Vertigo Comics
Story By: Neil Gaiman
Written by: Dan Watters, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, Simon Spurrier
Art by: Sebastian Fiumara, Max Fiumara, Tom Fowler, Domonike Stanton, Bilquis Evely
The Sandman Universe #1 is a one-shot that will kick off four ongoing series, The Dreaming, House of Whispers, Books of Magic, and Lucifer. We get a little taste of what to expect from each of those in The Sandman Universe #1.
Daniel, the lord of The Dreaming, has been gone much longer than anyone anticipated on “a private matter.” Now he is needed back in The Dreaming, to investigate the strange things that are afoot. We weave in and out of the different stories with Matthew, who you may recognize as Morpheus’ raven, as our guide. The sudden change in art style can be a bit jolting, even though each artist does a lovely job depicting their portion of the world.
The overarching narrative that was being constructed to reintroduce us to this world did seem a bit forced. As much as I enjoyed each individual story and am looking forward to reading more, it felt like I was being directed, as opposed to the story taking on a natural flow.
I love the world that Gaiman originally created, and I am very excited to explore more with new creators, and although I do not feel like this was the best introduction, it wasn’t bad. As mentioned above, the art styles are very much adequate for the tones of each of the stories and enjoyable.
The mystery, eeriness, and overall whimsy of the stories leave you with a chill down your spine that you’ll want to revisit.
I’m very interested to see what becomes of the Sandman Universe.