Well, shit. Where am I going to find the time to reread Gaiman's original Sandman series?
Don't get me wrong... it's not that one is required to bone up on the source material in order to appreciate this retailer incentive book that serves as a sneak peek to the upcoming Endless Nights hardcover anthology by Gaiman and various artists. It's just that after reading this magical tale, I craved to relive the brilliance of the 75-issue series. This tale of fantasy captures one of the central themes of the original series, and it will spur any reader -- from diehard Gaiman fanatic to those unfamiliar with his work -- to seek out all of the previous stories.
Long before life developed on Earth, in the early days of the universe, Dream of the Endless fell in love for the first time with a woman named Killalla. He takes with him to a parliament of in a beautiful palace. Gathered there for important discussions are various members of the Endless, stars from across the universe and other cosmic beings. Killalla attends as a guest, and she not only meets her lover's family, but a glowing, green star that means more to her than she might expect.
One of the greatest stengths of Sandman was that with every story arc, it introduced readers to new artistic talents. Established, well-known professionals contributed to the series, as did new voices. Gaiman also ensured that artists who had only carved out a small niche in the industry suddenly found themselves before a large audience for the first time. That tradition is carried on here as well. Spanish artist Miguelanxo Prado's work here reminds me of Charles Vess's stunning painted work; in fact, I thought this was Vess's work at first. I'm also reminded of Jill Thompson's magical contributions to Sandman as well. His designs for humanoid suns are just lovely, and it was a pleasure to see new designs for the Endless. Death proved to be a surprisingly intimidating figure, and it made sense for new designs for Despair and Delight to be introduced, given that longtime Sandman readers know these characters will eventually undergo transformations into the figures we saw in the Sandman series.
I was surprised to find Gaiman included strong links to DC's super-hero continuity in this book. Sure, the original year or so of Sandman included such links, and they were revisited in one of the last issues as well. But these links play an important role in this story. It will make this story of interest to diehard fans of DC continuity, but they don't get in the way of the more magical, mature and thoughtful tone of Gaiman's Endless characters. These seemingly diametrically opposed elements work well together here in a science-fiction story that plays more as a fantasy tale.
This story is something of a "pre-print." It reproduces one story from the forthcoming hardcover of the same name. This special incentive comic was a smart marketing move on DC's part, as it gives readers a glimpse of what to expect from the far more expensive volume due out later this month.
Of course, I didn't really need the advance look. The book is written by Neil Gaiman. I don't need to know anything else.
