Sandman Slipcase Set [Hardcover]

Neil Gaiman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 13, 2012 | Series: Sandman

New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman's transcendent series The Sandman is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling. Gaiman created an unforgettable tale of the forces that exist beyond life and death by weaving ancient mythology, folklore and fairy tales with his own distinct narrative vision. 

This set includes all 10 trade paperback volumes of The Sandman in a 6 3/4 x 3 3/8 x 10 5/16 slipcase.
 

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Vertigo (November 13, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401238637
• ISBN-13: 978-1401238636
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.7 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Fantasy

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The greatest epic in the history of comic books" – The Los Angeles Times Magazine

"One of the few comics that segued from the comics crowd, entering the intellectual and art worlds, winning over a large non-comics-reading audience..."  – The Hollywood Reporter  

About the Author

Neil Gaiman is the NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author of AMERICAN GODS and CORALINE.  His other books include the novels ANANSI BOYS, NEVERWHERE and STARDUST (winner of the American Library Association's Alex Awards as one of 2000's top ten adult novels for young adults) and the short fiction collections M IS FOR MAGIC, FRAGILE THINGS and SMOKE AND MIRRORS. With Roger Avary, he is the screenwriter of the motion picture BEOWULF (Paramount, November 2007), direct by Robert Zemeckis.  His illustrated novel STARDUST was released as a major motion picture Summer 2007 starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro.  With Terry Pratchett, he is the author of the novel GOOD OMENS.  He is also the author of the children's books THE WOLVES IN THE WALLS and THE DAY I TRADED MY DAD FOR TWO GOLDFISH. Among his many awards are the Eisner, Hugo, the Nebula, the World Fantasy and the Bram Stoker.  Originally from England, Gaiman now lives in the United States.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Vertigo (November 13, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401238637
• ISBN-13: 978-1401238636
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.7 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Fantasy

More About the Author

I make things up and write them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean's MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or my own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON).

In my spare time I read and sleep and eat and try to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#25 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#3 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#4 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#5 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

#5 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#5 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#3 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#4 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#5 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

#5 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#5 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tales of the Sandman November 13, 2012

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The world of comic books was a very different place before the Sandman came into being. Neil Gaiman revolutionized the graphic novel with "The Sandman," an exquisite story filled with shadowy realistic art and strange magical beings. Bringing together the entire brilliant series, this collection is an essential read for fantasy and/or comic book fans.

A group of occultists once attempted to summon and trap Death... but instead, they capture Dream (aka Morpheus) and lock him in a glass orb. One day, Dream escapes his prison and reenters the world -- but soon discovers that the world of the Dreaming is in ruins, his creatures have escaped into the mortal world, and his magical items have been lost.

But restoring the Dreaming isn't his only problem. Morpheus also must deal with a dream vortex that now lives in the human world, the abandonment of Hell by Lucifer (and all the people who want it), and a woman locked in a strange dream world threatened by the Cuckoo. There are also tales of Dream and his family, the Endless, and their feuds, losses and quests -- such as when Dream is dragged off by his sister Delirium, in search of their long-lost brother Destruction.

There are also smaller stories, sometimes starring legendary figures like Augustus Caesar, Marco Polo, William Shakespeare, one of the Muses, and most notably Orpheus -- as well as tales of werewolves, faeries, ruined superheroes, cats and ordinary people.

The world of "The Sandman" is a strange one -- it lightly interlocks with other graphic novel series, effortlessly slips from one world to another, and exposes both the beauty and ugliness of our own world. It's a universe that is both strange and epic, but there are also a lot of layers that can terrify you....

And the artwork is sublime -- realistic in style, but often bizarre and a little frightening in theme. And despite the core colors being shadowy greys, whites and blacks, there are splashes of bright colors everywhere. Green fields, blue hallways, psychedelic skies, hallucinations filled with sickly pallid hues.

