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The Absolute Sandman
The Absolute Sandman, Volume 4
One of the most popular and critically acclaimed book titles of all time, New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman's masterpiece
The Sandman
set new standards for mature, lyrical fantasy and graphic narrative. Now, Vertigo and DC Comics are proud to present the last of four definitive Absolute Editions collecting this groundbreaking series in its entirety.
The Absolute Sandman, Volume Four reprints issues 57-75 of The Sandman and features an introduction by Karen Berger, editor of the original series and founder of the Vertigo imprint. This volume also includes a survey of exquisite memorabilia from the Dreaming, the original script and thumbnails by Gaiman and artist Marc Hempel for the first part of "The Kindly Ones" from The Sandman 57, and the complete script by Gaiman for the title's final issue, together with thumbnails, pencils, and paintings by artist Charles Vess.
The Absolute Sandman, Volume Four reprints issues 57-75 of The Sandman and features an introduction by Karen Berger, editor of the original series and founder of the Vertigo imprint. This volume also includes a survey of exquisite memorabilia from the Dreaming, the original script and thumbnails by Gaiman and artist Marc Hempel for the first part of "The Kindly Ones" from The Sandman 57, and the complete script by Gaiman for the title's final issue, together with thumbnails, pencils, and paintings by artist Charles Vess.
608 pages, Slipcased Hardcover
First published February 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
May 5, 2021
It's Sandman, it's Gaiman, it's good to great throughout. Please see my previous reviews of 1-3 for more in depth reasoning. xD
January 8, 2021
And thus ends Sandman. I know there's another annotated volume but the stories in it were written years later. The Kindly Ones does go on a few issues too long and Marc Hempel's oddball art takes some time to get used to. I do wish some of the questions left unanswered, we had some closure to. Still, it's a good end for Morpheus.
The 4 issues of The Wake might be my favorite issues of the entire series. I love how it's hinted that everyone who dreams is in attendance at Morpheus's funeral. Michael Zulli's art is stunningly beautiful and detailed. Ending with Hob was a great ending for the book. I wish Gaiman had ended the series there. The Chinese proverb story and Shakespeare's story of The Tempest don't do much for me at all.
Like the other annotated volumes, there's a ton of back material here. It's a little less interesting than the others. It mostly consists of 2 scripts with layouts. Seeing all the merchandise that's been made for the series was really neat though.
The 4 issues of The Wake might be my favorite issues of the entire series. I love how it's hinted that everyone who dreams is in attendance at Morpheus's funeral. Michael Zulli's art is stunningly beautiful and detailed. Ending with Hob was a great ending for the book. I wish Gaiman had ended the series there. The Chinese proverb story and Shakespeare's story of The Tempest don't do much for me at all.
Like the other annotated volumes, there's a ton of back material here. It's a little less interesting than the others. It mostly consists of 2 scripts with layouts. Seeing all the merchandise that's been made for the series was really neat though.
September 15, 2016
Moje prekrasno i epsko putovanje Snivanjem je zavrseno...Utjehu cu potraziti u Beskrajnim nocima. Sto se ovog sveska tice, divno je zaokruzena prica. Svaka ima svoj neki stil, ali me radnjom podsjeca na prvu knjigu, ali je jos savrsenija, ako je to uopce zamislivo. Crtez Michaela Zullija je ljubav cista.
Vecina likova iz ove sage je dosla mahnuti citatelji(ca)ma i bilo je zbilja posebno :)
Vrijedilo je svake stranice i dao mi je tako puno!
Sad idem intenzivno osjecati sjetu...
Vecina likova iz ove sage je dosla mahnuti citatelji(ca)ma i bilo je zbilja posebno :)
Vrijedilo je svake stranice i dao mi je tako puno!
Sad idem intenzivno osjecati sjetu...
June 30, 2019
I thought that “The Kindly Ones” was too long when I originally read it, but that was over two years or so in floppies. It holds together really well as a complete work, though the first half does still drag a bit. I think that offering closure to both Rose’s story and Morpheus’ is well done … though I’m less convinced of the importance of Delirium in all of this. Overall the story is really well structured and does a great job of bringing home to roost everything that Morpheus has done since he returned to life, and the ending is very moving. I also find that I liked Mark Hempel’s abstract art much more than when I first saw it years ago [9+/10]. The Wake is a stunningly gorgeous comic that also does a good job of tying together many of the characters from the entire epic [9/10], however it’s Hob’s epilogue that really knocks it out of the park. Him visiting a Ren Faire is hilarious, and him thinking about Dream is tearfully touching [10/10]. “Exiles” is a very unusual story, but also a thoughtful one [8/10]. The parallels between The Tempest and Sandman are moving, and one understands why Gaiman choose it to end the series. I think I’m not enough of a Shakespeare fan to consider it a masterpiece, however [8/10]. As usual, there’s great extras in this book, particularly all the pictures of cool toys and statues and stuff.
July 11, 2016
Genuinely depressed that this is over. Sandman was just one of those reading experiences, where you can't wait to find out what happens next but you're worried that you'll finish it too soon. It's been a while that I read a book where I was completely immersed in a new world, so much so that I wish I didn't have to go back to mine! I'm not much of a graphic novel reader so I didn't expect to have this reaction with Sandman but I was totally wrong. Gaiman really shows the depth of his imagination, as well as his skill as a storyteller, and he's definitely on my list of favourite writers for coming up with this beauty. Speaking of beauty, Dave McKean's covers are to die for. As for the books, the Absolute editions are totally worth the money. The print is amazing and the books themselves are gorgeous.
February 18, 2018
I read a third of this last night with a mug of cider and a few chunks of coffee cake. I got up at five this morning and came downstairs to finish it. The house was dark and I didn't turn on the light in the living room because I didn't want to disturb the dog, so I felt my way down the stairs in my stockinged feet. The door into the bedroom opened and closed behind me, and I stopped, and waited.
'Hello?' I said.
'Daddy,' said a sleepy six-year-old voice right behind me
I wasn't mad keen on the idea of a sleepy six year old going down the stairs in the pitch black of an early winter morning, but I couldn't go past him to get to the light and leave him alone, so together we went slowly downwards in our stockinged feet.
Nicky sat at one end of the table while I filled the kettle and prepared the porridge and made my coffee, then I sat down at the other end with my pot of coffee and a cup and Sandman volume four.
'We must be very quiet,' said Nicky. 'We mustn't make any noise or we will wake Martin and he will be cross.'
Martin's a sort of lodger. He's very nice and I don't think he'd get cross, but Nicky was right, we must be very quiet.
I started to read.
I think Neil Gaiman wrote at night a lot, so it felt appropriate to be reading this at five in the morning. There wasn't a storm lashing the windows with wind and rain, though I noticed later it was foggy, but that was later. I didn't notice Nicky go back upstairs. I was vaguely aware of Eddie getting up and moving around upstairs. I didn't notice the morning getting brighter, dimming the glare of the lights. At some various I did stir the porridge and turn the heat up and yell at the boys to come down and eat and for Eddie to walk the dog and I left the table long enough to take Annemarie's up on a tray and made some Van Morrison jokes.
