Graphic Novels > Neil Gaiman Graphic Novels > 5 GBP to 9 GBP

Advantages: First half is a surprisingly good ending.
Disadvantages: Second half of unrelated stories is a disappointing waste of time.

...that Neil Gaiman's saga of The Sandman came to a satisfactory close eight years after its first issue hit the shelves. This final paperback collects the three issues comprising 'The Wake' epilogue and three supplementary, independent stories tying up some of the more obscure loose ends before the series is finally put to rest... you know, aside from the other couple of Sandman books Gaiman has written since, and the numerous spin-off comics continuing ...
...The previous book 'The Kindly Ones' was a long and winding road to the Sandman's inevitable death, and 'The Wake' deals with its consequences while also providing a sentimental farewell for the comic series itself. Fortunately, this amounts to more than just a bittersweet parade of favourite characters saying their goodbyes (though it is partly that), with Gaiman and returning artist Michael Zulli working to create something original and distinctive ... Read review

Advantages: Draws old plot threads to a close.
Disadvantages: Tedious length, pointless distractions and bad jokes.

...notion that Gaiman had left the stretched plotting of his earlier 'Season of Mists' era behind him, 'Brief Lives' instead acts as a rough sequel to some of its events, and puts any and all remaining questions about the Endless to a conclusive rest, with the sole exception of the rather glaring omission: "what exactly are they, then?" There was some valid criticism that my last Sandman review dumped readers in at the deep end without much explanation ...
...overview. Introduced gradually over the course of the comic series, which had by now been in print for three mostly enjoyable years, the seven Endless are not gods, that much is made clear, but are rather seemingly immortal and powerful beings whose function is to oversee seven vital aspects of the universe. The titular Sandman is Dream, though he is rarely referred to as the Sandman, and is known by a multitude of names by different cultures, as ... Read review

Advantages: lots of interesting tales
Disadvantages: slightly depressing

...Neil Gaiman, or his creation The Sandman, here are some things you need to know. Neil Gaiman is an author who works not only in novel and short story form, but also in the graphic novel genre. He's one of the key players in transforming this into a 'serious' genre rather than just comic book. 'Sandman' was a comic series that was re-released as graphic novels. While it helps in terms of understanding characters and plots to read these in order, they ...
...in the series, and to be honest, it isn't a good place to start - the book is full of allusions, and you'll only really understand what's going on if you can get the many refernces. At points in time, across many worlds, where there is crisis, there exists a pub. Two travellers from our world, Brant and Charelene, are driving long distance when they get caught up in a dreadful storm and find themselves at the inn. It's clar as soon as they step through ... Read review

Advantages: Neil Gaiman's epic horror-fantasy tackles social issues.
Disadvantages: Fns may find the shift of focus disappointing.

After the slow and arduous multi-dimensional grandeur of 'Season of Mists,' DC's adult comic series The Sandman returns to Earth once again, and successfully rekindles its former glory. The problems I had with the preceding story were partly down to my personal tastes regarding the series, now approaching its half-way point, but even leaving aside the shift in focus from the complex fantasy realms of the Dreaming, the afterlife and far too many other ...
...least for the most part), it's clear that writer Neil Gaiman has got back in touch with his juju after what was a most trying eight-issue task of exposition. It wasn't all a waste of time though; having now firmly outlined far more than readers could ever need to know about the series' complicated, multi-faceted universe and politics, Gaiman and his artists are now free to explore it at their leisure. 'A Game of You' addresses all the problems I ... Read review

Advantages: Good introduction as the series learns where it wants to go.
Disadvantages: Art goes through some problems, and style is derivative.

'Preludes & Nocturnes' is the name assigned to the first paperback graphic novel of DC Comics' popular series 'The Sandman,' collecting together the first eight issues of the comic originally released between 1988 and 89. Written by Neil Gaiman at the height of the graphic novel format's popularity and acceptance as a serious art form (Alan Moore's 'Watchmen' had just won a Hugo Award), this series seemed aimed at an audience tired of predictable ...
...leather-clad anti-heroes, as well as the occasional glimpse of breasts. The first double-length issue introduces the titular character and the proposed fantasy-horror style of the series, similar in purpose to a feature-length TV pilot. The series concerns the Endless, a group of (as their name implies) eternal god-like creatures who bear the responsibility of administrating the living world of humans and animals. A wealthy early-twentieth-century ... Read review