There's no denying the literary genius of Neil Gaiman. The proof is in the hundreds of best-selling books he's written and characters he's created or revitalized over his rather lengthy career in both the comic and traditional novel industries. The fact that his works have been adapted into movies and TV series also speaks volumes to his success as a force to be reckoned within the genre of fantasy fiction.
In The Sandman Universe #1, a rift between worlds has opened, revealing a space beyond the Dreaming. Meanwhile, a book from Lucien’s library is discovered by a group of children in the waking world where it should not exist. Lucien calls for Matthew the Raven to seek out their master, Daniel, Lord of Dreams.
As Matthew flies across the Waking World and others, he finds a young boy named Timothy Hunter who, in his dreams, has become the world’s most powerful magician—but in his nightmares he is the world’s greatest villain. A new House has appeared in the realm of the Dreaming: the House of Whispers, with its proprietor, a fortune-teller called Erzulie. And elsewhere, Lucifer has fallen again, only this time he might be trapped in a Hell of his own design.
With The Sandman Universe #1, Gaiman continues the strong and unique storytelling his readers have come to expect. His writing is dense and complicated, which makes it hard for new folks to just jump on the train without first combing through a couple articles on Wikipedia to get the initial backstories on some of the characters we run into in issue 1 of this new tale. Without at least basic prior knowledge of the characters, you'll be left scratching your head and wondering who's who and what's their motivation in the grand scheme of things.
Although both the writing and artwork for The Sandman Universe #1 are outstanding, I do have some warnings for unfamiliar readers of this franchise. First, Lucifer is a character and is portrayed in a fashion where we are supposed to have sympathy for him. This will most likely not sit well with many Judeo-Christian folks (like myself). Secondly, there's some unnecessary profanity used throughout. Finally, one panel of the comic features frontal female nudity which I never understand in a book period. I understand that the title is for mature readers, but it really doesn't need to be there and limits your audience. Not everyone wants to see nudity in their comics.
I've never kept up with Sandman, although I do understand the appeal of the character and the genius of Neil Gaiman's world-building. The Sandman Universe #1 will no doubt please existing fans and possibly win over new fantasy genre enthusiasts. However, I'll just stick to my old familiar caped superheroes when it comes to my comic diet.
The Sandman Universe #1 was written by Dan Watters (Lucifer), Kat Howard (Books of Magic), Nalo Hopkinson (House of Whispers), and Simon Spurrier (Motherlands) from a story by Neil Gaiman. Art was provided by Sebastian Fiumara (Lucifer), Max Fiumara (Lucifer), Tom Fowler (Time Warp), Domonike Stanton (House of Whispers), and Bilquis Evely (The Dreaming). The book was published by Vertigo Comics and is 48 pages long.