('Have I told you lately that I love you?'
'Yes, but you haven't told me there's no-one above me.'
'...can't remember what comes next.'
'I fill your bowl with porridge? Take away your.... bowl... with no more porridge?'
'You make my breakfast that's what you do.')
Breakfast runs automatically now, and nothing spoils a morning read like burnt porridge.
So I finished it. I didn't want it to finish, but it did. Poor Lyta Hall. Poor Dream. Poor Clara. Poor everyone. It really was all about death, wasn't it? The story resolves in The Kindly Ones, but the real emotional climax is The Wake. Death and grief and loss and mourning and then waking up and moving on as best you can.
(At some point Eddie sat down to eat his breakfast and said: 'Oh, there's a hair in my porridge. Good thing it isn't a rabbit. Eh? Eh?')
I seem to remember Marc Hempel's art not being popular with everyone. I may have been unsure of it myself at first, but God, it's amazing. And Mike Zulli on the wake, and John J Muth and then holy moley Charles Vess reprising older, wiser, sadder Shakespeare in The Tempest.
The unresolved mystery of who Puck and Loki were really working for lingers. None of my own theories really fit properly, and I guess I appreciate leaving one thing unknown and possibly unknowable to haunt and nag the reader. I do hope it has a solution though - if there was no solution to the mystery, even if we never discover what it is, that would be a cheat.
I think reading The Sandman may have been the one thing I ever did that was cool, and I didn't do it because it was cool, I did it because I loved it, and it became cool for a while. I'm not sure anyone noticed me doing this cool thing while it was cool, but maybe that's what's cool about it.
I still have Overture to read, which I'll get to tonight, and then there's assorted extras like The Dream Hunters and the Death collection and Books Of Magic, which is only vaguely related, which I'll get to eventually. At some point I might try to write something about the whole series from beginning to end, but not now, which is why this review is mostly about me going downstairs in the dark in my stockings with my six year old son behind me like a little familiar spirit. I can go back and read Sandman again, but moments like that come and go, and I'd like to be able to recall it long after it would be forgotten if I hadn't written it here.
Try to remember things, and tell your stories, and be remembered.
'Hello?' I said.
'Daddy,' said a sleepy six-year-old voice right behind me
I wasn't mad keen on the idea of a sleepy six year old going down the stairs in the pitch black of an early winter morning, but I couldn't go past him to get to the light and leave him alone, so together we went slowly downwards in our stockinged feet.
Nicky sat at one end of the table while I filled the kettle and prepared the porridge and made my coffee, then I sat down at the other end with my pot of coffee and a cup and Sandman volume four.
'We must be very quiet,' said Nicky. 'We mustn't make any noise or we will wake Martin and he will be cross.'
Martin's a sort of lodger. He's very nice and I don't think he'd get cross, but Nicky was right, we must be very quiet.
I started to read.
I think Neil Gaiman wrote at night a lot, so it felt appropriate to be reading this at five in the morning. There wasn't a storm lashing the windows with wind and rain, though I noticed later it was foggy, but that was later. I didn't notice Nicky go back upstairs. I was vaguely aware of Eddie getting up and moving around upstairs. I didn't notice the morning getting brighter, dimming the glare of the lights. At some various I did stir the porridge and turn the heat up and yell at the boys to come down and eat and for Eddie to walk the dog and I left the table long enough to take Annemarie's up on a tray and made some Van Morrison jokes.
('Have I told you lately that I love you?'
'Yes, but you haven't told me there's no-one above me.'
'...can't remember what comes next.'
'I fill your bowl with porridge? Take away your.... bowl... with no more porridge?'
'You make my breakfast that's what you do.')
Breakfast runs automatically now, and nothing spoils a morning read like burnt porridge.
So I finished it. I didn't want it to finish, but it did. Poor Lyta Hall. Poor Dream. Poor Clara. Poor everyone. It really was all about death, wasn't it? The story resolves in The Kindly Ones, but the real emotional climax is The Wake. Death and grief and loss and mourning and then waking up and moving on as best you can.
(At some point Eddie sat down to eat his breakfast and said: 'Oh, there's a hair in my porridge. Good thing it isn't a rabbit. Eh? Eh?')
I seem to remember Marc Hempel's art not being popular with everyone. I may have been unsure of it myself at first, but God, it's amazing. And Mike Zulli on the wake, and John J Muth and then holy moley Charles Vess reprising older, wiser, sadder Shakespeare in The Tempest.
The unresolved mystery of who Puck and Loki were really working for lingers. None of my own theories really fit properly, and I guess I appreciate leaving one thing unknown and possibly unknowable to haunt and nag the reader. I do hope it has a solution though - if there was no solution to the mystery, even if we never discover what it is, that would be a cheat.
I think reading The Sandman may have been the one thing I ever did that was cool, and I didn't do it because it was cool, I did it because I loved it, and it became cool for a while. I'm not sure anyone noticed me doing this cool thing while it was cool, but maybe that's what's cool about it.
I still have Overture to read, which I'll get to tonight, and then there's assorted extras like The Dream Hunters and the Death collection and Books Of Magic, which is only vaguely related, which I'll get to eventually. At some point I might try to write something about the whole series from beginning to end, but not now, which is why this review is mostly about me going downstairs in the dark in my stockings with my six year old son behind me like a little familiar spirit. I can go back and read Sandman again, but moments like that come and go, and I'd like to be able to recall it long after it would be forgotten if I hadn't written it here.
Try to remember things, and tell your stories, and be remembered.
March 11, 2017
Στον 4ο τόμο δε χρειάζονται πια συστάσεις, δεν αφιερώνουμε χρόνο στο να γνωρίσουμε κάποιον καινούριο χαρακτήρα, όλα τα πιόνια κάνουν τις τελευταίες τους στρατηγικές κινήσεις στη σκακιέρα του Βασιλείου των Ονείρων, οι σελίδες είναι πλημμυρισμένες με πανάρχαιες ξεχασμένες ιστορίες, παραμύθια εκδίκησης, απώλειας και ελπίδας, τίποτα δε μοιάζει και δεν είναι στάσιμο, κανείς δε βρίσκεται στο απυρόβλητο, όλοι κινούνται σε απόλυτη αρμονία συμπληρώνοντας ευλαβικά το παζλ του Μεγάλου Βιβλίου του Destiny.
Αλήθεια: How would you feel about Life if Death was your older sister?
Αλήθεια: How would you feel about Life if Death was your older sister?
July 1, 2019
It was roughly 25 years ago I first read this series in the original run of graphic novels. Back then, this story affected me deeply, and changed the way I viewed the possibilities of what comic books could be. It set me on a lifelong love of Gaiman's writing. Now, all these years later, I'm overwhelmed by how great this story is, how deep are the emotions it evokes in me. I've been sitting here for 15 minutes trying to figure out how to express what this book means to me, and I keep failing. This is simply one of the greatest graphic novels ever written.
