This piece of fiction is one of my favorites of any genre, not just graphic novels or comics. Sandman is compelling and original in its characters especially in the way Neil Gaiman weaves myth and traditions into an unfolding scene. There are very few books I can read or movies I watch were I can't either predict what will happen next or predict the end. With Sandman Preludes I couldn't predict anything and it was great to be taken on a trip with dream.

Which brings me to the five reasons for 5 stars:

1) The showdown in between Chorozone, the High Duke of the Eighth Circle and the Dreamlord. This was a very, very interesting twist on the old "shoot out at the OK coral." I loved it.

2) The reaction John Constantine has to Dream and then their working together to find dust in the second quest. Very original.

3) Mr Burgess, the occult leader, wants to control death. (who doesn't) He ends up failing and ends up unintentionally bringing a sleep sickness onto the world. This is a twist in storytelling I hadn't seen before.

4) The return of Doctor Destiny, is very interesting. But be warned this is an extremely dark and disturbing place. He has the finally element the Dreamlord seeks to restore order and it gets all screwed up.

5) How weirdly indifferent, yet human the main character and his sister are. Even though they are not humans you will recognize them and their compassion, however, that side is juxtaposed against cold, unfeeling or maybe unknowing side of inhumanity. In the final chapter you meet her, the one none of us what to meet. Death.

This is not just a light reading comic book, this is a dark graphic novel. You get taken on a trip, an adventure worthy of a vivid Dreamlord. It has some humor but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone feeling dark already.

The art work, ink colors and backgrounds are all fantastic and only serve to enhance the story. This is a great graphic novel!

After delving back into comics and graphic novels from a 15 year hiatus, I embarked on a quest to find books that would suit a mature reader in his 20s and lo and behold this is such a book! I had read the overwhelmingly positive reviews left for "Preludes and Nocturnes" and decide to give it a go, and boy am I glad I did! I have to say when I opened the book initially I was a bit put off by the art style but after going through the first two issues in the book I began to appreciate the beauty of the style because it suits the story so well.

As far as the story it is quite compelling for the most part but a couple aren't so exciting. My personal favorite stories are the ones involving the character, Dr. Destiny which are truly a twisted set of tales! I also really enjoyed how Gaiman (the writer) seamlessly intertwines several different mythologies together such as judeo-christian and some Dante and Milton stuff...very interesting. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the 2nd and 3rd volume of the series if they can capitalize on the great foundations left by "Preludes and Nocturnes" then I'll be hooked! Definitely pick this up if you like fantasy or literature!

Blood and Rain
Blood for the Masses

As originally published by SavageNight E-zine

The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes, Volume 1
The Sandman: The Dolls House, Volume 2
The Sandman: Dream Country, Volume 3

Written by
Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by
Sam Keith, Mike Drinzenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Buchalo, Michael Zulli, Steve Parkhouse, Charles Vess, Colleen Doran

Reviewed By
B.L.Morgan

5 Stars

After reading Sandman 1, 2 & 3, I am now officially a fan of Neil Gaiman. I don't usually like to be a fan of anyone. Gaiman is an exception. he proved to me in these volumes that comic books can be elevated to a fine art form through inventive storytelling and dialogue that is both poetic and a perfect fit to the scene and action taking place.

The artwork in all three volumes was extremely consistent considering how many different artists work was on display. The illustration style reminded me of the Creepy and Eerie magazine that I grew up loving in the 1970's. One thing that was extremely impressive were the proportions of the people and creatures in these books. There were none of the enormous [...] for every female and huge muscles for every male that we see in most comic books. These people looked realistic. And whenever there were animals from the real world in a story, they looked like they came from the real world.

This gave the stories a lot of extra sting when something happened to that character. It's like when Spiderman gets knocked through a wall. Well, you see all those muscles and figure, if I was built like that, that wouldn't hurt me all that much.

But when you see The Sandman in the first story, looking all skinny and scrawny, locked up in a glass cage that he's been in for decades, you feel sorry for him. That's because he looks human. He looks like one of us.

The first book: Preludes And Nocturnes, tells us how The Sandman got to be who he is. It tells of how he lost all his magical powers and how he regained them. It was very interesting, very good reading.

The second book: The Dolls House, takes us farther into the mythos of who The Sandman is and how at different times he's affected history. A few of the stories do not directly feature The Sandman, but they are really fine stories anyway.

The third book: The Dream Country, takes the series in directions that no one can see coming. Some are set in the modern day. Others are in medieval Europe. One is even told through the eyes of a cat. All the stories are thought provoking.

If you've never read any of The Sandman books I'd highly recommend you find one and take a look. Neil Gaiman is a master storyteller. Let his Sandman take you on a guided tour through the Dark Land of Dreams.

I love the Sandman series. All of them are clever and well written. the art is beautiful... there's not just very much wrong with this series.

After reading some reviews and being told this was in the Pantheon of graphic novelizations, I figured I would give it a shot.

I think what I have learned is that I like the idea of graphic novels, but when push comes to shove, I prefer to actually read a good book instead.

This collection (Vol 1) is OK, but I just couldn't justify spending close to $100 to get all of the rest of these and read the whole thing.

Thus, this review is a warning to those in my shoes who aren't familiar with the concept. Don't buy all of them at once... Get one, then decide.

I think my title to this little review says it all. I've read Marvel comic works by Neil Gaiman before, and I have also read his novel "American Gods". This blows them away. It also blows all other comics that I have read out of the water as well. This may anger some people, but it's even better than Moore's "Watchmen" and any of the fine works by Miller and others. This first volume of Sandman was not just a comic to me. It was like a gift that Gaiman gave to the world. He may not have created Morpheus, but he crafted him and gave him life. The same is true with his little sister Death, who he actually may have invented, I'm not sure, and Cain and Able, the House of Mystery and the House of Secrets. I am talking really heartfelt stuff here. It's creepy, it's beautiful, it's haunting, it's lovely, it's painful, it's romantic, it's gothic, it's modern, the list could go on and on. It's just Gaiman at his best and I am really looking forward to enjoying the rest of the series. I would recommend it to anyone who likes good literature. Because that's what this is here. It's not just a comic, it's a graphic novel. A story told with words and pictures. The art is fantastic as well, but even without it, I feel that Gaiman still could have created a gem here. Five billion thumbs up.
Peace and Love,
Jake

I have to admit that I wasn't as blown away by this as I'd hoped to be, given how many people had recc'd this series to me. The going was a little muddled and slow at first, but definitely picked up steam as the story progressed. I guess even masters like Gaiman have to find their feet sometimes! Anyway, I'm glad I persevered, and the set up certainly left me curious enough to pick up the next volume, so I guess it did its job.

