Absolute Sandman: Volume 1: 01

I've loved books since early childhood, seeing them as entranceways to other worlds of wonder and imagination. These Absolute editions of The Sandman rekindle that sense of wonder. The smell of them, the look of them, the heft of them, everything about them excites the senses. They are clearly designed to be evocative of both 19th century household Bibles and late medieval magical grimoires. The stories they contain have elements of both. Underlying them all is Neil Gaiman's magical concept of the seven siblings known as the Endless. These immortal, towering entities oversee human existence from the cradle to the grave. They are Dream, Delirium (formerly Delight), Destiny, Despair, Desire, Destruction, and Death. Sometimes they appear as gigantic figures looming above the Earth. Mostly, they adapt their size, shape and dress to the people, places and times where they appear.In an afterword to one of the later volumes, Neil Gaiman admits that he began work on the Sandman as a regular gig that would bring in a monthly pay cheque. It didn't take him long to turn it into something far more than just another job. In this, he was encouraged by his editor, Karen Berger, who seems not only to have given him an amazing amount of freedom but positively demanded that he take it and run with it wherever the fancy took him. Hence what begins as an apparently straightforward horror comic quickly breaks through the confining straps of the genre and takes flight, going to places few if any comics had explored before.Even the early stories that most resemble horror comics are remarkably well-written, reflecting the fact that Gaiman is remarkably well-read. The first issue references the notorious 20th century occultist, Aleister Crowley and features a brief appearance by Wesley Dodds, the first DC character to bear the Sandman name. The third issue features DC's very own English master of the occult arts, Mr. John Constantine. Having the whole DC universe at his disposal, Gaiman introduces various alumni of the Justice League and characters from Jack Kirby's awesome Fourth World saga. Later in this volume, Gaiman folds his own flight of fancy into Will Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' a perfect choice of play for a book whose central character is Dream, a.k.a. the Dream Lord, the Changer, or the Sandman. The Midsummer Night's Dream issue is illustrated by the great Charles Vess, the perfect choice of illustrator. This issue is the only comic book ever to have won the prestigious World Fantasy Award for a short work of fiction.This brings us back to Karen Berger, since I'm assuming she was largely responsible for teaming Gaiman up with the various artists who bring his stories to life on the page. The first few issues are drawn by Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg, of whom I'd not previously heard but who do an excellent job. After Sam Kieth drops out, the equally skilled Malcolm Jones III takes over. Chris Bachalo then steps in for an issue, followed by Mike Zulli before Mike Dringenberg returns with the most horrific tale in the entire run, where we meet the deeply unpleasant character known as the Corinthian. Move over Dracula, there's a new murderous menace in town with teeth to put your pointy canines to shame. Often in comics, when artists chop and change the changes in style are jarring and off-putting. With Sandman, they aren't. In fact, you get the impression that artists are being auditioned and selected for the roles they are to play and the stories they have to tell. Gaiman writes in another of his afterwords of the joy that he had in working with artists he trusted to pick up his words and run with them, often with minimal instruction from him in terms of breakdown or layout. The artists clearly loved to have such literate, entertaining scripts to work from.Speaking of artists, it's impossible to talk about the Sandman series for long without mentioning Dave McKean. His extraordinary photo-montage covers gave each issue of the Sandman its highly individualistic look, making it impossible to miss on the stands. Some of these covers, all faithfully reproduced here, appear almost abstract until you look closely into them, when you find weird hidden imagery floating into or out of focus. They are genuine works of art. McKean has also designed the covers and slip cases of these Absolute editions and they too are a wonder to behold, dark, mysterious, enticing.As so many others have said, the quality of the writing is what initially raised these stories high above the standard normally expected of a comic book. Add to that the editorial freedom the writer was given and the quality of the artists he was given to collaborate with and you have a nigh on perfect package. There are a few signs in the early issues of a writer finding his feet and discovering his characters, but even these are handled with such panache, wit and intelligence as to be instantly engaging. Then, with issue 19 and the Dream King's encounter with Shakespeare, it becomes obvious that this is a work destined to go beyond any previously recognised comic book genre and become a fully-fledged literary gem that repays frequent re-reading. A triumph for all concerned. And that includes the oft-overlooked letterer, Todd Klein, who goes above and beyond the call of duty, creating entire new fonts to differentiate major characters from one another or to match the style of a particular tale. Just brilliant.Last to be congratulated are the DC design and production team and the printers who physically put the thing together. These are books as works of art. The thick, sturdy slip case, bearing beautiful Dave McKean designs front and back, looks as though it'll last a lifetime. The book itself, again graced by Dave McKean designs, is bound in jet black faux leather, stamped with silver lettering and an impressed design of a lock and key. The book is about 50% larger in area than the original comic book size, which really enhances the often incredibly detailed artwork. The print quality is excellent throughout, the blacks clear and crisp, the colours perfectly balanced.I'd read all these stories before in paperback editions, but it has been a huge pleasure re-reading them in this sumptuous format. If you're going to read the Sandman, this is definitely the way to do it. Pick up these volumes while you can. Pass them on to your children and grandchildren (but not until they're at least sixteen unless you want to give them nightmares for life!). These are stories to last the ages in a form to do them justice. Well done, DC!Hey, I nearly forgot, just to top things off there are 66 pages of extras including the full script and original pencil art for the 'Midsummer Night's Dream' episode. Yeah!

