# Neil Gaiman's Sandman **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2001, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650 "2001-10-05T19:57:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Daniel\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Daniel\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel_Sugar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2001, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/21 "2001-10-09T18:33:44Z")
I grew up reading comics and, at 27, it’s Gaiman’s fault that I haven’t stopped. Before Sandman, it was all superhero books, which CAN be good, if you’re into comics, but mostly are just bad. Sandman changed all that for me. This boodk fed everything I’d been looking for in “fantasy.” It was smart and intelligent, but not filled with dragons and dwarves, which the genre of fantasy is mostly associated with, at least in my mind. My absolute favorite character is Hob, the man who just doesn’t die, “It’s a mug’s game.” I’ve read everything else by Gaiman I can get my hands on, all the short stories, Neverwhere, Stardust, Good Omens. He even wrote some comics before Sandman they’ve included in a book, one of them about Swamp Thing, ala Alan Moore. It was Sandman that rejuvenated my love of comics, leading me to other titles and writers worthy on mention, like Alan Moore and Garth Ennis. For comic people, the title that now comes the closest to that same sense of awe and wonder for me is Planetary. read it. It’s not Sandman, but really, nothing else can be. I met Gaiman at a book signing for American Gods, and he signed my copies of Neverwhere and Smoke and Mirrors. Nice guy. That was a great day. Can’t wait for the Good Omens movie. ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/22 "2001-10-10T06:32:27Z")
Sandman is the only graphic novel series I have read, and I loved it. There’s a small downside to that - now I want to read other graphic novels, but I’m afraid they won’t compare to **Sandman**. I’ll look for _Jon Sable_ and _Freelance_ and other works by Grell (thanks, **Spoons** ), but since that’s from the mid-80’s I don’t know how much luck I’ll have finding them. Would anyone else care to recommend exceptional graphics novels or comic books that would appeal to Gaiman fans? I’m waiting for American Gods to come out on paperback. And I’ll order Good Omens and Smoke and Mirrors. (Thank you too, **Atreyu** ) ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/23 "2001-10-10T07:42:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TPWombat \* > \*\*Did you get the **Neverwhere** TV series over there in the USA? > Low budget 6-parter, quite enjoyable. _Superb_ performance by Hywel Bennett as Mr Croup. > > swish…rivet…splop!!! Bwahahaha!!! > > Hey!!! just checked on the IMDB and there is a _film_ listed as in production!!! \*\* I bought the miniseries on eBay, though I must admit that I’m afraid to watch it. Is it good, or is it one of those joy-killing adaptation type deals? ---
**Author:** ![aegypt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@aegypt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aegypt)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/24 "2001-10-10T07:53:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Atreyu \* > \*\* But do try to get your hands on an anthology of his short stories called **Smoke and Mirrors**. Awesome, inventive stuff. After reading the piece called “Nicholas Was…”, I know I’ll never look at Santa Claus the same away again. And he does a similarly dark twist on the Snow White story in “Snow, Glass, Apples.” I highly recommend this anthology (which is available in paperback) if you’re into Gaiman. \*\* I’ll second that. Fol rol de ol rol. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/25 "2001-10-11T05:15:26Z")
Smoke and Mirrors? Are you sure you’re not talking about Angels and Visitations? If you’re having trouble with, um, S&M, I could get it for you in hardback from the local Borders. If you’re talking about A&V, well, the line starts behind me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/26 "2001-10-11T05:17:48Z")
You know, I don’t know _what_ the hell I thought I read. Ignore that last post entirely, okay? Thanks. Mental note: Get some frickin’ sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Gravity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gravity/32/14322_2.png) [@Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gravity)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/27 "2001-10-11T12:11:58Z")
A friend was kind enough to dub a copy of the miniseries for me - and as far as I know, it was never aired in the US - but my sister taped over it. I never even got to watch it! I love Good Omens, and I liked Neverwhere. I haven’t read Stardust yet, but my girl says that it’s good. Stardust is the novelization of the (graphic)mini series by the same name, also written by Gaiman, and drawn by Charles Vess. ---
**Author:** ![Daniel\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Daniel\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel_Sugar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/28 "2001-10-11T13:42:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gravity \* > \*\* Stardust is the novelization of the (graphic)mini series by the same name, also written by Gaiman, and drawn by Charles Vess. \*\* I thought it was a book by Gaiman, then made into an illustrated version later. Either way, I really enjoyed it. It’s as close to a classic fairy tale that I’ve read from him, and one of the few I can recommend to my father-in-law. ---
**Author:** ![Gravity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gravity/32/14322_2.png) [@Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gravity)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2001, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/29 "2001-10-12T10:39:04Z")
I’m pretty sure that it was a graphic novel first - or even a mini-series. The hardcover graphic novel was published in September of '98. The hardcover of the novel was published in February of '99. I wouldn’t venture to saw which was _written_ first, though. I have no idea about that. ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/30 "2001-10-13T02:54:53Z")
I was really into it, up to a point. That point being \A Game of You\, (I think it was that one … where the witch and the transexual and the lesbian couple go on a whacky interdimentional trip. Might have the name wrong.) where the whole thing kind of fell apart, and never seemed to get back together again. From then on, it just seemed to be going through the motions, culmanating in the relavation that Dreams mystery lover is possibly the most irritating character in the history of sequential art, the witch from AGOY . . . Good Omens always seems to pop up when Gaimen is mentioned, and I’m not sure why. If I hadn’t been told he’d co-written it, I never would have guessed it. Entertaining, sure, (crumby ending, though) but Pratchett seemed to be about 98% of it . . . heresiarch, you might want to check out _X_, by screwed up manga-chicks Clamp, and _Mage,_ by Matt Wagner. Both have similar mythic aspects without seeming like ripoffs or clones. Though X takes so long to do anything, it’s almost unreadable in non-graphic novel form. Unless you just want a list of good comic/manga runs (graphic novels, if you must) which I’d be happy to come up with … 🙂 – “It’s not a comic book, it’s a GRAPHIC NOVEL” ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650/31 "2001-10-13T04:05:21Z")
I can not watch my little kitty Sisko twitch while he’s sleeping without thinking of “Dream of 1000 Cats”…and worrying. I also plan to use “Nicholas was…” as my Christmas card text this year. Brilliant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neil-gaimans-sandman/85650.md?page=1)