Alrighty then. This volume from The Sandman series was loads of fun. I mean first off, some enterprising toy company has got to be making those ‘lil Dream and ‘lil Death dolls, right? Right? Lethal doses of cuteness, true, but I would buy them in a heartbeat.
There are so many great stories and some pretty terrific artwork and lettering, too. Such a varied and disparate collection, yet it all flowed with a beautiful cohesion. Retelling various world myths and fables, some of our treasured (and feared) denizens of Sandmans world weave in and out of history and just plain “stories”. I especially enjoyed “Thermidor” where Johanna Constantine is trying to smuggle Orpheus’ head out of Revolutionary Paris, meeting Thomas Paine and Robespierre along the way. Stan Woch’s pencilling added fine depth and detail. As well as the tale of “Orpheus” . And finally “Three Septembers and a January” that tells the story of the first and last Emperor of the United States, with one of my favorite lines ever:
HIS MADNESS KEEPS HIM SANE
Mostly what I a
ppreciated about the book was the time taken to tell these tales, some are rather wordy and long, but the material stands up. There’s plenty of time to really get to the meat of the thing. But it’s not all words and world-building. Some of the lighthearted touches, whether in art or form, made reading this such a fun experience. Just let yourself sink into the thing.
