Graphic Novel Review: The Sandman Volume 7- Brief Lives

 

Brief Lives

There are so many people screaming of Neil Gaiman's genius from various rooftops that I hardly need to repeat the sentiment here.  But I will say this: he is.  And having just finished reading the 7th in what must be the singular best graphic novel series in the history of graphic novels I am more firm on that point than ever before.  But enough about the author, onto the story.

This volume is the most enlightening on the subject of Dream's family- The Endless- who, up until now, have only briefly been eluded to.  Death is the only sibling who's really played a major part in any of the stories thus far and the others (Despair, Desire, Destruction, Delirium and Destiny) have rarely gotten more than a mention.  Well, that all changes in volume 7.

Here we get to see the siblings in action, learn a bit more about where they live, what makes them tick and what they can do.  They are, for all intensive purposes, gods.  They are endless, they are powerful, they are concepts made incarnate.  Some of them (Despair, for example) are ones we try to avoid at all costs while others (Delight who is no longer that but something much more frightening, Delirium) we might seek with fervent devotion.  But none of them should be sought out, at least not in person.  Because if there's one thing this volume clearly shows it's that one should never intervene in the affairs of the endless for they are quick to temper and have a very odd sense of justice.

But showing gods doing things us mere mortals could never imagine is not the point of this story.  No, this story, like the very first volume, is about a quest and the knowledge one gains while on it.  Here they're are seeking not stolen objects but one of their own: Destruction (who disappeared 300 years earlier).  Delirium is actually the one leading the charge and she unsuccessfully solicits both Despair and Desire before winding up with Dream who takes pity on her and decides to come along for the ride.

They meet up with some of Destruction's old friends before seeking an oracle (another family member Dream's been avoiding for a few thousand years) who tells them exactly where to go.  We see brief glimpses of Destruction before Dream and Delirium catch up with him- small, short scenes showing a man who is all too content leading the bohemian life of a philosophical painter away from the troubles of the world.  The idea of the man we're being introduced to as the god of chaos, war, political upheaval, religious overhaul and all other kinds of grand-sweeping changes is a jarring juxtaposition and brings some level of humanity to the otherwise unrelatable character.  This Destruction is a gentle soul, content to lead a quiet life with none of the powers his Endless siblings possess

One can't help but feel sorry for him when Dream and Delirium finally arrive and break up the quite life he'd been living.  But, the quest has to end and it has to mean something.  And here's the meaning: a moral quandary and a philosophical truth.  The moral quandary is why Destruction left 300 years ago: the age of reason.  The dawn of logic, judgement and science as a tool  by which to understand the universe.  Destruction watches this rapidly changing world and reads the writing on the walls: the times of gods and magick is coming to an end and those who were once worshiped will be forgotten.  Interesting thought, no?  What happens to the gods who are no longer worshiped?  Do they die out,fade away?  Or are they here with us, hiding in plain clothes and hoping no one notices?

And here's the philosophical truth: there are no great mysteries of the universe.  Destruction recalls a specific conversation with his sister, Death, in which she tells him that all of us- gods, mortals and everyone in between- have all the knowledge there is.  We know everything about everything, she says.  We're just as well informed as Destiny.  We just refuse to acknowledge those truths because they are too painful.  As Delirium states: "No knowing everything is all that makes it ok, sometimes."  One of the few times when her speaking in riddles makes more sense than what the sane characters say.

There's something amazing about having the craziest character in the book seem the sanest.  There's something about having her understand such mind-breaking concepts so easily.  There's something about how easily she accepts the changes the others can't.  Perhaps it is a demonstration of that same concept: we know everything, we just think we don't because of the madness of the messenger.  Like scientist trying to disprove their own theories.  (That age or reason Destruction was so quick to abandon.)

On the whole, this was another astounding volume in the series that is truly changing my life.  I knew a while ago that I had to finish this series but I must say that now with the end in sight I'm not jumping at the bit to be done.  I guess I'm no better than the Endless in that regard: afraid of change.

Graphic Novel Review: The Sandman Volume 6- Fables and Reflections

This is the 6th book in the life-changing series written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by some of the most brilliant artists on the planet.  If you're unfamiliar with the series but even remotely into... well, pretty much anything creative then you owe it yourself to check it out.  Start at the beginning, knowing that it warms up pretty quick, and let your imagination revel in this alternate reality that Gaiman has crafted.

