumplió con su objetivo: hacerme querer seguir el recorrido.
July 18, 2022
بازخوانی تیر 1401
خیلی خیلی بهتر از جلد قبل بود. ولی بازم بهش 5 نمیدم چون انتظار دارم بیشتر از اینا منو شگفتزده کنه.
خطهای داستانی این دفعه بیشتر به هم مربوط بودن و این دفعه چیزهایی رو متوجه شدم که قبلا اصلا حواسم بهشون نبود.
تو این جلد - خیلی بیشتر از قبل و در تایید چپتر اخر جلد قبلی - مورفیوس نشون میده که طبیعت خواب، رویا و خیالپردازی به همون اندازه که زیبا و قشنگه، به همون اندازه ترسناک و خطرناک هم هست. همونطور که تو تجسم ظاهری این دو شخص هم مشخصه. مرگ، خواهر (دوقلوی؟!) رویا، کسی که خیلی شاد و شنگوله و در نقطه مقابلش رویا (مورفیوس) که همیشه ظاهر گرفته و تیره خودشو حفظ میکنه.
و علاوه بر اون، مورفیوس نشون داد که همونطور که وظیفه بخشیدن رویاها رو به موجودات زنده داره، خیلی راحت میتونه رویاهای مخرب رو ازشون بگیره. توهمهایی که انسانهای برای توجیهکردن نیمه تیره و تاریکشون پیش خودشون میسازن.
و نکته جالب دیگهای که این دفعه متوجهش شدم. تو صحنهای شکسپیر و کریستوفر مارلو (نویسنده دکتر فاوستوس) رو داریم که دارن بحث میکنن و شکسپیر از ضعیف بودن کارهاش میناله. و در همین زمان مورفیوس میاد و شکسپیرو میبره به گوشهای و ظاهرا باهاش پیمانی میبنده. اینکه چه پیمانی بسته رو هنوز نمیدونیم اما اون چیزی که جالب اومد بازسازی ماجرا دکتر فاستوس بود. اما این بار بجای شیطان و فاوست، ما ارباب رویاها و شکسپیر رو داریم.
و در نهایت درمورد این که چرا سندمن یه اثر دارکه. طبیعتا اون چیزی که ظاهر قضیه نشون میده حجم نسبتا بالای صحنههای رعبآور و مشمئز کنندست (چپتر "24 ساعت" یا "مردمان خوشبخت" برای مثال). اما چیزی که توی لایه دیگهای این قضیه رو دارکتر میکنه، نتیجه گیری پایانی شخصیت نسبتا محوری این جلد، یعنی رز واکره. رز در نهایت به این ایده میرسه که دنیایی که توش زندگی میکنیم چیزی نیست جز لایه جلبکی که روی سطح آب چاه نقش بسته. چاهی که آب تیره رنگش تا بینهایت ادامه پیدا میکنه و ما آدما هیچ ایدهای نداریم که اون زیر چیه.
پ.ن: طراحی بهتر شده. اما همچنان بده. تو رو خدا قیافه رز واکرو نگاه کن. پنل به پنل قیافش عوض میشه.:/
December 9, 2021
Fascinating! I loved the first volume of 'The Sandman' and this one just gets better. It's deep, complex, trippy, and it's wildly imaginative.
The cereal convention was a bang. Corinthian - amazing. I loved it, the scenes played out so well. Morpheus almost feels like a side cast throughout this volume, which really helps with these other little stories.
And my goodness. Bravos to the artists. The pages look gorgeous!
“Fictions are merely frozen dreams, linked images with some semblance of structure. They are not to be trusted, no more than the people who create them.”Of course, it's Neil Gaiman we talking about. I've gotten fond of his writings. The moody and surreal imaginations only he can pull of in style. The pacing with The Doll's House felt a little slow at times, however, that's about it for the cons.
The cereal convention was a bang. Corinthian - amazing. I loved it, the scenes played out so well. Morpheus almost feels like a side cast throughout this volume, which really helps with these other little stories.
And my goodness. Bravos to the artists. The pages look gorgeous!
“And Desire smiles, and forgets, for Desire is a creature of the moment.”
November 26, 2021
4★★★★
The Sandman #2: La Casa de Muñecas ha sido tan alucinante como el primer tomo.
Desde el principio quedé fascinada con Sueño, el protagonista, con sus poderes y todo el misterio que gira en torno a su personaje y su naturaleza. Me gustó que se presentaran a otros Eternos, estos alucinantes personajes siguen causandome mucha curiosidad y agregan tensión a la trama. Me parece que esta vez Gaiman estructuró mejor la historia, sobre todo al interconectar el hilo que sigue a Sueño con el que sigue a Rose, que es un nuevo personaje. Me fascinó la historia, los personajes, las ilustraciones y las (nunca faltantes) referencias a la cultura popular. Espero continuar pronto con los demás tomos.