November 22, 2017
"Kažeš da snovi ovdje nemaju moć? Reci mi Luciferu, sine Jutarnje Zvijezde... kakvu bi moć Pakao imao kad njegovi zatočenici ne bi snivali o Raju?"
(spoilera nema, ali ću na kraju napisati sve quotes koji su mi se svidjeli, pa ako ne želite da vam to kvarim onda stanite prije njih)
Moram priznati da ovaj osvrt pišem užasno teška srca, ne zato što nemam lijepoga za reći, već zato što je to službeni znak da je sa stripom gotovo. Ipak, nešto moram napisati iz nekoliko razloga:
1) impresionirana sam do neba i natrag
2) nisam dugo zbog nečega osjetila tako širok spektar emocija
3) Orbi (koju obožavam jer me uvela u strip) će me golim rukama zadaviti ne izađe li osvrt na sunce (hvala ti što si strpljivo čitala bombe od mojih poruka ovih tjedan i nešto dana).
Dakle... što reći o savršenstvu modernog stripa? Za početak neka se zna da je Neil Gaiman genijalac i da ja djelićem sebe vjerujem da ga je sam Morfej obdario tako da može ispričati njegovu priču. Od tog čovjeka sam pročitala svašta i mogu reći da me u životu nije razočarao i da bi sve dala samo da mogu s njim popiti kavu na sat vremena, jer želim svjedočiti takvom toku misli i ideja. Sljedeće, majstor je za pletenje kompliciranih mreža priča, događaja, mjesta i vremena, jer rijetki ovoliko u detalje slažu sićušne čestice kako bi dobili mrcinu. Većina bi neboder napravila od cigli i betona. Neil Gaiman ih radi od pijeska, zrnce po zrnce. Sve ima svoje mjesto, prekrasnu svrhu i ništa nije u priči kako bi ispunilo prazan prostor.
Sviđa mi se što niti jedna najmanja osoba nije alat kojim bi San sebe popravio, ili pouka iz koje bi San nešto naučio. On uči od njih, i oni od njega, ali oni imaju svoje puteve, živote, odluke i planove. O njemu ne ovise i on ih ne stvara. Koliko god strip bio fantastičan, toliko je realističan. Nitko se ne može potpuno promijeniti, već sve ima svoje granice. Nije grijeh odati se očaju, iako je najbolje, i najteže nastaviti živjeti, loše stvari se ne događaju samo zato da bismo iz njih nešto naučili, ali naravno da možemo i hoćemo, i neki ljudi neće sve preživjeti, niti se to od njih očekuje.
Sviđaju mi se likovi. Svidio mi se San, Morfej, Kralj snova, sa svojom metlom u guzici i neudobnosti koju osjeća kad ne zna što će sa samim sobom u nekim situacijama. Svidjela mi se njegova vječna pristojnost, logičnost razmišljanja, sposobnost da prihvati, prizna i ispravi, suptilna, ali duboka ljubav, i konstantni, nezamjenjivi osjećaj dužnosti koji ga vodi kroz život.
Svidjela mi se Smrt, Teleuta, zbog svoje ljubavi prema svakom živom biću, strpljivosti i želji da im pomogne i povede ih tamo gdje trebaju ići. Volim odnos između nje i Sna, i kontrast, gdje je San toliko strašan i hladan, a Smrt vesela i topla. Divna bratska ljubav. Smutnja je bila preslatka i cudna, Slom sam htjela zagrliti, a Strasti bi neke stvari voljela objasniti, iako znam da protiv svoje prirode ne može.
Velika većina likova mi se jako svidjela na različite načine, i sviđa mi se što sam svačije motive i razloge mogla razumjeti, iako se s nekima nisam slagala. Svi su kompleksni, s bogatim unutarnjim svjetovima i stvarnim emocijama.
Volim količinu socijalne različitosti u samom stripu. Stvarno nije nedostajalo LGBT zajednice, ljudi svih boja kože, ljudi različitih religija, kultura, i sausage fest nije postojao. Zahvalna sam na progresivnosti i liberalnosti, pa mi je iskustvo čitanja stripa bilo još divnije.
E, da, još jedan dokaz Gaimanove genijalnosti su silne reference na poznate povijesne ličnosti, događaje i brojne mitologije. Na neke epizode nisam mogla sebi doći od načina na koji je sve smišljeno.
Što se stilova crtanja tiče, prvo mi je bilo malo čudno koliko različitih stilova ima, ali vrlo brzo sam to počela cijeniti i svi su prekrasni. Zjenice su mi se širile na one estetične, zagasite scene s noćnim nebom, ili pak one crno-bijelo-sivo-tamnoplave. Neke panele bi se dalo uokviriti i staviti u galeriju.
Na ovaj strip sam lijevala suze kao iz kabla, umirala od smijeha, kasnila na buseve kako bih pročitala još koju stranicu, zapostavljala obaveze kako bih učinila isto, zurila u jedne te iste sličice raznježena, u šoku, iznenađena, impresionirana ili nešto pedeseto. Ovih dana 95% moga mozga čini Sandman, i lagala bih kad bih rekla da ne prođem svaki dan kroz sve četiri divovske knjižurine samo da još jednom pročitam svoje najdraže scene. Zajedno s likovima sam bila frustrirana, sretna, napeta, i prolazila ono putovanje od sto upitnika prema odgovorima. Tužan će biti dan kad ću ih morati vratiti u knjižnicu (ili Orbi, koja će mi doduše oprostiti zadržim li prvi dio još neko vrijeme)...
Pa, vjerojatno imam još puno za reći, ali čini mi se da sam prekrdašila 1500 riječi, pa ću rađe samo okačiti neke quotove koji su mi se svidjeli i pomiriti se s činjenicom da više neće ništa novo izaći iz serijala.
Pitam se što je to s čovječanstvom. Tako se čudno odnose prema daru moje sestre. Zašto se boje svijeta bez Sunca?
Umrijeti je prirodno kao i roditi se. Ali nje se boje. Užasnuti su. Slabašno se trude umilostiviti je. Ne vole je. Prije mnogo tisuća godina u snu sam čuo pjesmu smrtnika koja je slavila njezin dar. Još je se sjećam. "Smrt sada stoji preda mnom:
Kao oporavak bolesnika, kao šetnja vrtom nakon bolesti. […] Taj je zaboravljeni pjesnik razumio njezine darove. Moja sestra obavlja dužnost, kao i ja. Vječni čine što moraju. I ja činim što moram. Hodam pokraj nje i s duše mi se razmiče mrak. Hodam s njom i čujem nježni lepet moćnih krila...
"Mačka smije i kralja u oči gledati, kažu. Pogledaj me u oči, sestro mala. Pogledaj me u oči."
"Otkad postoji prvo živo biće, ondje sam i čekam. Kad posljednje umre, moj će posao završiti. Stavit ću stolce na stolove, ugasiti svjetla i zaključati svemir za sobom kad odem."
