The Sandman Books

First of all, I will admit that this was my first time reading the Sandman, when I got this version. I was drawn in and the $70-ish price tag is, as well as way cheaper than you'll find at book stores, a great deal. The amount of content is staggering, and even if you've read all the Sandman comics, the extras are pretty great as well.

If you're not sure if you'll enjoy the series, go out to a library and see if they have Preludes and Nocturnes, the first mini-collection, and see if this is your style. I took a plunge and just got this immediately, and it was very well worth it. Actually, I got Volumes 1 and 2, so I guess I'm really lucky I enjoyed these.

Regardless, Sandman contains some of the best fantasy stories I've ever read, and Neil Gaiman is a genius that has it shining through in these stories.

I always love Mr Gaiman;'s work. Sandman is probably his opus given the size and the eclectic nature of the themes. The Endless as interpreted by a Master like Gaiman represent an amazing world that weaves the deepest recesses of the collective consciousness, mythology, history and keep it living enough to be interesting. Aesthetically, the books are great and the artwork is just as eclectic as the are the themes. I wish I was exposed to this stuff as a kid...

I found this book a very creative exercise in perception, script and artwork. The story is mainly told from the perspective of one of the "Endless", Dream, with cameos from Destiny, Death, Desire and Dispare (see satirical opening quote from Jack Dee - "Lots of things begin with D") :-) The third brother in a family of seven, these Endless are anthropomorphic personifications of ideals/concepts and exist, apparently, across even species (one of the stories is told from a cat's point of view). The issues dealt with in the varied stories are some of the usual collection of welcoming death, forgivness, murder, society, slavery etc - in other words what appears to be standard fare for any sci-fi buf. However, there are a few interesting twists with takes on several points of history, biblical references and different points of view of the same issues but told from a different species' perspective which is somewhat unusual. The artwork throughout the collection is consistent and uses high contrast in many of the captions to great effect. The artwork on the covering page for each story is quite exceptional and could even be viewed as works in their own right.

All in all, this is well worth a read, whether you are a fan of the comic genre or if you're new to it, this collection will suck you into the world of the Endless...

Comprising Sandman numbers 1 to 20, the Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1 is the first of four oversized, slip-cased hardcover books that will reprint Neil Gaiman's Sandman completely (all 75 numbers, plus some extras). That alone would be highly recommended, but this book has also a new coloring, aproved my Neil himself, plus a new introduction by Paul Levitz, forewords by Gaiman, a copy of the script with sketches for Sandman #19 (A Midsummer Night's Dream) and also sketches from Gaiman and Michael Dringenberg on the Sandman proposal to DC back in the 80s. Ah, and also all 20 covers from Dave McKean.

All of this would mean nothing if the book wasn't really good, and really good it is. Here you'll read the capture of the Lord of the Dreams and his comeback (early collected in "Preludes and Nocturnes"), his encounter with the deadly nightmare "The Corinthian" (previously collected in "The Doll's House), and four short stories from the past of Dream (as seen before in "Dream County" collection). Many great moments from the series are here: the confrontation in Hell with demons over his helmet, the serial killer convention, the encounter with his sister Death, and the already mentioned A Midsummer Night's Dream, the first and only comic book to win a World Fantasy Award.

This book is a work of art, and high recommended. Can't wait to have the 4 of them on my bookshelf!

I was actually surprised by two things reading these first twenty issues of Sandman: by how many of the characters I already knew, and by how much these comics actually tied into the mainstream DC Universe at the time. I'm used to the current age of Vertigo comics where the characters can NEVER cross over into regular superhero books, or vice versa (the days of Swamp Thing teaming up with Superman are gone). Of course, some of these characters can still pop up from time to time (I'm pretty sure Morpheus was in an issue or two of JSA and Starman, and even more recently Destiny was in The Brave and The Bold).
I was also impressed with the overal mythology Gaiman gave this world, one I didn't really knew existed. I was aware that The Endless existed, but I had always just assumed that Sandman was a series of somewhat interconnected tales, almost an anthology series, that featured him as a central character, but nothing much else. Turns out he had a very large story-arc planned through the whole 80 issue run, and I could see elements of what he would later do with American Gods. I'm glad I stuck it out and waited for the Absolute editions.

