Monthly (Comic) Book Club - May - The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes14547
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| The Sandman #1-#8: Preludes & Nocturnes Wk1 (5/3-5/9): Sandman #1-2   Wk2 (5/10-5/16): Sandman #3-4 Wk3 (5/17-5/23): Sandman #5-6 Wk4 (5/24-5/30): Sandman #7-8 Discussion topic ideas: * Thoughts on the story or artwork * Details in the story, artwork, or presentation * References to outside events or other works of fiction * Making of/Behind the Scenes details * Editions you will be reading from * Items in your collection pertaining to this week’s selection |
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So I don’t have a ton of Sandman stuff but I did have some cool pick ups last year. I think the biggest is a full set of Absolute Editions, including Overture and Death. I’ll primarily be reading from the Absolute edition but I’ll also refer to my sister’s Annotated edition (pics to come) to help get an idea of the various references that I’ll probably miss.  Last year, I think, I also picked up this signed Sandman #1 raw. I did a bit of research and even asked here on the board for their thoughts on the signature before buying. I got it pretty cheap, probably due to the personalized signature but it was cheaper than even an unsigned copy. The signature came back verified and it graded pretty high as well, so I’m very happy with it!  |
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| I’ll be reading issue #1 tonight but wanted to post a couple more pics. First is my sister’s set of Annotated Editions. These books reprint the issues in black and white with wide outside margins that it uses for notes. Vol 1 covers issues #1-20 just like the Absolute Edition so that’s kind of neat  The second is another of my sister’s books, Sandman: King of Dreams which is something of a making-of/behind the scenes book so I’ll probably check it out as we read through this month  |
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| So I read through issue #1 and then went back through the annotations. I’ll start off by saying that I absolutely love Dave Mckean’s covers. The mixture of textures, mediums, and styles from abstract to photographic combine to create a something whose individual elements are recognizable but but taken together is strange. I think that sets the stage perfectly for the story. The story starts in 1916. An old man, driven by the death of his son in the Great War, visits a wealthy man, Burgess, with an interest in the occult and the arcane and gives him an old grimoire he has been seeking. Burgess claims that with the book he can make it so no one will ever die again. I really love the art throughout this issue. The book is soaked in shadow and the heavy line work and crosshatching makes the art feel like it an old woodcut contributing to a feeling of timelessness. Sam Keith does an excellent job with exaggerated and otherworldly characters and locations and his style is incredibly appropriate here. I mostly know him for his Batman covers during the 90s, particularly in the Knightfall saga where he would draw Batman with long, exaggerated ears making him feel unnatural, almost vampiric and clearly conveying the emotional and psychological nature of the story in a way I can’t imagine an accurate representational style accomplishing nearly as well. We are quickly introduced to four children across the world, a young girl being read a bedtime story, a boy dreaming of a castle in the clouds, a young boy fighting in Verdun, and a girl dreaming of a man. The story is careful to mention the dreams of each of these characters. The leader of some sort of spiritual cult or occult society, quite fashionable in those times, Burgess leads a ritual to capture Death within a summoning circle. Their ritual is successful in trapping something but apparently it is not Death as they intended. Still, the being they summoned brought artifacts with it and the society help themselves to them. I’ve not read the series before but I had seen images of the helmet the being wears and thought that it bore a striking resemblance to the Space Jockey from Alien. Apparently it wasn’t a mistake since the script mentions the helmet should be Giger-eaque. Considering that H. R. Giger was the designer of many of the most memorable parts of Alien, it was bound to look familiar. Once the being is summoned we return back to the four children we me briefly before. Something is different now. Something is wrong. The girls are now asleep, not to reawaken. The boy in Jamaica, the castle of clouds in his sleep vanish startling him awake and he refuses to go back to sleep. The boy in Verdun is traumatized. He can’t go to sleep. The story is clearly connecting the events but it is unknown to the characters in the story. Despite not having captured Death, Burgess still holds the being prisoner, apparently wanting something in return for freeing it. We are told of the epidemic of sleepy