Show More possibilities for many characters in the Sandman universe and what a great collection of stories it is. Then again: this is a comic book mixing Marco Polo, Augustus, Hades, Emperor Norton I of America (I love that fact that he was real!), werewolves and Goldie the baby gargoyle witout it feeling the least bit strained. Stopping me from naming this voulme one of my real favorites, however, is that at times Gaiman seems to be more about flaunting knowledge than telling tales here (as in Thermidor, for instance, much more a brief portrait of Robespierre than anything else), and quite a few of the chapters are predictable, if well told (I like the banter in ”The Hunt” a lot, but come on, who doesn’t see the final twist a mile away?). All of these stories are good – the enigmatic ”Ramadan” and the very ambitious ”August” (offering a new possible explanation for the downfall of Rome, even!) being my favorites, and the artwork is quite nice and diverse this time. In one we find out about Desire’s plan to make Dream spill his own blood, in another we learn about Dream as a parent, in a third hints are made of a new love story, and in a fourth baby Daniel (still just any kid) visits the Dreaming. Show More last century, and often featuring Dream only as a bit player, these shorts are not just intermission pieces.
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