Sandman: Dream Hunters HC (Hardcover)

~ (Author), P. Craig Russell (Author)

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Product Description

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, THE SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS is a hardcover comics adaptation of Gaiman's original prose novella by the same name illustrated by Yoshitako Amano.

The world was different in old Japan. In those days, creatures of myth and legend walked upon the earth, swam in the sea, flew through the air. Some were wild and some, at great cost, could be tamed. So it was that a wily fox made a wager to dislodge a humble young monk from his home--and lost her heart in the betting. So it was also that a master of the demons of this world set his own eyes on the monk, seeking to seize the pious man's inner strength for his own. And so it was, the King of All Night's Dreaming would find himself intervening on behalf of a love that was never meant to be...

Adapted by P. Craig Russell from the award-winning story by NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author Neil Gaiman, THE SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS is a richly evocative return to the world of The Dreaming, seen through entirely new eyes.

Collects the entire 4-issue series as well as a sketch section by P. Craig Russell. Also included is a cover gallery that includes work by P. Craig Russell, Yuko Shimizu, Mike Mignola, Paul Pope and Joe Kubert.

"THE DREAM HUNTERS is a lovingly-crafted piece of work. Russell produces...as faithful an adaptation as one could ever hope for."--IGN

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (November 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401224245
• ISBN-13: 978-1401224240
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #69,156 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The monk and the fox, November 3, 2009

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Neil Gaiman's Sandman series ranks among the best graphic novels ever written -- and its spinoff materials aren't bad either.

Among those spinoff materials is "The Dream Hunters," a gorgeously illustrated novella about the love between a beautiful kitsune and a Buddhist monk, and the part that Gaiman's legendary Dream plays in their story. Now it's been reworked like fine modeler's clay into an even more exquisite graphic novel, with lushly shaded artwork based on traditional Japanese art. It's a stunning piece of work.

A young monk takes care of a tiny temple by himself, until the day a fox and a badger pass by. They make a wager about who can drive him out of his temple, and who will get it as a new home once he's gone. Using their transformation powers, both the fox and badger try to trick the young monk into fleeing his temple... but they fail miserably. And after the monk drives away the badger, the fox asks to remain in the temple with the monk -- and the two of them fall in love.

But then the fox overhears the Baku -- dream eaters -- talking of their onmyoji master's scheme to destroy the monk through his dreams. Living in perpetual fear, the onmyoji was told (by a freaky multibreasted woman) to kill the young monk without pain or fear -- and this will give him the monk's peace of mind. The fox doesn't intend to let the monk be killed, and when she lapses into a coma, he ventures into the Palace of Dreams to save her life. But asking for help from the King of Dreams has a price...

The "Sandman: Dream Hunters" graphic novel is a very different experience from the original novella -- the novella was a prose story enhanced by Yoshitaka Amano's darker illustrations, while the graphic novel is all about the exquisite images and colorful art. But the story is just as powerful as in its other form, with its haunting forays into a world of dreams that lingers beyond life and death.

The story is actually a rather simple one: monk meets fox and they fall in love, only to become ensnared in a selfish man's plot, and the young monk is forced to go on a journey. It's like a Japanese-flavored version of the Orpheus legend, except that the monk doesn't go into the land of the dead -- his quest takes him into the world of Dream (yes, the dude from the "Sandman" series). And the story takes a darker turn in the last quarter when the omnyoji becomes ensnared in an elaborate scheme to give him what he deserves.

In fact, the story is all the more tragic because Gaiman's quiet, simple prose makes you like the monk and fox immensely -- she's a basic trickster who learns to passionately love someone else, and he's a saintly young man whose caring for animals leads to a romantic love.

And the artwork is simply exquisite -- P. Craig Russell takes his cues from traditional Japanese artwork (lots of maple leaves and flying swallows), with plenty of soft muted colors and elaborate backgrounds. He swirls his realistic designs together with wastelands of bone, dragons of fire, houses sitting in the clouds, and a lord of Dreams who walks in a vast celestial robe of sleeping faces and green fire. Even without the story, this would be a visual feast.

Neil Gaiman's beautiful tale of love, dreams and loss is no less exquisite for being reimagined -- "Sandman: Dream Hunters" is like a beautiful painting of a little prose gem. A must-see.