sickness, formally know as encephalitis lethargica. This form of encephalitis left its victims in form of catatonia; statue-like and speechless. The condition, first identified in 1917, became an epidemic ending in 1926 in which over a million people contracted the disease and directly cause the deaths of over 500k The boy who fought in Verdun, unable to sleep, kills himself at 16. We get a glimpse at some dysfunction in Burgess’ society. They mention the being they captured is one of the Endless and name some in its ranks, Death, Destiny, and Desire. The second in command at the society runs off with Burgess’ mistress as well as the artifacts from the being they captured. Fearing supernatural retribution from Burgess, the second-in-command trades the helmet to a demon for protection. Unfortunately, when Burgess’ mistress walks out on the SIC, she takes everything of value, including the being’s relics and the demon’s protective necklace and Burgess brutally kills the SIC, the captured being’s artifacts now lost. The sleepy sickness and the general malaise that seems to have enveloped the world still over 20 years later continues to affect the remaining children, now adults and others. Inspiring one young man to become the hero we know as the Golden Age Sandman. Burgess, now and old man, continues to demand a random from the being he has kept imprisoned for decades only to be denied until he dies. His son, Alex, inherits his father’s position in the society but also wrestles with inheriting his father’/ prisoner. He seems conflicted, bot thinking it’s right to keep it but but also tempted, as his father was, and afraid of what revenge the prisoner might seek if freed. Alex soon, too, grows old and still the prisoner is kept. Through the sixties, the seventies, and finally into the eighties, over seventy years after he was first imprisoned, when a guard casually falls asleep near the prisoner. The guard dreams of a sunny beach. From that beach the prisoner grabs a handful of sand. The guard awakens to the sound of the prisoner collapsing. Is he dead? The guards open the prisoner’s glass cell to investigate but the prisoner blows the sand unto his captors, disabling them and he is now free. He wanders dreams, nourishing himself after decades of deprivation, and as he does so, the children we met so many years ago, begin to wake up from their stupor. The old Alex dreams. He follows a black cat through an old castle becoming younger and you after every turn until he is the little boy he was when his father captured the prisoner. On an empty throne the black cat transforms into the prisoner who reveals himself to be the master of the realms of dreams and nightmares. Frightened, Alex explains that it was all a mistake. That they had meant to capture Death. The lord of Dreams tells him they were lucky they failed and only caught Death’s younger brother. If the capture of Dream lead to the suffering we saw, what would have happened had they caught Death? Dream demands Alex return the tools that were taken from him when he was captured, the ruby, the pouch, and the helmet. Alex explains that the items had been lost for years. That nobody knows where they are now. Infuriated, Dream curses Alex to an unending nightmare. So this first issue covers a lot of time and what we’ve gathered is that Dream is incredibly powerful and vital to humanity but he is not all-powerful, nor is he the most powerful being in this pantheon. Also, two of his artifacts are now lost in the world of man and one is in the hands of a demon. There are practitioners of the occult on Earth that can be a threat to Dream and presumably to mankind. The story has a great sense of mood throughout. Though it feels like this issue is mostly backstory, I think it sets up Dream well not by directly telling us or by spending time with him but showing what effect his absence has on mankind. It also leaves is wondering what his tools are for exactly since he seems plenty powerful without them. I imagine his search for these tools will be a major if not the primary driving force going forward but I also feel like this story could easily change direction and surprise us with something completely different. |
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| I have a regular TPB collection that I'm hoping to get into tonight. I've read it in the past but it's been long enough that I don't even remember what issues it covers! But the annotated edition sounds awesome; for something with all the references and depth that Gaiman writes, it would be pretty nice. | ||
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| I let a friend "borrow" my series run about 25 years ago. Still waiting for them to be returned. ~sniff~ I'm currently listening to the audio version on Audible & highly recommend it if you're into that sort of thing. It's fantastic. |
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If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8.
