The Sandman: King of Dreams

Rating:
Summary: Great Art, but not enough meat to go with it
Review: "The Sandman: King of Dreams" is a coffee-table sized tribute to the 10 story arcs that comprise Neil Gaiman's beloved Sandman series. A chapter is devoted to each story arc (or corresponding graphic novel, if you will) filled with full-page reproductions directly from the stores themselves. There are also a smattering of new artwork, behind-the-scenes tidbits, quotes and such.

I adore the Sandman series, and even find repeated enjoyment in "The Sandman Companion", but I was disappointed by this book. Why?

1st, there was not enough new art to keep me from getting bored. Yes, the pages look damn good reproduced here, but still pretty much look the same here as in the graphic novels.
2nd, there is too little text to go with the visuals, and what there is seems lacking ("The Sandman Companion", though visually less appealing than "King of Dreams", has about a 100x more info in it). For example, in the chapter covering the 2nd Sandman graphic novel - Doll's House, it alludes to original artist Mike Dringenberg not being able to keep up with the monthly pace. He apparently is replaced. Sounds interesting. So what happened? Was he fired? Did he step down honorably? Is this type of thing normal in a comic series? You won't find the answer here. Getting under the skin of the story - a forte of Mr. Gaiman, is frustratingly lacking here. It comes across as a superficial glossing over of the greatest comic book series ever.

What's left is great art you've mostly seen before, some interesting tidbits and insights, and a summary of stories you already know by heart. I'd recommend this for Sandman completists who especially love the artwork. For everyone else, try the "Sandman Companion" (its cheaper and better) or just pull out your reading copies one more time for another run through.

Rating:
Summary: Great Art, but not enough meat to go with it
Review: "The Sandman: King of Dreams" is a coffee-table sized tribute to the 10 story arcs that comprise Neil Gaiman's beloved Sandman series. A chapter is devoted to each story arc (or corresponding graphic novel, if you will) filled with full-page reproductions directly from the stores themselves. There are also a smattering of new artwork, behind-the-scenes tidbits, quotes and such.

I adore the Sandman series, and even find repeated enjoyment in "The Sandman Companion", but I was disappointed by this book. Why?

1st, there was not enough new art to keep me from getting bored. Yes, the pages look damn good reproduced here, but still pretty much look the same here as in the graphic novels.
2nd, there is too little text to go with the visuals, and what there is seems lacking ("The Sandman Companion", though visually less appealing than "King of Dreams", has about a 100x more info in it). For example, in the chapter covering the 2nd Sandman graphic novel - Doll's House, it alludes to original artist Mike Dringenberg not being able to keep up with the monthly pace. He apparently is replaced. Sounds interesting. So what happened? Was he fired? Did he step down honorably? Is this type of thing normal in a comic series? You won't find the answer here. Getting under the skin of the story - a forte of Mr. Gaiman, is frustratingly lacking here. It comes across as a superficial glossing over of the greatest comic book series ever.

What's left is great art you've mostly seen before, some interesting tidbits and insights, and a summary of stories you already know by heart. I'd recommend this for Sandman completists who especially love the artwork. For everyone else, try the "Sandman Companion" (its cheaper and better) or just pull out your reading copies one more time for another run through.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Informative
Review: Sandman: the King of Dreams is a wonderful coffetable-eque art book. However, it also contains many insights into the world of the Sandman and the creative process. Alisa Kwitney was a one time editor of the comic series and brings wonderful anecdotes about the writers, artists and characters that I have not heard anywhere else. This bok is clearly written with love for the world of The Sandman.
The art is also gorgeuos. images from the comics are replicated here in a wonderful format. also there are many images taken from other comics and trading cards and several that have been hiding in the editorial vault.
though this book is not as detailed as Hy Bender's wonderful ode to the series, and the two do cover the same ground on occasion, this is an excellent addition to anyones'sSandman library.