I've become a graphic novel fan recently through Joss Whedon's After The Fall series. I wondered where to go next, and then I remembered The Sandman. I knew next to nothing about the series other than I have often heard it spoken of in awed and reverent tones by people who are more at home with Joyce and Shakespeare than they are with comic books. Now being a fan of the medium I decided it was high time I went for the pinnacle of graphic novels. More than that, it had always seemed inevitable that I would - other things I liked seemed to be guiding me in that direction. I'm a fan of Terry Pratchett (favourite author), Tori Amos (favourite musician) and Babylon 5 (still my favourite science fiction series) - all of whom have strong Neil Gaiman connections. I read the first issue of The Sandman to see if I liked it, and then I did something wonderfully reckless and self-indulgent. I bought the entire series of it all at once - four Absolute Sandman collections, the Absolute Death edition and the hardback of Endless Nights. I'm not all the way through, but I haven't regretted it yet.To review all the Absolute Sandman volumes and Absolute Death first in terms of their quality, these are every bit as well made and high quality as you'd expect from the price. Bound in faux leather and with glossy pages, bookmark ribbons and beautifully designed hardcover slipcases, these are tomes the quality of which would make wizards and priests envious. Not only that, the artwork has been re-coloured to make it the best that it can be.Absolute Sandman Volume 1 contains the first twenty issues as well as many, many pages of wonderful miscellany. I know each volume contains something extra that the ten standard collections do not, so this is surely the ultimate treasure for any fan of The Endless.I read the first story arc (which would be volume 1 of the standard collections) with the same awe and reverence that I have described hearing from others. Captivating, spellbinding, shocking and amazing - it has already entranced me into an avid fan. There's now something of a new ritual in my life. Each day I pick up a slipcase, tip out an absolute edition, sit down on the bed and read no more, no less than one chapter, put the volume back in the slipcase and stand it back with the others in its pride of place on a very sturdy shelf.

So - Absolute Sandman volume one.I've seen a lot of people describe the absolute sandman books as the highest prestige format for the sandman series, and, after buying volume one, I'm inclined to agree. In fact, given the price that's currently listed (about £50 each), and the content included, I'd say this is perfect for pretty much anybody even remotely interested in the Sandman books. If you've read the series before, then the absolute editions will be a fantastic addition to your collection and a strong reminder of what makes the series such a classic in the first place. (The recoloring is mainly well done, too. It didn't disappoint personally.) However! I would also recommend the absolute editions to first-time readers, too. Usually, absolute editions work best as a new way of collecting an all-time favorite comic for long-time super fans in a nice hardback and oversized glory, but, in the case of absolute Sandman volume one, I think it transcends this purpose. If you haven't read Sandman before - this book elevates the material significantly, and, I recommend it in this format regardless of your history with the publication. So, in short (TL: DR;) - if you're looking to read the Sandman series, you should look no further than the absolute editions. Your crusade can finally end, for you have found the epitome of graphic novel storytelling. Stop contemplating, and buy it!

After ordering the Absolute Overture last year I dove into ordering the whole Absolute series this year. Amazing!

There are some differences between this and the trade (or paperback) version that I noticed right away:- The title pages for each "volume" don't have the text on them (which I miss).- Not all the spreads line up the way they do in the paperback versions, but all the spreads that were meant to be together are likely intact.- The absolute sandman contains the recolored art which I thought would be awesome but I'm weirdly loyal to the original coloring now that I see them together. In the original coloring, Dream's hair and clothes have blue shadows, but in the recolor his hair has gray shadows which just doesn't look the same.It's not an easy book to physically read because it's huge and heavy, but it's beautiful and appears to be well made. It's nice to have the extra page space for all the beautiful art.Until now I've been borrowing the paperbacks volume by volume from the library and got tired of waiting. This seemed like the best balance between the most economical and most high quality way to experience the full series.

L'imballaggio era ottimo e la spedizione molto veloce.Per i collezionisti segnalo che ovviamente quella spedita e la "nuova" ristampa, cioè quella (purtroppo) senza l'etichetta Vertigo ma con quella DC

Si alguna vez lo tienes cerca y simplemente lo abres para mirar las páginas quizás no puedas soltarlo.

Esta edição é um "must have" para qualquer fã de graphic novels. É linda, com um acabamento realmente premium. Apesar de ser em inglês, a leitura não é difícil, uma noção básica da língua é o bastante. Vou além: para quem quer aprender inglês, é um ótimo material. O único ponto negativo é o preço. Infelizmente, como quase tudo no Brasil, os valores ficam fora da realidade da maioria. Se Deus quiser isso mudará e mais pessoas terão acesso a edições desse nível.