Sandman can’t be woke – review of the comic book “Sandman.The Doll’s House “, vol. 2

The old saying goes, “When the Lord of Dreams is gone, the demons play.” It fits perfectly into the second volume of Sandman , where the bigger part of the story is cleaning up the mess caused by Morpheus’s decades-long absence in the Land of Dreams.

One of the worst elements of collecting comics are situations in which a given item disappears from stores, and in the second circulation the so-called scalpers sing a fortune for her. Fortunately, some titles are so important that publishers decide to renew them. And this is the case with Sandman, which reaches Polish readers for the third time. It is probably related to the premiere of the series screening planned for this year, which is being prepared by Netflix. Nevertheless, praise Egmont for reminding the classics.

Beware of the sand

As with the Preludes and Nocturnes , its continuation – The Doll’s House –it contains several stories, each with a different tone. The “Sand Stories” presents the tragic love of the previous incarnation of the Lord of Dreams, Kaic’kula. The Chosen of Fate, in turn, focuses on a man who chooses not to die, to which Death and Dream agree. Since then, the immortal man meets with Morpheus every hundred years to discuss his fate. However, the most important events take place today, where the ruler of Dreaming has to find fugitives from his land. In this way, the reader gets to know Rose Walker, who has the power of Whirl, that is, jumping between the dreams of others. This thread is dominated by the atmosphere of mystery and horror, and the reader learns how dangerous reunions of cereal lovers can be. Each of the stories presented by Gaiman is written in an excellent manner. Despite thirty years on the neck (or rather the back?)The doll ‘s house surprises with the freshness of the topics it deals with. A convention of serial killers is a great idea, and the British author spiced it up with a pinch of grotesque humor – this event resembles an industry fair, not a rush of the most dangerous types from under the dark star.

High five

Five creators are responsible for the graphic layer: Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli and Steve Parkhouse. However, thanks to the similar style and colors of Zylonol Studio, everything is incredibly consistent. The changes of the authors of individual issues were barely noticeable to me. I must also praise some formal experiments, especially visible in the land of Morpheus and human dreams, such as the tilt of the frames by ninety degrees. The new edition differs from the previous one with a different cover and an introduction from Gaiman himself.

Good night

It is often the case that when a person listens to the paean to a given work before reading it, the reception after reaching for it brings disappointment. However, I cannot say that about Sandman , who absolutely deserves all admiration. The doll ‘s house is a multi-threaded, intriguing and creative comic.