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Sandman

nymusix

By nymusix
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nymusix

nymusix

I've been reading Sandman, by Neil Gaiman. I was already a big fan of American Gods, so I was admittedly already excited to start this even beforehand, but it's vastly exceeded my expectations. I don't know if Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the right choice for the main character, but I'm definitely intrigued to see this adapted to film. 

 

It's kind of surprising to me that American Gods is being adapted as a TV series and Sandman is being adapted as a film - the reverse seems like it would make more sense in some ways, given the serialized nature of the comic format and the fact that the novel is a one-off. 

 

I'm up to Issue 29 - Distant Mirrors - Thermidor, so please don't spoil what happens after for me!!

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Ffiferoo

Ffiferoo

I had heard that the American Gods series was probably not happening - maybe it's still up in the air?

I read through Sandman about 10 years ago and I still love it just as much as I did then.  You should check out the one-off Death graphic novels as well when you're finished with the main series (I think they were three issues apiece).

I'm currently feeling pretty anti for a film adaptation (similarly to how I feel about an AG miniseries/series).  I don't know that the material will translate well, and even a lot of very well-intentioned adaptations in the past few years have been really shitty.  I hate for it to take away from the source material.

What do you think of it so far?  

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nymusix

nymusix

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I had heard that the American Gods series was probably not happening - maybe it's still up in the air?

...

What do you think of it so far?

I read in November that it's still in development, just no longer at HBO. Link

I think it's pretty great - if I'm being honest, then some of the disparate stories and one-offs are a little bit of turnoffs for me, but the overall storyline is pretty great and the characters are so rich and interesting. 

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Ffiferoo

Ffiferoo

Ah, you're right, I had seen that.  

I'll definitely watch it, at least to start, and I want to be open to it being really great, but I am not a person who's able to separate things in my mind and just appreciate an adaptation for what it is, unless I've seen that before reading the source material.  Especially for something like American Gods (or Sandman) that I've loved for so many years and that I'm very familiar with, I get pretty protective.  I've done okay with GoT because I didn't read the books until after the show started airing (although I hadn't watched yet), but it's different for things I've been familiar with much longer.  Sometimes I wish I wasn't That Guy, but I am.  I think casting will be key, and I'm interested to see what network will be producing, because that will make a big difference.  

I actually really like the tangential bits in AG, and I feel like that's something they could potentially make good use of on TV.  

(Should we be splitting this to an AG adaptation thread in the Guff?)

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nymusix

nymusix

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Ah, you're right, I had seen that. 

I'll definitely watch it, at least to start, and I want to be open to it being really great, but I am not a person who's able to separate things in my mind and just appreciate an adaptation for what it is, unless I've seen that before reading the source material.  Especially for something like American Gods (or Sandman) that I've loved for so many years and that I'm very familiar with, I get pretty protective.  I've done okay with GoT because I didn't read the books until after the show started airing (although I hadn't watched yet), but it's different for things I've been familiar with much longer.  Sometimes I wish I wasn't That Guy, but I am.  I think casting will be key, and I'm interested to see what network will be producing, because that will make a big difference. 

I actually really like the tangential bits in AG, and I feel like that's something they could potentially make good use of on TV. 

(Should we be splitting this to an AG adaptation thread in the Guff?)

I agree - I'm not convinced that Sandman and American Gods will really be adaptable to a different medium, especially considering the things that would have to be changed to make them successful. The only way I can imagine Sandman, for instance, succeeding, is if it were animated, and I don't imagine that's what they will be doing.
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Monty

Monty

Sandman is, to me, a near-perfect comic book, and a lot of that is how much it uses the fact that it's a comic book and references comic book history. I'm very suspicious of a filmed version, because I don't think the medium will work nearly as well.

Also, the Absolute Sandman editions, while crazy-expensive, are absolutely beautiful.

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nymusix

nymusix

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Man, I love this series so much! I'm trying to parcel it out but failing. Just got through the Hell key story.

Yup! It's a seriously great story. I finished it a couple weeks ago and man is it good. Especially the arc with Hell, and I also warmed up to some of the one-off stories as well! 

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nymusix

nymusix

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Finished Sandman last night. What a great series. Suffered at the end from coda-itis but otherwise really solid. Really felt for Matthew at the end. Poor little guy.

It didn't have *quite* as many endings as Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King... But it's pretty close. 

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Monty

Monty

There are a lot of Sandman spinoffs, and a couple of them are worthwhile. The two Death books written by Neil Gaiman are great, and I liked the Book of Dreams collection of short stories. After that, I feel that pretty much everything else was kind of unworthy of the original material. And I'm including the Gaiman-scripted Dream Hunters in that. Also this new prequel thing, because it's new and I fear change.

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Monty

Monty

Neil Gaiman's writing a prequel series that's supposed to explain how Morpheus got captured in the first place, but only one issue has come out. That was back in October, and the second issue is currently due in March.

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Ffiferoo

Ffiferoo

There's also Endless Nights, which came out in the early 2000's and includes one piece for each of the Endless, all written by Gaiman.  They're not really part of the main chronology of the story, but are very enjoyable (and quick to read!)