I am glad to hear that random 'guest stars' from other comics series aren't going to play much of a role in Sandman in the future, because I thought that was a bit of a weak link in this volume.

In the first volume of Gaiman's epically long "The Sandman" comic series, there is such a variety of stories that I'm sure you'll come across stuff you like and stuff you really don't like at all. The format is pretty basic. This collection is made up of the first eight issues of the series, which--when read together--form a story arc about Dream taking back what is his after being captured for many years. I'll break each individual issue down for you.

SLEEP OF THE JUST: This, the first issues, shows Dream being captured and the events that follow his capture and escape. There is a lot of story, many characters, and the horrid art really doesn't help. Fans of contemporary artists (who've adopted a clearer, more cinematic style) won't find much good in the art at all, really, but the earlier issues contain the worst of it.

IMPERFECT HOSTS: We see Dream back on his feet, and this sort of introduces the situation that we'll be dealing with for the next few issues. Moderately entertaining, but I still wasn't wowed at this point.

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME: John Constantine (AKA Hellblazer) is pretty much the star of this issue. His narration makes this one of the best of the lot, as the plot deals with true horror while also, for one of the first times, giving Dream a bit of humanity.

A HOPE IN HELL: Again, I got the feeling that all of this mythology was pushed on us a bit too quickly, but at least what we are given is very interesting. I didn't like this issue as much as the previous one, but there is a sequence in here where Dream fights a demon in a battle of wits, and I gotta say, that whole scene was brilliantly thought out and the artist did a great job as well.

PASSENGERS: I like that even though this issue shows that this series is firmly set in DC continuity, that it also makes sure those unfamiliar with the years of DC back story won't have trouble reading and understanding this. Though I've never read another major DC title, the appearance of Dr. Destiny in this was frightening. Things started to pick up at this point.

24 HOURS: We get a look at the repercussions of Dr. Destiny acquiring Dream's ruby. This was another of my favorite issues, as it sets out to show how interesting, brutal, heroic, and disgusting humanity can be.

SOUND AND FURY: Pretty huge letdown. The previous issue really set up what looked to be a great conflict between Dream and Dr. Destiny, but in the end, it was a bit of an anti-climax. Most of that is due to the artist, who couldn't seem to make the 'battle' scene that clear. The ending was nice, though.

THE SOUND OF HER WINGS: Brilliant. Once again, Gaiman is at his best when showing the humanity of characters like Dream, and his sister, Death. This issue would seem depressing, as it follows Death as she goes on her rounds--and there are some sad moments--but overall it's just poignant, insightful, very philosophical, and even funny at times.

I wasn't overly impressed with this book as many people were, but most of my problems with these comics were with the art, not the writing. I'll absolutely be buying the second volume, because anything that can be praised so highly is worth checking out.

7/10

Packed full of human emotion and real depth, this collection of essays invites you to consider the relevancy of dreams to your life. Throughout this vivid journey, you might discover a renewed interest in the concept of dreams, and how they may be impacting the quality of your life, and of those around you. Or perhaps how they SHOULD be affecting you, and those around you.

While a page-turner, it also causes you to pause. Beautiful drawings and brilliant colors beseige each page, perfectly complementing the dialogue and narration, causing you to WANT to spend the time required to drop your eyes on every inch of the page. I found myself looking up and down, physically moving my head and my hands, turning the book this way and that, to make sure that I understood what I was supposed to take from the two pages in front of me. The visuals are stimulating, thoughtful, and passionate. It's even worthwhile to randomly pick a page, after you've read the book, to look at the artwork again, to make sure you remember the underlying message and how it might matter to you.

For those leading a boring life right now, read something like this. Minimally, it's a good distraction but, most likely, it will be a good launching point for thinking creatively about whatever you put your focus on, and move you to consider the characters around you as having their own quests, challenges, and dreams.

My experience with graphic novels has been regrettably limited, and after hearing rave reviews from friends and reading extensive praise for the series online, I decided to take the plunge.

Graphic novels are sadly overlooked and not considered literature by most critics, shrugged off as nerdy pubescent obsessions or erotic adult fetishes. While this can be true (at least in my limited experience), there are a number of wonderfully complex, bitingly intelligent, metaphorical graphic novels...and The Sandman is certainly one of the elite.

Boy, am I ever glad I finally read this classic work of art and literature.

While I haven't (yet) read any of the following volumes, Preludes and Nocturnes is the one novel that can be read as a standalone as it marks the beginning of the series, and has a conclusive ending (although you would be mad not to want to read the subsequent volumes after devouring this).

The novel is divided up into separate stories/chapters that seemingly jump around and are unrelated at first glance, but eventually tie together nicely as the story progresses. The tale is simple, with mythological roots.It is a quest story of a lost hero, stranded from his home, who undertakes a quest to regain his power and his throne. Enslaved by greedy humans who aimed to capture his sister, Death, Dream (or Morpheus) spends years waiting for his inevitable escape, and revenge. Once freed of his prison, Dream is terrifying. More the stuff of nightmares, he is imagined beautifully in bold dark ink and burning red eyes. After exacting revenge on the son of his captor--the man responsible for his imprisonment long dead--Dream begins his search for the three tools he needs to regain his throne: a bag of sand (a reserve of dreamstuff and power), his helm (the symbol of his monarch), and his ruby (the dreamstone which contains a piece of Dream's soul and source of his power).

The quest for three objects leads Morpheus down three different paths. Things have fallen apart since Dream has been trapped--people slipping into constant, unwaking slumber, the kingdom falling apart, and strange behavior at every turn (an exchange between brothers Cain and Abel demonstrates this strangeness pretty effectively). Through consulting the Weird Sisters (the mythological three Fates), Dream discovers where to find his lost symbols of power. For the Bag of Sand, he travels to London and enlists the aid of John Constantine. Vanquishing wild dreams and renegade nightmares, Morpheus regains the bag and is strong enough to search for his helm. The helmet is possessed by a Demon in Hell--where Dream travels, and discovers Lucifer Morningstar is now part of a triumvirate that governs the kingdom, along with Beelzebub and Azazel. He must battle the lesser Demon for the return of his helm, which is carried out in stunning fashion, both in the art on the page, and in Mr. Gaiman's flowing prose. For the last symbol of power, Dream looks to the Justice League for information, and faces a demented Doctor Destiny who has been using the ruby for his own twisted purposes.

