Absolute Sandman Volume One by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth

Absolute Sandman Volume One (Absolute Sandman, #1)

by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth

Written by Neil Gaiman Art by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli, Steve Parkhouse, Kelley Jones, Charles Vess and Colleen Doran Cover by Dave McKean THE SANDMAN, written by New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman, was the most acclaimed comic book title of the 1990s. A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, THE SANDMAN is also widely considered one of the most original and artistically ambitious series of the modern age. By the time it concluded in 1996, it had made significant contributions to the artistic maturity of comic books and become a pop culture phenomenon in its own right. Now, DC Comics is proud to present this comics classic in an all-new Absolute Edition format. The first of four beautifully designed slipcased volumes, THE ABSOLUTE SANDMAN VOL. 1 collects issues #1-20 of THE SANDMAN and features completely new coloring, approved by the author on the first 18 issues, as well as a host of never-before-seen extra material including the complete original Sandman proposal, a gallery of character designs from Gaiman and the artists who originated the look of the Sandman, and the original script for the World Fantasy Award-winning THE SANDMAN #19, “A Midsummer Night's Dream," together with reproductions of the issue’s original pencils by Charles Vess. Also included are a new introduction by DC President & Publisher Paul Levitz and an afterword by Gaiman. • 612 pg, FC, $99.99 US • MATURE READERS

Reviewed by leahrosereads on

5 of 5 stars

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1/31/17
First read and reread of 2017. The below review still holds completely true.

4/26/15
Neil Gaiman is pure fucking magic when it comes to writing.

I’m relatively new to his work, and I’m also pretty new to comics and graphic novels. So please feel free to take the following fangirl-gasming with a grain of salt. If you haven’t read this series yet, I highly freaking recommend you go to your library and start this, and soon. If this first Volume is any indication on what to expect from the future ones, then I know I’m in for one hell of a ride.


I don’t think I’ve read anything like this before. I love that every element of this story felt new and real and raw to me. It bewitched me. I’ve fallen hard for these worlds and characters, and I’m happy that I’ll be able to live in it for a little longer.


The art instantly drew me in to this comic. I loved the style, and I thought the artists did an incredible freaking job giving life to Gaiman’s characters and worlds.



Following Dream/Morpheus on his journey as he escaped a prison meant for his sister Death, was a really fascinating story, but it was only the beginning. There were so many other fantastical tales showing the evolution of Dream. The worlds were vast.

Some were familiar and some were strange and new to me, and I loved seeing Dream interact with the people/creatures/things in each of them. He’s Endless, and every story showed what he has done during his existence. The stories showed that he can be selfless and objective, and the stories showed that he can also be selfish and cruel. I enjoyed reading about all the different aspects of Dream.



Again, I highly, highly recommend reading this series!

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  • Started reading
  • 31 January, 2017: Finished reading
  • 31 January, 2017: Reviewed