Review: Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1

Posted by james m. toburen in Graphic Novel

I found The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1 to be a difficult book to review, as it can be argued that it’s really “just” 20 issues of a comic book with some bonus features thrown in; should it be judged as a literary novel, a graphic novel, a pile of comics? That said…no one can argue that the Absolute Editions are anything other than fantastic pieces of work. To start, the quality of this product is not to be believed: gorgeous binding, big glossy pages, and the new coloring looks absolutely fantastic. Moving on to the bonus features (I’ll save my thoughts on the comic itself for last), Neil Gaiman’s original pitch for the comic is a fascinating view into the behind-the-scenes action of the comic world (and publishing in general). The script for an entire issue feels like a bit of a page-filler, but if you’re interested in the construction of a comic, this is, again, fascinating material. I’d give this stuff a B+.

And for the meat of my review…my thoughts on the first 20 or so issues of Sandman: this is the introduction to a new mythology, and especially in the first seven issues, it feels like it. There is a decently large cast of characters being introduced here, and some of them will surface later, so it is worth paying attention, even to the multitude of side characters. Sam Kieth’s art is especially vivid, although he was only involved with the first few issues; the other pencillers/inkers here do an admirable job, as well. Neil Gaiman’s story-writing is top notch, and the story really begins to soar, especially after the first half-dozen issues or so. Thinking of this as a simple comic book story does not do it justice, as this is a completely different tale than that of your average comic book superhero. What challenges does the Lord of Dreams face, an almost infinitely powerful being, blessed with immortality and a window into the minds of all humans? To let slip the secret would be a terrible shame, so I invite to you open these pages and find out for yourself.

Plot: 8
Characters: 9
Action: 8
Writing: 9
Art: 8.5

Overall (not an average): 8.5/10