Before The Matrix This chap was the Morpheus foremost in in the minds of graphic novel fans. Also known as the Sandman or the Lord of Dreams, he is a creation of the ingenious mind of Neil Gaiman, one of Britain’s great geek talents.
I’ve been meaning to read the Sandman series for quite some time now ever since first stumbling on Gaiman via his collaboration with Terry Pratchett on Good Omens, and I was not disappointed. I’ve now cracked my way through the first two volumes of the complete set and I can see why it became such a genre transcending comic, the characters are modern and yet timeless and the writing erudite and adult. Gaiman is not afraid to venture into the dark places of humanity and venture he does. This brilliant writing is all paired with some fantastic art talent (especially the seductive covers) to produce something that can’t fail to appeal to any literary adult whether they have any interest in comics or not. There’s barely any spandex.
I’ll be buying the next in the series as soon as money allows.