The Kindly Ones encompasses the direct consequences of the earlier volume, Brief Lives. In Brief Lives, Lord Morpheus (Dream) changes, for better or for worse. The actions that lead to such change must have ramifications, and The Kindly Ones details such repercussions.

In The Kindly Ones, Lyta Hall, a character who has made sporadic appearances throughout The Sandman series, is convinced that Dream has stolen her baby, Daniel. She goes to the women known as the Kindly Ones for vengeance, and even she couldn't predict the outcome.

Making use of virtually every character in The Sandman mythos, The Kindly Ones is a truly epic tale that brings us to a point in Dream's existence that would seem, based upon Brief Lives, inevitable. At times The Kindly Ones gets a bit muddled and verbose, but in the end, it was all worth it.

I've had the privilege of reading The Sandman series in completion and for the first time in the last few months, and The Kindly Ones is testament to the genius of Neil Gaiman. I don't know if it was on purpose or a happy accident, but The Kindly Ones makes use of virtually every storyline preceding it and concludes such a mammoth story ... it's nearly unimaginable someone could dream up such a story.

My only suggestion: Skip the introduction and read it after you finish The Kindly Ones. It does reveal a fairly major plot point, which, upon retrospect seems obvious, but even so, I would have liked to have avoided the introduction's cataclysmic revelation.

~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant

Lyta Hall's son Daniel is taken from her. She shows that, when a superhero, she wasn't called Fury for nothing.

Finding her mythological namesakes, she decides to put an end to Morpheus, the Lord of Dream. Morpheus is not without his own plans and defenses, however, but a promise made to a former servant costs him dearly.

This is my favorite volume of "The Sandman," by far (I still haven't read the last one, so I can't say it's my all time favorite yet). The artwork is very different from previous volumes, featuring Mark Hempel's work, which is very abstract, especially compared to the more realistic styles of other volumes. Still, I think it was well suited for such an emotional part of the story, because the expressions and moods of each character were excellently portrayed.

I don't see why a fan of "The Sandman" would ever not want to own this volume. It features the return of several past characters, including Rose Walker, Lyta Hall and her son, and Lucifer, among others. By tying in virtually all the previous volumes, it can be considered the climax of "The Sandman" storyline.

It's beautiful, poetic, heart-wrenching, and colorful; a masterpiece I can't help but flip through every time I pick it up.

Neil Gaiman once attempted to summarize the Sandman series in one sentence:

"The king of dreams learns one must change or die and then makes his decision."

As Morpheus makes that decision in the course of The Kindly Ones, it forms the climax for the entire series. And, what a climax it is.

The Kindly Ones is the story of the various "enemies" that Dream has accrued during the Sandman series (including Lucifer, Loki, the Puck and the diminutive witch, Thessaly) as they, either through conspiracy or just happenstance, take action to destroy him. The largest threat comes from Lyta Hall who, believing Dream to have kidnapped her son, sets out on a mission to envoke the wrath of the Furies against him.

This is not an easy volume to read, necessarily, though it is maybe the best of the lot. Amazingly, Gaiman picks up characters and plots from almost all of the works that had come before (some just get brief cameos, but are still represented) and weaves them into one whole story that burns to a moving conclusion.

If you're a fan of Sandman already, I don't need to tell you to read this volume. If you've just stumbled on this review, however, and are wondering about it, let me tell you that the Sandman is one of the greatest comics, ever, and compares very well to other great literature in any medium.

Perhaps the best book in a five star series.

