We’ve reached the end of this year’s Summer Comics Binge of “The Sandman,” completing the first omnibus of the series. Our final entry is the 1991 special ‘The Song of Orpheus’ that retells the classic Greek myth with an Endless twist.
Cover by Dave McKeanWritten by Neil Gaiman
Penciled by Bryan Talbot
Inked by Mark Buckingham
Colored by Daniel Vozzo
Lettered by Todd KleinMorpheus has done a lot of regrettable things in his existence, but this issue features one of his most remorseful as his son, Orpheus, comes to terms with his place in the Endless family–and his own limits–in a gruesome, standalone parable.
The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is the most classic and most frequently re-told of the Greek myths. It’s a story of love, loss, and limits, as mortal man does whatever it takes, including travel to the underworld, to save his great love from the fate of death. In the process, he learns that most classic lesson of living after grief, one of letting go. It’s been adapted into film, ballet, literature, the stage, and even video games – – and with this special that closes the first omnibus of “The Sandman,” comics.
This story picks up at the wedding of Orpheus and Eurydice, focusing on the encounter that leads to her death (a snakebite), with the majority of the action on Orpheus’s journey to the Underworld. Focusing on this part of the myth allows for the integration of the Endless as supporting characters – – in this case, family of Orpheus. Morpheus plays the role of father, which also centers this as a father-son story as well as a love story. And while we meet the other Endless as aunts and uncles, guests at the wedding, naturally it is Death that plays a large supporting role.
Released in October 1991, the special provides opportunity to reunite with the Endless but also gives hints of what is to come. The latter comes in the form of reference to Thessaly, the land of witches – – one of whom you meet in ‘A Game of You,’ but in this omnibus’s reading order, you’ve already met. There’s also another cameo appearance by one of the gods that visited Morpheus in ‘Seasons of Mist’ which itself feels somewhat appropriate but also interchangeable, as the dialogue with this character is more of a means to an end.
Purists might take fault with some of the anachronisms present, such as use of slang, modern decor, and reference to a floppy hat collection. (Now that last one I didn’t mind so much. This was 1991 after all, and even yours truly rocked the floppy Blossom hat with a flower on it back in the day.) But this is a retelling, and there’s room for creative license – – and that creative license taken here also allows for those themes of the original myth, as well as some new ones, to deliver their pointed messages.
Artwork that sets scene and tone excels throughout this special. The journey to the underworld uses block shading very well to give that sense of emptiness and eerieness of Orpheus’s River Styx journey. And as Orpheus pleads his case to Hades and Persephone through song, we glimpse the horrors of the underworld, where the art team does not hold back in depictions of pain and suffering. Yet, these do not take over the story as Orpheus’s song remains at the center — rather, it enhances the sacrifices he is willing to make in the name of love. Gradual pullback of detail on Eurydice in Orpheus’s final glance of her – – from the detail we saw on her mortal self to nothing but a speck, with no other effects or action around her to heighten the tension – – illustrates that old saying beautifully: this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper. But when violence needs to burst forth on the page, such as the final scenes of Orpheus’s life where the Bacchante take him to his end, it does so in grand, glorious, and appropriately gratuitious fashion.
But it’s the epilogue of this one-shot that will leave quite the impact. In the end, Morpheus meets with his son – – or rather, his son’s head – – one last time on the beach. Father and son exchange their final words, with Orpheus begging his father to release him from his pain. Morpheus will not: after all, Orpheus disowned his father when he made that journey to Hades. Morpheus then turns and leaves, forcing his son to do the act that eventually led him to this state: watch someone else he loves leave his life forever. He tested the limits of humanity, and now those limits come back to haunt him. Actions have consequences, even for the son of the immortal, the son of the Endless.
Continued belowAnd while this is a love story of Orpheus and Eurydice, it’s also a love story of fathers and sons. It’s a love story of pushing the limits for love and a love story of knowing just when to let go. And that last lesson is sometimes the hardest lesson of all.
With that, we close the (rather large) book on our look at “The Sandman” for this summer. Next summer we will take a look at the second omnibus of the series. And once both our reviewer August and I finish our respective viewings of Netflix’s series, we hope to convene for a roundtable discussion to share our thoughts on the adaptation as it relates to the comics.
Thank you for joining me on this journey through the Endless this summer.
