Episode 1455 Talkback - BOMC: Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
Adam_Murdough
Posts: 506
No, you're not dreaming! The "Book of the Month" series is back, and we mark its return with a discussion of the first collected volume of one of the most celebrated series in comics history, if not in all of fantasy literature: Neil Gaiman's Sandman. (1:58:24)
Listen here. Pleasant dreams.
Listen here. Pleasant dreams.
Comments
Matthew
And, to be fair, there is a special Hugo for comics, but I think it came about when Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons won it for Watchmen in the "other forms" category.
chris
1) Sandman did not win the Hugo Award. Issue #19 won the 1991 World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction, and it was that organization who changed the rules to prevent comics from being nominated in that category again. The Sandman: Dream Hunters OGN was nominated for a Hugo for Best Related Book in 2000, but did not win.
2) I completely agree about Preludes & Nocturnes not being a good entry point for anyone without prior comic reading experience. I had a female co-worker four or five years ago ask me if she could borrow the book. She had enjoyed American Gods, but had never read a comic. I tried to talk her into reading Fables or Y: The Last Man instead, but she insisted on Sandman. I suggested she read one of the later volumes first, but she insisted on starting at the beginning. It came as no surprise to me that she did not like P&R at all, and when I tried to get her to read something more accessible, she would have none of it. I doubt she’ll ever try a comic/graphic novel again. Sigh.
Excellent production for this episode @JamieD, despite the Skype issues, which, as we all know, are frustratingly beyond anyone's control.
I have to agree with @Adam_Murdough about the historicity of the "CGS Book of the Month" series. I too would prefer the Neil Gaiman's Sandman as more of a feature (similar to the great Spotlight episodes) and instead, the crew could perhaps review "Avengers Forever", "Tales from Age of Apocalypse", "SAGA Volume 1", or any other selection each time you guys do a BOTM episode. I may be in the minority here, but that would be my preference. And NO, I do not want to see a Power Pack episode either... ever.
P&N is one of my favorite TPBs ever. I do think it definitely helps, though, if readers know something about the (real, in-continuity) DC universe before approaching it.
That said, if someone can't get through the difficulty of the first couple of issues, I'm not sure they're cut out for Sandman anyway. The series is pretty complex any way you slice it. Sure, the first volume has the added difficulty of it being set (sort of) in the DCU, but on the other hand there's a lot fewer storylines and characters to remember at that point. I'm not saying that the entry-point of this series is super easy or super reader-friendly, but I don't think it's too much of a struggle either. That first issue was wordy, but it was also a deeply engrossing BLAST of a story! I can't imagine reading another Sandman volume before P&N. Maybe "Dream Hunters" or something like that, but as far as Sandman 1-75 go, I'm definitely of the opinion that they should be read in order, no matter the reader.
And for what it's worth, I know that Sam Kieth has said a lot of things to the effect of "I wasn't a good fit for Sandman", but I personally loved his issues and think their style and sensibility fit well into the overall kaleidoscope of Sandman visuals.
Anyway, it's great to have this segment back. However you guys want to review any of this stuff-- via Spotlights, or BOMC episodes, or FOOTNOTES!-- is fine by me. I think I speak for most of most listeners when I say that we're just happy and grateful for so much of what you give us, especially when the episodes provide in-depth discussion of classic material!
Then like someone already said Gaiman gives off this aura of him being too cool for school.
This episode was magical. The chemistry between all of the people in the room was great. The fact that there was a wide cross section of familiarity with the work was refreshing and even the tangents were a pleasant aside.
For my own experience - I read Sandman from the beginning in issue format and I absolutely loved Preludes and Nocturnes. I wasn't at all familiar with Constantine but, as a child of the DC Silver and Bronze age and so was very familiar with the Golden Age / Earth 2 Sandman, Martian Manhunter and Dr Destiny (JLA 154, which was loosely adapted into the JLU Dr Destiny episode, was one of my all-time favorite issues as a child - I literally read the cover off of it). So I was very much onboard with this story and was a little resentful when Vertigo launch divorced their titles from the DC Universe proper.
@bryandeemer: I'm curious about your comments about your comments with regard to Gaiman having some drug addled elements to some of his novels (I don't recall your precise phrasing) given the number of times that you've brought up China Mieville over in the Novels thread. It's an interesting dichotomy and I'd love to know what your distinction is between the two.