A friend bought me the first Sandman book a few weeks ago, and upon finishing it, I immediately went out and bought the entire rest of the series. They are all wonderful, but this one is my favorite. It ties together all of the other story arcs - both the larger arcs and the stand-alone short issues - into a cohesive climax that is gorgeously written and drawn.

One thing: DO NOT READ FRANK MCCONNELL'S INTRODUCTION UNTIL AFTER YOU'VE READ THE NOVEL. There is a MAJOR spoiler on the first page of the intro; I was so mad about it that I started yelling out loud at the book. In one of the earlier volumes - I forget which - the intro contained spoilers, so Gaiman moved it to the end of the book and wrote his own short intro. I don't know why they couldn't have done that here.

Don't start with this book; start at the beginning with Preludes & Nocturnes and work your way here. It is beautiful, mythical, heart-rending. And don't read that intro!

The Sandman, Neil Gaiman's masterpiece, is something quite rare--it's excellent from start to finish. Nowhere does the series falter, it just gets better and better. "Brief Lives" is the pinnacle of the series. As Dream, the Sandman of the title (he also goes by Morpheus), searches for his lost brother Destruction alongside his sister Delirium, it becomes evidently clear what Gaiman has been building to since the beginning: change. Change within the heart of Dream. Since being imprisoned for 70 years by human sorcerers, Dream has become increasingly compassionate and kind. When this is pointed out to the Lord of Dreams, he denies it, maintaining that he has not changed at all. And here lies the tragedy of Morpheus--his stubbornness and his unwillingness to accept what's standing right in from of him.

In a sprawling fantasy epic detailing the spectrum of imagination, Gaiman has hidden a very simple story--one of redemption and change. It's this subtlety, this humanity, that sets The Sandman above the rest and makes it classic, a series everyone should read.

This is another great collection of Sandman stories which anyone who is a fan of the series should read. My only complaint with this collection is that the stories start out very strong but the ending is a bit of a flop. I am glad that I read it since this does contain events which will probably be of greater importance further along in the series.

Dream is sulking, until his sister Delirium motivates him to help her look for Destruction, their brother who has abdicated his Endless responsibilities.

On the way, through the various people they meet, and reflected in his servants and helpers, we see Dream's thought processes begin to change and mellow, even more so after he finally gets around to dealing with his son, Orpheus, after such long neglect.

I thought Season of Mists was my favorite The Sandman volume until I read Brief Lives.

Brief Lives absolutely has it all--drama, action, comedy, romance, and philosophical ponderings. It focuses upon Morpheus rather directly--unlike other volumes where sometimes he exists within the stories only peripherally--as he helps his sister Delirium track down their brother known as Destruction.

Destruction is part of The Endless. The other members of The Endless are his brothers and sisters Destiny, Death, Dream (Morpheus), Desire, Despair, and Delirium. He long ago abandoned his post and family, choosing instead to exist on his own terms. Addle-brained Delirium unusually makes up her mind and decides she wants to reunite with her favorite brother. She is very surprised when she manages to enlist the aid of her brooding brother, Dream, especially after all her other brothers and sisters refuse to help her.

Dream accompanies Delirium on quite a journey as created by Neil Gaiman who makes brilliant use of legend and mythology, both preexisting and self-manufactured. They finally find Destruction, but things don't go exactly as expected and incredible possibilities are revealed.

I love this volume so much because something happens to Dream that hasn't really occurred in the previous volumes--he changes. While always dynamic in dialogue and appearance, Dream was not a character who seemed to evolve. I enjoyed Lord Morpheus just as he was, but now that Gaiman introduces a changing Dream, a Morpheus who suddenly empathizes with mortals and family members, he becomes all the more fascinating.

Furthermore, the afterward by Peter Straub was absolutely riveting. Brief Lives was enthralling on its own, but Straub's afterward analyzing the volume makes it, and the intricacies of Gaiman's artistry, all the more impressive.