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Quote:Originally Posted by dielinfinite I mostly know Keith from a couple of issues of the Maxx I bought back when they were new, and his run on Marvel Comics Presents. I'm not really a fan; I don't like his style overall, and I really don't like his Wolverine. But he is really good here. Faces are exaggerated in sort of a caricature way but it feels appropriate. The mood is spot-on. Quote: Originally Posted by dielinfinite I always wonder things like that in stories like these. I feel like when someone says they're out to capture a god, or capture a conceptual deity like Death, at this point its short-hand for saying that the person thinks awfully highly of themselves but hasn't really thought things through in a meaningful way. A related part that stood out to me is that Burgess, and eventually Alex, knew who they had. They knew their names and knew they were The Endless. Why would you assume that an eternal being would give in? Do anything other than play the long game? To entrap something like that and then assume it would roll over and give you what you want is the height of hubris. Given how (relatively) easy it was to trap one of them, you also have to imagine that the Endless have been trapped before and know what to do about it. I did enjoy this more than I remember enjoying the story previously. I think, given that it's so heavy on mood and atmosphere, you have to be ready and able to get into that headspace. I'm hoping the feeling stays through the rest of the arc. |
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Quote:Originally Posted by Jsmead1 How does the audio version convey the atmosphere and mood? I assume it adds additional descriptions so it’s more akin to an audiobook or do they find other ways? |
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| @xkonk Keith’s art took a while to grow on me, I’ll admit. He’s still not my favorite but I can certainly appreciate it when used in the right contexts. I definitely think he’s best used in dark, moody, somewhat off-kilter work. Capturing someone like Death or even Dream definitely expresses some significant amount of hubris and that definitely seems in character for Burgess. Still, it’s not like Dream wasn’t inconvenienced by his imprisonment. Granted, he never speaks to Burgess to tell him how much he felt those years of imprisonment. It’s interesting to ponder whether any of the Endless had been captured before. This story linked Dream’s capture with the epidemic of Sleepy Sickness so one could look at other widespread events and imagine them influenced by or by the absence of one of the Endless. Still, Dream didn’t exactly seem to have an escape plan from the start. He saw an opening and he took it but that was a mistake on his captors’ part after over seventy years. If that hadn’t happened would/could Dream have just been imprisoned forever? |
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Quote:Originally Posted by dielinfinite It seems like it, although he calls it something like a parlor trick later on. Seemed pretty effective! But it did remind me of something I heard about breaking out of prison, or breaking systems in general, I don't remember. You don't beat the technology, you beat the people. And if you live forever, you assume that at some point someone is going to mess up. It might not be an efficient way to escape but it was eventually true. |
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Quote:Originally Posted by dielinfinite Gaiman is the Narrator, so he adds context and color when needed. The voice actors are outstanding. James McAvoy as Morpheus. (John MacMillan portrays the African Morpheus) Kat Dennings as Death. Taron Egerton as John Constantine. Etc Really good stuff. I haven't read the individual issues since I lent them out but I can "see" the pages thru the voice acting. |
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Week 2 (5/10-5/16): The Sandman #3-4  |
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| I read #2 the other day but will need to see if I get a bit more time at the computer on Mother's Day. Brief thoughts: I like Cain and Abel as characters, although I go back and forth on how extreme their characterization is. Also, I need to refresh myself on the early Bible, but it's interesting that they called them 'the first story'. Wouldn't creation be the first story? Or maybe it isn't a story because creation happened 'for real'? | ||
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| @Jsmead1 That’s cool that Gaiman himself is involved in the audio version so it would make sense that he would essentially write new material to set the scene. I might have to check it out later | ||
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| So two main things stood out to me from issue two. The first being that; as we are seeing Dreamtime, Morpheus’ home plane, for the first time, things are far more surreal, almost like Wonderland (which was actually quoted from in the first issue). We have the two very odd brothers. One has a habit of killing the other regularly but he always gets better. We see floating islands, a witch with three aspects, and strange rituals and visions. Also, Morpheus’ Castle kind of reminded me of the tower from Gaiman’s Miracleman, which I also need to read!  