The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes

I first read this graphic novel when it was released back in the early 90's. I have yet to come across a story so rich in its narrative. Come walk with Mr. Gaiman as he breaks down the conventional boundaries of mythology, urban legend, fairy tale, fiction, history, fact, allegory and parable and be thoroughly enchanted and perhaps a little less jaded as he weaves them back together in a story you will never forget. His vocabulary is incredible and Dave McKean's artwork is outstanding.

While 'The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes' is fine; it really says something when the publisher and author are apologizing for it's mediocre story in the same book. 😅 Seriously, the introduction and afterthought sections of this book are like, "Hey, stick around till book 8; that's when it gets good." LOL Anyhow, while there are some interesting ideas in this first outing; some "deep" moments legitimately made me audibly groan in disgust twice for some middle school level philosophy. To summarize, the story is about Morpheus (Sandman) being imprisoned for a while. He gets out eventually (due to an accident) and goes on a fetch quest to collect his 3 items to get back to full strength. Then he hangs out with his sister and feels better... the end? It wraps up in a way that if I didn't know there are 13 books after this I would have thought this was it. IDK, I guess the story has to start somewhere, but I agree with the author & publisher here; it's just not great yet at this point.

Really enjoyable work from Gaiman. The overall vibe feels so "dark & edgy 90s", but isn't so dour as to be off-putting. The world that we start to peek into is detailed, mysterious, and darkly inviting. I'm still new to the Sandman series (as of this writing I've just finished Volume 2), but I love the vision in these stories. Far more ambitious and (in my opinion) memorable than a lot of comics work out there.