By now, this series has firmly inserted itself into my psyche and with this volume Gaiman succeeds in sneaking it into memories where it previously wasn't.  The more I read, the more indistinguishable these characters and stories become from what I understand of history (which is the point, of course).  This dream king has now made his way into the old Greek Myths, added a taboo factoid to Roman history, inspired the endlessly popular Emperor of the United States (who I know from Christopher Moore's works even though he's found just about everywhere), jump-started Mark Twain's career, slightly altered the French Revolution, inserted a chapter into Slavic folklore, created a catalyst in Marco Polo's career, added to the pantheon of biblical characters and forever immortalized the golden age of Baghdad.   And all in one volume.

Each of the stories is steeped in the setting they invade with appropriate alterations not only in artwork but also language, theme, and character.  It's not just that Gaiman is a chameleon; he's the king of chameleons.  And all of it maintains the same dream-like quality he's weaved so subtly into the stories since volume 1.  It's very easy to drift off while reading a chapter, lose touch with reality.  Even while siting in a quiet, well-lit room on a weekday with all of its tasks and chores it's easy to look up at the end of a chapter and wonder if you've been dreaming.  It all has that same not-quite-real feel to it and it seriously screws with your senses.  (Which, again, is totally the point.)

The further I get into this series the more I wonder how I ever lived with out it.  It's so ingrained in my imagination now I consider it a part of me.  It's changing the way I imagine, allowing me to believe that all these stories were always in there, I just forgot them.  Just like a dream: you realize you've seen it, heard it, felt it before.  But you forgot, because you woke up.

Graphic Novel Review: The Sandman Volume 4- Season of Mists

 

The Sandman Volume 4: Season of Mists 

* Warning: This review, like all my reviews, contains spoilers.  In fact, I talk about the big reveals and the ending in detail so if you don't want anything ruined don't read this.

This was my forth encounter with the masterfully created Sandman and it has been the best encounter yet.  The plot is on par with the first volume which introduced us to Morpheus and provided a decent amount of his background and the other characters here are the most fascinating I've seen so far.

It begins with a meeting of the Endless and we get to see Morpheus' interactions with the other members of his family- Death (whom we've seen in previous volumes and know that Morpheus is closest to), Desire, Delirium, Despair and for the first time Destiny who is so intriguing that I could happily read volumes upon volumes on just him and the endless tales contained in that book of his.  It's a brief encounter but it wets the appetite so well that one can't help but pray that the upcoming volumes of the series will go into a lot more details about these fascinating characters.

Anyway, back to the plot: Death confronts her brother about an action he took ten thousand years ago in which he sentenced an ex-girlfriend of his to an eternity in hell (full story of the worst break-up ever contained in volume 2).  After telling him that it was a pretty rotten thing to do he concludes he's gotta get her out of there so off to hell he goes.

The stakes are high as the last time he was there (Volume 1) he had an encounter with a demon that lead to him showing off a bit and angering Lucifer so he goes in expecting to find a seriously pissed off Satan waiting for him.  He is shocked to find Hell all but empty and Lucifer closing all the gates explaining that he's done with the whole thing.  Why?  Well, seems he didn't really like the role that his creator put him in and after so much time was tired of it all so he decided to turn in his wings and try spending some time on earth, taking a vacation from the whole thing.  Why Dream coming to spring his ex from the eternal slammer catalyzes this departure I couldn't say, but Destiny seems to know.  Lucifer hands Dream the key to hell before his departure, leaving our MC with a lot more than he bargained for.

Demons, Fairies, Order and Chaos, Odin and his sons and a pair of angels from heaven come knocking on his door as soon as he's arrived back in the dreaming (his kingdom) pursuing various goals, most surrounding a quest to obtain the key and use it for their own ends.  There's never been a piece of real estate more sought after and the stakes are pretty high, especially since one of the demons kidnapped the ex-girlfriend Dream had sought in the first place.

A banquet is held and then Dream invites each visitor to talk with him one on one plead their case.  These characters come from a pantheon of myths, archaic scriptures, and other comics and point to so many other series I couldn't name them all.  Each one is pretty fascinating in their own right and I found myself feeling poorly read for having little to no prior knowledge of them- but I get the feeling someone well-versed in mythology would be giddy with all the references.

