Rating: 
Summary: A Must-Read for Sandman Fans!
Review: When DC released the first issue of The Sandman, I picked it up because the concept seemed cool. I hadn't read any of Writer Neil Gaiman's previous work except Black Orchid, but I thought I'd give it a try. Little did I know that I was about to step into one of the most well-told stories I've ever read. Sadly, Neil Gaiman concluded The Sandman after 75 issues. The good side of that is The Sandman is so superbly crafted that repeated readings yield new insights into the characters and their histories. I've read the series three times, so I figured The Sandman Companion would just reaffirm things I already knew. WRONG! Turns out I HAD caught a lot of the hidden subtexts, but a lot more had slipped right by me. I still haven't had my #1 Sandman question answered (What WAS the favor Morpheus wanted from Loki in exchange for his freedom in "A Season of Mists"...?), but I learned so much more that I didn't know that I feel like reading the series yet AGAIN! Hy Bender tackles the series by collection, giving a comprehensive overview of each arc, following that up with interviews with Neil Gaiman and the various other contributors. The book is packed with information, and is done in such a breezy style that I never wanted to put it down. Also, the hardcover is just beautifully designed. It's truly a great package, and I can't recommend it highly enough- Not just for Sandman fans, but for anyone who wants to get into the creative processes of a talented Author.
Rating: 
Summary: A peek behind the curtain and into the world of the Sandman
Review: When Neil Gaiman set down his pen and brought the saga of the Sandman to an end several years ago, it left a huge void in the comics market. Since the 80s, the trend in comics has been to diminish the role of the writer and bring the artist to the fore (check out Todd McFarlane's track record if you don't believe this to be the case.) Thus most of the comics on the rack will have gorgeous artwork and incoherent plots, a la The X-Men. Neil Gaiman fought this inexorable tide almost single-handedly throughout his run on the Sandman with thought-provoking, intricately layered tales which simply could not be confined by genre or medium. The Sandman Companion gives even casual readers a sense of how deep and how complex Gaiman's stories were and provides a fascinating window on the comic business and the creative process to boot. Author Hy Bender opens with background on how Gaiman got his start and how the Sandman came about, none of which will be very new to those fans who've followed Gaiman's interviews in fanzines. Then we hit the meat of the book. Bender takes us through every Sandman story, providing a detailed synopsis of the plot, then deconstructing the story with the aid of insightful interviews with Gaiman and others. Even those of us familiar with The Annotated Sandman on the Web will find this fascinating. The collection wraps up with 3 interviews/essays and a detailed list of credits for the original Sandman comics. Some have criticized DC for trading on the Sandman allure to make a buck. (Given the puerile garbage they put out for comics today, who could blame them?) The Sandman Companion is no marketing ploy, however. It is a solid addition to the Gaiman canon and will be a welcome gift for fans of the author or his immortal creation.
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