"A smrtnici? Zašto mene krive za svoje neuspjehe? Koriste moje ime kao da im čitav dan sjedim na ramenu i gonim ih da čine ono što bi i inače bilo neprihvatljivo.
"Vrag me na to naveo." Nikad niti jednog od njih ni na što nisam natjerao. Nikad.
Žive svoje sitne živote. Ne živim ih ja umjesto njih."
"Dobro. Priznajem. Ima pravo. Zalasci sunca su ti prokleto fenomenalni, stari gade. Sretan?"
"Nije moj... je li tako? Njegovo ludilo...ono ga drži zdravim.
"Zar misliš da je jedini, sestro?"
"Živio si kao i svi drugi. Cijeli život. Ni više. Ni manje. Cijeli život."
"Oduvijek je pravo djece i maloumnih da nam ukažu na to da je car gol. No, maloumnici ostaju maloumni, a car je car."
I stvorenje kojem petoro udahnuše život, siđe u katakombe pod Litarškom Nekropolom, i nađe lako sobu koju bi mnogi čitav život tražili, i nikad je ne bi našli.
"I kad on krene da će poć, požel mi dobre snove, a ja njemu rečem, pa, sinko, to ć bit tvoje maslo, jelda? To mu se dopalo, vidjela sam da jest. I onda bi ošo, jel mi se smijo il nije, nisam znala. Al sve u svem, dobar je bio. Sirotan stari."
"Htio sam priču s dobrim krajem. Htio sam komad o kralju koji utapa svoje knjige, lomi štap i napušta kraljevstvo. O čarobnjaku koji postaje čovjek. O čovjeku koji okreće leđa magiji. […] Zato što ja svoj otok nikad neću napustiti. Ja nisam čovjek. I ne mijenjam se. Pitao sam te ranije vidiš li svoj odraz u priči. Ja se ne vidim. Ne smijem. Ja sam kraljević priča, Wille, ali nemam vlastite priče. Niti ću je ikad imati."
(spoilera nema, ali ću na kraju napisati sve quotes koji su mi se svidjeli, pa ako ne želite da vam to kvarim onda stanite prije njih)
Moram priznati da ovaj osvrt pišem užasno teška srca, ne zato što nemam lijepoga za reći, već zato što je to službeni znak da je sa stripom gotovo. Ipak, nešto moram napisati iz nekoliko razloga:
1) impresionirana sam do neba i natrag
2) nisam dugo zbog nečega osjetila tako širok spektar emocija
3) Orbi (koju obožavam jer me uvela u strip) će me golim rukama zadaviti ne izađe li osvrt na sunce (hvala ti što si strpljivo čitala bombe od mojih poruka ovih tjedan i nešto dana).
Dakle... što reći o savršenstvu modernog stripa? Za početak neka se zna da je Neil Gaiman genijalac i da ja djelićem sebe vjerujem da ga je sam Morfej obdario tako da može ispričati njegovu priču. Od tog čovjeka sam pročitala svašta i mogu reći da me u životu nije razočarao i da bi sve dala samo da mogu s njim popiti kavu na sat vremena, jer želim svjedočiti takvom toku misli i ideja. Sljedeće, majstor je za pletenje kompliciranih mreža priča, događaja, mjesta i vremena, jer rijetki ovoliko u detalje slažu sićušne čestice kako bi dobili mrcinu. Većina bi neboder napravila od cigli i betona. Neil Gaiman ih radi od pijeska, zrnce po zrnce. Sve ima svoje mjesto, prekrasnu svrhu i ništa nije u priči kako bi ispunilo prazan prostor.
Sviđa mi se što niti jedna najmanja osoba nije alat kojim bi San sebe popravio, ili pouka iz koje bi San nešto naučio. On uči od njih, i oni od njega, ali oni imaju svoje puteve, živote, odluke i planove. O njemu ne ovise i on ih ne stvara. Koliko god strip bio fantastičan, toliko je realističan. Nitko se ne može potpuno promijeniti, već sve ima svoje granice. Nije grijeh odati se očaju, iako je najbolje, i najteže nastaviti živjeti, loše stvari se ne događaju samo zato da bismo iz njih nešto naučili, ali naravno da možemo i hoćemo, i neki ljudi neće sve preživjeti, niti se to od njih očekuje.
Sviđaju mi se likovi. Svidio mi se San, Morfej, Kralj snova, sa svojom metlom u guzici i neudobnosti koju osjeća kad ne zna što će sa samim sobom u nekim situacijama. Svidjela mi se njegova vječna pristojnost, logičnost razmišljanja, sposobnost da prihvati, prizna i ispravi, suptilna, ali duboka ljubav, i konstantni, nezamjenjivi osjećaj dužnosti koji ga vodi kroz život.
Svidjela mi se Smrt, Teleuta, zbog svoje ljubavi prema svakom živom biću, strpljivosti i želji da im pomogne i povede ih tamo gdje trebaju ići. Volim odnos između nje i Sna, i kontrast, gdje je San toliko strašan i hladan, a Smrt vesela i topla. Divna bratska ljubav. Smutnja je bila preslatka i cudna, Slom sam htjela zagrliti, a Strasti bi neke stvari voljela objasniti, iako znam da protiv svoje prirode ne može.
Velika većina likova mi se jako svidjela na različite načine, i sviđa mi se što sam svačije motive i razloge mogla razumjeti, iako se s nekima nisam slagala. Svi su kompleksni, s bogatim unutarnjim svjetovima i stvarnim emocijama.
Volim količinu socijalne različitosti u samom stripu. Stvarno nije nedostajalo LGBT zajednice, ljudi svih boja kože, ljudi različitih religija, kultura, i sausage fest nije postojao. Zahvalna sam na progresivnosti i liberalnosti, pa mi je iskustvo čitanja stripa bilo još divnije.
E, da, još jedan dokaz Gaimanove genijalnosti su silne reference na poznate povijesne ličnosti, događaje i brojne mitologije. Na neke epizode nisam mogla sebi doći od načina na koji je sve smišljeno.
Što se stilova crtanja tiče, prvo mi je bilo malo čudno koliko različitih stilova ima, ali vrlo brzo sam to počela cijeniti i svi su prekrasni. Zjenice su mi se širile na one estetične, zagasite scene s noćnim nebom, ili pak one crno-bijelo-sivo-tamnoplave. Neke panele bi se dalo uokviriti i staviti u galeriju.
Na ovaj strip sam lijevala suze kao iz kabla, umirala od smijeha, kasnila na buseve kako bih pročitala još koju stranicu, zapostavljala obaveze kako bih učinila isto, zurila u jedne te iste sličice raznježena, u šoku, iznenađena, impresionirana ili nešto pedeseto. Ovih dana 95% moga mozga čini Sandman, i lagala bih kad bih rekla da ne prođem svaki dan kroz sve četiri divovske knjižurine samo da još jednom pročitam svoje najdraže scene. Zajedno s likovima sam bila frustrirana, sretna, napeta, i prolazila ono putovanje od sto upitnika prema odgovorima. Tužan će biti dan kad ću ih morati vratiti u knjižnicu (ili Orbi, koja će mi doduše oprostiti zadržim li prvi dio još neko vrijeme)...