A free-standing chapter shows the devastating consequences of hell's now homeless damned returning to earth and provides us with the title of this tome by way of the mist that covers everything with all these spirits roaming around wreaking havoc on the living and giving Death so much work she can't keep up with it. I found myself wanting more detail about this particular element of things and I hope future volumes will at least reference it.

Back in the dreaming Morpheus is sparred the ultimate decision, thankfully for him, when the angels observing everything get an order from the almighty to take over in Lucifer's place since he wants people from his organization to continue running things.  A final encounter with the demon who kidnapped Dream's ex proves anticlimactic and he has a final goodbye with her during which we find out that she was kept prisoner not by his will but by the same internal belief that kept all the other souls there: the idea that they deserve it.

From a theological perspective this was the most fascinating concept of the whole thing- seeing Lucifer as a rather simple angel waiting for his creator to allow him to leave rather than an all-powerful tyrant happily torturing the occupants of his kingdom and seeking out souls "like a fishwife come market day" as he explains it.  The chapter in which Lucifer tells of his downfall and time in hell is by far the best one of the entire volume and I find myself seriously thinking about looking into the Lucifer series once I'm done with this one.

The last chapter wraps things up with the demons and the damned returning to hell to resume things as they were but finding that the new sheriffs in town run things a bit differently than their previous landlord.  The implications of the new system of pain as a payment for redemption are staggering and leave one wanting a follow up as to how this new system will be working ten thousand years from now.  And Lucifer's last shot is sort-of staggering- the devil's due never looked so good.

All in all, this may be my favorite volume of one of the most amazing series I've ever read.  I'm thrilled to pieces that he returned to a more traditional novel format after the short stories of the previous volume and I can't wait to read the next one.  In fact, I'm starting it right now.

Graphic Novel Review: The Sandman Volume 3: Dream Country

Important Links: Neil's Site, Good reads, my previous reviews of volumes one and two

I was in love with this series after the first volume and although I am still very much enamored of the series overall I have to say that this is my least favorite thus far.  Why?  It's not because the quality of the writing or the artistry has diminished- not at all.  And It's not because they took the story in a direction that I didn't like.  No, it's because they dropped the story altogether.

Not that the transition from one to two wasn't a big shift- it was.  The first one is a quest for our title character to regain objects lost to him, and it takes him on a long, strange journey.  The second is a continuation of the story line of seemingly minor characters who appeared in the first and shows us more of the aftermath of the Sandman's disappearance.  It's a different story with different main characters- but it's part of the same time line.

This volume is not.  It's not even a novel, actually- it's a collection of short stories.  And while they all involve the title character in some way, they are otherwise completely unrelated- stand-alone tales with few commonalities.  And I couldn't hep but feel sort-of derailed after the first two.

Not that they're not good stories.  In fact, in some ways I'd say they're superior to the first two.  It seems that everyone involved is getting more comfortable with their own voice- whether it's the written words, the drawn lines or the brushed colors.  And these stories are poignant, heart breaking and haunting.

The crowning achievement is (of course) the award-winning A Midsummer Night's Dream.  (Click the link for all the rabid fan-boy loving that story deserves.)  Shakespeare lovers off all walks will absoltuley explode with love for that story, and for Neil himself.

The first and last stories are by far the most disturbing- one a look at what happens when a man's muse comes in physical form, and how completely one can devour another; and another a look at the ultimate cost of invincibility that will forever alter your view of superheroes.  They're both rich with dark, impossibly layered looks at the things that exist only in fantasy and yet are so steeped in the true reality of human qualities that you can't help but feel deeply disturbed upon reaching the end of them.  These are crosses between fantastical dreams and nightmares that leave you with a myriad of questions you never wanted to know the answers to.

The second story- A Dream of a Thousand Cats- is another question.  One you never thought to ask, probably, and the implications of which lead to a thousand more.  And yet, for reasons I'm not entirely sure of, I found it to be the most lackluster of the bunch and ultimately forgettable.

