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Title: The Wake (Sandman, Book 10) by Neil Gaiman, Mikal Gilmore, Michael Zulli, Jon J. Muth, Charles Vess ISBN: 1-56389-279-0 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 July, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.9 (21 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: "Somewhere to rest, to stop reading, and to be content."
Comment: That quote comes from the end of an earlier Sandman book, but it applies to "The Wake" as well.
"The Sandman" has always been about change, about those who can and those who cannot. This, the last in the Sandman series, ties together the ending threads of the story, and in the process reaffirms how wonderful a writer Neil Gaiman is. Never the showman, his prose quietly and powerfully speaks for him and his characters.
The artwork is, as always, brilliant. Michael Zulli's work on the main "Wake" storyline is amazing, and Charles Vess outdoes himself again for the very last story, "The Tempest." But most remarkable in this writer's opinion is Jon Muth's work for "Exiles", a quietly powerful piece that manages to express best what "The Sandman" was about; his art is a perfect match for it.
There are precious few proper endings, and ones that bring a tear to your eye are even rarer. This is one of the few books that accomplishes both.
Rating: 5
Summary: The king is dead...long live the king.
Comment: First off, I'll just say that I think the wake has the finest art of all the SANDMAN collections, save for maybe Season of Mists.
The Wake is a story about death and endings and farewells, and it is an end to the series, but only in the sense of the Death tarot card: representing transformation, rebirth, the closing of a door and the opening of a window. As Dream told Orpheus: "You attend the funeral. You bid the dead farewell. You grieve. Then you go on with your life." That's what the characters are doing in this book. It also contains the story of another wanderer in the shifting zones, (a parallel to "Soft Places"), and the writing of Shakespeare's last play (a parallel to "Midsummer Night's Dream.") All told, The Wake is a graceful coda to the bittersweet symphony (so shoot me for the reference) that is SANDMAN.
The king is dead. Long live the king.
Rating: 4
Summary: Sandman's long epilogue
Comment: Throughout the course of his acclaimed comic book saga, Sandman, Neil Gaiman always worked at his own pace. Thus, it is no surprise that the falling action that follows The Kindly Ones, the grand finale of the series, should last six issues and be a story arc onto itself. No matter, though. Gaiman possesses an immaculate sense of precision and rarely did any part of his saga stretch on longer than it had to. With The Wake, Sandman's long epilogue, Gaiman continues to dazzle readers with his beautifully surreal people and places and his inspiring deliberations on life, death, family and the significance of storytelling.
Sandman features a family of Greek God-like entities called The Endless, each of which have some sort of responsibility in regulating the conscious experience of mortals. In The Wake, the remaining members of the clan, Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair and Delirium hold a wake and funeral for Dream (Sandman's protagonist more often than not), who died in The Kindly Ones. Almost every character that played a part in the series attends. Meanwhile, Daniel, the child who inherited the mantle of the Dream King, prepares to meet his new family. There is a certain grace, warmth and thoroughness with which Gaiman addresses death, mourning and the welcoming of a new family member that makes this tale sure to cause readers to reflect on his or her own experiences with the aforesaid. Michael Zulli is the most grand and majestic illustrator to ever grace the pages of Sandman and his style certainly works for the story. Truly, the memorial services for Dream make-up one of the best pieces of the Sandman saga.
That story only lasts for first three issues, though. The remaining three of this volume are single-issue stories. "Sunday Morning" revisits one of the series' most interesting characters, the immortal Hob Gadling. In "Exiles" a banished Chinese wise man embarks on a strange path that leads into Dream's realm. The issue, which is told in Analect-ish verse, has little to do with the greater story, yet it is always delightful to see Gaiman mesh Sandman with indigenous story-telling traditions. "The Tempest," the series' final issue, revisits William Shakespeare, whose employment under Dream was chronicled in early issues. This tale elaborates on the dream king's need of the dramatist as he writes his final play. The Kindly Ones was Sandman's riveting climax and the first three issues of The Wake are the place to say goodbye to the main characters, but as far as giving the final word on what is perhaps the most important theme of Sandman, the importance of stories and their telling, "The Tempest" is its true conclusion.
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Title: Fables and Reflections (Sandman, Book 6) by Neil Gaiman ISBN: 1563891050 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 04 January, 1994 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: A Game of You (Sandman, Book 5) by Neil Gaiman, Samuel R. Delany, Shawn MacManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch, Dick Giordano ISBN: 1563890895 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 03 September, 1993 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Season of Mists (Sandman, Book 4) by Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones, Harlan Ellison, Mike Dringenberg ISBN: 1563890410 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 04 January, 1994 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Dream Country (Sandman, Book 3) by Neil Gaiman, Malcolm Jones III, Colleen Doran, Kelley Jones, Charles Vess, Steve Erickson ISBN: 156389016X Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 24 September, 1991 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Doll's House (Sandman, Book 2) by Neil Gaiman, Malcolm Jones III, Mike Dringenberg, Michael Zulli, Clive Barker ISBN: 0930289595 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 September, 1991 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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