Pa, vjerojatno imam još puno za reći, ali čini mi se da sam prekrdašila 1500 riječi, pa ću rađe samo okačiti neke quotove koji su mi se svidjeli i pomiriti se s činjenicom da više neće ništa novo izaći iz serijala.
Pitam se što je to s čovječanstvom. Tako se čudno odnose prema daru moje sestre. Zašto se boje svijeta bez Sunca?
Umrijeti je prirodno kao i roditi se. Ali nje se boje. Užasnuti su. Slabašno se trude umilostiviti je. Ne vole je. Prije mnogo tisuća godina u snu sam čuo pjesmu smrtnika koja je slavila njezin dar. Još je se sjećam. "Smrt sada stoji preda mnom:
Kao oporavak bolesnika, kao šetnja vrtom nakon bolesti. […] Taj je zaboravljeni pjesnik razumio njezine darove. Moja sestra obavlja dužnost, kao i ja. Vječni čine što moraju. I ja činim što moram. Hodam pokraj nje i s duše mi se razmiče mrak. Hodam s njom i čujem nježni lepet moćnih krila...
"Mačka smije i kralja u oči gledati, kažu. Pogledaj me u oči, sestro mala. Pogledaj me u oči."
"Otkad postoji prvo živo biće, ondje sam i čekam. Kad posljednje umre, moj će posao završiti. Stavit ću stolce na stolove, ugasiti svjetla i zaključati svemir za sobom kad odem."
"A smrtnici? Zašto mene krive za svoje neuspjehe? Koriste moje ime kao da im čitav dan sjedim na ramenu i gonim ih da čine ono što bi i inače bilo neprihvatljivo.
"Vrag me na to naveo." Nikad niti jednog od njih ni na što nisam natjerao. Nikad.
Žive svoje sitne živote. Ne živim ih ja umjesto njih."
"Dobro. Priznajem. Ima pravo. Zalasci sunca su ti prokleto fenomenalni, stari gade. Sretan?"
"Nije moj... je li tako? Njegovo ludilo...ono ga drži zdravim.
"Zar misliš da je jedini, sestro?"
"Živio si kao i svi drugi. Cijeli život. Ni više. Ni manje. Cijeli život."
"Oduvijek je pravo djece i maloumnih da nam ukažu na to da je car gol. No, maloumnici ostaju maloumni, a car je car."
I stvorenje kojem petoro udahnuše život, siđe u katakombe pod Litarškom Nekropolom, i nađe lako sobu koju bi mnogi čitav život tražili, i nikad je ne bi našli.
"I kad on krene da će poć, požel mi dobre snove, a ja njemu rečem, pa, sinko, to ć bit tvoje maslo, jelda? To mu se dopalo, vidjela sam da jest. I onda bi ošo, jel mi se smijo il nije, nisam znala. Al sve u svem, dobar je bio. Sirotan stari."
"Htio sam priču s dobrim krajem. Htio sam komad o kralju koji utapa svoje knjige, lomi štap i napušta kraljevstvo. O čarobnjaku koji postaje čovjek. O čovjeku koji okreće leđa magiji. […] Zato što ja svoj otok nikad neću napustiti. Ja nisam čovjek. I ne mijenjam se. Pitao sam te ranije vidiš li svoj odraz u priči. Ja se ne vidim. Ne smijem. Ja sam kraljević priča, Wille, ali nemam vlastite priče. Niti ću je ikad imati."
Read
October 28, 2025Sometimes the books you once loved just... hit a bit different when you learn too much.
This one used to be a 1 star read.
My original review - cause some can separate the art ... but I'm really struggling here.
This one used to be a 1 star read.
My original review - cause some can separate the art ... but I'm really struggling here.
August 17, 2022
...és felébredtél.
March 11, 2016
The stories were fantastic. This was one of the very best ends to a series ever, as much as I didn't want it to end. Really masterful and surprisingly satisfying. The two story arcs, The Kindly Ones and The Wake, were perfect. It left me feeling OK with the ending instead of depressed that it was over, quite a feat. The extra pieces that were included at the end were OK. I think they included them because if you're collecting the entire Absolute everything of the series they need to actually include everything at some point, and the fifth volume would too huge with all of that in there, and this one would have seemed too small without some additional stuff included. But it would have been more effective to just end with the end of The Wake, the other stuff was a distraction. That wasn't important though. The reason I took a star off was because I didn't like the art in a most of the book. Hempel and Disraeli weren't my cup of tea. The characters were flat, not expressive, looked juvenile. I'm not going to go on and on about something that came out that long ago, but I didn't enjoy it. And the colors were off too. Just look at Carla, sometimes she looked African-America and sometimes Italian. But the stories were wonderful.
January 8, 2018
I have just attended the wake of a character I first met about two years ago. I did not grieve, in the sense of experiencing feelings of sadness. But I did ponder the journey of this character and my relationship with him and his world.
When I began reading The Sandman a couple of years ago, I did so with great anticipation for this most highly lauded of continuing comics stories. With the first two volumes, I could see how far the creators were reaching. With so much good said about the series, I was sure that before the end, they would surely grasp that for which they reached. If so, I was experiencing the great potential of the story as I began it, even if I never felt that the book was truly reaching it.
Now I close the back cover over the final page of this epic, which I finished in a third of the time it originally took to be published. With these final two collected stories, I believe that Gaiman and his collaborators came the closest to attaining the great heights for which they reached in this highly ambitious tale. Of all that I read in the series, this was my favourite. Still, I do not believe that the book ever fully succeeded at everything it intended to do.
Now, when I consider my thoughts on a book, I try to rate it in its own context. Therefore, I may rate a piece of grocery store pulp fiction as highly as a book by Steinbeck. But this does not make the two equal. So, this may be the height of Sandman's story, here as the story ends, and I may find it imperfect. But for a book that aimed so high, even to not reach that height, it still soars higher than most.
These final chapters of the story of The Sandman, Morpheus, The Dream Lord of The Endless, deal with death, and loss, and change, and the cycle of life. Morpheus has come around over the first more than fifty issues of his episodic tale, and now knows his limits in a way he did not at the beginning. He understands consequences to his actions, even in the world of dreams, that he did not know when we first met him. The arc is satisfying. Now, he must die in order to change. A new Dream Lord, who is still the Dream Lord, must continue past him.
In his passing, we have opportunity to visit many of the characters whom he touched over the run of the entire series. Members of his family, The Endless, are given voice, as are most everyone else we have met of any significance. Since the wake for Morpheus occurs in the Dream World, and all who dream are invited, the reader is also present. My own experience reading these pages is that I did feel as though I had entered the book, and was experiencing the wake with these other characters, in ways I have never before felt so immersed in a comic. It was very well done, and quite moving.