Gaiman created one of his most iconic, complex characters in Morpheus -- his inhumanity is reflected by acts of great cruelty and kindness. He starts off as a rather cold figure who does some rather nasty things, but he grows gradually over the course of the series, becoming a warmer, more compassionate creature. But Gaiman isn't afraid to occasionally poke fun at Morpheus' gloomy persona.

The author also spun up a very nonstereotypical version of Death. No robes, scythes or skeletal faces here. In fact, forget about anything sinister -- this version of Death is a delightfully quirky, perky goth chick. And she's only one of the dozens of memorable, fascinating and/or endearing characters who litter the pages -- from gods to animals, faeries to mortals.

But there is one way this could have been better: it does not contain "Dream Hunters" (either the novel or the graphic novel) and the follow-up collection "Endless Nights."

The complete Sandman series is a must-have for anyone who fancies themselves a reader -- especially if they have the guts to tackle a worlds-spanning epic, full of darkness and beauty. Do not miss Neil Gaiman's comic-book opus. Read more ›

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Collection of Dreams December 13, 2012

By David S. Hooker

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

There's nothing I can tell you about 'Sandman' that you probably haven't already heard, I wish to add only that this series not only lives up to the hype but often surpasses it. That being said, I was quite happy to have stumbled upon this collection on Amazon and promptly purchased it. Having received it in the mail yesterday, I can safely say that it was a great investment.

As the description says, it collects the ten remastered trade paperbacks in one slipcase. Nothing differs in the volumes collected here to those available separately, they are the exact same. What makes this collection, to me, worth buying is the convenience of nabbing the entire series in one shot as well as the wonderfully illustrated slipcase to house them. Contrary to what others have been saying about the slipcase, I found it to be very sturdy, made from a thick cardboard with a glossy finish, and holds the ten volumes very snugly; though I would admit it might be too snug, having to tilt the box completely face down when I first opened it in order to remove the books. Other than that, I believe it to be very well made and suitable for its purpose.

While I do recommend this product to any and all Sandman/Gaiman fans I would have liked to see 'Endless Nights,' 'Dream Hunters,' and 'Sandman Midnight Theater' included as well. Even a supplemental art gallery volume would've been a nice addition, but one can dream.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great collection. Lazy box. May 14, 2013

By Guilherme

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Sandman is amazing, Neil Gaiman is one of the best comic book authors of his or any other time, and if you're thinking of buying the ten books in one box, all that is probably an overstatement. So I'm going to skip the bit about how I love reading these books, and talk about what I thought of this boxed set, in comparison to other ways to buy this same story.
The slipcase set does the job: it has all the stories, every book is introduced by a different person, printing is ok (if that worries you at all). And that's why I give it a 4 star rating. Because it does the job. But there is nothing that made me go nuts over this boxed set, beside the Sandman story, that could be bought in now so many different formats from "ten gazillion paperback comics" to "five or six hard cover box" to "a blurry bootleg downloaded off a fansite".
The box in itself is pretty disposable, being useful only for moving purposes.
But in terms of cost/benefit, I'm very happy with the buy. It saved me a lot on loose books, space, and the box art looks pretty on my library.

Over all, I recommend this, just don't expect any "special edition" gimmick.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Content excellent, printing quality not April 14, 2013

By Eric Smith

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've never been a fan of graphic novels, but I am very much a fan of Neil Gaiman, so after years of reading rave reviews of the Sandman series, I took the plunge and bought the slipcase set. So far I've read the first three volumes and enjoyed them immensely. Since I never saw the earlier editions, I can't give any opinion as to how the recoloring compares, but it seems reasonable to me. Judging on content only, I'd give 4 stars, based on averaging 4.5 stars for writing and 3.5 for artwork.

What I dislike intensely, and brings my overall rating down to 2 stars, is that the printer left no margin at the inside edge of the pages, and often there are speech balloons or artwork details which the reader must attempt to smash the spine flat in order to read. It makes me want to unbind the volumes to be able to see everything properly. For a "remastered" product, I really expected better.