Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes in which we learn of Dream’s (also know as Sandman) capture by Magus Burgess (a fictional rival to Aleister Crowley;) his escape after something like 70 years; and his adventures searching for the items stolen from him during his capture, his mask/helm thingie, his big ruby and his dream sand.

This was the first Sandman story arc so it is relatively "safe" compared to later epics. Batman appears in a panel, the Justice League strays into the story. It’s very much tied to the DC universe. However we are also introduced to Dream’s retinue, the dream librarian, Cain and Able, Goldie, the three witches. In this story we begin to see how brilliant Gaiman is. Despite the restriction placed on him by the real need for this job and the need for it to be successful, Gaiman begins building a mythology here that is unlike any other and yet ties into them all. There are loopholes in this story that allow room for more stories later. What kind of holes? Well, most significantly Dream is locked up for 70 years. During that time there is a sleeping sickness. Some people can’t dream at all, others can’t wake up. This allowed for two separate stories to develop, the Sandman Mystery Theatre (a separate title created to cash in on the popularity of Sandman) and the character of Rose who stars in at least 2 later story arcs. It is interesting to note that Karen Berger (who is probably the luckiest untalented fool in comics) turned down Gaiman repeatedly before falling a** backward into the best move of her life.

Yes, looking back on Preludes & Noctures after reading the rest of the series, one might be fooled into thinking that Gaiman had it all planned out. Well, he didn’t. This is one of those stories that seems to have existed before the writer pulled it out of the air. That is more likely because trust me, Gaiman didn’t know where it was going or that it would make him a brand name when he started this.

Unfortunately it’s totally ugly. Karen Berger wouldn’t know good art if the artist walked up to her and punched her in the face (or more likely, the artist’s wife.) Sam Keith is best known for The Maxx which aired on Mtv and I’m told came to an unsatisfying conclusion. Keith uses his overwhelming and cartoony style to cover for deficiencies in his craft. It’s no wonder he ended up at Image with Todd "if you can’t pull off the anatomy, cover it with a cape" McFarlane. Keith is trying to do an art noveau style and he almost manages, except that all those lines that are supposed to be clean and smooth are shaking all over the page. I can’t separate Mike Dringenberg’s style from Keith’s and that might be a good thing. One thing Keith did an outstanding job on were the cute blonds, one of the witches and the fashion thing. Funny, but Julie from The Maxx was a cute blond too. Makes you think, dudn’t it? The coloring is also already veering toward the black and gloomy.

However, the very last story, "The Sound Of Her Wings" is, as my brother would say, worth the price of admission. In "The Sound Of Her Wings" we meet Dream’s elder sister, Death. Dream is moping over the end of his little quest. Death comes along in the course of her job, they chat, and they act just like siblings. Ok, siblings with vast powers and immortality dressed as hip goth/punk types, but siblings none the less. Death says to Dream, "You are utterly the stupidest, most self-centered, appallingest excuse for an anthropomorphic personification on this or any other plane." And she throws something at his head that I can’t quite make out because the drawing is so bad and the colorist has colored over her fingers. But, Dream accompanies his sister on some of her rounds and the writing of those visits is brilliant.

Sandman is one of those rare instances where the story is so good, that I will overlook the appalling art to get to it. If you like fantasy, mythology or even psychology you are doing yourself a disservice if you pass on these books.


Recommended: Yes