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Sandman: Endless Nights by Neil Gaiman
However, Gaiman started his writing in comics and is
most famous for his work with DC comics re-inventing the Sandman legends. In this
new graphic novel, he returns to the stories of the Endless: Death, Dream, Destruction,
Despair, Desire, Delirium and Destiny.
The style of each artist is so completely
different that under a lesser writer things would be messy and confused but Gaiman's
hand can be felt steadying the collection and giving it shape and depth. The stories
really do feel like the Endless character featured, although this is also the
reason some pieces are more enjoyable than others, it gives a wonderfully vivid
picture of the seven immortals. 'Death's Story', drawn by P. Craig
Russell, tells of an eighteenth century Venetian count who has escaped time and
a death-obsessed soldier who helps Death break the spell. Like all the stories,
it encloses in its short structure both a unique story in its own right, and an
insight into the Endless character. Russell's art is probably the most traditional
but the wonderful contrast between dark and rainy modern Venice and the Venice
trapped out of time drive this piece forward. 'Destruction's tale centres around an archaeological dig where weapons and artefacts from the future are dug up and a woman at the dig is intrigued by the barrel-chested, pony-tailed man who suddenly appears before the destruction begins. The art in this piece
by Glenn Fabry does its job well, as does Frank Quitely in his short but satisfying
sum-up: 'Destiny's Story'. Ironically, the stories with the most ambitious, most beautiful art are also the hardest to read. Barron Storey's portraits of Despair and the confusing and blurred realm of Delirium that Bill Sienkiewicz draws are brilliant because they evoke so much of the characters. Despair's
story makes you feel sad and depressed and Delirium messes with your head. However,
the very nature of the subject matter and the high quality it is represented by
made me feel depressed and messed-up! There are two real stand-out
stories in this volume. The piece in which Dream takes his lover to a parliament
of the planets is both inviting and incredible and the coupling of Gaiman's genius
ideas with Miguelanxo Prado's scintillating art is at times mind-blowing. The piece that stole the show for me was Desire's story, illustrated by
Italian artist Milo Manara. His sensual images perfectly match the mood of Gaiman's
story of a hunter-gatherer maiden who asks for Desire's help in catching the eye
of a powerful warrior. There is nothing to criticise in 'Sandman: Endless
Nights'. Time and again, Neil Gaiman has shown he can produce great works and
he does it again here. Just the way each piece reflects so much of the characters
of the mysterious Endless in everything. The content of the script, the storyline
and the art all create a complete immersive experience.Recommended. Admirers
of Gaiman's work are also advised to check out '1602', his new series of comics
set in an alternate Marvel universe. Tomas L Martin
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OTHER REVIEWS - November 2003
Told By The Dead by Ramsay Campbell The Sandman: Endless Nights by Neil Gaiman Robota by Doug Chaing and Orson Scott Card Grass For His Pillow by Lian Hearn Darker Than You Think by Jack Williamson The World Jones Made by Philip K. Dick All My Sins Remembered by Joe Haldeman Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion by Larry Nemecek The Year's Best Fantasy And Horror The Binder's Road by Terry McGarry Project Orion - The Atomic Spaceship by George Dyson The Word And The Void by Terry Brooks Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine April/May 2003 Time Out Of Joint by Philip K. Dick Buffy the Vampire Slayer Soundtrack Smallville Soundtrack (The Talon Mix) Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds Crossroads Of Twilight by Robert Jordan Mediations On Middle-Earth by Karen Haber and John Howe
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Neil
Gaiman writes brilliant, award-winning prose - his latest two books, 'American
Gods' and 'Coraline', have won two Hugos and a Nebula amongst others and are fantastic
works of fiction. 
'Sandman:
Endless Nights' is a collection of seven short stories, each centring on one of
the Endless and each drawn by a different artist, written by Gaiman, ably assisted
by letterer Todd Klein and cover/title designer Dave McKean.
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