The novel is rich in metaphor and allusion, drawing heavily on Greek myths and folklore (as is Mr. Gaiman's hallmark), which is woven seamlessly into story and art. Dream transitions from an enraged and terrifying thing of power and smoke portrayed through jagged, harsh black lines and deathly pale skin, to a being more tangible and human. By the last chapter of the novel, ironically when he has at long last regained all his power and glory, Dream looks more like a sulking emo kid than an awesome Prince of Shadow. It is this transition, and the ability to make something as abstract as dreams become accessible and personified, that astonishes and awes the reader.

My two favorite stories/chapters are "The Sound of Her Wings" and "24 Hours". Death, Dream's beautiful big sister, is introduced in "The Sound of Her Wings". And like all elder siblings, Death chides and scolds Dream for wallowing in self-pity and reminds him to fulfill his responsibilities. Contrary to popular depictions of Death as a morbid, chilling presence, this personification is perky, charming, and sympathetic--and so very cool, as other reviewers have stated. In "24 Hours", John Dee (aka Dr. Destiny) has regained control of Morpheus' Dreamstone Ruby, and has twisted and corrupted its power to suit his own dark purposes. This chapter is truly horrific, as chaos is unleashed upon the world and in a microcosm through a small diner that Dee has taken hostage. It is deliciously creepy.

I loved the DC crossovers in this volume (although from what I can garner from reviews here, this isn't a popular reaction). At the very least, if you are familiar with some older DC comics, Preludes and Nocturnes allows you a frame of reference to familiarize yourself with. For my part, I was delighted to see Constantine, Green Lantern, Scarecrow, the shoutouts to the Justice League of America, and even a setting in Arkham Asylum.

Truly, this novel is wonderful, and should be read by all--not just by fans of graphic novels, but by anyone even remotely interested in literature. My only regret is that it took me so long to find and read this work.

Review courtesy of TheBookSmugglers.blogspot

This series....but especially this graphic novel really redefined the concept in the way Alan Moore did. The creativity....the flow of the writing the use of the art.....I read a article in which Alan Moore talked about the graphic novel as an artform....why it was worth while...the ability to tell a story and put a subtle detail in one page that the reader flips back to look at after reading something else.....that is what gaimon really captured in this series.

I didn't really care for the artwork in Sandman, but the story was phenominal once you get past the first couple issues. Especially the issue where Morpheus goes to Hell. That alone is worth the price paid for the entire first volume. I really look forward to reading the rest of The Sandman.

In the 90s a man named Neil Gaiman came along. He eventually established himself as one of the greatest comic book writers ever (as well as a very respected novelist), and here is where the legend begins. Gaiman created the Sandman--an almost deity that rules the realm of dreams. It is one of the most respected series and I think it is the precurser for all 'adult' comic books (like Preacher, Wolverine, and later Batman and the Watchmen). Gaiman creates an ethereal world that just sucks you in. It really kicks off after it quits focusing on the DC world and focuses on Sandman's world. Especially with "The Sound of Her Wings" the final book in this collection. It makes me excited for what is to come.

I bought this because I thought the storyline sounded good. But the animation is just a little too busy for my taste.

I bought this because I thought the storyline sounded good. But the animation is just a little too busy for my taste.

The Sandman series is largely responsible for rekindling my desire to write. It is a beautiful work of art both visually and regarding its unique plot. This series won Neil Gaiman numerous awards and critical acclaim and it is well deserved. It's a delight to pick up these graphic novels and just see how dreams and reality are interwoven to dizzying heights with surprise twists, unique endings, plot branching and zero commitment from Gaiman to cater to typical comic lovers. I'm not saying the world of Marvel has nothing to offer, but I am saying that if you're an adult and want something intellectually stimulating and challenging that dares you to dream and invites you to respect the eternal energies that govern the unconscious, the parallel and the trans dimensional. Five stars shouldn't be given lightly as neither should one star ratings. But when something comes along that shatters your preconceived notions of certain aspects of your reality, then I think this easily counts as one of those instances where I'd put a six star rating if it were allowed. Simply put, mesmerizing and marvelous.

Dream has been captured by a group of self-centred magicians, who had been trying to entrap his sister, Death. They create many safeguards to keep him imprisoned, but eventually make a mistake.

He sets out to recover the items of power needed to rule his realm after his seven decade absense. This takes him by way of John Constantine, via Hell, to Scott Free and John J'onzz, and lastly a confrontation with Doctor Destiny.

Then, at the end, he gets a bunch of abuse from his sister.

[Review written Apr 2004]

Series Review: The Sandman

What happens when you have an oh so rare confluence of supreme talents (each of whom are among the best in their respective fields) who team up to produce a graphical series ? You get a once-in-a-generation, cutting edge, high-water-mark masterpiece like this one.

Speaking as a former hardcore collector with over 5,000+ issues at home, this series is easily one of the very best graphic novels ever produced, period. No questions asked.

This fabulous comic series has been conveniently re-published by Vertigo as an 11-part Graphic Novel:

1: Preludes & Nocturnes
2: The Doll's House
3: Dream Country
4: Season of Mists
5: A Game of You
6: Fables & Reflections
7: Brief Lives
8: World's End
9: The Kindly Ones
10: The Wake
11: Endless Nights

What's it about ?

Basically it's a long series of 11 sweepingly surreal short stories, told a GN format, about "The Endless" ... a quasi-divine extended dysfunctional family of metaphorical beings who struggle with their overall role in the greater scheme of things (i.e., reality), with each other, and with the mortals whose lives they intersect. Their names are Dream, Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delight/Delirium and Destruction.

I'll close with an eloquent excerpt from the prelude of Book 4, by Harlan Ellison (himself one of the most acclaimed and award winning short story writer currently living):

Harlan Ellison gushed:

"Possibly the only dismaying aspect of excellence is that it makes living in a world of mediocrity an ongoing prospect of living hell ... how dreary and burdensome and filled with anomie are the remainder of one's waking hours trapped in the shackled lock-step of the merely ordinary, the barely acceptable, the just ok and not a stroke better ...

