“He drew us here with whispers that shone like silver foil and still cooling eyeballs.”
This is a quote from a raven speaking about Lucifer. It might as well be a quote from me when I was first told that Neil Gaiman was bringing back The Sandman. I’ve read Sandman Universe #1 several times now. Every time I discover something new. Something new that makes me stop and stare. Something new that makes me rethink the waking world. Something new that has me wiping a tear from my eye.
Opening to the first page will remove you to the realm of The Dreaming. You will find yourself there for several minutes. On one panel. The depth of detail is unbelievable. This phantasmagorical art is provided by the team of Sebastian Fiumara, Max Fiumara, Tom Fowler, Domonike Stanton and Bilquis Evely. From here on out you search every nook and cranny of their work for hidden clues or Easter eggs. Although Easter isn’t in this one.
Nalo Hopkinson, Kat Howard, SImon Spurrier and Dan Watters are the enthralling troupe who put words to paper for Sandman Universe. They introduce us to a plethora of characters. Some human, some not. Some you aren’t quite sure. Returning favorites such as Lucien, Merv Pumpkinhead, Cain and Abel. We meet back up with Timothy Hunter and Lucifer. And Matthew is here flying about, from page to page. Almost a tour guide to this new/old world.
We also meet a whole host of new cast members. In the most touching of stories we meet the enigmatic Dora. She isn’t where she should be and yet she is right where she belongs. Dora is both charming and terrifying. After this you might stop wondering what your dreams really mean.
Laissez les bons temps rouler! A quartet of young ladies brings us back to normalcy in New Orleans. But, as we all know, the Big Easy is anything but normal. The introduction of Ezrulie, the Voodoo spirit of love, beauty, women and children, proves that. Then along crawls Uncle Monday. I’m not going to lie. After reading their story I fell down a long rabbit hole of bayou folklore.
The first issue of Sandman was released in 1989. The comic book world was a gloomy place. Alan Moore took us the seedy streets of Whitechapel in From Hell. Gotham by Gaslight introduces us to the Elseworld with Batman’s own tale of Jack the Ripper. Grant Morrison and Dave McKean took inside insane nature of Arkham Asylum. All of these titles would become showpieces in the comic book world. Neil Gaiman’s Sandman Universe is going to sit just nicely next to those other books. Just go ask Lucien.
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