Customer Reviews

The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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!

I bought this product because I really loved the sandman stories and thought it would be worth it to buy the absolute version for the extra features. However, after reading it for abit, and I'm not the sort who abuses books.. the pages were becoming detached from the spine, which led me to conclude that the binding for this book is pretty awful.
Summary: get the book for the story and the beautiful colour but don't expect your book to stay together after you're done.

I just picked up the book and already its binding is falling apart. The glue used to seal / hold the binding together is simply not strong enough for a book this thick and heavy; opening the book to read is sufficient to cause the glue binding to split apart. Horrible quality for something that certainly isn't cheap! Unless you're a great fan of The Sandman with lots of cash, it's probably wiser to buy the paperbacks instead.333

A beautiful series, both graphically and lyrically. I originally read this story from a friend's old set of 10 graphic novels, and it is worth the extra money to buy this new edition.

Sandman was unquestionably the finest piece of work to come out of comics in the 1990's. Neil Gaiman managed to craft an entire universe within its pages, a comprehensive mythology so complete and flawless in its execution that, at times, I find it hard to believe what I'm reading was the work of one mind. It's a conglomeration of all the world's mythologies, and he uses this tremendous microcosm as the backdrop for some astonishing stories.

Volume 2 of Absolute Sandman is when the comic starts to go down the rabbit hole, so to speak. There are moments of pure darkness and terror, as well as humorous one shots, and curious side stories. But what ties it all together is Gaiman's peerless mastering of the art of story telling. He knows how to draw you in, and he knows how to hold you there. A massive tome like this shouldn't prove so absorbing that I could read it in three sittings. It's not a quick read by any means, but once I'm in, I don't want to leave.

And no review of an Absolute release would be complete without mentioning the luxurious packaging. Beautifully bound, the book alone would be an impressive looking addition to any library. That it comes with an attractive slip case simply adds to the already considerable appeal. Even if you already own all the Sandman trades, it's well worth the cost to buy these, if you can afford the price. The over-sized art looks gorgeous, and the printing quality is superb. The extras in the back, particularly the complete script of an issue, only serve to seal the deal.

This collection started off very strong, but weakend somewhat with the second story-arc. The first one, "Seasons Of Mist", was excellent, and deals with Lucifer abdicating Hell and handing the keys over the Dream. What follows is creatures and deities from (almost) every pantheon vying to claim it (inlcuding Gaiman's first work with the Norse Gods, which he handled very well in American Gods). His best stuff yet, and I'm now looking forward to finishing this series and picking up the Lucifer trades, as that is the series that, for all intents and purposes, follows-up Sandman.
The second major story , "A Game Of You", just didn't seem very engaging to me. It follows a bit player from an earlier story and feels very much like Gaiman's take on popular fantasy like Oz and Narnia (though I kept getting a Labyrinth and Neverending Story vibe off of it, too). It's probabaly about two chapters too long (coming in at six) and is the only thing keeping me from giving it five stars.
In between are several one-shots where Gaiman uses historical figures, both famous and little-known, to further flesh out the relationships among The Endless, and they are all pretty enjoyable.

First, let me say, Neil Gaiman is one of the most thoughtful, reflective writers there is. In this book, he's teemed with some very moody artists as well, for some great stories.

I assume if your looking at this, you don't need to be sold on the story. While buying the Absolute volumes (there should eventually be four, in order to collect the entire series) is roughly twice the price of the paperbacks, the quality cannot be beat. Each page is blown up larger than any other oversized hardcover, and the binding is sewn tight, so no worries there.

The book can be a little heavy to read, but the hardcover looks amazing, and there's about fifty pages of extra scripts, proposals, and sketches.

This volume collects Season of Mists, where Dream inherits Hell, and saves Nada, A Game of You, with Barbie and the Porpentine, and Fables and Reflections, single issue tales from Dream's past.


While some of the best sandman stories (Brief Lives, The Kindly Ones) are yet to come, these stories shouldn't be missed.

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.