In any field of endeavor, an occasional talent will manifest itself and, through its bare existence, we perceive how mundane has been the effort [prior to that point] in that field or genre ... and recognize how much higher thereafter is the high water mark.

The point being: {Edit: the peerless excellence of} Neil Gaiman's work on The Sandman ..."

High recommendation marks from moi. A must read for anyone who enjoys high brow surreal fantasy.

The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes is the first volume of the graphic novel series of Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman. Preludes collects the first eight volumes written. These follow a quest by Dream, one of the immortal Endless, to recover his powers and his realm, The Dreaming, after escaping a lifetime imprisonment at the hands of an English occult society. Dream's journey brings him to many interesting locales and forces him to cross paths with other DC characters, such as Scarecrow and John Contantine.

Positive:
* Gaiman is skilled storyteller and each chapter works as a self-contained tale. He has the ability to quickly create characters we can empathize with and are interested in.
* Comic book lore, pop culture, and mythology are woven together beautifully to create a world that is pleasantly unique.

Negative:
* Gaiman himself admits in the afterword that during this first volume he is struggling to find his voice. Subsequently, the stories oscillate between occult mystery, dark fantasy, horror, psychological studies, and superhero action. The quality of the writing wavers quite a bit as well.
* While the individual chapters are engaging, the overall story arc is not. It is a cliché quest adventure in which Dream must overcame obstacles to recover three lost artifacts one by one.

For Fans Of: modern mythology, urban fantasy, and dark fantasy

Bottom Line: While flawed, this volume shows great promise especially towards the end of the book. The chapters "24 Hours" and "The Sound of Her Wings" would be considered great writing in any format. Gaiman has set the stage for better things to come in future entries with an engaging character, Dream, and an interesting world. Though not consistently great writing, Preludes is a worthwhile read.

I have been planning on reading the Sandman series for some time now based on the rave reviews it has been receiving. Naturally, I started at the bginning with this the first graphic novel in the collection of Sandman comics.

I went in with high expectations and was somewhat disappointed by the lack of focus in the volume. It wavers between occult mystery, dark fantasy, horror, psychological studies, and superhero action. It seems like in this early work Gaiman is still struggling to find his voice. As a result the tone, mood, and style of the work suffer.

That being said, this is still a very enjoyable read. Each chapter, taken alone is quite entertaining. The chapters toward the end of the work, especially "24 Hours" and "The Sound of Her Wings", would be considered great writing in any genre. While flawed, this volume shows great promise and has not deterred me from reading the rest of the Sandman series.

I somehow missed the boat on this series that began in 1988. It ran through 1997, and some believe it is the greatest comic series to have ever existed. I finally--FINALLY--decided I needed to check it out.

Gaiman himself has admitted in the past that Preludes and Nocturnes was a bit of a rough start to a series that would later garner much acclimation, and he was correct. Don't misunderstand though--I still thoroughly enjoyed it. If it is considered a rough start, then I'm greatly looking forward to the more "polished" volumes!

The character of Sandman has some sort of intangible appeal that I can't put my finger on. For those who don't know much about him, he is the God of Sleep, an entity who often takes the form of a tall, thin, nearly translucent-skinned man with black eyes and black, unruly hair. However, I absolutely understand what I like about his story potential. In the first volume alone, his story unfolds over decades, he visits Hell, he walks the Earth, he rules in his dream kingdom, and he even spends some time with his cheery, charismatic sister Death. The only thing about this first volume that struck me as almost too awkward was when Sandman interacted with the then-present incarnation of the Justice League. This was before the Vertigo imprint was born and Sandman was given his own universe to play in.

Sam Kieth was the original artist, but he left after only a few issues. Some people love his work, others don't. Personally, I enjoyed Mike Dringenberg's incarnation of Sandman much better. Also, keep in mind these stories were produced in the late eighties, so the coloring isn't quite up to today's technological standards.

However, it's obvious this is a very smart series and I can't wait to read the entire set. I only wish I hadn't waited so long to give it a chance.

This was the beginning of one of the great comic series of recent decades, which became one of the best-selling graphic novel series as well. It's not Gaiman's best, not by a long shot, nor is the art even up to the quality of the script, but you can see what's coming down the road. The first few chapters detail the capture and imprisonment of the Sandman, the Dream Maker, the lord of the world of imagination, and one of the Endless -- a pantheon of Gaiman's own devising, but based on a variety of classical mythological threads. The artwork, though, can't help but remind you of the Crypt-Keeper in the old EC Comics. Which is interesting for us old-timers, but dated. What's most jarring, though, is the intersection of the Dreamer's quest to recover his possessions with characters from the Justice League comics. Later volumes in the series will snap that bond, fortunately.

So...we have dream, who has been held captive for about 60 years. We meet death, a punky, cute teenage girl. Dream seems quite appropriate, the younger brother of the nameless. I've heard so many good things about the series I decided to start it. I'm pumped for the rest and the artwork really is terrific and Gaiman's ideas are stunning. What a fabulous writer (see American Gods).

Nothing beats Gaiman's 'Sandman' in the graphic novel world. Read it. Love it.

I had no previous exposure to Sandman and little to graphic novels when I picked this up on my brother's recommendation and didn't put it down again until I turned the last page. The story, in brief, is that an old magician seeks to trap the personification of death and accidentally captures another eternal being instead: Dream. Dream eventually escapes and seeks to regain the tools of his trade, taken from him in captivity. In the process, he must challenge a number of unsavory characters.

The art is good, and the dialogue is easier to follow than some graphic novels because Dream's dialogue bubbles are in a different color from everyone else's. Gaiman introduces all sorts of clever ideas: we meet Cain and Abel, werewolf-like brothers who live in a house where Cain occasionally kills Abel, who always manages to crawl back; Martian Manhunter, a superhero member of the Justice League; and Lucifer, who no longer rules Hell on his own but in committee with two partners.

Dream's quest for his tools and his position provide a canvas on which Gaiman paints depravity, mercy, disillusionment, and a host of other virtues, vices, and experiences. Every page intrigues.

[Cautionary note: This graphic novel has brief nudity, some violence, and several gross-looking characters.]

This is not the best title in the sandman series (I am a fan of three and four) but when compared to other comics and TPB's it really stands out. The last chapter is must read for the series, introducing the character of death..buy this book!

