Graphic Novels > Neil Gaiman Graphic Novels

Advantages: Individual stories that can be enjoyed in isolation.
Disadvantages: Half the size of the previous publications.

In contrast to the first two collected volumes of Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman,' 'Dream Country' is comprised entirely of individual, one-off stories rather than an extended serial. This interval takes some time out from the developing plot of the series, heading back in time or focusing on the margins, above all being unexpectedly and creatively divergent. This happened to be the first Sandman paperback I read, and although it's more satisfying to ...
...Doll's House' plot that spanned the previous eight issues, Gaiman's stand-alone tales can just as easily be enjoyed in isolation on their own merits, even by readers with no prior knowledge of the Sandman concept. The writer's penchant for introspection is still present, leading to the involvement of characters from elsewhere in the DC canon, but such indulgence is surprisingly limited here, and far less irritating than in the previous volume. Uniquely ... Read review

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: Explores the full extent of the Sandman universe.
Disadvantages: Tediously slow moving story.

After the stand-alone tales of the third Sandman collection, Neil Gaiman is back to writing a large scale story spread across a number of issues that seeks to address some long pressing questions as well as introduce a host of new characters, realms and possible directions for the series hereafter. 'Season of Mists' is the most singularly focused effort in the series yet, taking the customary time-out for a single issue in the middle but otherwise ...
...of Dreams, rather than, as the series had done previously, pursue an assortment of seemingly unrelated plot threads tied up neatly by the conclusion. In this sense, and especially after reading the individual short stories that made up the previous 'Dream Country,' 'Season of Mists' felt to me much like "the Sandman movie," a self-conscious expansion of a popular series striving to give something back to long-time fans as well as seek a new audience, ... Read review