The Sandman #2: La Casa de Muñecas ha sido tan alucinante como el primer tomo.
Desde el principio quedé fascinada con Sueño, el protagonista, con sus poderes y todo el misterio que gira en torno a su personaje y su naturaleza. Me gustó que se presentaran a otros Eternos, estos alucinantes personajes siguen causandome mucha curiosidad y agregan tensión a la trama. Me parece que esta vez Gaiman estructuró mejor la historia, sobre todo al interconectar el hilo que sigue a Sueño con el que sigue a Rose, que es un nuevo personaje. Me fascinó la historia, los personajes, las ilustraciones y las (nunca faltantes) referencias a la cultura popular. Espero continuar pronto con los demás tomos.
April 29, 2011
One of my favourite lines in film is from Bull Durham. Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) asks Millie how the sex was with Ebby Calvin LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), and Millie says, "He kind of fucks like he throws, sorta all over the place." And that is EXACTLY how Neil Gaiman writes.
He has mad creative talent. There is no denying it. But too often that talent is uncontrolled, chaotic and even bafflingly silly. The Doll's House, written back when he was just becoming Neil Gaiman (and probably had editors forcing his work to be more restrained, which is a scary thought), is packed full of brilliant stuff.
The “cereal” convention that turns out to be a convention of serial killers is wicked genius. The cast of characters who make up one of the titular Doll Houses -- Ken and Barbie, the Spider Women, flamboyant Hal, Sandman's missing Fiddler's Green (a landscape of mountains and rivers and foothills turned man), and Rose, the Vortex of Dream -- is fascinating and rich. And then there's Rose's brother, the foster boy imprisoned in a basement dungeon for seven years only to be liberated by the nightmare Corinthian; it is a truly chilling scenario (and deserved much more of Gaiman’s time). But that's not all ... there's also a brief journey through time to visit an immortal man who rejects death, so he meets Morpheus in a pub that stands on the same spot every hundred years. In all of these we see Gaiman’s imaginative brilliance. But it is way too much. So much that nothing spooky remains and Gaiman's ability to horrify dissipates with every clever and half-developed new idea he throws at us.
Any one of these ideas would have been enough to sustain a seven chapter comic book arc. Perhaps Gaiman could have used two of the ideas in tandem without things getting out of control, but all of them together is as wild as a mascot dropping, Nuke LaLoosh fastball.
Every time I read Gaiman, I hope I am going to love what I am reading, and there are parts I adore (in The Doll’s House those things are Dream’s little family war with Desire, the Collectors and “Men of Good Fortune”), but I always close the cove r frustrated.
Control, control, you must learn control!
Oops, I think I just referenced too many movies. Sorry, but I was reading Gaiman, after all ;) I couldn’t help myself.
He has mad creative talent. There is no denying it. But too often that talent is uncontrolled, chaotic and even bafflingly silly. The Doll's House, written back when he was just becoming Neil Gaiman (and probably had editors forcing his work to be more restrained, which is a scary thought), is packed full of brilliant stuff.
The “cereal” convention that turns out to be a convention of serial killers is wicked genius. The cast of characters who make up one of the titular Doll Houses -- Ken and Barbie, the Spider Women, flamboyant Hal, Sandman's missing Fiddler's Green (a landscape of mountains and rivers and foothills turned man), and Rose, the Vortex of Dream -- is fascinating and rich. And then there's Rose's brother, the foster boy imprisoned in a basement dungeon for seven years only to be liberated by the nightmare Corinthian; it is a truly chilling scenario (and deserved much more of Gaiman’s time). But that's not all ... there's also a brief journey through time to visit an immortal man who rejects death, so he meets Morpheus in a pub that stands on the same spot every hundred years. In all of these we see Gaiman’s imaginative brilliance. But it is way too much. So much that nothing spooky remains and Gaiman's ability to horrify dissipates with every clever and half-developed new idea he throws at us.
Any one of these ideas would have been enough to sustain a seven chapter comic book arc. Perhaps Gaiman could have used two of the ideas in tandem without things getting out of control, but all of them together is as wild as a mascot dropping, Nuke LaLoosh fastball.
Every time I read Gaiman, I hope I am going to love what I am reading, and there are parts I adore (in The Doll’s House those things are Dream’s little family war with Desire, the Collectors and “Men of Good Fortune”), but I always close the cove r frustrated.
Control, control, you must learn control!
Oops, I think I just referenced too many movies. Sorry, but I was reading Gaiman, after all ;) I couldn’t help myself.
August 29, 2007
I used to stubbornly think that graphic novels had no intellectual merits other than for amateur entertainment (I know, pedestal). This series not only blew me away visually, but caused me to see graphic novels in a new light. Everyone should read this series.