Many of you out there, who have grown with comic-books, remember "good ol' days" of linear storytelling and straight-forward art, without much complications. All it mattered was, whether the hero will save the world (and almost always he would), and will he get the girl in the end (well, this one was a bit unpredictable). But then some day, we woke up, and found things changed. There were no conventional heroes anymore. Stories needed great ammount of knowledge that you had to acquire sometimes earlier. If ou didn't, you would find yourself forever lagging behind, whilst comic book universes moved with great spead to some distant and unkonwn future.

And this was good.

Finally, something happened, that pulled comics from pulp-fiction and five cents fun that lasted for one afternoon, destined to be never looked upon again. Or is it that we just grew up? I cannot tell for sure, and I doubt that any of you can. But, new form of art emerged and we had to deal with that.

Now, that being said, if you are new to world of comic books, Sandman series isn't the one you should begin with. It's complexity, strange perspectives and editing of slides tends to divert people that throw a casual glance on printed papers. When you see something that shows itself as total chaos, somehow you doub't the whole "artistic value".

To really enjoy Sandman, you'll have to be able to drown yourself into a world so utterly stragne but yet so close to this one in which our lives are lead. You'll have to use your head and imagination (and finally, the knowledge) to fill in the gaps in storytelling that are left unfilled on purpose. This can be tiresome to someone not used to (or used to much) to conventional storytelling in comic books. But, that trouble is worth it's gains.

So if you are still interested, you'll be entering the world of Dream, world of Morpheus which suffered destruction and needs rebuilding... And just when you get yourself hooked on story and characters, book will be finished (with the apperance of Death) and you'll find yourself wanting more...

And, as they said somewhere before - "resistance is futile"

Truly Neil Gaiman is the best story teller of our age! His characters are diverse and enigmatic with more history to them than you will ever read. Preludes and Nocturnes is the most amazing gateway into the world of sandman you could wish to have. Beautiful!

That doesn't mean that this is a bad book. It's good, but compared to the stories that Gaiman and company would come up with later on down the road, well, let's just say that it might suffer by comparison. I didn't start off the series with this. If you do, you might quit (but then again, you might not). I started off with the story collections first (Dream Country, Fables and Reflections and World's End), then I proceeded onto the longer storylines. If you are strictly into reading it in chronological fashion, that's your choice. The beauty of the entire series is that you don't HAVE to read them in order (excepting volumes 9 and 10, you have to finish the series with those). Beyond that, think of it as a giant playground for the reader to wander and enjoy.

Lastly, the final story, the stand alone, "The Sound of Her Wings," introduces us to Dream's unforgettable sister, Death. It's the story Gaiman himself said where he "found" his voice for the series and reading it, it's hard to disagree. It's the best story of this volume and fully worth the price of the book alone.

Still, not the ideal intro, but eventually it becomes essential part of the Sandman story arc.

Well, this wasn't the first "Sandman" volume I had read, although I should've (the first one I read was "Season of Mists" or volume 4). Of course it's important, since it establishes Dream as the protagonist and all that, but it's not my favorite.

Personally, the artwork is iffy and is not my thing (Dream looks oooold). The stories are entertaining and well thought out, but a bit too jumpy (this is because Gaiman was experimenting with styles at the time). The later volumes are much more cohesive and, I think, of better quality.

Still, any fan of the series needs the first volume, especially because in "The Sandman" the story comes full circle at the end, and skipping almost any part of it would leave you hanging.

And it's still a good read, regardless of art or style or whatever :)

I'm among the few reviewers here who dislike this book. For readers with similar tastes, here's why.

The art is sloppy and, as another reviewer put it, hideous. The colors are garish, the faces are inconsistent, the perspective can be abysmal (ex. bottom panel, pg. 83), there is evidence of tracing or retouching of photographs (acceptable in some cases - p. 186, but incongruous in others). One might call this artistic licence, I call it simply bad. The narrative would take about twenty-five pages in text, but here we have a comic that goes on for 240 pages while offending the eye with ugly graphics.

The story has promise, but seems to try to blow harder than it can. (However, since the entire series has garnered high praise, maybe it really does ultimately deliver.) It is also humorless. Consequently, it was a slog to get through this first instalment in the Sandman series and I will desist from the rest until I can look into the books and see if the art improves.

For readers who, like me, have a more conventional appreciation of comic art, one modern series I am currently reading that I can recommend is Cerebus, whose art is somewhat poor in the first pages, but improves so fast and so much that it is masterful by the end of the first volume, while the storyline is rich and funny throughout. Now that's a combination for a modern comic (or graphic novel, if you prefer) that I can take!

I'm among the few reviewers here who dislike this book. For readers with similar tastes, here's why.

The art is sloppy and, as another reviewer put it, hideous. The colors are garish, the faces are inconsistent, the perspective can be abysmal (ex. bottom panel, pg. 83), there is evidence of tracing or retouching of photographs (acceptable in some cases - p. 186, but incongruous in others). One might call this artistic licence, I call it simply bad. The narrative would take about twenty-five pages in text, but here we have a comic that goes on for 240 pages while offending the eye with ugly graphics.

The story has promise, but seems to try to blow harder than it can. (However, since the entire series has garnered high praise, maybe it really does ultimately deliver.) It is also humorless. Consequently, it was a slog to get through this first instalment in the Sandman series and I will desist from the rest until I can look into the books and see if the art improves.

For readers who, like me, have a more conventional appreciation of comic art, one modern series I am currently reading that I can recommend is Cerebus, whose art is somewhat poor in the first pages, but improves so fast and so much that it is masterful by the end of the first volume, while the storyline is rich and funny throughout. Now that's a combination for a modern comic (or graphic novel, if you prefer) that I can take!

"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up," said C. S. Lewis. He was defending his love of fairy tales, but perhaps similar things could be said about those who enjoy reading comic books, an art-form that, like fairy tales, some think is fit only for children. Perhaps he who, at age 50, can admit without shame that he still enjoy reading his old Stan Lee Spidermans, is perhaps more truly adult than he who would squirm with embarrassment at the thought.

"Sandman" is, in the Lewisian sense, far more childish than anything written by Stan Lee. It is a comic book that tries desperately to prove that it is sophisticated adult material. The usual methods employed are: (1) hideous art - sufficient to cause any child to throw the title aside at one glance; (2) completely amoral protagonists; (3) sporadic but explicit sexual content; (4) grim and gory violence; (5) obvious - but incoherent - allegorical elements; (6) an incoherent assortment of historical, mythological, and literary references; and (7) confusing narrative gimmicks that force readers to use extra brain cells to follow an otherwise simple plot.

