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The Absolute Sandman, Volume 1 by Neil…
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The Absolute Sandman, Volume 1 (edition 2006)

by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Paul Levitz (Introduction)

Series: The Sandman (Issues 1-20), The Sandman {1989-1996} (Absolute, issues 01-20)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,992358,200 (4.66)69
The Sandman, written by New York Times best-selling 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 for 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 President and Publisher Paul Levitz and an afterword by Gaiman.… (more)
Member:iamiam
Title:The Absolute Sandman, Volume 1
Authors:Neil Gaiman
Other authors:Sam Kieth, Paul Levitz (Introduction)
Info:Vertigo (2006), Edition: 1, Hardcover Comic, 612 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:None

Work Information

The Absolute Sandman Volume One by Neil Gaiman

  1. 20
    Watchmen by Alan Moore (JapaG)
    JapaG: After the Watchmen, Sandman is probably the graphic novel that has most influenced the adult comic scene today. It has similarly deep storyline about humanity from the perspective of one outside of it. Also the magnificent art contributes to the great collection.
  2. 10
    Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book One by Bill Willingham (MyriadBooks)
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» See also 69 mentions

English (32)  Dutch (1)  Swedish (1)  All languages (34)
Showing 1-5 of 32 (next | show all)
Didn't live up to my expectations at *all.* I enjoyed the Rose Walker arc, but the rest were so tedious. ( )
  whatsmacksaid | Jan 25, 2021 |
What a joy it was to re-read the first 3 books of the Sandman series for my Graphic Novels class - watching Gaiman find his voice in this series starting out as an occult horror book to a grand exploration of story, myth, folklore (traditional and superhero) and love is pretty great.
( )
  scout101 | Sep 15, 2020 |
How good was Sandman, really? I asked myself. After all I was in my late teens and it was a long time ago. Should I take a risk on those gigantic anthologies, The Absolute Sandman or a lesser commitment on the comparatively tiddly first paperback collection, Preludes and Nocturnes? How much of it did I actually read back then? There was Death and a Cereal Convention and a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream but there was definitely much more I had not read.

OK - let's play with house money and get The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1 for my birthday.

Good choice! Because this book is utterly gorgeous simply as a physical object and the art is scaled up from the 8 issue paperback collections. (Also re-coloured, whatever that means for quality - ask a person who knows about comics.) There's also a pile of ancillary material collected at the back, some of which isn't available elsewhere. It's also, for the most part, even better than I remembered!

Both Gaiman and who-ever wrote the introduction feel that these comics really found their proper voice with the first appearance of the character Death in issue 8. I agree. This marks the end of the first story arc, involving many aspects of and characters from the wider DC universe and the start of a more isolated but deeper exploration of Gaiman's vision of The Endless and how they relate to life across the universe and time as well as humanity specifically. The Endless are seven "anthropomorphic personifications" that don't seem to always be anthropomorphic at all, since they exist for all types of life - as evidenced by fairies, aliens and cats. They are: Dream, Death, Delerium, Desire, Destiny, Despair...and the other one that I never remember but presumably has a name beginning with "D" in English. They're an interesting bunch.

These stories already show Gaiman's in-depth knowledge of world mythology and penchant for literary references, only the most obvious of which did I get back in the day. I noticed many more this time round. Makes me wonder if there are more I still missed...

Anyway, to sum up...book gorgeous. Art gorgeous. Stories great. And addictive. Bring me Vol. 2. ( )
  Arbieroo | Jul 17, 2020 |
Neil Gaiman is such a generous writer and this story, with its ever expanding narrative corners, is a perfect expression of his writerly attitude of abundance. Though this story starts out like any comic book affair, what Gaiman does with his characters, and central questions, as soon as the first arc completes is what makes it special. I highly recommend this to anyone, particularly anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to take comics seriously in the past. ( )
1 vote Adrian_Astur_Alvarez | Dec 3, 2019 |
Neil Gaiman is such a generous writer and this story, with its ever expanding narrative corners, is a perfect expression of his writerly attitude of abundance. Though this story starts out like any comic book affair, what Gaiman does with his characters, and central questions, as soon as the first arc completes is what makes it special. I highly recommend this to anyone, particularly anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to take comics seriously in the past. ( )
  Adrian_Astur_Alvarez | Dec 3, 2019 |
Showing 1-5 of 32 (next | show all)
The repackaging strategy that works so well to sell multiple versions of films on DVD, packed with more "extras," also works with comic books. Lately, DC Comics has gone back to the well by reissuing best-selling backlist titles in bigger-than-ever Absolute editions, ready for die-hard fans' coffee tables.
added by stephmo | editPlayboy, Web Behrens (Jan 11, 2007)
 
There is probably no other comic that has done as much for the industry as The Sandman. Sure, comics like Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns and Swamp Thing have all been important and are great comics unto themselves, but none have been as well received by the non-comic world as well. The Sandman has been labeled as the comic that brought women into comic stores.
added by stephmo | editPop Matters, Greg Oleksiuk (Jan 5, 2007)
 
Neil Gaiman's Sandman was originally released in 1989 to massive critical and commercial success. It is one of the graphic novels that helped DC Comics launch its hugely popular Vertigo imprint, and redefined the genre.
added by stephmo | editSuicide Girls, Wil Wheaton (Oct 25, 2006)
 
It begins not with a dream, but with a man's unhealthy desire to conquer death. An arcane cult, believing it has a spell to capture and imprison the personification of Death, casts a spell that instead materializes Morpheus, prince of dreams. Morpheus is held captive for 70 years. His escape from captivity launches Neil Gaiman's 75-issue epic The Sandman.
added by stephmo | editIGN Comics, Hillary Goldstein (Oct 13, 2006)
 

» Add other authors (8 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Neil Gaimanprimary authorall editionscalculated
Bachalo, ChrisIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Doran, ColleenIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Dringenberg, MikeIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Jones III, MalcolmIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Jones, KelleyIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Kieth, SamIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
McKean, DaveCover artistsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Parkhouse, SteveIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Vess, CharlesIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Vozzo, DannyIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Zulli, MichaelIllustratorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
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Quotations
What power would hell have if those imprisoned here would not be able to dream of heaven?
I'm not blessed, or merciful. I'm just me. I've got a job to do, and I do it.
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
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Canonical DDC/MDS
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The Sandman, written by New York Times best-selling 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 for 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 President and Publisher Paul Levitz and an afterword by Gaiman.

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Book description
Collects The Sandman #1-20. Contents: Sleep of the just -- Imperfect hosts -- Dream a little dream of me -- A hope in hell -- Passengers -- 24 hours -- Sound and fury -- The sound of her wings -- Tales in the sand -- The doll's house -- Moving in -- Playing house -- Men of good fortune -- Collectors -- Into the night -- Lost hearts -- Calliope -- A dream of a thousand cats -- A midsummer night's dream -- Façade -- A Sandman miscellany -- Afterwords / by Neil Gaiman -- Biographies.
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