The second thing that really stood out to me this issue is that at this point in the series the Vertigo imprint did not exist so the story is likely taking place in the main DC Universe, as seen by the direct references to Dr Destiny, Batman, Robin, the Justice League, Arkham Asylum, and John Constantine. @xkonk I am going through the annotations and it’s bringing up some interesting tidbits. As for Cain and Abel being the “first story” perhaps they say that because the story of Cain and Abel is still part of Genesis, the first book in the bible. Cain is the older and the one who killed his younger brother Abel. More interesting though, the annotations point out that Cain and Abel are already DC comics characters! Abel first appeared (outside of direct bible adaptations, of course) as a host in DC Special #4 from 1969 and Cain as a host in House of Mystery #175 from 1968. As such the title of the issue, “Imperfect Hosts” in part refers to the host characters, Cain, Abel, and later Lucien, who first appeared in Tales of the Ghost Castle #1. Gregory the gargoyle is apparently the offspring of the gargoyles on the House of Mystery, and seen on the cover of HoM #175  The Gates of Horn and Ivory are apparently a reference to The Odyssey. Ethel Dee is Burgess’ mistress from issue one, though with a different last name. What I spotted and I’m surprised it wasn’t pointed out in the annotations was that she is wearing the demon’s protective necklace on her wrist. She has been made the mother of DC’s Dr Destiny character. Brute and Glob, which Lucien mentions, are the names of sidekicks of Jack Kirby’s incarnation of Sandman. Apparently there’s been a bit of an issue with the English names for the three witches. In the original comic they say they might as well be called “Diana, Mary, and Candy.”. In the collected edition it is changed to “Diana, Mary, Florence, and Candy,” and in the Absolute edition it is changed to “Diana, Mary, and Florence.”. These are all references to members of the Supremes. So it does seem like the search for Morpheus’ three tools will be the driving goal, at least in this first Arc. He’s off to get the first item from John Constantine, before using it’s power to face a demon for the mask, and finally off to the Justice League to locate the ruby. I guess I really wasn’t expecting it to deal so directly with mainline DC characters, to the point we actually saw Batman and Robin in this issue! Granted, Constantine certainly fits in this arcane, supernatural world of Sandman, so I’m definitely curious to see their interaction in the next issue. I kind of thought the demon that took Morpheus’ helmet might’ve been one out of mythology like Lucifer or something but the other two items are in the hands of mainline DC characters, so might the demon be one as well? |
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| @dielinfinite those annotations are pretty neat! I bet they'll continue to be helpful, since I read number 3 and there are obvious pop culture references throughout. I'm sure there's other stuff I don't know from my relative lack of DC knowledge. | ||
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| #3 is all about Morpheus finding John Constantine and getting his magic pouch back. As far as that goes, it's pretty straightforward. I'm sure that Gaiman could have made an enterprise out of retrieving any of the three objects of power but this one, at least, is one issue and done. I enjoyed all the musical references, which I guess was magic's way of telling Constantine that Morpheus was looking for him. I don't have any aspirations to being a writer but I have had the idea for a while of a story that includes the god of music. She would speak only in lyrics. I also enjoy Constantine stories. I've never bought a Constantine/Hellblazer book but I've read a few, and this issue seems to play to the high points. Constantine seems somewhat out of his depth and someone he cares about dies. There's also swearing and an English accent. I'm sure that aficionados are sick of this kind of portrayal but it works for me. |
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| #4 has the appearance of the Demon that @dielinfinite guessed at. He doesn't possess Morpheus' items, but is his guide through Hell to meet Lucifer. I think (?) that Lucifer's appearance is based on David Bowie. But it also reminds me of Tilda Swinton, which is ironic in the sense that she played Gabriel in the Constantine movie while Peter Stormare played Lucifer. I read this trade a long way back, and if anything ever comes to mind from it, it's the duel in this issue. Reading it again, I wonder a bit about the rules of the game. Is there some outside judge who determines if something is actually 'better' than the previous move? If Choronzon had countered hope with despair, or doubt, would that work? Or is Morpheus' later gambit about Hell only having power because the demons dream (hope?) of getting to heaven the answer to the question? Regardless, I enjoy the idea. It's very writerly, to have a game based on imagination. I also wonder about the backstory between Morpheus and Lucifer. There obviously is one, given the conversation about the sovereignty of Hell and Lucifer's great dislike of Morpheus. I wouldn't mind reading more about that. |
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Monthly (Comic) Book Club - June - Powers  Powers #1-11 Wk1 (5/31-6/6): Powers #1-3 Wk2 (6/7-5/13): Powers #4-6 Wk3 (6/14-6/20): Powers #7-9 Wk4 (6/21-6/27): Powers #10-11 |
