Preludes & Nocturnes

[jazzfish]

(xposted elseweb)
Thoughts on Preludes & Nocturnes:

• I had somehow forgotten that Sandman started out life as a horror comic. Yow.
  
• Lots of foreshadowing, in both the writing and the art.
  
• I really wish Sam Kieth had stuck with the book: I like his Morpheus a lot.
  
• Dream is kind of a dick. As I recall this is a persistent theme.
  
• The two pages of Neil writing Martian Manhunter are great. (As is his John Constantine, but that's no surprise.)
  
• Death's initial appearance remains stunning (it's the contrast with the previous seven issues, I think), and "The Sound of Her Wings" in general ... wow.

Comments

[davidgoldfarb]

I can remember one person on Making Light asking about the first Sandman volume in terms that I boiled down to: "Are there going to be any more stories like that one?" To which (as you know) the short answer is "no".

It's not like there aren't horror elements still scattered throughout. Remember Delirium and the highway patrolman? But nothing else quite so dark.

[jazzfish]

Or, you know, the cereal convention in Doll's House. Not /quite/ so dark, but still.

[firecat]

Yeah I'm glad I didn't give up after the especially horrific bit of P&N, and I'm also glad that particular kind of horrific wasn't repeated.

"The Sound of Her Wings" is everything.

[jazzfish]

No kidding.

"The Sound of Her Wings" <3 <3 <3