Rating: Summary: exellent artists + exellent story = SANDMAN Review: i start reading Sandman with this volume, reading the 24 pages spanish comic. Since the spanish comic was discontinued in my country, and never was brought again in his 24 pages format, I just stop reading the Sandman, but over the years i kept wondering, what happen with the pale faced guy of the story and with his deadly sister. Finally in a travel to the US I saw the entire Sandman series on a library, and I bought a couple of tomes, and after that i just couldn't stop reading Sandman's books. The story it's so intrigating and fascinating that after you read a chapter you want to know what's going to happen right away. That plus the Dave McKean's artwork makes it one of the best, ifnot the best, comic and book of his genre in the last dacades. Maybe, there has been many exellent stories in the fiction style, but what Gaiman does it's admirable, not only 'cause of the creativity developed in the entire story, plus the variety of tales in the series, but also because of the workteam that participates, including remarkables inkers, drawers, painters?, and all kind of graphic artists. So when you read the Sandman you're reading clearly not just another fiction story, but one of the best co-production in the fiction genre.
Rating: Summary: A great comic but a wonderful story. Review: I was always intersted in reading Sandman but I never got around to picking up an issue. Finaly one day wile I was takeing a regular visit to my local library when "Sandman. Seasons of the mists" caught my eye. So I took it home not really knowing what to ecspect. I love comics. But the titles I read and collect are more along the lines of Spider-man,Spawn,Bat-man ect. (you know the regular fan boy titles)But sandman got me hooked right away. The plot is highy interesting and the art work is very rich. Sandman proves you can have a great story with out the classic "bad guy fights good guy" story type. I personaly enjoyed reading Seasons of the mists and I will continue to read the other stories. I think if you like comics but you just want something more out of them pick this up. A great story for fan boys and non fan boys alike.
Rating: Summary: Breaks the myth that comics are for children. Review: I was first drawn to Sandman by the covers. The beautiful
cover work drew me in... the story captured forever. Neal
Gaiman has a way of writing that breaks the normal conventions of comics and brings new life to the genre.
"Season of Mists" follows the Sandman's journey into a
Hell as beautiful as any Heaven. Dieties from every major
theology/mythology/etc confront Morpheus, all desiring
the key to Hell that the Sandman now owns.
Rating: Summary: Lame art with half-baked story Review: If seeing Lucifer, Thor , Angels, demons and so on is enough for you , ok, but for me end of story was dissapointing and predictable, and pencils were AWFUL!
Rating: Summary: Hell is a state of mind? Not so much. Review: In which our hero reveals that he may not be oh-so invincible after all. In which he tries to undo a great wrong once performed on an innocent woman. In which the legions of Hell itself are released into space and Lucifer decides to go into retirement. And finally, this is a book in which a huge course of events has been begun simply because a brother and a sister have a quarrel. "Season of Mists" is the fourth in the collected Sandman chronicles and as such it's an interesting story. We get to see almost all the Endless siblings gathered together (save one) and we journey from Dreams to Hell and back again. With this novelette it seems as though Gaiman is beginning to move away from the series' horror-story beginnings into a whole new realm. It's a refreshing change of scenery.
Destiny has called his siblings, Desire, Death, Dream, Delirium (formerly Delight), and Despair together after a visitation by the three sisters (the crone, the maiden, and the matron). As a result of this meeting, Desire taunts Dream with the fact that he once sentenced an innocent girl to an eternity of Hell simply because she didn't want to stay with him. Dream is initially angered by this accusation but when Death concurs with the usually malicious Desire, Dream has to face facts. He has grievously wronged his once beloved Nada. He anticipates great problems when he returns to Hell to rescue her, but is instead greeted with an empty world. Lucifer himself explains that he's given up the job and as punishment to Dream (who once bested him on his own turf) he gives his guest the key to Hell itself. Suddenly every mythological god you can think of (Norse, Egyptian, manifestations of order and chaos respectively, etc.) is scrambling to get possession of that key. Dream can only give it to one group and his beloved Nada is being held as a bargaining chip by one of the factions. Smart stuff.
There are some wonderful mysteries introduced here that we've not seen much of until this time. For example, there seems to be a missing member of the Endless who, in this collection anyway, remains unnamed. There are also two infant children born, both of whom have direct ties to the Dream lord. One is a child of dreams, the other his former lover. Either good or bad things may come of this. I enjoyed the fact that characters from previous collections (like Hob, the man who lives forever and the ever malicious Cain with his schlimazel of a sibling Abel) make at least a token appearance in this book. Gaiman doesn't forget past storylines or people. It's part of what makes him such an interesting writer.
As for the story itself, it's passable. It does seem a little strange that despite the closeness between Dream and Death, she's only brought up his colossal mistake some ten thousand years after the fact. But I loved the flow of ideas in this book. I enjoyed the range of gods that come to feast with Dream and the variety of ways in which they attempt to reason with him. There's a nice range of different artists in this collection as well, and their skills are honed perfectly with each and every story. Maybe I found the brief odd tale about the schoolboy in the haunted dormitory a little out of place (why was Death wearing legwarmers?) but if you removed it I fully believe that "Season of Mists" would be near perfect.