Gaiman has explained that the Sandman comics are about the telling of stories. That sounds grand, but means little. Art, if it is meaningful to mortals, must ultimately reflect on Reality in some way. Art that is merely about Art is ultimately about nothing. But if Gaiman means that his stories are derivative, borrowing fragments here and there from better artists while still retaining some of their original power, then I suspect that would be hitting close to the truth - (though I myself recognize only a few of his sources).

Okay, so what's it all about? (Warning: SPOILERS).

These comics are about an Evil Nerd -- but not just any Evil Nerd. He is a Nerd God -- the ultra-powerful ruler of the realm of Dreams, and has lots of cool names like Morpheus, or Kai'chul, or Oneiros, or Sandman, or simply Dream. He is one of the Endless, a group of seven mostly-evil gods whose names all begin with D -- Destiny, Death, Dream, Despair, Desire, Destruction, and Delirium. Though he supposedly rules all dreams, Nerd-Man seems to traffic mainly in nightmares (in this volume, anyway). The most benevolent and likeable of his siblings is Death - a perky goth chick, introduced near the end of this volume, who rescues mortals from the miseries inflicted by the other six -- though what becomes of them thereafter is unclear.

The Nerd God is ultra-cool. He can assume many forms, but usually looks like Neil Gaiman (tall, lanky, white dude, likes to dress in black , with lots of hair, lots of nose, and a craggy face). He also has an ultra-cool scary voice -- represented by white text within a black balloon. He has black eyes like bottomless pits that reflect the universe, as though he were wearing a built in pair of the coolest shades imaginable.

In his volume, Nerd-Man is captured and imprisoned for 70 years by cultists who were trying to capture Death, but who capture Nerd-Man instead. Nerd-Man is too cool to negotiate with enemies, so he just sits and glares at his captors for 70 years. He finally breaks free, and, since his original captor is long dead, instead inflicts horrible vengeance on the successor. Ignoring pleas for mercy, the ultra-cool Nerd Man curses the successor to a horrible never-waking nightmare. This demonstrates that no-one should mess with Nerd-Man!

Seeking to restore himself to full power, Nerd-Man then sets out to recover three artifacts he lost when he was captured, which is the occasion for various adventures. The most memorable of these is a trip to Hell, which ironically seems a welcome break from the horrors of Earth. After arriving in hell, Evil Nerd-Man faces off against Lucifer, Baalzebub, and a vast army of demons, and proves that he is infinitely cooler than all of them combined.

Nerd Man defeats the demons by pointing out to them that without the dream of Heaven, Hell would have no power over its inmates. This seems a cynical thought, directly contrary to the theological notion (derived from the idea of a forgiving, merciful God) that that it is despair of Heaven that empowers Hell. But it is not a rejection of the idea of an afterlife as such, because Death elsewhere tells a mortal that oblivion is not an option. It is not otherwise clear what aspect of Heaven is being objected to. Is it the hope of happiness? Or is it aspirations toward goodness? Does Gaiman, like Ayn Rand, think altruism is the root of all misery?

Another significant thing that happens, on his visit to Hell, is that Nerd Man encounters an old flame, and once again displays his ultra-cool. In order to fully appreciate this episode, you will need to know a little more of its background (in an episode which, in some editions of Preludes and Nocturnes, is reserved for the beginning of the next volume).

You see, ten thousand years earlier there was this Snotty Babe, who lived in a City of Glass. Snotty Babe was the most beautiful Babe in the world, but she would turn up her nose at all the dudes, considering herself too good for them. This went on until a mysterious Nerd came wandering through, who, just by looking up at her from the street below, caused Snotty Babe to fall madly in love with him.

So Snotty Babe searches high and low for the mysterious Nerd Man. She has no success, until the King of Birds directs her to the Palace of Dreams. "Wow," says Nerd Man, "No one has ever sought me out before. We must be meant for each other. Let's get it on." But Snotty Babe refuses, because she realizes this is not just any Nerd-Man, but the Nerd God himself - and she suspects that boinking a Nerd God can have horrific consequences.

But Evil Nerd Man is far too cool to take no for an answer, so he pursues the Snotty Babe. Snotty Babe takes her own virginity with a sharp rock, hoping this will cause Nerd Man to lose interest. But Evil Nerd Man just says "I'm not interested in your body," and proceeds to give her a super-hot boinking. (That's two non-sequiturs in a row - but what do you expect from the Lord of Dreams?)

The sex is hot, but Snotty Babe is a complainer. "Look," she cries. "My beloved City of Glass has just been smashed to smithereens, all because I boinked an Evil Nerd God." "I'm too cool to care," says Evil Nerd God, "Prepare to be boinked some more.

But Snotty Babe is not nearly as cool as Evil Nerd God, and throws herself off a cliff to prevent any further boinking-induced calamities. Evil Nerd God, however, is the ultimate stalker, and pursues her into the Realm of Death. "Listen up, Snotty Babe," he says "I'm too cool for this nonsense. Either be my Queen, or endure eternal torment." Well, Snotty Babe can't take a hint, so Nerd Man condemns Snotty Babe to Hell.

Well, ten thousand years later, during the just-mentioned trip to Hell, Nerd Man by chance runs into Snotty Babe, still enduring the torments of Hell. Snotty no longer, she begs for her release: "Don't you love me any more? Don't you forgive me?" Nerd Man does not like seeing her in torment, but being Ultra-Cool is a hard and lonely duty. "Yes, I still love you," he intones sadly, "But even after ten thousand years, I do not forgive you." And Evil Nerd Man walks away.

Whoah! How cool is that! I want to be just like Evil Nerd Man. Then, I too can force Snotty Babes to fall in love with me just by glancing at them. Then, I too, can take them by force if they perversely attempt to deny their love for me. Then I, too, can punish them horribly if they then fail to show sufficient gratitude for this favor. Then I too can sadly refuse as they grovel at my feet begging my forgiveness. The Sandman is truly a God to Evil Nerds everywhere!

Or perhaps I am just too shallow to appreciate the deep, sophisticated point Gaiman was making.

Collected in this volume are the first eight issues of Gaiman and company's The Sandman. "Sleep of the Just" introduces us to this revamped character--not a super-hero--but the lord of dreams who is captured no less, by an occultist. A proficient horror story.

