The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2 [Hardcover]

Neil Gaiman (Author), Shawn McManus (Illustrator), Kelley Jones (Illustrator), Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator), Bryan Talbot (Illustrator), John Watkiss (Illustrator), Matt Wagner (Illustrator), Stan Woch (Illustrator), Colleen Doran (Illustrator), Dave McKean (Cover Design)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2007

THE SANDMAN, written by New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman, was the most acclaimed comic book title of the 1990s. A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, THE SANDMAN is also

widely considered one of the most original and artistically ambitious series of the modern age. By the time it concluded in 1996, it had made significant contributions to the artistic maturity of comic books and had become a pop culture phenomenon in its own right.

Now, DC Comics is proud to present this comics classic in an all-new Absolute Edition format. The second of four beautifully designed slipcased volumes, THE ABSOLUTE SANDMAN VOL. 2 collects twenty tales of THE SANDMAN and features completely new coloring, approved by the author, as well as never-before-seen extra material.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Collecting issues 21–39, encompassing the Seasons of Mists story arc, a storytelling interlude, and the Game of You arc, the second boxed Sandman roundup is no less beautiful than the first. As if it were a 7-pound director’s cut, all the stops have been pulled to preduce a truly stunning book. Dream, Death, and the rest of the Endless have never looked as good, and more than 100 pages of extras encompass contributor notes, a Desire story that appeared previously only in a 1997 anthology, the script and pencils for issue 23, and a gallery of pinups chock-full of eye-wateringly beautiful art. --Tina Coleman

Product Details

• Hardcover: 616 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (October 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140121083X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401210830
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 2.4 x 15.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oversized, Recoloured and with extras? Who could resist!, November 15, 2007

By 

Haloquin (Wales) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2 (Hardcover)

The second in a series of 4 hardcovers recollecting the stories of Sandman this faux-leather bound book comes beautifully packaged with gorgeous cover art by Dave Mckean and a sturdy slipcase.

The art is significantly larger, printed closer to the size it was originally drawn, and is recoloured to Gaiman's specifications. The new colouring makes a huge difference, the art, which appeared scrappy, muddy and unclear in some of the earlier printings, is much clearer and the colours positively glow.

There are numerous extras, a never-before-reprinted illustrated story, a collection of Sandman art (published as the Gallery of Dreams comic I think) and copies of the original script and pencils for an issue... plus a few other bits.

I would recommend this as a gift or for a collector, but really the first volume would be better. The Sandman stories do stand alone and don't necessitate a specific order of reading but its nice to have the first in a set first, you know.

The one problem I've found is apparently common with Absolute books... the glue from the slipcase covered one of the corners of the books sticking the pages together. I unstuck them but couldn't avoid tearing a few; the black top coating of the page peeling away. As they are heavy they also often get the corners of the slipcase slightly bashed.

Despite this I would recommend these over the trade paperback collections. While they are overall more expensive the Absolute books are far more enjoyable and much more beautiful... and the price on Amazon.com is half what you'd pay in a shop, even with shipping to the UK!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Irresistibly beautiful -- I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!, December 4, 2007

By 

J. A Magill (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2 (Hardcover)

Few comics deserve such an extraordinary loving treatment as Gaiman's Sandman is receiving in these irresistible Absolute editions (this being volume 2 of what I believe is projected to be 4). Not only does it include wonderful extras ( a bonus story, bonus art, original scripts and pencils) but the volume itself is lovely. The faux leather case with its Mickean cover lends it a wonderful air, as a volume in Lucien's Library. The art, with its recoloration under Gaman's direction and oversized, likewise gives the reader a level of clarity never before enjoyed in the original.

One can go on and on about this volume, but I found it, in a word, irresistible. If you or someone you love is a fan of Sandman, this volume and/or the first in the Absolute Sandman series is a gift that will surely not disappoint, indeed it will surely be treasured for years to come.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Little Uneven, But Still Brilliant!, April 21, 2008

By 

G. Guthrie "fiction book collector" (columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2 (Hardcover)

This is the second collection of Sandman comics taking us up to issue #40 (of #75). There are a few single issue comics (all good), but for the most part this volume is comprised of two large story arcs. The first is Season of Mists, which I liked a lot and was 7 issues. It told a tale of Lucifer deciding to quit Hell and leave. He kicks everyone out and gives the key to Dream, who then is swamped by all the other gods/entities who now want the key to Hell. Here we also get to see all, except one, of the Endless for the first time, which was cool.

The second half of this volume was taken up by a story arc A Game of You, which were six issues in length. So this story dominated the second half of the volumes, as did Season of Mists with the first half of the volume. This arc actually is exactly what I would expect from The Sandman, it's about a girl's escape into her fantasy land she created as a little girl, which of course The Sandman created, because it was created out of dreams. So this was the first story that really was a believable scenario of Dream, if he existed. The only problem was it was created from childhood dolls on one hand, which were goofy, and on the other hand it was extremely violent. It was a weird mix that just didn't fit together that well. I think this was a story if read from text would have come out superb, but with the goofy graphics it just seemed weird, and didn't come off that well.

I still liked the second volume, even with the second half dragging a bit with A Game of You. And I'll say I liked the first volume in this series better. But this volume was still pretty darn interesting. Easily recommended!