Some might call this collection simplistic. Others might berate it for its scope. But gol durn it, I like it. I like almost everything about it. It's just another great series of Sandman tales, reaching a little further into the mythos and getting a little more interesting each and every time. A fine fun set.
Rating: Summary: Gods, Demons, and Angels. Review: It begins with a family get togethar of the Endless. Then we have Dream going to Hell to rescue a lost love. Dream recieves the key to Hell. Then we have deities and principalities and angels arriving vie for the key to Hell. Tehn an annoying intelude at a boarding school. Then Dream makes his decision to who the key should go. Great fiction, great art.
Rating: Summary: A major step for Sandman Review: It is appropriate that Season of Mists opens with the first round-table meeting of the Endless, the title character's family who all rule over some "realm" of conscious experience. This story arch marks the point where Sandman went from being a super-smart horror series to a Middle Earth for the alternarock generation. No more would scary monsters and gruesome imagery be the defining features of Neil Gaiman's adult-orientated fantasy comic book. Instead ambiguously defined gods and semi-gods, such as the Endless, and their (mis)adventures in the modern world would be the driving force behind Sandman. This type of literature would become Gaiman's specialty and was probably always his primary interest. Likewise Season of Mists sees Gaiman write with greater ease and elegance than ever before, making this the best piece of the Sandman saga thus far.In Season of Mists, Sandman AKA Dream AKA Morpheus, the series' main character and the member of the Endless who controls the realm of dreams, ventures into Hell to free a former lover he condemned there thousands of years ago. When he arrives, he finds Lucifer preparing to abandon his post, evicting all of the damned and demons and locking the gates. He gives the key to Hell to Morpheus. Afterwards, a horde of deities, from Anubis to Odin, storm Morpheus' realm, called "the Dreaming," wanting to bargain for the key. Gaiman's examination of the mythologies and religions of mankind is somehow admiring, thought-provoking and humorous at the same time. His use of characterization is marvelous and his sense of suspense is always second to none. Meanwhile, Mike Dringenberg, the artist of most the saga, creates marvels for the eyes with his portrayals of surreal settings such as Hell and the Dreaming. Although latter story archs would surpass it, Seasons of the Mist was a bold new step for Sandman and showed many of the traits that made it such a great series.
Rating: Summary: Yes! Yes ! Yes! Review: Like Alan Moore did with Victorian literature in "League of Extraordinary Gentleman", Neil Gaimen does with religion/mythology, skillfully blending, merging and melding Egyptian, Japanese, Norse and Christian lore with his own Sandman creation. "Seasons of the Mist" is the magnum opus of the series and the focus is again back on Morpheus, King of Dreams. We meet all but one of the rest of his family, the Endless, as Gaimen simultaneously sustains an exciting, coherent narrative while pulling in plot elements from the first three volumes and setting up key storylines for the remaining six. Simplified, the plot has Lord Morphus acquiring the key to Hell from the fallend angel, who has desided to quit his position. A parade of Gods, Deities and other mythological types visit to plead their case for acquiring this key piece of psychic real estate. This is the most consistent (and arguably the best) volume in the series. It will have you scampering for the rest of the books as Gaimen crams so much backstory that one cannot fully appreciate what is happening without referring back to what has happened before. I recommend starting with volume 1 "Preludes and Nocturnes" before jumping ahead to this one and also having a good mythology book (I recommend the Dictionary of Ancient Dieties) at your side. There is alot of depth and fun in this one. Highly recommended!
Rating: Summary: Wow Review: My first impression of this book was that it was really wierd. My next impression was that it was really disgusting. Then I finished it and thought about it for a while and my overall impression was wow. It's something the likes of which I'd never seen before. It made me think about why it was in a comic medium. (Could the disgusting scenes have been half as effective in print? They make a point.) It made me think about the way it approaches mythology...it's just an amazing, amazing book, though episode 4 doesn't have very much to do with the rest of the story and since it's my first Sandman book, some scenes didn't make much sense, like the one with the Halls. I also think it could have been a teensy teensy bit lighter, but that's just me.
Rating: Summary: One of the most sophisticated of all graphic novels. Review: Neil Gaiman just may be the best writer in the world. SEASON OF MISTS deals with Morpheus' (the Sandman) regret over his treatment of an ancient lover, whom he has consigned to Hell. It also deals with the ennui of Lucifer, who is getting tired of Hell after ten billion years. Gaiman's Lucifer is chillingly charming--at one point, he quotes Milton's famous "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." When another character misattributes the quote, Lucifer replies "WE didn't say it. Milton said it. And he was blind." Gaiman's mythology is refreshing, brilliant, and most of all NOT LIKE OTHER COMIC BOOKS. He is a postmodernist fantasist--his work is closer to James Joyce than Stan Lee. Gaiman is also one of the new breed of English comic artists--along with Grant Morrison (DOOM PATROL), Alan Moore (WATCHMEN) and Frank Miller (SIN CITY, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS), he has re-written the rule that comics can't be intelligent, literate and, most of all, entertaining for adults. SANDMAN: SEASON OF MISTS is a highly recommended work, as are all of the SANDMAN books.
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