The next six issues dealt with Morpheus' quest to re-assemble his tools. "Imperfect Hosts" sets the stage; "Dream a Little Dream of Me" pairs him with John Constantine (who was also new to the DC Vertigo line at that time) as he searches for his pouch of dreams. In the quest for his helm, Morpheus travels to hell to battle a demon in "A Hope in Hell." While the bulk of the battle is reminiscent of other stories of characters battling a demon, the ending has a nice twist. The next three installments ("Passengers," "24 Hours," and "Sound and Fury") document Morpheus' battle with Dr. Destiny (a small-time villian from DC super-hero titles). While "24 Hours" does work as a horror story on its own, the entire set of tales reads more like a standard super-hero comic--Morpheus, the good-guy, versus Dr. Destiny, the bad guy.

The final story in this volume, "The Sound of Her Wings," introduces us to Morpheus' older sister Death. Instead of a morbid grim-reaper type character, Gaiman's version of Death is of a lively Goth-chic, and if anything, full of life.

Some may find the art for this series not to their taste. None of it is realistic--but then one could argue this series was about anything but realism. For example, the characters are often misshapen or drawn as a caricature. This can be effective at times, but at other times, it seems sloppy and serves the story poorly.

Overall, I still find myself liking and enjoying these stories after nearly twenty years. While the stories may not seem so revolutionary or original now (just think of the state of the comic industry in the late 1980s), they are still good stories that are competently told and drawn.

I,ve long been told that this series is the best set of comics to date, but I only rcently (as in 4 days ago) got this one. I must say that it's fenominal to say the least. The story takes a few to get going which might turn off some, and the art has alot in common with that of yor(although once you get used to it it compliments the story well. After you get past that it's a thrill ride to the end.
++SPOILERS++
The story is about one of the seven Endless, Dream (he has many names really), whose captured by mistake instead of Death. He's imprisoned for about 100 years, but thanks to mistake on his captures' part he's set free. Afterward he sets out to return to himself what is his, and fix some of what went wrong while he was captured.
I suggest this to any fans of the following: horror,fantasy, great stories, or comics. WARNING: This graphic novel does contain prophanity, gore, and brief nudity.

Intermittently, between the films that I watch and the video games I shamelessly play, I do enjoy reading a good graphic novel here and there. Why not taste all the facets of pop culture when I have the opportunity? Neil Gaiman is the author that re-introduced me to the world of graphic novel. Through his fantastic novel (meaning a story that you could read more than one time) entitled "American Gods", I found this fantastical writer's ability to draw upon the strength of other pop culture ideas as well as nearly blend fantasy and fiction together with the greatest of ease. It was right after my reading of "American Gods" that I decided to pick up the first in his ever-popular "Sandman" series entitled Preludes & Nocturnes. From the opening frames of a miscalculated capture, through the inevitable adventures to recover lost/stolen items, to the hauntingly original final scenes where our main character, Sandman, introduces us to his family and builds a stronger, more poetic beginning to the next chapter, The Doll's House.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened the first page of this glorious graphic novel. There were so many different themes and stories blazing the pages, that at times I felt a bit overwhelmed, but what makes this collection of stories stand out, I was never lost or confused. Gaiman, with impressive artwork by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, and Malcolm Jones III, takes us through different (already established) storylines - like John Constantine, Satan, and the all-powerful JLA - but with a bold new stroke of creativity. Gaiman, from frame one, never looses his momentum. He combines familiar characters with those we know nothing about, but are willing to learn about. What I enjoyed the most about Gaiman's story is that he never once let us forget about smaller, minuet characters. Even closer to the end, when we think that we have already learned all we can about our smaller moment, or that they have left our story all together, Gaiman pulls them out once more to demonstrate how small this very large world truly is. Finally, what pulled this story together for me to the bitter end (at least of this collection) was our main character, Sandman. For a character confined to the dream world and imprisoned for 40 years, his level of humanity and humanistic actions created one of the strongest literary characters I have witnessed. His expressions, emotions, and overall development through these stories kept me glued to the page until the early hours of the morning. I believed in our heroine, while Gaiman gave no indication that his character would be successful in his quest, I believed and kept the pages turning to see what would be the final explosive conclusion.

I do not believe I felt any negativity towards this collection of stories. The artwork was crisp and continually changing to appeal to a growing audience. The story was extremely smooth with characters that would immediately mark Gaiman's honest entry into the world of graphic novels. I especially loved the blend of other graphic characters. I thought this gave Sandman more depth and bigger scope. If I had to point out one miniscule issue that I had, it would be the sporadic change of illustrations. Most of the time the panels read right to left, but occasionally, our illustrators changed it up (a neat idea, ill-fully carried out), but again, a very small issue that was forgotten about by the end of the story.

Overall, I loved this story. While I don't have many words to put down about my overall feelings of this collection, it is just because I am currently reading the next collection eager to see what new troubles our hero must face after nearly 40 years of incarceration. Gaiman and his team have crafted a cult hero with this series, demonstrating humanity and demonic truths all piled into one. Almost takes me down a Hellboy path, but I don't want to draw that connection. I strongly suggest starting at this point in the series. Some series you can begin anywhere and still get the full effect, but with this one, events are set up early to allow for future dwellings and happenings in this fantastical world. Go out and get this now. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Grade: ***** out of *****

Any comic fan, avid or casual, knows the list of essential comic reading that proves that comics aren't just for kids. Of course there's Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Maus, Preacher, and more, and of course also on that list is Neil Gaiman's celebrated Sandman series. Preludes and Nocturnes is the beginning of one of the most revered adult series in comics history, as Gaiman weaves a tale in which Dream of the Endless seeks to reclaim the realm he lost when he was imprisoned some seventy years before. He sets forth on a mission to regain the tools of his that were lost and seek revenge on those responsible, and on the way he comes across many of DC/Vertigo's icons, including John Constantine and the Martian Manhunter, and travels to the depths of Hell to face down Lucifer Morningstar himself. Frequently chilling and startlingly poignant, this first volume in the Sandman saga is essential reading, and believe it or not, it only gets better with each passing volume.

This is, for all intents and purposes, Neil Gaiman's first real piece of work. Granted, he'd been a journalist, and he'd written a couple of other graphic novels, but nothing on this scale, nothing with this distribution, and nothing as significant.

And frankly, it shows.

