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A review by posies23
The Annotated Sandman, Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman, Leslie S. Klinger
5.0
This is my first real re-read of SANDMAN since the days I bought it as a monthly. It's interesting to read it more as a whole, as the storylines hold together really well. Gaiman is, of course, one of those writers whose shadow has grown to a gigantic level since he first wrote these issues. But, for me, the stories hold up very well. The characters act in unexpected ways, and seem much more well-rounded than the typical comic book fare. I'd also forgotten how much of the SANDMAN mythology didn't exist in these early issues. Much of that came later. In the beginning, it was very much the story of Dream and those he interacted with after his long absence. There are many seeds planted here that pay off later, of course, and the stories play out very organically, with connections that don't seem obvious at first. There are haunting little moments that stick with you. The art is a strong help with the mood and success of the stories, too. THE ANNOTATED SANDMAN is completely in black and white, not the color that the comics originally published with. In some respects, this makes the art stronger. Without the distractions of color, the lifework is much more obvious, and the talent of the artists is really showcased. There were a few times that the lack of color was missed, since the color helped to highlight the "important" action of the panels.
Klinger's annotations are a mixed bag. They certainly help to illuminate sections of the comics that make allusion to literary or historical events, and there are A LOT of those. Gaiman clearly loves to invoke references to other literature, and Klinger does a nice job of filling in the gaps. There are also some sections that quote directly from Gaiman's scripts to his artists, and some of the asides are very interesting and point out things that never made it to the page. Still, there are times that the annotations don't seem to really make much sense -- like why do we need to know where the ad pages were placed in the original comics?
I really enjoyed THE ANNOTATED SANDMAN, and I think it's a great way to revisit the series. I'm glad DC put forth the effort, and I'll definitely read the remaining three volumes.
Klinger's annotations are a mixed bag. They certainly help to illuminate sections of the comics that make allusion to literary or historical events, and there are A LOT of those. Gaiman clearly loves to invoke references to other literature, and Klinger does a nice job of filling in the gaps. There are also some sections that quote directly from Gaiman's scripts to his artists, and some of the asides are very interesting and point out things that never made it to the page. Still, there are times that the annotations don't seem to really make much sense -- like why do we need to know where the ad pages were placed in the original comics?
I really enjoyed THE ANNOTATED SANDMAN, and I think it's a great way to revisit the series. I'm glad DC put forth the effort, and I'll definitely read the remaining three volumes.