Sandman

 

Sandman 

by Ben Newman

What’s up with this guy?

Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1989 to 1996, has long been considered a staple in the graphic novel genre, with critics and audiences praising its story and art design. But what separates Sandman from the plethora of mediocre graphic novels? Neil Gaiman weaves the story of Sandman through its eponymous character, who is an “Endless,” (a being who will never die) and who lives in the dream world. Sandman, or Morpheus as he is commonly referred to, is a unique and charming individual who makes the Sandman graphic novel a delightful reading through the mystery and unique ways that Gaiman handles Morpheus.

Morpheus is a character written with the purpose of being mysterious. Sandman is an occult story, indulging in heavy themes of magic, and it can be rather macabre at times. At the center of Gaiman’s story is Morpheus, the personification of dreams. As the story progresses, Sandman begins to show its real “bread and butter”—the nature of Morpheus. Morpheus always has an air of mystery around him. It is hard to tell what his motives are exactly. He and his siblings are all personifications of concepts such as Death, Desire, Destiny, Destruction, and others (i.e., a lot of “D” names). Mystery plays a big roll in Sandman, especially with Morpheus and his world of dreams. Aspects of his character are introduced in ways that engage your curiosity, whether that be through his weird appearances in multiple forms (an alien god from Mars, a pale man with unkempt hair, an African man roaming the desert), or the realm that he inhabits (a dream world where infamous people like Cain and Abel live, along with gargoyles and men with teeth for eyes). The idea that these principal concepts like death are embodied and that they walk around like humans is an entertaining device.

Additionally, Morpheus is introduced in an unorthodox way. Morpheus, despite being the main character, is first introduced as a nameless feeble prisoner and is not even given a name until much later. In fact, he does nothing at all in the first few chapters, not even speak. Meanwhile, in comparison, the introductions of villains are executed to be way more personal with the use of first-person visuals (scenes depicted from their points of view) and language. Readers get to see what they are doing through their own eyes. It is almost like the author is trying to put a disconnect between the reader and Morpheus, perhaps to distinguish the in-story significant distance between the Endless and ordinary humans. Sandman also makes use of more regular characters (characters who are familiar due to their humanity). These side characters act as audience surrogates to help readers connect with Morpheus when doing so would otherwise be difficult (when Morpheus inadvertently destroys a city), as well as give the author a mechanism to explain to the readers Morpheus’ inner dialogue as he talks to these audience surrogates.

However, sometimes Morpheus and the world he inhabits can be described as edgy or overly provocative. For example, Morpheus loses a special ruby that causes the violent deaths of a diner’s customers. The scenes depicting those events are very dramatic and graphic, with the intent of being unsettling. This added edge is not always a positive instrument, and sometimes seems a pointless endeavor, written only to sensationalize for its own sake. But the numbers do not lie, it is these types of surprise dark and gritty scenes that contributed to the iconic status that Sandman holds today. Morpheus will at times seem uncaring to the sorrows of humanity. He ignores or punishes humans that may not have deserved it.

In conclusion, Sandman is an intriguing read due to its main character, who is mysterious, offers an unfamiliar point of view, and provokes readers’ emotional responses. These attributes of the character Morpheus make it hard to stop reading. Beyond the main character, other elements that recommend this book include the fun that can almost always be found in the mystery genre, and the mesmerizing abstract cover art.