The Sandman: King of Dreams by Alisa Kwitney
I checked this out thinking it was a collection of The Sandman comics. In reality, it wasn’t the comics themselves, but an in depth analysis of the art and mythology of The Sandman. It was written by Alisa Kwitney, former Vertigo writer and editor, and it offers a first hand look at this monumental creation. I’ve never read The Sandman, hence my trying to borrow a collection from the library, so this book was of great relevance to me the newbie reader. In his introduction, Gaiman even notes how this may be of greater interest to those not associated with the series than with its “old friends”. What it did was lay the groundwork for my better understanding of why The Sandman is the masterpiece of storytelling that it is. Kwitney is able to peel back the many layers of this litterary onion, and she puts into words those observations that often lay dormant in the back corners of our subconscious. Accompanying Kwitney’s essays, which examine the volumes of the series one by one, is art from and inspired by The Sandman. Not only is this art astounding to look at, it directly corresponds to the subjects at hand, providing reference for specific people, characters, themes, moods, story arcs, etc. And thanks to good book design, the images are always at equal pace with the reader.
I can’t wait to read The Sandman series. From how Kwitney put it, it’s going to blow my puny mortal mind.
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