The last entry- not a finished story but a script- is a gift for those who ever wanted to know how a comic book gets written.  It's not only the typed pages of the script before it was drawn, but an actual conversation between the writer and the artist that shows you the inner workings of how the thing actually ends up getting made.  Stuff like this is usually never made publicly available and I have to give major props to everyone involved for being willing to pull back the curtain and invite everyone in to the process.  It's a gift for fans, no doubt.

Like I said, these stories are no less impressive that the first two volumes which I absolutely adored.  But I found myself struggling with them because of the lack of anchor.  Without a timeline to fit these tales into, without a narrative to tie them together and without an overall arc to give them a base I found myself feeling dissatisfied.  I think in materiel that already constantly questions the bounds of reality I need a more familiar structure to hold it all in place.

But that's just my beef- a personal preference, not a critique for the level of the work itself.  So if you like stand-alone comics then this collection will likely blow your mind.  And if you like this series you will love it no less after this.  But if you're like me, you'll likely find yourself praying that he returns to a novel structure and grounds it in an over-all story line in volume four.

Graphic Novel Review: The Sandman Volume 2: The Doll's House

Important links: Neil Gaiman's Site and info on the series and this volume

"We have seen stranger things in dreams; and fictions are merely frozen dreams, linked images with some semblance of structure.  They are not to be trusted, no more than the people who create them."

That's the opening of this volume, placing you smack-dab in the middle of this strange, sometimes chaotic, but always uncertain realm of dreams.  It's clear from that opening that Neil wants us on our toes the whole time, warning us that it would be foolish to trust anything we see within the pages that follow.

Those pages make one glad for such a warning as from the get go we find ourselves disoriented.  After a recap of the events of the last volume, told to us by a mysterious figure who fills us with intrigue, we are suddenly thrown into the deserts of Africa where tribes still carry out coming of age rituals.  One of those rituals is a story- one so valuable that it is only ever heard once and only ever told once.  And it reveals the back story of a character we saw ever so briefly in the last volume- once consigned to hell for reasons we learn of now.

And then, much like the last volume, we are once again thrown into a series of stories- all connected, but all different.  Everything from a man made immortal simply so that one of the endless can have someone to talk to, to a serial killer convention, to nightmares and dreamscapes misplaced from the realm they belong in, to a house full of lost souls all looking for something beyond their grasp.  Each new character is as strange and captivating as the last and we find ourselves unable to get a firm footing with every new introduction.

It begins to reveal a little more about our title character, Dream, and brings out other layers of him.  As much respect as he does appear to have for the mortals whose dreams he reigns over he has other characteristics which challenge one's adoration of him: he is prideful and vengeful.  He carries out certain deeds which can irrevocably alter lives without second thought.  He ignores the suffering caused by these deeds and makes declarations of other deeds to come.  I can't say he's becoming more three dimensional as I imagine that by the time this series ends he will be fleshed out in far more than just three dimensions.  Unbound by the limits of time, space or meaning we struggle to grasp who he is with every new revelation about him.  And we left in a state of constantly wanting to learn more.

On the technical side, the dream-like quality of this work exists beyond the events of the story.  The panels don't follow a grid- they change shape and layout with almost every page and sometimes it's very hard to follow the progression of words as the pictures swirl around the pages and disorient you.  And those words themselves are so dream-like it can challenge one's perception, as it's meant to.

"we're just dolls.  We don't have a clue what's really going down, we just kid ourselves that we're in control of our lives while a paper's thickness away things that would drive us mad if we thought about them for too long play with us"

Try reading that in an eerily quiet office with no one else around and tell me it doesn't screw with your head.  And yet, you want to read more, don't you?  Learn more about those things, those beings who could drive you mad if you think about them for too long.  Dive further into the abyss, as it were.  As trippy and disconcerting as this boundless world is it's one that you can't help but want to explore, want to learn more about, want to lose yourself in.  (And getting lost in there is so easy to do.)

In the end I'm left with the same feeling I had at the end of the last volume, and the same question.  Dazed, and wanting to know where the next one will take me.  Needless to say, volume three is next on my list.

Graphic Novel Review: The Sandman Volume 1: Preludes & Nocturnes

I've been hearing about this series for years.  My boyfriend (who is an avid comic reader) has told me that he's heard it lauded as one of the greatest series of all time.  Plus, Neil Gaiman is consistently spoken about as an utterly fantastic writer by everyone who I tend to bump into on the intarwebs.  In other words: this series' reputation preceded it.

