It was one of the first few graphic novels to appear on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s been described as a “comic strip for intellectuals” and has had quite the influence over both graphic novels and fantasy novels since its debut a generation ago. And this summer, a long awaited television adaptation comes to Netflix.
It is, of course, Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman,” the revival of the 1974-1976 DC series that ran from January 1989 to March 1996. With the debut of the Netflix series fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to look back at this comic for our 2022 Summer Comics Binge. We’ll be reading through the Sandman Omnibus Vol. 1 together this summer, which I (conveniently) received as a Christmas gift this year (in case you’re wondering how else I find inspiration for my binge choices). This omnibus covers issues #1 – 37, as well as “The Sandman Special” #1. And since that Netflix series debuts smack in the middle of this binge, we’ll close out our time in the world of the Endless together with some general thoughts and reflections on the transfer from page to (small) screen.
Let’s journey through the Dreaming together this summer, shall we?
Cover by SAM KiethWritten by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated and Penciled by Sam Kieth
Inked by Mike Dringenberg
Colored by Daniel Vozzo
Lettered by Tom KleinThe first issue of the first volume of Neil Gaiman’s horror/fantasy epic! An occultist accidentally traps Morpheus, the embodiment of Dreams, and holds him for 70 years. Finally free, Morpheus seeks his lost objects of power and rediscovers his place in the universe.’
Morpheus, King of Dreams, gets reacquainted with his home realm of The Dreaming and the colorful characters who populate it including Cain, Abel and Lucien, the librarian. He also discovers how much his absence has affected the universe in the time since he was imprisoned.
John Constantine (HELLBLAZER) guest-stars and helps Morpheus track a pouch of powerful sand that’s found its way into the possession of a drug addict. But what horrific metamorphosis has the sand caused the woman?
Mere mortals should know never to fool with magic, for the results never match the intention. Roderick Burgess never learned that lesson, attempting to capture Death in 1916. Instead, he captures Death’s brother, Dream (aka Morpheus) in a weakened state on his return to Earth. Hidden in a glass bubble, Roderick spends his years bargaining with the prisoner for secrets of immortality, as a sleeping sickness makes it way through the world. It takes seven decades, but Morpheus makes his escape, leaving Roderick’s son Alex with his own punishment: eternal wakefulness, moving from one nightmare to another. Hell hath no fury like a powerful being scored, you see.
But there’s time to be scorned later. For now it’s catching up with old friends and finding where his magical artifacts – – his sand, his ruby, and his helm – – have come to land in this time. With information from the weird sisters about their last known locations, Morpheus is off on his quest. But he is in a Dreaming changed from when he was there last, and even though these are mere mortals possessing his things, it’s not going to be as cut and dry as he thinks.
As with any well-executed fantasy, Gaiman builds his world slowly and carefully, revealing information through Morpheus’s narration and interactions with others (particularly in issue #2 as he reorients himself to the world) in layers like an onion. Peeling back each layer reveals more and more about the changed being he has become. This is a story that requires commitment and time from the reader. Modern comic storytelling is often written for the trade or the miniseries, and with no finite end point, Gaiman and continue adding and moving the layers of characterization and narration to his whim. What kind of reading experience this will be is yet to be seen.
One character readers may recognize gets introduced in issue #3: cynical occult detective John Constantine. Their search for Morpheus’s sand – – and the revelation of who has that sand – – reveals both similarities and differences. Constantine’s dry humor certainly doesn’t endear him to his new friend, but their shared interest in, and affectations by, the occult bond them, and they find common ground to help each other out. We will not see Constantine again in this Summer Comics Binge (after issue #3, he does not appear in the series again until issue #71), but his impact as the first human Morpheus encounters in this new Dreaming cannot be underscored.
Continued belowA story this grand deserves an artist just as grand (if not more). Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg certainly rise to this occasion, using Baroque and Byzantine artistic influence on each page. I’m often reminded of the paintings of El Greco and Caravaggio as I look at the use of shadow as a tool to for adding emphasis. This isn’t a world bathed in complete darkness; color balances well with the shadow to set scene and tone. In dream moments when light and color overtake the shadow, the artificial application of the color does set those moments apart as dreams – – or as is more apt for these characters, grotesque nightmares. Peaceful scenes end up being the most sinister. Depth and detail come courtesy of cross hatching and short lines, which also play well to set fluid action. It’s a refreshing reminder that this is from a time when comics were more hand drawn on paper than tablet, making them a true art form. As for Morpheus himself, an absence of color and an angular face has him stand out on the page, reminding you that he is very much not of this world.
Is it the dream world or the waking world that provides the most horrors? This is the question we pose to Morpheus this summer, and the answer to that question will no doubt be as complicated as the journey itself.
Next week we’ll take a look at issues 4-6, which feature a trip to Hell – – both of the literal and metaphorical kind.
If you want to read along with me this summer, single issues and trades are available through comiXology. As of this writing, the first eight issues of the comic are also available on DC Universe Infinite. You can also check your local library for trade and collected editions of the series.