Here's what i want to say, but someone else said it first and better than i could:
"Erudite, allusive, complex and ambitious, SANDMAN is undoubtedly the finest writing the mainstream comic book industry has ever seen. It dares to tell the story of Morpheus, also known as Dream, the Prince of Stories, one of the seven Endless who are not gods, because gods die when men stop believeing in them. The Endless are older and larger than gods. Creating his own mythology, Gaiman incorporates all past mythology into his own - some specifically and explicitly, the rest by implication."
You don't even need to read them in order! (Although I did) I refuse to let anyone borrow and potentially destroy my copies.
Here's what i want to say, but someone else said it first and better than i could:
"Erudite, allusive, complex and ambitious, SANDMAN is undoubtedly the finest writing the mainstream comic book industry has ever seen. It dares to tell the story of Morpheus, also known as Dream, the Prince of Stories, one of the seven Endless who are not gods, because gods die when men stop believeing in them. The Endless are older and larger than gods. Creating his own mythology, Gaiman incorporates all past mythology into his own - some specifically and explicitly, the rest by implication."
You don't even need to read them in order! (Although I did) I refuse to let anyone borrow and potentially destroy my copies.
May 20, 2013
short review : WOW !!!
long form : The Sandman series gains in confidence and daring, leaves behind most of the influences from the original DC comic and takes flight on its own with the second volume. The eight issue story arc opens with Tales in the Sand : a look at the distant past of the Endless entity known as Dream. Like one of the Greek gods, he falls in love with a mortal - Nada, the queen of a prosperous African tribe. Their union is doomed, and all that remains is a cautionary tale about consorting with supernatural beings. The role of the opening is to show a weakness in Dream's armor - his interest in humans - and soon we will be introduced to Desire and Despair - younger twins in the Endless family - who plan to use this weakness to bring Dream down. The rest of the issue is about discovering what their plan actually is about, with the exception of no. 13 Men of Good Fortune . Like no. 9, it is about another interaction between Dream and a human: in 1389, Dream and his sister Death overhear Hob Gadling boasting that he refuses to accept the possibility of dying. Dream invites him to meet in the same tavern every hundred years, and the issue follows Hob's fortunes and outlook on life until the 20th century.
Cue to contemporary time, England and the narrator of the Doll House story. Rose Walker is coming from the States with her mother Miranda at the request of Unity, an old woman from an asylum. Unity is in fact the link to the story arc from the first book and the time when Dream was imprisoned on the mortal plane. While Rose returns to Florida to look for her missing brother Jed, Dream takes stock of his neglected realm and discovers that four of it's inhabitants are missing.
Brutus and Glob arer a pair of nasty nightmares who, coincindentally, are using Jed's dreams to built their own supernatural enclave. Best part about their story is a look at alternate Sandmans: humans who dream of becoming superheroes and right all the wrongs in the world. The Corinthian is another escaped nightmare that is responsible for the volume's horror part in his guise as a serial killer who gathers around him a host of other deranged individuals in a grotesque convention of the sick minded monsters. Fiddler's Green is the fourth and last escapee and the most elusive of the lot.
The title had a double meaning, referring both to the lodging house where Rose stays and the wacky characters she meets there, and to the morality of toying with the lives of mortals and of gods abusing their powers. A tall order that Gaiman manages very well, mixing the mythical with the modern and often aiming beyond the superficial adventure, at the fundamental questions of existence. The fact that he operates with anthropological avatars of philosophical concepts sure helps him along. Gaiman borrows from a wide variety of sources. For example, the triple nature of womanhood that is found in myths all around the world is seen both in the trio Rose - Miranda - Unity and in the return of the Maiden - Mother - Crone multiple personality character from the first volume (inspired probably by the Greek mythology Fates / Furies and used to good effect in another succesful series: Discworld by Terry Pratchett)
I have grown used to Mike Dringenberg art, it still feels blocky at times, but he is good at conveying motion and emotion. I actually liked the guest graphic artists (Bachallo, Zulli) better than Mike, and I hope they will return in future issues. The covers by Dave McKean are poster material, works of art all by themselves.
I can't wait to get back into the series with volume 3.
February 1, 2020
In the second volume of the Sandman comics we meet some bards, some familiar faces from volume 1, and some of Dream's family members. Unfortunately, not the good kind.
Morpheus is back in his realm but the mop-up has only just begun. His realm had been suffering from his long absence and some important things (some of which are essential nightmares) up and left even. So he has to find them and get them back before they can interfere with the Dreaming.
All four of the creatures Morpheus has to catch and return to where they belong have ended up being tied into the curious family story of Unity Kinkaid (the woman who was asleep for so long in volume 1 ).
That was actually a very neat way of connecting the different story threads from this volume and, ultimately, even one from the previous one.
