The Sandman: Endless Nights Special

    (Vertigo, 2003)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

Marvel 1602? Bah. Sandman: The Dream Hunters? Pish posh. As great as these projects are, this is the one that Gaiman fans have been enduring their own endless nights over: a reunion among Gaiman, Morpheus and his six siblings, and seven of the industry’s best artists.

After the ongoing Sandman series ended in 1996, Gaiman stated that he would return to write The Endless again when the mood struck him. Which he did, three years later, with the aforementioned Dream Hunters illustrated novel, an enchanting and beautifully rendered “Japanese fairytale.” But here Gaiman returns to the more familiar sequential storytelling format, just as he returns to his most famous characters.

The book is divided into seven stand-alone stories, one each for Dream, Death, Delirium, and the other alliterative family members, and a different artist superbly renders each. And every one is a typical Gaiman masterpiece. But the best is, logically, the story of a young Morpheus, when celestial forces meet at the dawn of the universe. There’s even a tie-in to DC universe continuity, and it’s lushly painted by Prado.

And there’s Destruction’s fascinating story about an unusual archaeological dig, the story pencilled and inked by Fabry; Sienkiewicz constructs a textured collage about a heartwarming story of psychological rescue featuring Delirium; Russell does his pastel thing with Death on an island lost in time, etc. Every story, every page, every panel is a work of beauty. This book is pure magic, Gaiman is at his best, and it’s a stark but satisfying reminder that his Sandman has been truly missed, even though Gaiman’s remained active. Welcome back, Neil. Seeya in 1602.

— Jim Johnson
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#1

November, 2003
Cover Price: $2.95
5 copies available from $1.75 		Neil GaimanMiguelanxo Prado
Ashcan #1


Cover Price: $0.00
2 copies available from $3.99 		Neil GaimanP. Craig Russell, Milo Manara, Bill Sienkiewicz, Miguelanxo Prado, Barron Storey, Glenn Fabry, Frank Quitely