Though I'm still digesting it I'm fairly confident that my opinion of this will ultimately be full of just as much love and praise as others have for it.  Gaiman's writing was reminiscent of very old stories with language you'd expect to find in legends and fables and the artwork often reminded me of artists I've been exposed to in series like Crossed.  Both the words and images are haunting and could most definitely give you nightmares if you read them right before bed.

I loved this first story line- Dream is mistakenly captured by an occultist who set out to capture his older sister, death, and imprisoned for 70 years.  The first story recalls what happens to people during that time and how Dream finally escapes.  The remaining stories follow dream as he tracks down the tools of his trade which were stolen from him upon his capture- his famous bag of sand, his helm and his ruby dreamstone.  His quest takes him to hell and back again and along the way he encounters characters at once familiar and brand new.

Cain and Abel- the brothers of biblical fame- are given new faces as occupants of dreamworld and keepers of stories.  The weird sisters of Shakespearean fame guide him to the the places where he may seek out his tools.  John Constantine, Lucifer himself, a host of demons and Dr. Destiny of DC comics are all here bringing with them references to their full canon and reminding anyone well versed in those canons of things they have already read, seen or encountered.

It's a little overwhelming, honestly.  As if someone took all of your comics, fables, myths, biblical stories and occult songs and stuck them into a blender.  The resulting words and images are so familiar it leaves you thinking you should go back and re-read (or read for the first time) so many stories that you could be kept busy in your library for years.

Having not read much of DC myself a lot of this was mostly new to me: I've only seen Constantine in the movie of the same title and I don't know the storyline of Dr. Destiny and Morpheus, so their battle was new to me here.  But these character's stories are so effortlessly intertwined with Dream's own that I can't help but feel like I should give them a try.

This series could be seriously addicting- not only to more Sandman stories (of which there are 11) but also to the other characters of the DC universe.  Thankfully, I already have volumes 2-4 so I can keep on reading and I believe- based on what people are saying on Goodreads- that it only gets better from here.

Graphic Novel Review: Crossed

Crossed, at first glance, looks a lot like The Walking Dead (another excellent Graphic novel series I will review at a later date). But turn the page and there it is: the most disturbing images you've ever seen in bright, vibrant color. Crossed is, simply put, the most disturbing graphic novel in existence.

Imagine if the world- every inch of it- was suddenly crawling with a virus. The virus turns people into the same things we saw in 28 Days Later- ravenous, crazed, blood-thirsty berserkers. Scary concept, no? But it’s been done.

Now imagine this: those blood thirsty berserkers aren’t going to stay berserk. They will organize. They will plan. They will learn. And they’ll come equipped with all the skills and talents they had before they got infected. If you were a biochemical engineer before, you are now- but now all you want to do is traumatize people in the most horrific ways that the deepest, darkest part of your mind can possibly come up with. Oh, and unlike the guys from 28 Days Later, they're also horny as hell. That’s scary.

The only edge the survivors have is that the crossed are alive. Therefore, they can be killed. Zombies keep walking despite the freezing temperature, lack of food, and anything else that might help kill a human. Crossed don’t. You can shoot ‘em any ol’ place and they’ll die. But then again, they can shoot back. And they do some pretty nasty things to the bullets.

On page one, the survivors aren’t really anything horrifically special. In the beginning you’ll be reminded of Rick and Co from Walking Dead. But their journey- and what they do to survive- is different. Because what they’re dealing with is so much worse.

For them, there is no such thing as safe. Ever. There’s no abandoned prison where they can hold up and regroup. Because the things they’re running from aren’t just going to stand at the gate and groan. They’re going to plan and attack. The only way to survive is to keep running. And to do the things that you never dreamed you’d do. What they go through, the choices they make, and the people they become are that much worse.

The real kicker of Crossed is this: these monsters are us. The unimaginably sick and twisted things they do are things that we are more than capable of. We like to think we’re not. But the fact is that if civilization, morals, logic and all the other executive functions we have that keep our most primal urges in check weren’t there anymore we’d be monsters, too. And that mind f**k stays with you long after you’ve read the last page.

If you have the stomach for it, check it out.