Bibliographic Information:
Title: The Sandman, Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
Author: Neil Gaiman
ISBN: 978-1401225759
Publisher: Vertigo/DC Comics
Copyright: 1991
Reader’s Annotation:
When Dream is set free, will life become a nightmare?
When Dream is set free, will life become a nightmare?
Plot Summary:
In an attempt to capture Death, a magician instead captures and imprisons Dream, also known as Morpheus. Eventually, Dream does escape his captivity, but finds his powers are weakened. He needs to seek out the objects that will increase his power, his tools, which include his sand, a gem, and a helm. Morpheus must journey both on Earth and into hell to recover all of his tools. Once he does this, he is briefly reunited with his sister, Death.
In an attempt to capture Death, a magician instead captures and imprisons Dream, also known as Morpheus. Eventually, Dream does escape his captivity, but finds his powers are weakened. He needs to seek out the objects that will increase his power, his tools, which include his sand, a gem, and a helm. Morpheus must journey both on Earth and into hell to recover all of his tools. Once he does this, he is briefly reunited with his sister, Death.
Critical Evaluation:
While this book does have some character ties to DC Comics, this is not your typical "superhero" themed comic. The content is dark, dealing with very dark topic, heavily influenced by horror and fantasy writing.
In terms of plot development, Gaiman does an excellent job telling the story of Morpheus imprisonment, escape, and journey to recover his possessions. The words used in the storytelling are incredibly impactful. A specific section of the book that really stood out to me, in terms of the writing, was "Dream a Little Dream of Me", where we see John Constantine and Morpheus travel to retrieve Morpheus' pouch of sand. The words Gaiman uses, both in the descriptive portions of the story and in the dialogue, are really intense.
Similarly, the imagery in the book is striking. There is a good balance of imagery and text throughout the book, and a good use of color. A wide variety of colors are used, in various bold hues, which serve in contract to the darkness that surrounds Morpheus, with his pale skin and is pitch black hair. Even Morpheus' speech bubbles are black, with the text being white. This is an instance where the words also function as an image.
Gaiman showcases the strength in his writing by tackling scenes that are intense in subject matter, including Morhpheus ushering a broken woman into the realm of death. The strong writing is paired with very vivid imagery and a good use of light and dark to create an intense, eerie tone that carries throughout the book.
While this book does have some character ties to DC Comics, this is not your typical "superhero" themed comic. The content is dark, dealing with very dark topic, heavily influenced by horror and fantasy writing.
In terms of plot development, Gaiman does an excellent job telling the story of Morpheus imprisonment, escape, and journey to recover his possessions. The words used in the storytelling are incredibly impactful. A specific section of the book that really stood out to me, in terms of the writing, was "Dream a Little Dream of Me", where we see John Constantine and Morpheus travel to retrieve Morpheus' pouch of sand. The words Gaiman uses, both in the descriptive portions of the story and in the dialogue, are really intense.
Similarly, the imagery in the book is striking. There is a good balance of imagery and text throughout the book, and a good use of color. A wide variety of colors are used, in various bold hues, which serve in contract to the darkness that surrounds Morpheus, with his pale skin and is pitch black hair. Even Morpheus' speech bubbles are black, with the text being white. This is an instance where the words also function as an image.
Gaiman showcases the strength in his writing by tackling scenes that are intense in subject matter, including Morhpheus ushering a broken woman into the realm of death. The strong writing is paired with very vivid imagery and a good use of light and dark to create an intense, eerie tone that carries throughout the book.
Author Biography:
(from author's Amazon page)
I make things up and write them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean's MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or my own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON).
In my spare time I read and sleep and eat and try to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.
(from author's Amazon page)
I make things up and write them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean's MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or my own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON).
In my spare time I read and sleep and eat and try to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.
Genre(s):
Graphic Novel
Graphic Novel
Curriculum Ties:
Pennsylvania State Standard CC.1.3.9-10.K
Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
Booktalk Ideas:
Reading Level:
Not available
Not available
Interest Age:
14 and up
14 and up
Challenge Issues
Could be challenged based on adult language, mild teen
sexuality, and scenes of intense violence.
If
this book were challenged I would:
· Listen to the concerns of the person raising
the challenge
· Consult the library’s collection
development policy
· Explain how this work meets a library
need based on the collection development policy
· Consult YALSA’s Dealing with Challenges to
Young Adult Materials
· Consult reviews on VOYA, Amazon,
Common Sense Media, and Kirkus
· Discuss any awards or notable
commendations the book received
· Explain the library’s commitment to
intellectual freedom as discussed in the ALA Library Bill of
Rights
· Give the patron the procedure for a
formal challenge should they seek to pursue it
Why was this book selected:
I opted to include this book into the collection because, as a whole, graphic novels are very popular among teen patrons. Gaiman is a popular writer, appealing to both teens and adults, so his graphic novels would be a good investment for the library. Graphic novels can appeal to a wide variety of readers, but not all patrons realize that horror and fantasy can be so well represented in graphic novel form. By including a horror/fantasy graphic novel in the collection, it can open up a whole new form of material to a whole different group of readers.
I opted to include this book into the collection because, as a whole, graphic novels are very popular among teen patrons. Gaiman is a popular writer, appealing to both teens and adults, so his graphic novels would be a good investment for the library. Graphic novels can appeal to a wide variety of readers, but not all patrons realize that horror and fantasy can be so well represented in graphic novel form. By including a horror/fantasy graphic novel in the collection, it can open up a whole new form of material to a whole different group of readers.
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