There are some faults that Neil Gaiman suffers from that most of his fans are willing to forgive, and all are in evidence here. He relies heavily on preexisting characters (though in this case, it's not only mythological characters, but also a couple of moderately obscure stock DC Comics characters), but provides little exposition as to who these people are. His general style is somewhat detached and off-putting. If you don't like Gaiman for whatever reason, this book won't make you like him any better.

All that said, this is still a decent story in its own right, and a necessary step toward getting the best out of the rest of the Sandman cycle (which gets better very quickly). While the first story or two happen to be awkward and clunky, by the time the book gets to the last chapter Gaiman is firmly in control of his subject matter, though he's still feeling his way around. In particular, the last story of the collection is a favorite for most, being the introduction of perhaps Gaiman's most popular (and one of his few original) characters--Death.

As an isolated story arc, the first seven stories are roughly on par with most average comic books. Nothing to write home about, but interesting treatments all the same. I'm personally not nearly as blown away by 24 Hours as the majority of the reading public (though it does have one of the greatest humor panels of the entire series), but it's still solid. Most of the material that you encounter here will become critical in later story lines as well, so skipping it isn't the greatest option.

In short, you're probably not going to get the internal references to the hosts of the old DC horror series (Eve, Cain, Abel, and Destiny all appeared in that aspect, and were salvaged from those stories), you may not recognize the primary DC villain, but you can probably still appreciate the story for what it is, and it sets you up for much better things to come.

Preludes and Nocturnes is not my favorite Sandman volume, but it is definitely the one to read if you have never approached the series before. It's the first graphic novel in the series -- always a good place to start -- and it explains some of the origins and environs that will come to play in the later books. Preludes and Nocturnes is also deliciously weird, something Gaiman fans have come to expect and love. This delivers his snarky and allusive writing with tremendous art by several illustrators.

I received this as a Christmas present one year, and I could not have been happier with the gift.

Neil Gaiman introduces his spiritual entity of Dream aka "The Sandman" in this first of ten volumes. Gaiman himself admits to not feeling comfortable with the series until the last issue in the trade and it truly shows. Although decent and well written the beginning to this acclaimed series falls short of the expectations set by the following stories. However, this volume does set up others in the series well and I couldn't recommend skipping it.

Neil Gaiman introduces his spiritual entity of Dream aka "The Sandman" in this first of ten volumes. Gaiman himself admits to not feeling comfortable with the series until the last issue in the trade and it truly shows. Although decent and well written the beginning to this acclaimed series falls short of the expectations set by the following stories.

The only thing of Neil Gaiman's I had tried to read before this was 1602. I say tried to read because I found it so dull that I never finished it. Now I must tell you that when it comes to fantasy type stories I have never much cared for them but I thought this collection was not half bad. Granted as the inspiration for DC's Vertigo line its far more violent and vulgar than I care for but it's obvious Mr. Gaiman put a lot of effort into crafting these stories and he deserves to get credit for that. The art in these stories could have been so much better though. I know they wanted a moody supernatural feel for the stories but there must have been any number of artists who could pull that off while at the same time giving the stories some impressive visuals as well. I only gave this three stars because of reasons I stated above, but if this is the kind of stuff you crave then you might really enjoy this.

I must say I was blown away by Gaiman's work, his stories create a feeling of realism, and builds a very strong personal bridge between the reader and the characters. Mr. Gaiman is brilliant at what he does, and he is able to combine individual elements, chilling plot lines, and excellent verbage. I love this book, it is a must read for all book lovers.

While even Gaiman admits that this first volume isn't his best work (some early ideas fall slightly flat...e.g. a little too much intrusion from the DC Universe), it remains a very good taste of the greatness to come in later Sandman collections. This as they say, is where it all begins. Recurring themes are introduced, character nuance is hammered out, and if you've never read Gaiman before...you will have your first experience with his tight plotlines, and clever storytelling. At its worst, Preludes & Nocturnes is still very enjoyable. At its best, it will remind you of why you love comics in the first place. By the time you reach the final chapter (arguably the best in the volume), you will be definitely be hungry for more Sandman. If you are curious about the whole Sandman fan frenzy...or simply eager to experience a truly unique comic, this is the best place to start.

beautiful and haunting story of the sandman who is captured on Earth and how he goes about reclaiming his kingdom of dream. He is beautiful and the drawings are beautiful and the stories range from fantasy to mystery to horror and take the reader into a dream world.

My favorite sequence takes place in hell when the sandman faces satan and some demons. The art here is fantastic as are the plot twists.

This ends on a fascinating note. And all of the characters are fascinating. I can't wait to continue this series.

Neil Gaiman's Sandman is one powerful comic. How good is it? Well it was the only book that got me reading comics again, after being absent for 10 years.

The story of course is about Dream of the Endless and his struggle to change. Though he is billions of years old, he is often cold at heart and quick to punish those that bruise his fragile ego. It isn't until he is captured and subject to cruel treatment himself, that he finally begins to change.

After his escape, Dream goes on a quest to rebuild his fallen kingdom. He is taken through the dirty streets of England, journeys to the depths of hell and even goes against one of DC's most powerful villains ever. Unlike other comics however, this one offers depth, humor and a truly spohisticated character that knows no bounds.
Gaiman himself proves to be a master of both metaphor and myth and I regret not reading this fanatastic comic sooner.

The way I understand it, there are two kinds of people: those that have read The Sandman and loved it... and those who haven't read it.

I wasn't a comic book fan, but I am now. I purchased this first volume in The Sandman series after reading and hearing a lot about Neil Gaiman's talent. Now I can't stop reading them! I haven't finished the series yet, but I've already ordered the remaining volumes and I've started exploring other comic book creators as well, such as Alan Moore and Frank Miller (and so should you).

The stories in this volume are really complex and fun and disturbing and emotional at the same time. The only reason I'm not giving this one 5 stars is that although it's such a great piece of work, it is not THE best volume in the Sandman series. Keep on reading!

A friend of mine had his Sandman collection, so I could start from number 1, then 2,3,4,5,6,7,8, then 10 (It was not complete) then 9 (When we discover that miracles in internet do happen ;-) especially if amazon is in charge)
This was the beginning. Everything is not perfect, everything is not what you would expect, if you have read the rest of the saga. Although, there are a couple of moments (24 hours and the hell contest) that make this comic book a worthy addition to your own Sandman collection.