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Lisin

Lisin

News just hit that Jack Thorne is writing the script for this based on the treatment that David Goyer did for Joseph Gordon-Levitt (they're both producers) so hopefully this will be good. I still think an HBO show would be more appealing to me but I'll take a movie, Goyer does have an excellent track record and I love JGL, not positive he's right for the titular role but I'm hoping he can pull it off. http://www.deadline.com/2014/02/jack-thorne-to-script-sandman-for-joseph-gordon-levitt/

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Eegah

Eegah

I read the series a few years ago, and it's kind of ruined me for all other comics. The things Gaiman does with the format are truly like nothing else I've ever seen, and I constantly had no idea where anything was going but was dying to find out. Also, I seriously think the artwork of The Wake is up there with the likes of Leonardo, Van Gogh, or any other great artist you could name.

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Wilowy

Wilowy

I love this picture because it's Neil writing more Sandman, taken by Amanda the day he began it. It speaks to me of how his mindset is when he's writing Morpheus. He's in the dark, on the floor, completely into just the words. It gives me shivers.

 

d07HHqE.jpg 

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ShadowDenizen

ShadowDenizen

(edited)
What a great series. Suffered at the end from coda-itis but otherwise really solid.

 

I tend to agree. THe whole "Wake" arc? Kinda a snooze in comparison to all that came before.

 

If you like the main Sandman saga, there's a number of spin-off titles/one-shots available of varying quality, but generally worth a read.

Some of the more memorable:

  • Lucifer: Argualbly the best of the spin-off series.  Really intersting and well-thought-out. Dealth with heavy issues without being TOO heavy-handed. The whole series has already been reprinted into 11 TPB volumes, but they're now now upping the ante with new volumes of higher-quality and larger chunks of the story.
  • The Dreaming: Long out of print, but wirth tracking down, overall (IMO).  This was an anthology-style series, with each loosely-connected "Arc" running thorugh a handful of issues.
  • Death:  They just collated a gorgeous "Complete" collection which compiles all the Death stuff (including the mini-series) into one place.
  • The Dream Hunters:  An interesting Asian-inspired take on Morpeheus.
  • Destiny- A Chronicle of Deaths of Foretold.  Anything that sheds light on the Endless other than Morpheus, I'm generally on-board for.
Edited by ShadowDenizen
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ApathyMonger

ApathyMonger

(edited)

On the spin-offs, has anyone read the new Dead Boy Detectives ongoing? I ordered the first TPB as it was going very cheap. Is it any good?

 

I loved Lucifer, though I think if I'd been reading it as it came out it would have frustrated me a lot. Very much a long-form story.

Edited by ApathyMonger
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Bruinsfan

Bruinsfan

This last issue of Overture was interesting and had some nicely creepy bits, but I'll admit a small feeling of disappointment that we didn't see Morpheus going to speak with his father (presumably the Creator?) as issue #2 seemed to indicate.

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ApathyMonger

ApathyMonger

  • Lucifer: Argualbly the best of the spin-off series.  Really intersting and well-thought-out. Dealth with heavy issues without being TOO heavy-handed. The whole series has already been reprinted into 11 TPB volumes, but they're now now upping the ante with new volumes of higher-quality and larger chunks of the story.

 

And now being made into a TV pilot for Fox, from the creator of Californication: http://deadline.com/2014/09/lucifer-show-pilot-dc-comics-fox-834452/

 

Could work, depending on casting.

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VCRTracking

VCRTracking

(edited)

I always wonder if Neil Gaiman had a bad run-in with a highway patrolman because wow, Delirium making that cop that stopped her and Morpheus and making him forever see bugs crawling on him was too harsh a punishment!

 

Barnabus the dog is my favorite.

Edited by VCRTracking
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starri

starri

Audible released a truly excellent adaptation of Preludes & Nocturnes, A Doll's House, and Dream Country.  Each chapter is a full issue of the comic.  Gaiman narrates (mostly, some issues that are more personal stories go to others), but otherwise it's a full cast.  And it's mostly terrific people:  Andy Serkis is Matthew, Riz Ahmed is the Corinthian, Michael Sheen as Lucifer, and Taron Egerton as Constantine.  Plenty of awesome regular voice actors (the guy voicing Cain sounds JUST like Vincent Price).  Some smaller names:  my particular favorites being Joanna Lumley as Johanna Constantine and Josie Lawrence as Mad Hettie.  James McAvoy is a great Morpheus.  And Kat Dennings is PERFECT as Death.  Her interaction with Samantha Morton's Ranie Blackwell was HEARTBREAKING.

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starri

starri

After a delay when I got distracted, I finished the second volume of the audio drama, which adapts Season of Mists, A Game of You and most of Fables and Reflections.  They omit "The Song of Orpheus," I assume because it would pair thematically better with Brief Lives.  It's as good as the first volume, with some wonderful additions, with Kristen Schaal being as perfect as Delirium as you probably imagine as is Emma Corrin's Thessaly.  But if there's a star, it's John Lithgow's Joshua Norton, who is just so wonderful that I ended up tearing up by the end.

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