My complaint with this book, though less than any before it, is with the art. Unfortunately it took until Book 8 for me to realize that there are "remastered" versions of all of The Sandman volumes. Some that I read were these recoloured versions. Some were not. I cannot know if I would have enjoyed the entire series more from the very beginning if I had been reading these updated versions. As it was, and is, I have struggled to penetrate the illustrations in this series from the very beginning. There were times when I felt I was simply enduring it, art that was actually ugly to look at. When the art was so bad that I couldn't enjoy looking at the pages, how could it not completely obfuscate the meaning and tone and flow of the story it portrayed? This is a collaborative medium. If plot, character, and world are all gorgeously rendered in script, but sloppily presented, I cannot call the finished product good.
That said, this last collection was the most beautiful, and the most consistent, of the entire series. I never prefer to read any series with a rotation of illustrators, especially when they change in the middle of stories, as they often did in this long running limited series. But in this final collection, we have fewer artists, who are used in such a way as to not interrupt the flow of the narrative. This I appreciated. The illustrations for The Wake were actually my favourite of the entire series. Were I given opportunity to read again from the beginning with this illustrator only, I would read the entire series again, and maybe have a better experience.
I recognize that The Sandman broke serious ground in the world of comics. We're it not for The Sandman, perhaps we would not have books like Saga today. After extremely heavily plotted books such as The Watchmen by Alan Moore, and violence and pessimism were turned way up in books like Frank Millers The Dark Knight Returns, it is nice that the next wave of "adult" comics contained something as thoughtful and feminine and mysterious and creative as The Sandman. It needed to be. When I read it and consider the teenager I was when it was released, I know that that young man would have loved this series, had he discovered it on the shelf when it was first being published. It would have been good for me. The explorations of gender and sexuality, and the relationships of life and longing and death and expression were exactly where I lived as a sad, black-clad, nail-polish-wearing teen in the nineties.
But it isn't the nineties anymore. And I can appreciate everything that The Sandman gave us so that I can enjoy Monstress today without having to pretend that it is as perfect a book as everyone says. Even Neil Gaiman has improved as a writer since this series was first published. Much that I am enjoying as I read American Gods can be found in the pages of this comic, in a lesser form. I still prefer the greater form.
My absolute favourite thing about this entire series has been the covers and the design by Dave McKean. It does not surprise me a whit that this book was so collectable in single issues when it was first on the shelves. These covers are true things of beauty. For all the harm that was done to the story in the inconsistency of art within, the consistency of these designs on the covers must have helped ameliorate the damage in the original floppies. Had I seen these books on the top shelves of my local comics shop when I was in high school, rather than being distracted as I was by Spider-Man's clone saga, I'm sure I would have been transfixed. I am therefore very excited for the arrival of my special edition of American Gods in the mail, which should arrive any day now. This late Christmas present from my father and mother in law is designed and illustrated by Dave McKean. His collaboration with Gaiman raises the work of them both.
So, I close the book on The Sandman. I am not sorry to do so. As much as I did enjoy this final volume, I know the effort it took to get here. These impact of these stories rests heavily on all that came before it. I did not enjoy much that came before it. Therefore, I do not recommend this series to any casual reader. There is so much more in comics now that does what The Sandman tried to do in its day, but so much better. Neil Gaiman has grown and improved as a writer since these books were finished. I would point anyone to any of what came from this work before I would ever point them to this work.
However, for anyone who has read and loved Neil Gaiman's more recent work, I might cautiously suggest checking out this series. To those readers, I would insist that they find the highest quality version of the books that they can, to read the books in print, not digitally, and to make sure they read the remastered/recoloured version. Similarly, to avid readers of creator-owned comics of the 21st Century, I might carefully suggest that they might enjoy exploring some of the first of what gave us the room for the vast array of choices in the world of comics today. To any reader of The Sandman, I would warn that if the art is a hindrance to your enjoyment at the beginning, it will be a long, long time before it ceases to be so.
I am thankful for this book, and this series. But I won't read it again.
☠
The Sandman. Volume 9, The Kindly Ones
Trade Paperback - 320 pages
Fully Remastered Edition (Matching Absolute Edition Volume 4)
Vertigo, 2012
Various artists
Covers by Dave McKean
and
The Sandman. Volume 10, The Wake
Trade Paperback - 187 pages
Fully Remastered Edition (Matching Absolute Edition Volume 4)
Vertigo, 2012
Illustrated by Michael Zulli, Jon Muth, Charles Vess
Covers by Dave McKean
Four Stars
January 3, 2018 - January 8, 2018
☠
When I began reading The Sandman a couple of years ago, I did so with great anticipation for this most highly lauded of continuing comics stories. With the first two volumes, I could see how far the creators were reaching. With so much good said about the series, I was sure that before the end, they would surely grasp that for which they reached. If so, I was experiencing the great potential of the story as I began it, even if I never felt that the book was truly reaching it.
Now I close the back cover over the final page of this epic, which I finished in a third of the time it originally took to be published. With these final two collected stories, I believe that Gaiman and his collaborators came the closest to attaining the great heights for which they reached in this highly ambitious tale. Of all that I read in the series, this was my favourite. Still, I do not believe that the book ever fully succeeded at everything it intended to do.
Now, when I consider my thoughts on a book, I try to rate it in its own context. Therefore, I may rate a piece of grocery store pulp fiction as highly as a book by Steinbeck. But this does not make the two equal. So, this may be the height of Sandman's story, here as the story ends, and I may find it imperfect. But for a book that aimed so high, even to not reach that height, it still soars higher than most.
These final chapters of the story of The Sandman, Morpheus, The Dream Lord of The Endless, deal with death, and loss, and change, and the cycle of life. Morpheus has come around over the first more than fifty issues of his episodic tale, and now knows his limits in a way he did not at the beginning. He understands consequences to his actions, even in the world of dreams, that he did not know when we first met him. The arc is satisfying. Now, he must die in order to change. A new Dream Lord, who is still the Dream Lord, must continue past him.
In his passing, we have opportunity to visit many of the characters whom he touched over the run of the entire series. Members of his family, The Endless, are given voice, as are most everyone else we have met of any significance. Since the wake for Morpheus occurs in the Dream World, and all who dream are invited, the reader is also present. My own experience reading these pages is that I did feel as though I had entered the book, and was experiencing the wake with these other characters, in ways I have never before felt so immersed in a comic. It was very well done, and quite moving.
My complaint with this book, though less than any before it, is with the art. Unfortunately it took until Book 8 for me to realize that there are "remastered" versions of all of The Sandman volumes. Some that I read were these recoloured versions. Some were not. I cannot know if I would have enjoyed the entire series more from the very beginning if I had been reading these updated versions. As it was, and is, I have struggled to penetrate the illustrations in this series from the very beginning. There were times when I felt I was simply enduring it, art that was actually ugly to look at. When the art was so bad that I couldn't enjoy looking at the pages, how could it not completely obfuscate the meaning and tone and flow of the story it portrayed? This is a collaborative medium. If plot, character, and world are all gorgeously rendered in script, but sloppily presented, I cannot call the finished product good.