~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant

This is one of my two favorites in the 11-volume "Sandman" series, which has proven Gaiman to be a genius storyteller. Three centuries ago, Destruction -- one of the seven Endless, who existed even before the gods -- abandoned his responsibilities, left his realm, and went off to do his own thing. Essentially, he ran away from home. Not that the world has lacked for destruction since then, but he's not behind it, anyway. Delirium, who has roughly the persona of a three-year-old combined with a drugged-out-flower child -- but is a very sweet person for all that (well, . . . not "person" . . .), misses her big brother and tries to find one of her siblings to help her look for him and convince him to return. Dream (the Sandman) finally agrees to accompany her, but for his own reasons, and the quest brings in a number of innocent bystanders (who suffer, as bystanders do), as well as an assortment of ancient but now out-of-work deities. A number of neat ideas are tossed out casually, too, like the notion that a few thousand people still exist on Earth from the very earliest days of civilization, or even from the dawn of the species.

Bernie the lawyer, killed by the collapsing wall of a derelict building, tells Death, "I did okay, didn't I? I lived fifteen thousand years. That's a pretty long time." To which Death, a pragmatic sort who resembles a Goth girl, replies, "You got what everybody gets, Bernie. You got a lifetime. No more, no less." Great stuff.

It took a bit to arrive but that's usual with bulk mailing. The book arrived in excellent condition.

Once in a while there comes a series that you honestly don't want it to end... ever. This is the case with the Sandman. I was a late bloomer and discovered Sandman very late but I simply DEVOURED these graphic novels and have gained a newfound level of respect for Neil Gaiman with each Sandman I've read. I classify literature into blah, mediocre, barely worth your money, readable, quite decent, impressive, holy smokes and life changing and to me, the entire Sandman series is life changing. The way you look at life changes if it gets to you as deeply as it got to me and I can only give thanks for Gaiman and the extremely talented artists that brought forth one of the most mesmerizing series in any medium. Like some of the characters though, I had to take a while to mull over the end of this series and the passing of one of the most special characters I've ever wanted to share a beer every hundred years. For lack of a better word, amazing. There is no detail overlooked regarding character development, storyline, loose ends, explanation, ideas, creativity or bringing forth a brand of dreams we gladly share as our own.

Morpheus of the Endless is dead. Anyone and everyone is gathered in dream for his wake, and for his funeral. The person having most difficulty coming to terms with all the events surrounding his passing is his Raven, Matthew.

At the end, we see a previous discussion of his with William Shakespeare, at the end of a career, and a commission for the Lord of Dreams, about the nature of his existence.

The Wake, the final book in the Sandman series, epitomizes the entire series. The artistic style is eclectic and the narrative dances from character to character and setting to setting, just like a dream. The entire book is elusive but satisfying. And gorgeous. For me, that's the series in a nutshell.

The Wake is Gaiman at his best.

First of all, The Wake is a gorgeous volume. Perhaps the best artwork of the series.

It gives a fitting send-off for Morpheus, and for the series, as we get to revisit characters and themes, with just a touch of humor to lighten the otherwise bleak landscape. (Would you believe that Superman and Batman put in a cameo?--Well, if you're going to write for DC, how can you resist? :)

While there are good stories here, perhaps my one complaint is the placement of the two short stories after the appropriate conclusion of the work (an epilogue featuring everyone's favorite, Hob Gadling). These are good short stories (or, at least, The Tempest is good... the other left me a little cold), but their placement was completely unfair to them and didn't leave me much emotional capacity to appreciate them as they deserved.

The Wake isn't so much a plotted adventure, like so many of the Sandman volumes; it is more of a coda. Like a Wake should be, it is an opportunity for reflection. Sadness and nostalgia and moving on. It is a fitting, and touching end for a series that has been nothing but class and quality, all the way through.