In this volume, we got to see the worst in people. From abusive foster families to serial offenders (rapists, murderers etc). We also got to see more mythological stories surrounding Dream and some of the other Endless, his lesser (and definitely not very nice) siblings. I mean, Delirium and Despair already sound bad, but Desire wasn't any better, on the contrary. Good thing Dream is one of the higher Endless and you mess with him at your own risk.
Once again, Neil Gaiman and his co-workers have proven that they can tell an intricate tale full of cultural as well as obscure references that seems fragmented at first sight, but actually isn't (just like the title has a different meaning than the reader can first work out). I picked up on a few things here and there, but the overall picture only became clear right in the end and only then did I see that Big Brother Destiny obviously had been involved too.
I'd still call the artwork gritty rather than pretty, but it's not all that bad and sometimes works just fine for portraying the more abstract aspects of certain realms and creatures.
Not too much of the overall direction this story will take has been shown yet, but I very much like just how much attention to detail has been packed into this and that the author(s) have truly created something universal (as in all-encompassing). And I like Morpheus' moral code as well as his personal development so seeing more of him alone will be a treat.
Morpheus is back in his realm but the mop-up has only just begun. His realm had been suffering from his long absence and some important things (some of which are essential nightmares) up and left even. So he has to find them and get them back before they can interfere with the Dreaming.
All four of the creatures Morpheus has to catch and return to where they belong have ended up being tied into the curious family story of Unity Kinkaid (the woman who was asleep for so long in volume 1 ).
That was actually a very neat way of connecting the different story threads from this volume and, ultimately, even one from the previous one.
In this volume, we got to see the worst in people. From abusive foster families to serial offenders (rapists, murderers etc). We also got to see more mythological stories surrounding Dream and some of the other Endless, his lesser (and definitely not very nice) siblings. I mean, Delirium and Despair already sound bad, but Desire wasn't any better, on the contrary. Good thing Dream is one of the higher Endless and you mess with him at your own risk.
Once again, Neil Gaiman and his co-workers have proven that they can tell an intricate tale full of cultural as well as obscure references that seems fragmented at first sight, but actually isn't (just like the title has a different meaning than the reader can first work out). I picked up on a few things here and there, but the overall picture only became clear right in the end and only then did I see that Big Brother Destiny obviously had been involved too.
I'd still call the artwork gritty rather than pretty, but it's not all that bad and sometimes works just fine for portraying the more abstract aspects of certain realms and creatures.
Not too much of the overall direction this story will take has been shown yet, but I very much like just how much attention to detail has been packed into this and that the author(s) have truly created something universal (as in all-encompassing). And I like Morpheus' moral code as well as his personal development so seeing more of him alone will be a treat.
October 23, 2007
Like most of these collections, there are several fairly strong stories but one which stands above the others. In this second installation, it is the convention of serial killers where Gaiman is able to tap into his sense of human nature and draw out something that is funny, terrifying, and well-written. Often, his archetypal main characters cannot hold a candle to the depth and complexity of the small throwaways such as Gaiman creates here.
Perhaps he is afraid of alienating the reader, and hence always lays a fairly neutral and mysteriously cool reader surrogate at the center of things. I think I might prefer what Gaiman could become if he descended completely into the world of his minor characters more often, and left the moralizing to the reader.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
Perhaps he is afraid of alienating the reader, and hence always lays a fairly neutral and mysteriously cool reader surrogate at the center of things. I think I might prefer what Gaiman could become if he descended completely into the world of his minor characters more often, and left the moralizing to the reader.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
September 27, 2020
The good news is that the artwork is getting a lot better. I’m starting to realise that Malcolm Jones III (R.I.P.) was an overpowering inker; I’d like to see Mike Dringenberg’s pencil art before Jones put his stamp on it. Under Jones’ inks, Chris Bachalo’s pencils are completely unrecognisable and Bachalo has a very distinctive style, so it would take a deliberate effort to disguise it.
As for the story, well, while it didn’t grab me quite as much as the previous volume it was still very entertaining and has made me look at Coraline in a completely different light! There was more humour in this volume, albeit of a very dark flavour. Just the way I like it, really...
On and on and on to the next one...
As for the story, well, while it didn’t grab me quite as much as the previous volume it was still very entertaining and has made me look at Coraline in a completely different light! There was more humour in this volume, albeit of a very dark flavour. Just the way I like it, really...
On and on and on to the next one...
June 7, 2023
O experiență frumoasă parcurgerea acestui volum. Very nice
December 22, 2021
La historia continúa mientras nuestro protagonista conoce a Rose Walker, una mujer vinculada, o mejor dicho, originada en los sucesos del primer volumen. No quiero dar mucha más información porque es muy difícil no caer en spoilers. Me gustó. Sí diré lo siguiente: en este cómic se presenta la convención de coleccionistas más... ¿Cómo decirlo? Especial del mundo. Solo eso diré.
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