After many debates with myself and the usual problems with amazon.co.uk, I finally got the first volume of
The Absolute Sandman - oh
damn, I had forgotten how much I love this comic. I mean, there's Constantine vs. Dream Snark in issue 2, that tells you all you need to know about how absolutely awesome that comic is.
The book itself is huge and extremely heavy (I was gobsmacked when the poor postman brought it, as amazon - just this once - delivered the thing in totally adequate packaging, making it that much larger), bound in fake (but extremely nice) black leather and looking much like those library books nobody ever touches so they'll last for at least another century.
The comics themselves are supposedly remastered regarding colours most of all - to be honest I can't tell, I've never seen the originals, just leafed through some older editions in a book shop once. I er, read the comics in other... more electronic ways *coughs*
BUT I can say that this is a really amazing comic edition, the print is indeed very high class, as is the paper, and is additionally larger than your usual comic book size. I was a fan of the artwork for a long time, and the story... oh, the story. I had forgotten how much I can lose myself in that world of the Endless, it's a really remarkable script Neil Gaiman wrote there. The beginning throws you into that world of magic, of immortal beings, of hell and demons - interweaved so effortlessly with our world, the world of the mortals that it's breathtaking. Gaiman somehow manages to create this entire mythology in a matter of a few pages, making it believable by showing it in such a normal, as if usual way - even if that includes duels with demons in Hell.
I had forgotten how much I enjoy the Dreaming. I also might've hugged the book after reading 'The Sound of her Wings', sniffling a little - I have no idea why, it never did that to me before (
Death is before me today/Like the recovery of a sick man/like going forth into a garden after sickness). And 'Dream Country'... don't get me started on 'Dream Country' or I might swoon.
The Absolute Version has also Gaiman's first proposal about the series in it (I am surprised to see how 'inofficial' his letter is and how many other characters have existed beforehand), outlining the characters and the basic story plan, some fist designs of the Sandman (who didn't always have Gaiman's hair) and the storyboard for 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' - it's cool to see how much of the scripting, including the board design/ideas are indeed Gaiman's, I always thought he just wrote the story and the artists decided what to show, but no, it's
all Gaiman.
If you haven't already, go and read it.
Vertigo is offering the first issue, 'Preludes and Nocturnes' for free.
