The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Sam Kieth (Illustrator), Mike Dringenberg (Illustrator), Charles Vess (Illustrator), Michael Zulli (Illustrator), Kelley Jones (Illustrator), Chris Bachalo (Illustrator), Malcolm Jones (Illustrator), Danny Vozzo (Illustrator), Colleen Doran (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Comic-book publishers have grown expert at collecting individual issues of a title as graphic novels and later rereleasing those collections with hitherto unpublished sequences, further artwork, and other "bonus" material to entice buffs to purchase the same book twice and thrice. DC Comics brings the game to a new level with the Absolute series of oversized, slipcased, hardcover volumes of landmark titles. Neil Gaiman revived the name of an early comic-book superhero only to give it to a protagonist whose utter difference, and that of the cohort of relatives who took the spotlight whenever he--the Sandman--absented it, refreshed mainstream comics even more than Frank Miller's overhauled Batman had a few years earlier. The Sandman and his siblings are embodiments of the dark forces of nature----death, destiny, and other dismaying elementals. They play out their adventures mostly in contemporary settings that have been completely recolored for the first of four Absolute volumes that will re-present them all. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

THE SANDMAN, written by New York Times bestselling 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 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 first of four beautifully designed slipcased volumes, THE ABSOLUTE SANDMAN VOL. 1 collects issues 1-20 of The Sandman and features completely new coloring, approved by the author, on the first 18 issues, as well as a host of never-before-seen extra material, including the complete original Sandman Proposal, a gallery of character designs from Gaiman and the artists who originated the look of the Sandman, and the original script to the World Fantasy Award-winning THE SANDMAN #19, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," together with reproductions of the issue’s original pencils by Charles Vess. Also included are a new introduction by DC’s president Paul Levitz and a new afterword by Gaiman.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 612 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401210821
• ISBN-13: 978-1401210823
• Product Dimensions: 15.8 x 8.9 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,439 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute WOW!, November 9, 2006

By	J. A Magill (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Every fan of the graphic novel format chooses for themselves the moment at which the medium "broke out." Watchmen. Miracle Man. Dark Knight Returns. The Contract With God Trilogy. While there can be no right answer to this question, for me it lies with Sandman, Neil Gaiman's brilliant, literate, and highly entertaining romp through areas as diverse as pop culture, Kaballah, Freudian analysis, serial killers, Shakespeare, death, and other areas too many to number. The story follows one of the endless, creatures that exist as personifications of certain eternal forces, Despair, Destiny, Delusion, Desire, etc, in this case Dream.

The story begins with Dream's capture by mystics in Britain between the world wars and takes off at his release in modern times, following his struggle to rebuild his realm, shattered and abandoned for his absence. While the first few issues touch at the edges of the traditional comic universe, Gaiman quickly departs this and enters his own deep textual musings. While a thread binds all the tales here together, a passion play of rise, fall, and self realization, what one finds here most pleasurable are the stories. Dream is the keeper of tales and many are to be found here. Shakespeare's troop performing a Midsummer Night's Dream for the real King Oberon, a man gifted with eternal life, another of a writer who captures and holds bound a muse for her stories, yet another of the trials of ruling hell, and many others.

Nor does this volume stand along on its prose, for the art too may be some of the most lovely in any modern graphic novel, rich and varied. While the book comes pricey, fans will love the oversized format and those beginning the collection will quickly notice that the price is only nominally higher then buying the individual soft back volumes. Of one thing I am certain, no one will likely regret taking this fine work home.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most beautiful book I own, October 12, 2006

By	Isaac Vanduyn (Rochester, NY, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I received mine in the mail yesterday, and it blew me away. This is a large, girthy, edifice of a volume. The black leather cover comes complete with raised flourishes on the spine and a subtle embossed key and lock motif on the front and back. The letters are embossed in silver, all in a subtle yet glorious old-style script. There is a wide, heavy black silk bookmarker anchored to the center of the spine. The pages are sturdily bound and obviously built to last. This book would look at home in any of the ancient, eldritch libraries Gaiman's artists draw so well throughout the series.

Much has been made of the recoloring job in this edition, and I can now fully endorse it. I do not own any other edition (and now I'm glad that I waited to buy it), but my roommate does, and comparing my copy to his is like comparing old and new photographs. Mine is crisp, clear, and beautiful. His looks muddy and decrepit by comparison.

If you have never bought an edition of Sandman before, this is the one to get. Gaiman's masterpiece in a presentation that rivals anything I've seen. Fully worth all the money spent on it. I just wish more publishers would give their masterworks this luxurious treatment.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the benjamin., January 23, 2007

By	Ethan Zlomke (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are enough reviews and analyses of The Sandman Chronicles to warrant my cutting to the chase. I own the entire Sandman in hardcover with covers by Dave McKean. They are gorgeous. The recolouring alone is worth the price of owning this volume (and subsequent ones). Now looking better than ever, the strange world of the Endless is given extra depth. The care to the binding and slipcover as well ensures that this will live on your shelf for a very long time.