Sandman

Sandman
"If this isn't literature, nothing is" - Peter Straub in his afterword to "Brief Lives"

For those of you who know about such things, the Sandman title I refer to is that of Neil Gaiman and has nothing to do with either the Spiderman villain or the DC hero, both of that name. It ran for eight years, beginning in 1987 and ending in 1995, and is rightly hailed as one of the landmark series in the world of comics. Set in both this world and others, Sandman concentrated on the story of Morpheus.the Sandman of the title and Lord of Dreams. But unlike other comic books, Gaiman used this initial premise to tell stories that covered a far broader canvas than just Morpheus's life. In some, Morpheus was a central figure; in others, he featured barely if at all. And so Gaiman worked to create a rich and diverse mythos, populated with characters such as Morpheus's family, the Endless (including the terribly sweet Delirium, pictured here,); the witch-woman sometimes known as Larissa; Robert 'Hob' Galding, who has lived for over 600 years simply by choosing not to die; and Barnabas, the talking dog who looks after Delerium.

What made Sandman so special, however, were not the worlds that were created but the stories that were told. Whether they were a short, one-issue piece or a tale that took several months in the telling, Gaiman told them all with an authorial voice that made you believe in magic, backed up with concepts and plot-developments that were as astounding as they were original. So we had Lucifer resigning as prince of Hell; a convention of serial killers listening to the monster who had inspired them all; and one of the most terrifying horror stories of all time to take place within just twenty-four hours. On top of all that we were tantilised with throw away details of events that happened outside the tale but which we were never told too much about. How did the Old Ones come to escape Death for so long? What was the event that turned Delight into Delirium? What was Morpheus's relationship with Titania, queen of the Fae, or Elinora? What happened in Lady Joanna Constantine's past that she was so afraid of? We'll never know. The fact was these events happened, and their results coloured Sandman's stories perfectly.

There were occasional moments of weakness. I don't think 'A Game of You' was as successful as Gaiman intended it to be, particularly through his mishandling of the transsexual character. And some of the earlier stories had a slightly odd stop-start feel to them, interrupting their own narrative flow to include other one-issue stories whose appearance would have been jarring, were they not so well written. But at the end of the day, Sandman was a brilliant work that should really be allowed the status of literature simply for the sheer depth and breadth of its ideas and concepts. It is just a pity that it had to end, but then all good things, and all that. And the ending has to be amongst one of the most beautiful ever written.

(Please note, The above images of Death, Delirium and Sandman are the characters of Neil Gaiman, and the images are copyright DC, or the respective artists (Dave McKean, Chris Bachalo, Mike Dringenberg, John Totleben, Charles Vess, Jamie Hewlett, Joe Quesada, Vince Locke, Moebius, Jon Jay Muth, Bill Sienkewicz and P. Graig Russell) They are used without permission of their owners because I'm recommending that you go out and buy more of their work. However, should they disapprove, please can they mail me and I'll remove them.)