That said, this last collection was the most beautiful, and the most consistent, of the entire series. I never prefer to read any series with a rotation of illustrators, especially when they change in the middle of stories, as they often did in this long running limited series. But in this final collection, we have fewer artists, who are used in such a way as to not interrupt the flow of the narrative. This I appreciated. The illustrations for The Wake were actually my favourite of the entire series. Were I given opportunity to read again from the beginning with this illustrator only, I would read the entire series again, and maybe have a better experience.
I recognize that The Sandman broke serious ground in the world of comics. We're it not for The Sandman, perhaps we would not have books like Saga today. After extremely heavily plotted books such as The Watchmen by Alan Moore, and violence and pessimism were turned way up in books like Frank Millers The Dark Knight Returns, it is nice that the next wave of "adult" comics contained something as thoughtful and feminine and mysterious and creative as The Sandman. It needed to be. When I read it and consider the teenager I was when it was released, I know that that young man would have loved this series, had he discovered it on the shelf when it was first being published. It would have been good for me. The explorations of gender and sexuality, and the relationships of life and longing and death and expression were exactly where I lived as a sad, black-clad, nail-polish-wearing teen in the nineties.
But it isn't the nineties anymore. And I can appreciate everything that The Sandman gave us so that I can enjoy Monstress today without having to pretend that it is as perfect a book as everyone says. Even Neil Gaiman has improved as a writer since this series was first published. Much that I am enjoying as I read American Gods can be found in the pages of this comic, in a lesser form. I still prefer the greater form.
My absolute favourite thing about this entire series has been the covers and the design by Dave McKean. It does not surprise me a whit that this book was so collectable in single issues when it was first on the shelves. These covers are true things of beauty. For all the harm that was done to the story in the inconsistency of art within, the consistency of these designs on the covers must have helped ameliorate the damage in the original floppies. Had I seen these books on the top shelves of my local comics shop when I was in high school, rather than being distracted as I was by Spider-Man's clone saga, I'm sure I would have been transfixed. I am therefore very excited for the arrival of my special edition of American Gods in the mail, which should arrive any day now. This late Christmas present from my father and mother in law is designed and illustrated by Dave McKean. His collaboration with Gaiman raises the work of them both.
So, I close the book on The Sandman. I am not sorry to do so. As much as I did enjoy this final volume, I know the effort it took to get here. These impact of these stories rests heavily on all that came before it. I did not enjoy much that came before it. Therefore, I do not recommend this series to any casual reader. There is so much more in comics now that does what The Sandman tried to do in its day, but so much better. Neil Gaiman has grown and improved as a writer since these books were finished. I would point anyone to any of what came from this work before I would ever point them to this work.
However, for anyone who has read and loved Neil Gaiman's more recent work, I might cautiously suggest checking out this series. To those readers, I would insist that they find the highest quality version of the books that they can, to read the books in print, not digitally, and to make sure they read the remastered/recoloured version. Similarly, to avid readers of creator-owned comics of the 21st Century, I might carefully suggest that they might enjoy exploring some of the first of what gave us the room for the vast array of choices in the world of comics today. To any reader of The Sandman, I would warn that if the art is a hindrance to your enjoyment at the beginning, it will be a long, long time before it ceases to be so.
I am thankful for this book, and this series. But I won't read it again.
☠
The Sandman. Volume 9, The Kindly Ones
Trade Paperback - 320 pages
Fully Remastered Edition (Matching Absolute Edition Volume 4)
Vertigo, 2012
Various artists
Covers by Dave McKean
and
The Sandman. Volume 10, The Wake
Trade Paperback - 187 pages
Fully Remastered Edition (Matching Absolute Edition Volume 4)
Vertigo, 2012
Illustrated by Michael Zulli, Jon Muth, Charles Vess
Covers by Dave McKean
Four Stars
January 3, 2018 - January 8, 2018
☠
November 12, 2022
(Zero spoiler review)
Well, I never expected this one to get all the way to a 4 whilst enduring the dreary and difficult slog that was the 'Inn at the Worlds Ed' arc. I'm rather sure I even contemplating skipping the entire thing at one point, such was anger and indifference these five issues brought out in me. As competent a storyteller as Gaiman is during his less stellar material, this opening arc epitomised everything I dislike about Gaiman in one bland and boring bundle. Five aimless, apathetic stories, featuring one off characters I couldn't care less about. Overly wordy and directionless, and with endings that failed to rouse anything from me other than my ire, and a sense of relief when it was over. Quite how anyone could consider this opening arc as anything other than mildly average is beyond me and I'll never touch it again on a reread. Not only this, but 'The Kindly Ones' arc, which makes up the rest of this collection started about as engagingly as the previous arc left off. I really was pretty close to chucking it in at this point. The art, which was never the highlight of Sandman, was utterly dreadful. Something I got used to as the story grew on me, but remains a lowlight of what ended up being a pretty good arc, all things considered. A few artists lend a hand now and then, but Marc Hempel's very simplistic style did little to add to the wonder and whimsy Gaiman was weaving towards the end. It was quite something to see all the threads and plotlines he had weaved into the story earlier coming together, and whilst there seemed to be a few plotting issues, it managed to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat, regarding my impressions of the series. There was also a twist right at the end, that if poorly done, will likely spoil the series for me somewhat, but that remains to be seen.
For now, this was a mixed bag to be sure, but a mixed bag Gaiman was able to drag across the line from mediocrity to almost pretty great, given his undoubted talent. That is, when he isn't writing aimless, boring tales I could care less about and don't want or need in this universe. 4/5
OmniBen.
Well, I never expected this one to get all the way to a 4 whilst enduring the dreary and difficult slog that was the 'Inn at the Worlds Ed' arc. I'm rather sure I even contemplating skipping the entire thing at one point, such was anger and indifference these five issues brought out in me. As competent a storyteller as Gaiman is during his less stellar material, this opening arc epitomised everything I dislike about Gaiman in one bland and boring bundle. Five aimless, apathetic stories, featuring one off characters I couldn't care less about. Overly wordy and directionless, and with endings that failed to rouse anything from me other than my ire, and a sense of relief when it was over. Quite how anyone could consider this opening arc as anything other than mildly average is beyond me and I'll never touch it again on a reread. Not only this, but 'The Kindly Ones' arc, which makes up the rest of this collection started about as engagingly as the previous arc left off. I really was pretty close to chucking it in at this point. The art, which was never the highlight of Sandman, was utterly dreadful. Something I got used to as the story grew on me, but remains a lowlight of what ended up being a pretty good arc, all things considered. A few artists lend a hand now and then, but Marc Hempel's very simplistic style did little to add to the wonder and whimsy Gaiman was weaving towards the end. It was quite something to see all the threads and plotlines he had weaved into the story earlier coming together, and whilst there seemed to be a few plotting issues, it managed to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat, regarding my impressions of the series. There was also a twist right at the end, that if poorly done, will likely spoil the series for me somewhat, but that remains to be seen.