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Quote:Originally Posted by xkonk I thought something similar. I could see each item being an extended adventure but this one wrapped things up nicely in a single issue. I’m guessing this whole first arc might be Morpheus getting his items back and who knows where it goes from there. Of course, Gaiman could throw a curveball and make one or two fairly quick to retrieve and then make a longer story out of the remaining one(s). I think it’s almost redundant to say that the issue begins mysteriously. We are given some narration and from it and the lighting and angle choices it very much feels like a drug den of some sort. We are shown Morpheus’ sandbag and a hand reach inside. The first two pages of annotations cover things like the posters on the wall, Constantine’s brand of cigarettes, all of which reference actual bands, brands, etc, and of course the songs Constantine encounters, “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Mr Sandmn,” and “Sweet Dreams (of You)” The annotations don’t mention anything about Mad Hettie being an existing character so maybe Gaiman created her for Sandman. Back at the mysterious house some random...burglar I guess we can call him, breaks in but is quickly overcome with fantasies of everything from driving expensive cars to being Superman himself. Constantine’s musical accompaniment continues to include “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” “Dream Lover,” and “The Power of Love.” Morpheus finally catches up to Constantine and asks for his bag. Constantine explains he picked it up in San Francisco (the annotations mention he was there briefly in the 70s when he met Zatanna) but that it is now in storage. I couldn’t figure out who the “big green bloke” Constantine mentiones was, mostly because my mind immediately jumps to the Hulk, but the annotations mention it being Swamp Thing, which makes perfect sense. There are some books in Constantine’s storage that stood out as references. I caught “Brujeria” as a reference as it was part of the recent Constantine tv series. “Crisis” I assumed to be a reference to Crisis on Infinite Earths. The annotations point out that Constantine actually foresaw the events of Crisis and is one of the few that is aware that it occurred. The annotations also point out that “Plant Elemental” is another reference to Swamp Thing,” “American Gothic,” his adventures in America though I wonder if this is specifically referring to the events that would later be covered in the first arc of Constantine’s Hellblazer book or if the DC continuity had already roughly outlined large portions of Constantine’s backstory by this point. Anyways, Constantine stumbles on a photo of an ex, which he immediately knows would have taken the pouch. He also mentions that she also stole his Silver Surfer comics, which I thought was a funny little note. We also get to see Chas for the first time. I only bring that up because he appeared in both the tv series and the Keanu Reeves-lead film where he was played by Shia LeBouf. We also get another song, “In Dreams.” They arrive at the house of Constantine’s ex’s father hoping to ask him where she is. Unfortunately, once they step in things become a bit horrific. They quickly find the burglar from earlier, not catatonic and Constantine nearly meets the same fate if not for Morpheus pulling him out of his nightmare. Back in the home we get several grizzly scene, first of a room covered with still-living human remains, another covered by amorphous creatures, apparently dreams, warning them away. Once they learn who Morpheus is they become docile and servile to him. Finally we come to Constantine’s ex, Rachel, withered and decrepit. Not unlike a junkie who has ignored all other needs to get their fix. In her euphoria, Rachel quotes still more songs,”All I Have to Do is Dream” and “The Dreaming.” With the bag back in Morpheus’ possession Rachel is cut off from her sustenance and Morpheus explains that she will soon die. Constantine, demands Morpheus do something rather than leave her to die in her current state. Morpheus obliges and with a final dusting of his sand sets her off with a final, pleasant dream. Before parting ways, Morpheus tells Constantine that he is going to Hell next. Constantine asks for a favor before they part and that is to help him with his nightmares about the Newcastle incident, which is a traumatic event in Constantine’s past. I’m not sure if the incident is the same in the tv series but Newcastle plays the same role of a traumatic event that haunts and drives Constantine. This issue dipped into some surreal horror. A bit unsettling. I don’t expect the book to go full-on horror but in this issue and the last we’ve seen it sway from a destroyed fantasy to unsettling gore so it is hard to predict where the series can go at any given time. Though since we know we’re going to Hell next I can’t imagine things are going to be particularly pleasant. A final question I had is that Constantine mentioned that he was unable to open Morpheus’ bag so I wonder how it is Rachel was able to open it. I know Constantine is portrayed as fairly skilled in the occult and we never got any hint that Rachel was even as adept as he was so I don’t think Rachel could’ve opened it herself. If she didn’t then who did? And could they pose some threat to Constantine or Morpheus in the future? I really hope that gets explored at some point. I’ve also been looking at places that can make custom vinyl records. They’re not exactly cheap but I’m interested in getting a few done. I only mention it because it might be cool to get all the songs from this issue cut into a vinyl record as a sort of Sandman soundtrack |
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Quote:Originally Posted by dielinfinite I had the same thought when I finished reading, so I went back and re-read the line. Maybe I missed it, but I think Constantine only says that Rachel kept bothering him to open it and said "what's the point of having something magical if you don't use it?". He said something like sometimes he knows better. So I think it was more that he could've opened it but didn't want to. |
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I went back and looked at it. It comes in two parts. When Morpheus first asks Constantine for the pouch Constantine says: Which sounds like it was something he was never able to accomplish. The later line you’re referring to:  I took to mean that he feels there is a reason to keep magical objects even if he is unable to use them (being unable to open the pouch, for instance). Which I understood more as keeping these magical objects safe and out of the wrong hands. So I still think Rachel must’ve needed someone or something’s help to open the pouch. |