This book is recommended for all art fans--you don't need to be familiar with the Sandman character to enjoy McKean's gorgeous covers. The commentary is also very interesting, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the thought process behind many of the works. McKean progresses from producing physical pieces of art to digital manipulations as the series progressed, and although some of his initial digital effects are now dated, it's still fascinating to see a modern master at work.

is there any difference between the Watson-Guptill edition and the Vertigo edition? i noticed one says '1989-1996' while the other says '1989-1997', the size also seems to be differnt, althogh the page numbers are both 208. what i want to know is, is there any difference as far as the artworks go inside? and if so, which is the better one? (one's also more price than the other, it seems).

I bought this book as a gift for a Friend, I was familiar with McKeans art from the comics and she had recently gotten into his work... So i thought it'd make a good gift.

It was a great gift! I looked through the book thoroughly myself and was amazed at not just the artwork but the presentation of it throughout. McKean and Neil Gaiman's Commentry and Notes throughout are both Fascinating and sometimes hilarious. (Ah the Fish...)

I'm gonna pick up a copy for myself, as this really is an Amazing book... ArtFans or ComicFans alike will appreciate just how Beautiful Mckeans Art is.

I don't know why I haven't gotten around to reviewing this collection of work before, but it is amazing! As the title suggests, it is the collected covers of the Sandman comic book series that ran from 1989-1996. There are no Sandman stories in here, just the collected covers of all the issues and some commentary on the covers and The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman himself.

"Just." I love this book. It's "Art" with a capital "A." So many different styles, forms, and moods. It's beauty and magic captured on paper. It calls to mind art as diverse Edward Gorey, Salvadore Dali, the movies of Tim Burtn, and on one startling cover even H.R. Geiger (in a non-Aliens way).

The introduction is very nice too.

I recommend this for any fan of the Sandman series.

When I had collected the original Sandman issues, I was always intrigued by the cover art as well as the story and illustrations inside. Sometimes, I would find myself staring at the covers for minutes before reading the actual story. This was the only time I had ever really done that. And now you can own this book full of those intricate, detailed, and amazing art pieces, along with commentary by McKean and Gaiman.

And there's a Sandman story that I have never read before! If you're a Sandman fan, buy this book.

The book is over sized with with a removable box dust cover. The binding is gorgeous and cryptic. Truly inspired by Gaimans work. The pages are thick and colorful... filled with beautiful art and Gaimans amazing stories of his Endless characters.

Well, I was expecting quite a bit after reading the first Absolute Sandman, and this one delivers on all accounts. The stories are amazing (somehow, A Game of You, the one I thought I'd hate, I loved the most) and this book overall was even better than the first.

The price here is magnificent, way cheaper than store price and the price is a very small price to pay for the content. Veteran readers will, I think, be pleased with the extra content.

They took some great stories and provided them a proper packaging. A great way to read and reread the series.

If you like sandman, just a little, so you MUST have this absolute, its needless to say that it is unworldly beautyful, the kind of item that any sandman fan have (they don't have the option: "not to have", if (s)he don't have, (s)he isn't a real fan). It's full with Extras more than 100 pages of mindblowing Sandman's extras.
Really a Top "Must Have" I already have garanteed tne other 2.

I always love Mr Gaiman;'s work. Sandman is probably his opus given the size and the eclectic nature of the themes. The Endless as interpreted by a Master like Gaiman represent an amazing world that weaves the deepest recesses of the collective consciousness, mythology, history and keep it living enough to be interesting. Aesthetically, the books are great and the artwork is just as eclectic as the are the themes. I wish I was exposed to this stuff as a kid...