For now, this was a mixed bag to be sure, but a mixed bag Gaiman was able to drag across the line from mediocrity to almost pretty great, given his undoubted talent. That is, when he isn't writing aimless, boring tales I could care less about and don't want or need in this universe. 4/5
OmniBen.
June 7, 2018
Wait, volume 4 is THAT storyline for Sandman? I was not expecting that. I was into the mystery of who took Lyta Hall's son and everything that was related, but they never really explain why the culprits did it? Stuff just sort of happens and a side character just dies senselessly, and that's a little unsatisfying.
The story with Hob going to the Ren Faire was great.
The story with Hob going to the Ren Faire was great.
May 10, 2010
As positive as I've been about the rest of the series, I must confess that "The Kindly Ones" is one of those stories where stopping just isn't an option. I made the mistake of starting it late at night, and, as a result, I couldn't stop myself from staying awake until I reached the beginning of "The Wake."
To say that Gaiman is masterful at pulling together all the disparate, loose threads found in the previous fifty-odd issues is an understatement, and the story he creates is both cosmically epic and intimate at the same time.
And as for "The Wake" ... well, it doesn't really compare, but it's an elegant denouement, and beautifully drawn. It's not nearly as compelling a read, but it feels necessary, at the very least.
To say that Gaiman is masterful at pulling together all the disparate, loose threads found in the previous fifty-odd issues is an understatement, and the story he creates is both cosmically epic and intimate at the same time.
And as for "The Wake" ... well, it doesn't really compare, but it's an elegant denouement, and beautifully drawn. It's not nearly as compelling a read, but it feels necessary, at the very least.
November 9, 2016
Finished the series! I'm glad I read it.
September 2, 2016
Perfect ending to the story. Pure genius, both the writing and the art.
January 17, 2021
Após alguns anos estou novamente passando por todas as páginas dos 75 volumes de Sandman, magistralmente compilados nos 5 Abolute Sandman, e posso dizer que é algo que quero fazer com frequência. Não sou uma pessoa que costuma revisitar as leituras antigas, mas as histórias aqui são tão carregadas de detalhes e sentido que a cada leitura é um aprendizado, somado à experiência de vida acumulada. Me faltam palavras para descrever os aprendizados e o quanto essas histórias me tocam profundamente. O volume 4 é absolutamente fantástico, mas ao mesmo tempo triste, pois nele está The Tempest, a história de fechamento da saga Sandman, de 1996. Um fechamento magistral, juntamente com o arco das Bondosas, que te leva completamente pra dentro da história. Eu realmente me senti dentro da história, participando como um observador, como se eu estivesse conversando com cada personagem. É como, poeticamente, se fosse um sonho...Um final que me deixou emocionado e um no qual vou refletir por um bom tempo ainda.
April 3, 2024
The epic classic finishes in this volume. I adored my time in The Dreaming, and look forward to more in Sandman: Overture. It took me a little bit to get into Hempel's art in the Kindly Ones, but once I did I really enjoyed it and appreciated it. The art from Zulli and Vess is so beautiful. The ending could be thought of as indulgent. In fact, the book kind of ends many times. But I loved it. I enjoyed the way the various threads of story came together, and felt the multiple denouements were earned and worth it.
Full video review on TikTok
Full video review on TikTok
December 5, 2017
4.5 stars for me. I had such a blast reading this series, and with the last one everything came together in a almost perfect ending, but after the last ending came a little short story, wich i did not really as an ending, still this is one of the best reading experiences of the year, if your a fan of Graphic Novels, i highly recommend this. Also shout out to my raven Matthew ! hillarious.
March 25, 2024
All hell breaks loose.
This volume of The Sandman was a very interesting one. It had a good on-going storyline and was better connected than the previous volumes. It had a lot of connections to different myths and it's interesting to see how a lot of stories have the same inspiration. Episode 4 especially was very dark and had a good horror vibe to it.
I could also clearly see all the seeds planted for future storylines so it will be fun to revisit those later.
For me the most fun was to see all the different religious figures together. Because they are all of course fictional and exist just together in our collective concious, just like all the modern fictional characters. It shows that storytelling is mankinds most powerful tool but it can also lead to very dangerous and dark stuff.
This volume of The Sandman was a very interesting one. It had a good on-going storyline and was better connected than the previous volumes. It had a lot of connections to different myths and it's interesting to see how a lot of stories have the same inspiration. Episode 4 especially was very dark and had a good horror vibe to it.
I could also clearly see all the seeds planted for future storylines so it will be fun to revisit those later.
For me the most fun was to see all the different religious figures together. Because they are all of course fictional and exist just together in our collective concious, just like all the modern fictional characters. It shows that storytelling is mankinds most powerful tool but it can also lead to very dangerous and dark stuff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2025
This final collection of The Sandman ends the whole thing well. It's creative, weird, somber yet hopeful, and it embodies everything that made the series so strangely gripping. But all in all, it wraps the entire saga up in a near-perfect way.
The Kindly Ones might be one of the greatest arcs I've read in anything. That said, the final few issues after felt like a series of disconnected epilogues tacked on. While they all proved interesting enough, I almost felt like I would've preferred to end at Issue 72 not the final 75.
Still, this entire series is an easy recommendation for something strange and excellent.
4.5 stars.
The Kindly Ones might be one of the greatest arcs I've read in anything. That said, the final few issues after felt like a series of disconnected epilogues tacked on. While they all proved interesting enough, I almost felt like I would've preferred to end at Issue 72 not the final 75.
Still, this entire series is an easy recommendation for something strange and excellent.
4.5 stars.
February 7, 2018
The 4th and final volume of Gaiman's Sandman.
April 19, 2020
Gaiman's world is Melancholic and beautiful, his characters have a very nihilistic features yet a deep appreciation for life and the code of principles which they and entities before them built
If not for The Tempest, this would have a brilliant 5 stars hands down, the Kindly Ones story line was amazing and engaging. While the EXILES was my favorite from this collection
Drink Tea
If not for The Tempest, this would have a brilliant 5 stars hands down, the Kindly Ones story line was amazing and engaging. While the EXILES was my favorite from this collection
Drink Tea
February 4, 2024
8,5/10
September 28, 2022
sve skupa jedan od najboljih stripova ikad
September 12, 2020
Somehow I did not enjoy this as much as the first three volumes. I think, perhaps, I'm not a fan of endings... but now the million dollar question is: what's in volume five??
August 20, 2022
obrigado por tudo, neil gaiman
January 1, 2023
Sandman is a story that ends even better than it started. And what a journey it has been. I was deeply moved by how everything started coming together in the final two arcs (The Kindly Ones and The Wake). What makes Gaiman so great is that he works from a very emotional and empathetic place, combined with some dream magic, so everything makes ‘sense’ within the story. Perhaps the greatest comic of all time.
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