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| Issue #4 begins with Morpheus entering Hell and wondering if he is powerful enough to succeed in his goal. The dock and river imagery in the context of Hell brings to mind the River Styx The gates of hell are appropriately grotesque, seemingly made of contorted bodies, possibly still alive if the decapitated announcer is anything to go by. DC mainstay Etrigan makes an appearance, guiding Morpheus to Lucifer. I had wondered if the helmet was in the possession of a familiar DC character as the other artifacts seem to. It doesn’t seem to be Etrigan but Gaiman used the opportunity to bring in a familiar face, regardless. I think Etrigan also really stands out among everything else in the issue with his bright comic book-y color scheme while everything else has a more subdued palette. One thing Gaiman is great at doing is expanding the world by peppering hints at relationships and histories that we only see in tangent. @xkonk, your example with Lucifer is one such example. Clearly they have a long history but not only that but Gaiman hints at kingdoms with protocol and rules, and governments and uprisings, and bureaucracies. Even in smaller moments where Morpheus encounters a former lover that he apparently banished to Hell. It hints at a longer story and it also shows us that Morpheus may appear differently to others. You also get the feeling that entire stories can be written about these events we’re only getting glimpses of. I wonder if Gaiman will explore these later on? Lucifer’s Palace once again feels reminiscent of the palace in Miracleman, though darker and grotesque compared to Morpheus’ palace. Lucifer himself does seem a bit familiar. Morpheus use of the name Morningstar is a little odd. It fees a little comic book-y so I wonder if this version of Lucifer was previously seen in the DC Universe. Azazel, Bezelbub, and the hoard of demons they summon reminds me of some of the strange alien designs you sometimes see in Rick and Morty. I wonder if the use of “Hellfire Club” might be a reference to the X-Men, as Gaiman has previously made reference to Marvel. The game Morpheus plays does have an elegant simplicity to it though without hearing any rules I do wonder a bit how it is Morpheus won outright. It seemed like it was a back and forth story-telling game of sorts and it makes a kind of sense up until Morpheus final move where he simply mentions that he is hope. I really wish he would’ve elaborated a bit as they had done for each move up until then. Also the mention of Anti-Life instead of something like Apocalypse or Armageddon makes thing it is a reference to Darkseid and the Anti-Life Equation he seeks. Of course, no dealing with demons would be complete without betrayal and Lucifer tries to betray Morpheus but in the end Lucifer and the denizens of hell acknowledge the power Morpheus wields, even in hell and he is allowed to leave. The issue ends with an Epilogue back at Arkham Asylum where Doctor Destiny, who had been in possession of the last of Dream’s artifacts, is incarcerated. He learn that his mother has died and she passes onto him the demon’s trinket of protection. We are left wondering what power the trinket still holds and will it somehow lead to the return of Doctor Destiny or will it protect him from Morpheus somehow? The annotations simply connect the name “Morningstar” to Lucifer as “Morning Star” refers to Venus, which sometimes appears like a star in the sky before sunrise, thus bringing the light. Lucifer, of course meaning Light Bringer.” The annotations also mention Dante’s Inferno famous quote “Abandon All Hope ye who enter here” in regards to the Gates of Hell. It’s so perfect in regards to the issue’s themes of hope that I am honestly surprised Gaiman didn’t bring it up or reference it directly. The annotations make some mention of the nature of demons in the DCU. Etrigan has rhymed in his speech since his first appearance but Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing introduces the idea that rhyming implied a rank in hell. While Gaiman did not reference the Gate of Hell quote from Dante he clearly had the poem in mind as the forest of suicides appears in the Inferno and just like in the poem the soul does not speak until a branch is broken from the tree. The name of Dis as a city in hell is also from The Inferno. One thing I’m not fond of while reading the annotations is that they will sometimes reference future issues. Not explicitly spoiling things but they will mention significant reappearances like with the woman Morpheus encounters in the jail cell. The annotations also mention that the pages of Morpheus’ meeting with Lucifer and the other kings of hell were substantially redrawn for the collected editions but I haven’t been able to find an example of that. Not from the annotations but this is the version of Lucifer that would later get his own tv series. Well it looks like Hellfire Club is actually a far older reference than X-Men as it refers to an actual club founded by a British Duke in the early 18th Century with some high society friends. The annotations relate the game to riddle games throughout literature, like in Tolkien’s The Hobbit among other, much older examples. Agony and Ecstasy are actually from Hellblazer. Turns out I’ve had the timeline in my head all wrong all this time as Hellblazer started it’s run before Sandman. I kept thinking Sandman bear it by a few years. So some of Constantine’s adventures in the US had already been told in his own series by this point. |
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Week 3 (5/17-5/23): The Sandman #5-6  |
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If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8.