A few days ago I found this book in my son's bookcase as we were cleaning his room after his older brother went off to college. Years ago, the three of us shared many nights reading and staring at this book. A few nights ago my now 15 year old asked me to read it to him. I thought "I'm busy, I have stuff to do. You're old enough to read it by yourself" Luckily, I was smart enough to slow down and read it to him. He fell asleep towards the end, and I was transported in a time machine to many years before. Great book to read and share. Beautiful, flowing story. Lucious artwork. This one's in the "For the Grandkids" pile.

this is still my 17 year old sons favorite book, it is a great story that is a pleasure to read aloud over and over again

I was cleaning closets this morning and ran across this book. Both my sons loved this book and it was their all time favorite. This afternoon I showed my now teens what I had found and we sat down and took turns reading it. They said it's still the best illustrated book they ever owned with a great story, and both were happy that I hadn't sold or given it away. I then came to Amazon to see if it was still around so I could email all my friends and family members with small children the link and hope they will buy it for their children.

Excellent photo's and the story reminds me of my childhood hearing about the sandman. The photo's have so much you can stop and discuss with your child and/or have them pick out. I would highly recommend this book

As a preschool teacher, I am always on the lookout for that one book that is written and illustrated beautifully. Dean Morrissey has done it with this book. My students and my daughter were mesmerized by the realistic illustrations and I loved the story. My daughter is now ten years old and still looks into the sky to find her "star", she can always pick it out. I find myself buying this book again and again and giving it to friends expecting babies and they have expressed how much they liked it too! This is a book that I intend to hand down in the future so that my daughter's children will be caught up in it's magic. Thank you Dean Morrissey for such a beautiful book. Oh, by the way, I just recieved The Christmas Ship and I adore this one too!

this book is one of the finest fantasy books that is out on the market,I can't put it down,even though I have read it more than five times, My fifth grade teacher read it to our class and from then on I was hooked! He got an autographed copy from John Duel him self! I think a sequel is needed!!

I read this book as an adult several years ago. I am a fan of fantasy books like Wrinkle in Time series, The Narnia Cronicals, and now the Harry Potter series. This book is as good, if not better then those. I now have children of my own and I just finished reading it to them and they love it. My daughter, like me, wish that there was a book 2, 3, 4,....
In my youth I had the distict pleasure of working for a time with Mr. John Duel and I think back often with fond memories of his amazing wit, creativity, patience, and humanity.
I hope some day he will add to the Dreamland story. We are patiently waitng.

John Duel's Wide Awake in Dreamland is mesmerizing and fascinating -- with ingenius plot, non-stop action, realistic character development, and fantastic settings. For me, it equals my other favorite children's novels, The Chronicles of Narnia and A Wrinkle in Time. Just imagine -- what if you were dreaming, but you couldn't wake up?

I found this a very intriguing book. It is a wonderful, adventurous, and exciting story for children, and yet adults find themselves reading the rest of the story after their children's bedtime. It is well written, and contains beautiful and imaginative illustrations. I recommend it for everyone's "Must Read" list.

Wide awake in Dreamland is a great book. It shows that everyone has such a big imagination and that you can't run away from your problems, you have to face them.

The other reviews explained who the Sandman was and his importance in the comic world. I will agree that he is definitely a cut above the standard Golden Age Fare. The stories don't include some of the weird villains you might find in Batman or even occassionally in the Shadow, which might explain in part why the Sandman didn't quite stick around as long as a few of the other heroes. But the stories are still pretty interesting as Wesley Dodds matches his wits, his dukes and his famous gas gun against all manner of blackguards, while enjoying a bit of a shady reputation with The Law himself. The art is good too, dynamic and atomospheric at the same time. And of course, the Sandman's relationship with Dian Belmont was way ahead of it's time.
Here's a listing of the stories presented in this volume. Let's hope there's a #2.

1939-Sandman at the World's Fair.-The Sandman thwarts thieves who steal a deadly new raygun from the World's Fair!

July 1939-The Tarantula Strikes-The Sandman K.O.'s a wily kidnapper!

August 1939-On the Waterfront-The Sandman saves a girl reporter from a nefarious narcotics ring!

September 1939-The Three Sandmen-The Sandman and two Navy buddies take to the air to clip the wings of some Sky Pirates!

October 1939-Island Uprising-For some reason the Sandman is in the South Pacific rescuing pearl hunters from the scurvy "Red" Hatch and his native levies!

