What if dreams were caused by a singular man? What if that man was the sole reason all of mankind was able to dream and rise up the next morning? What would it be like for the world to be so dependent upon one creature and never know it? Essentially, Neil Gaiman explores a scenario where that reality unfolds.
“Make him the cutest that I’ve ever seen…”
The Sandman, a collection of comics by well known author Neil Gaiman, plays into the minds of readers with a world of dreams and endless sleep. Mixing in fantasy with sci-fi realms and mystical powers, Gaiman is able to personify and bring to life a set of mythical, or “beyond this world”, characters. Gaiman brings to life some characters that were already universally known. He brings the actions of dream, desire, destiny, and death to life. All of mankind, no matter the age, experience dreams. We all escape into a different realm each night as we close our eyes and drift to sleep. Gaiman targets that realm, and explores the strange realities behind dreams He personifies Dream as a gloomy, but powerful man. He sheds light on to the vulnerability of dreams and dream himself. Gaiman brings forth a harsh reality of a world captured in sleep. He explores what could happen to the human body and mind if the person rarely awoke.
“Give him the word that I’m not a rover…”
I found myself overwhelmed in the constantly changing timeline of The Sandman, but unable to pull myself away from the book. The gory details, the harsh realities, and the strange sincerity shown in otherwise apathetic characters played together in a way that made the story irresistible. Dream, as serious and dark as he seemed, had moments of compassion that made him seem human. Amidst the action and drama, there were moments of humor that helped to lighten the mood of the story. A classic villain brings a twisted mind and demented actions into a story, and though Dr. Destiny did just that, it was his small moments of humor that implemented how truly dark he was.
“Sandman, I'm so alone...Don't have nobody to call my own…”
Along with being hauntingly interesting, The Sandman brought forth a sense of loneliness amongst its sleep. I found it increasingly interesting to see how dream tends to seclude himself from the rest of the world. For a character that the entire world is dependent on, his strive to be alone makes him a complex character. One would expect dream to be a happy sort of character, so the unexpected gloom that came with Gaiman’s version of dream added to his complexity.
“Please turn on your magic beam…”
Along with strange characters, the art in the book was simply outstanding. The way each character was illustrated helped to portray their character. The book excelled in choosing artists who could get down into the fine details and truly make the story come to life. The challenge of complex characters did not halter the artistic talent in the book. The strange scenery, brought to life with bright and deluded colors, along with haunting shadows and a strange sense of reality, helped to truly hook me as I read along. Without the art, The Sandman would have not been as successful in gripping its readers into its strange reality of conquering dreams.
If you enjoy books with moment of gore, exploring different realms and realities, and enjoy fantasy, then I highly recommend Neil Gaiman's The Sandman.
What if dreams were caused by a singular man? What if that man was the sole reason all of mankind was able to dream and rise up the next morning? What would it be like for the world to be so dependent upon one creature and never know it? Essentially, Neil Gaiman explores a scenario where that reality unfolds.
“Make him the cutest that I’ve ever seen…”
The Sandman, a collection of comics by well known author Neil Gaiman, plays into the minds of readers with a world of dreams and endless sleep. Mixing in fantasy with sci-fi realms and mystical powers, Gaiman is able to personify and bring to life a set of mythical, or “beyond this world”, characters. Gaiman brings to life some characters that were already universally known. He brings the actions of dream, desire, destiny, and death to life. All of mankind, no matter the age, experience dreams. We all escape into a different realm each night as we close our eyes and drift to sleep. Gaiman targets that realm, and explores the strange realities behind dreams He personifies Dream as a gloomy, but powerful man. He sheds light on to the vulnerability of dreams and dream himself. Gaiman brings forth a harsh reality of a world captured in sleep. He explores what could happen to the human body and mind if the person rarely awoke.
“Give him the word that I’m not a rover…”
I found myself overwhelmed in the constantly changing timeline of The Sandman, but unable to pull myself away from the book. The gory details, the harsh realities, and the strange sincerity shown in otherwise apathetic characters played together in a way that made the story irresistible. Dream, as serious and dark as he seemed, had moments of compassion that made him seem human. Amidst the action and drama, there were moments of humor that helped to lighten the mood of the story. A classic villain brings a twisted mind and demented actions into a story, and though Dr. Destiny did just that, it was his small moments of humor that implemented how truly dark he was.
“Sandman, I'm so alone...Don't have nobody to call my own…”
Along with being hauntingly interesting, The Sandman brought forth a sense of loneliness amongst its sleep. I found it increasingly interesting to see how dream tends to seclude himself from the rest of the world. For a character that the entire world is dependent on, his strive to be alone makes him a complex character. One would expect dream to be a happy sort of character, so the unexpected gloom that came with Gaiman’s version of dream added to his complexity.
“Please turn on your magic beam…”
Along with strange characters, the art in the book was simply outstanding. The way each character was illustrated helped to portray their character. The book excelled in choosing artists who could get down into the fine details and truly make the story come to life. The challenge of complex characters did not halter the artistic talent in the book. The strange scenery, brought to life with bright and deluded colors, along with haunting shadows and a strange sense of reality, helped to truly hook me as I read along. Without the art, The Sandman would have not been as successful in gripping its readers into its strange reality of conquering dreams.
If you enjoy books with moment of gore, exploring different realms and realities, and enjoy fantasy, then I highly recommend Neil Gaiman's The Sandman.
“Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream…”