12 July 2013

Sandman Summer

A year ago Neil Gaiman announced that there would be a new Sandman comic coming out in November this year to coincide with the 25th anniversary.

My husband called me over to watch the video with him. He knows I'm a Sandman fan, I was reading through the series when we met and started going out. In fact early in our relationship he'd buy me Sandman related gifts for Christmas and birthdays, probably figuring they were a pretty safe bet.

As soon as I realised what the announcement was, before Neil Gaiman had read out the relevant passage, I knew what the new story would be. There was only one story it could be. There was one significant mystery which had never been answered in the original Sandman run. I didn't mouth along with the words "tried almost beyond endurance", but I knew they were coming before they arrived.

I've realised this year is (roughly) a Sandman anniversary for me as I started reading the graphic novels about ten years ago when I was in Sixth Form College. I'd briefly seen a friend's copy and been interested. The main bookshop in my hometown had just started selling graphic novels. At that point in my life I didn't quite identify as a geek, but was heading inexorably in that direction. I was reading the graphic novels for the first time when I went to university, and that was a time of good changes for me.

This summer I'm going to blog about the Sandman graphic novel collections, one each week. It's been a few years since I've done a full reread. I've always had a pretty good memory for plots and certain panels in Sandman, but I expect it will be like getting reacquainted with an old friend.

I'd love to hear other about people's memories or experiences of the series. It's always fascinating to find out about the little things other people have noticed, or any theories for the new issues coming later this year. Whether you've read them before or not I hope that some of you will join me and have your own Sandman summer.*

I'll post about Preludes & Nocturnes on Thursday week.

I (accidentally) have 2 of the 10th anniversary Sandman statues.
Preludes and Nocturnes
The Doll's House 
Dream Country
Season of Mists 
A Game of You 
Fables & Reflections 
Brief Lives 
Worlds' End 
The Kindly Ones
The Wake
Endless Nights


* This being the internet I appreciate that it isn't summer for everyone, so feel free to substitute the appropriate season/period of time.

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