November 1939-The Sandman meets The Face-The Sandman, rather casually, does away with the murderous Master of Disguise known as The Face!

December 1939-The Golden Gusher-The Golden Gusher is a saucy blonde nite club singer who entangles the Sandman in a kidnapping racket!

January 1940-The Sandman meets with Murder-The Sandman bankrupts a devious cross dressing conterfeiter named The Coin, who uses advertising to confound the law!

February 1940-Lady in Evening Clothes-The Sandman catches his future girlfriend Dian Belmont breaking into his(Wesley Dodds') house safe in oder to learn the true identity of her father. Pushover for a safecracker that he is, he decides to help her and brings a band of murderers to justice in the process!

March 1940-Death to the D.A.-The Sandman and Dian Belmont make a formidable duo as they save Dian's father from ruthless racketeers and "The Digger in the Dark"!

April 1940-Common Cold-Uncommon Crime-Scheming villains use lethal black widow spiders as unusual murder weapons in an attepmt to steal the cure for the common cold from Dr. Lovejoy!

1940-Sandman goes to the World's Fair-The Sandman delivers Dian and her frail Aunt Agatha from the clutches of Slugger Slade at The World's Fair. Plus, Aunt Agatha vs. the Parachute Jump!

May 1940-Tuffy and Limpy's Revenge plot-The Sandman is run off the road by a car with a dead man at the wheel!

June 1940-The Van Leew Emeralds-Wesley and Dian's night on the town is ruined by a pack on inconsiderate jewel thieves!

July 1940-Wanted:Dead or Alive-The theft of a simple pair of gloves from his house sends Wesley Doods, Dian Belmont and the Sandman Slam Bang up against the Amber Apple Gang!

August 1940-The Loan Sharks-Gorilla Gus brings his cheap tough business methods to town, until the Sandman makes a monkey out of him!

September 1940-The Case of the Kidnapped Heiress-Lil' Nana is kidnapped from her very own coming out party, along with Dian Belmont. Luckily the Sandman is on the guest list!

October 1940-Star of Singapore-The Sandman cements his reputation as the best safecracker in town while checkmating a team of avaricious jewel thieves!

November 1940-The Crook Who Knew the Sandman's Identity-How far will Wes Dodds go to protect his secret identity from the man called..."Squat"!?

December 1940-To Hammer the Earth-In an unusaully sci-fi-ish yarn, the Sandman thwarts a mad scientist from knocking the Earth out of orbit with a "uranium beam". He also quotes Archimedes.

January 1941-Orchids of Doom-A spy uses a mysterious orchid to snuff out those on to his infernal machinations in a most grisly manner! Can the Sandman prune his evil schemes?

February 1941-The Story of the Flaming Ruby-A cursed Ruby with the power to control men's minds sends Sandman and Dian on a wild free-for-all!

That's 22 gloriously reproduced stories from comics' Golden Age. Definitely worth every penny.

In the 1990s, one of the comics that routinely found its way to the top of my reading pile was "Sandman Mystery Theatre", published by DC Comics under its mature-readers "Vertigo" imprint. In this series, writer Matt Wagner (later joined by Steven T. Seagle) and artist (most of the time) Guy Davis took one of the lower tier golden age super-heroes, Wesley Dodds, the Sandman, and re-wrote his adventures, still set in the late 1930s, with a more mature, adult audience in mind (it was also an obvious attempt to spin-off Neil Gaiman's popular "Sandman" series, which did incorporate Wesley Dodds as a background element).

When the series was cancelled, I was honestly crushed. So, imagine my pleasure when I learned that DC was finally beginning to reprint the series in trade paperback form. Imagine my additional delight to learn that, as part of a tie in, DC was releasing an archive edition of the Sandman's golden age stories.