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Quote:Originally Posted by dielinfinite Good catch. I don't know enough about Constantine's character to distinguish between a couple options. A) he's being coy to Morpheus, not letting him know if he knew what he had or how to use it, etc. The second part was internal monologue, so it could be more honest. B) Like you said, he couldn't get it open but Rachel later found someone who could. That could be interesting too, but my gut says that if it pays off it won't be in the next few issues we're reading. |
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If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8.
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Quote:Originally Posted by dielinfinite Some Wiki reading for folks who want a little more detail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer#Christian_folklore |
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Quote:Originally Posted by xkonk Definitely agree with you there. Gaiman seems to be planting seeds for many future stories like the woman in the jail cell and Lucifer’s revenge against Morpheus. As to what was previously mentioned about Morpheus’ self-contained adventures for his artifacts. We’re only halfway through the reading and Morpheus already has two of his three objects so it seems like the last one might take him a bit more work. |
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| So issue 5 feels about as close to a filler issue as we’ve gotten so far. There is a lot of talking but not too much of significance happens. Arkham is having one of its weekly breakouts. Doctor Destiny has escaped Arkham, possibly with the aid of the protection trinket he received at the end of the previous issue with the goal of either ruling the world or destroying it. He hijacks a car and forces the driver to take him somewhere all the while telling his life story. Morpheus, meanwhile, goes to the Justice League in search of his ruby. I had to look up who Scott Free was. Turns out it is Mister Miracle. He doesn’t know what happened to the Ruby so they go to the remaining old school JLA member they can bother at that time of night, Martian Manhunter. We see another instance of Morpheus appearing differently to different people as Manhunter recognizes him as a Martian God. He tells them that the jewel was put in storage and Morpheus takes off, showing his gratitude by bestowing a pleasant dream. I thought it was pretty unique and appropriate how Morpheus travels through dreams. It is both different in a way unique to the king of dreams but also not so overpowered that Morpheus can appear anywhere at anytime. Morpheus finds the jewel stashed in a run of the mill storage unit. You’d thing with the money to build satellite space bases they could afford a more secure storage solution but I digress. It turns out Doctor Destiny had manipulated the trinket so when Morpheus tries to possess it, it hurts him. Doctor Destiny arrives shortly afterward to claim the jewel, feeling it stronger than before, possibly because Morpheus had touched it. And Doctor Destiny is now free and complete to carry out his evil. So yeah, not my favorite issue so far. In part because the previous issues told more self-contained stories. Since this issue is setting up pieces for a slightly longer encounter it feels less significant than previous issues. As for the annotations, they are suitably drab, mostly pointing out the comic book references (Scarecrow, Mister Miracle, Martian Manhunter, the JLI, etc) as the issue is pretty straightforward, although it turns out the clip of Alfred Hitchcock presents we hear on the radio was actually a quote from the show, which I thought pretty neat. |
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If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8.
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| I read 5 and 6 together earlier in the week. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for it; I thought they were the two worst issues of the arc so far. But it sounds like maybe you agree! I'll see if I can reread them before putting down more thoughts, but issue 6 didn't offer much on the first go either. | ||
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Week 4 (5/24-5/30): The Sandman #7-8  |
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