I am happy to say that the material found in "The Golden Age Sandman Archives" is much better than your average golden age fare. Now, there's no denying the importance of the Golden Age. But, it was not a time of huge sophistication in the medium. Stories were short, simple, and plot driven. The characters, including the lead, were usually mostly stock characters, with certain quirks to distinguish them from other characters. The Sandman did have certain stock traits, but there were some fairly critical distinctions from other Golden Age mystery men.

In brief, for reasons not made clear, Wesley Dodds, rich playboy (like some many others) decides to combat crime. While he has no superpowers, he is in great physical condition with a keen intellect. Thus, he dons a gas-mask and makes use of a gun that fires sleeping gas (hence his name), and leaves sand at the scene of his captures.

But that's where the "standard" qualities end. "The Sandman" was actually quite unique for a few reasons. First, Dodds outside his costume was no slouch. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Wes Dodds didn't put up a facade of the spoiled rich boy who flinches at the first sign of danger. Indeed, in one story, Dodds, conveniently carrying a gun when a restaurant is robbed, takes a few shots at the crooks.

Second, more mundanely, the Sandman's costume was his gas-mask, his cape, his fedora, and . . . a green business suit. Yep, it wasn't until Joe Simon (co-creator of "Captain America", among others) and Jack Kirby (also co-creator of Cap, as well as about half the Marvel Universe) came onboard that the Sandman took a more traditional super-hero flavor.

Finally, "The Sandman" series was unique for its female lead, Dian Belmont, Wes Dodds girlfriend, daughter of the DA, and the Sandman's able sidekick. Unlike so many other female leads, Dian was not simply killing time with the hero's civilian identity until he could put on his mask and save her. Dian was a vital part of the Sandman's life and career. While Wes did have to save Dian on occasion, Dian also saved Wes a few times. These differences make the series unique among most of the other golden age stories DC produced.

In terms of the quality of the stories, "The Sandman" can be hit or miss, though with noticeably more hits. Given his obviously pulp-inspired nature, the Sandman spent most of his time duking it out with thugs and racketeers, although his early adventures did find him in more "high adventure" style stories, a la Doc Savage, with Dodds using his flying prowess to battle air-pirates with a vendetta in "The Three Sandmen", and battling a group of hostile natives in "Island Uprising". When the prolific Gardner Fox came aboard, the stories became far more crime oriented, with Sandman and Dian battling jewel thieves and loan sharks.

It's worth noting how much Wagner and company kept from the original strips in "Mystery Theatre". Early in the volume, Wes slips out in costume, leaving a doll to sleep in his bed. While this gimmick was only used once in the golden age, it was a trademark of Wagner's series. Likewise, at least two villains, the Tarantula and the Face, did make appearances here, although it appears they were one time villains. In the 90s, the first two story arcs took their name from each respective villain. Naturally, the plots were wildly different, as Wagner made full use of his mature-readers stamp to make both characters super-brutal monsters. It's also worth noting that the dashing Dodds of past was replaced with a more pudgy, booking, but far more driven one in SMT.

This volume has quickly risen high on my list of favorite golden age archive editions. There's just so much about it that's unique and refreshing. Plus, those little references that were used in the 90s made me smile. Definitely a keeper.

I am a huge Golden age fan and this was one of the ones I held back on a bit as I thought how would they sustain good stories with such a flimsy premise. Well after Diane Belmont drops in this becomes one of the more progressive books of the Golden age. She's a wildcat and besides been his girlfriend, Diane seems to take every story forward in very unusual ways. These are GREAT stories that deserve more than a casual read. They could almost be written in the Silver age with the twists and adventures they have. Now its odd I don't want to go to where Sandy drops in and the superhero costume as the gasmask and Wesley's detective sense are the tour de force. 5 stars and many return reads :)

the author wrote the story beautifuly and its an amazingly true story

This is one of my favorite books for gift-giving because the story is so beautiful and the message is so important. (And the illustrations are stunning!) Every time I read it to my kids, it stays in my mind for a long time...