The Sandman: Endless Nights

For anyone who has followed the sandman series already, don't expect to find part of the wonderous trail of events here. But there are mentions of events that tie into the original 10 books. Of the things that make this book worth reading are... A) the chapters are divided into detailed descriptions of the 7 endless. It lets you really get inside each aspect. B) in this book you get the oppurtunity to see many things not found in the original 10 books. 2 of my favorites include what started the feud between dream and desire and you are graced with the presence of delight before she became delerium. C) the artwork in this book is truly amazing. The same could be said for any book in this series (save some of "Kindly Ones, Volume 9 which features a much more cartoon style) yet in my opinion the art in this particular book goes above and beyond the rest. D) There are beutiful poetic symbols laced throughout this book about the endless. From Delerium's fish to portraits of despair, it is a truly beautiful image. Therefore, although it truly cannot be compared to the original 10 works, it is a worthy epilogue; a study in the characters the reader by this point must have learned to love.

For those of you ready to take the plunge in making purchase of this excellent graphic novel, do yourself a favor and spend the few extra bucks on the hardcover version. For starters the hardback is slightly oversized and the thick, glossy paperstock wonderfully frames every panel of this diverse and beautifully illutrated book. Fans of Neil Gaiman will find much to be delighted about in this return to his beloved, 'Sandman,' series. Made up of 7 chapters, each chronicles one of the Endless (Death, Desire, Dream, Despair, Delirium, Destruction and Destiny) in a self-contained story superbly illustrated by a different artist. Particular standouts are Milo Manara's contributions in 'Desire,' the subdued tones of Miguelanxo Prado in 'Dream,' and Barron Storey and Dave McKean's gritty work in 'Despair.' As a volume of bonus material post-Sandman, this book is a wonderful treat for fans and certainly lives up to the quality we've come to expect from Gaiman and company.

ENDLESS NIGHTS is, well, a dream come true for fans of Neil Gaiman's comic book series THE SANDMAN. Endless Nights is a collection of 7 short stories written by Gaiman and featuring fan-favourite artists such as Glenn Fabry, Bill Seinkiewicz, Frank Quietly, & P. Craig Russell among others.Each of the 7 stories focuses on one of the 7 members of The Endless (Death, Destiny, Dream, Despair, Desire, Delirium, & Destruction) beings which came before anything and will be around after all the gods are dead and gone. My personal favourite was the story about Dream. It offers a lot of history on The Endless and has more than a few surprises for fans of THE SANDMAN series. A let down was the story on Death. Gaiman himself has written somewhat similar stories for Death so it had a "been-there-done-that" feel to it. A big surprise is the Desire story, which reads like an old Norse legend. Great twist ending, too.Bottom line is this is a must have for all SANDMAN fans. Buy this book now! And for new readers I wouldn't say Endless NIGHTS is the best jumping off point to the SANDMAN universe (that would be vol 1) as people who've read THE SANDMAN series will get more out of it. However, it's not necessarily a bad starting off point either. If you know Gaiman's work from novels or other comics, ENDLESS NIGHTS will intrigue you as they are stand-alone stories that have aspects that do blend in to other SANDMAN stories. Just be sure to come back to it for a 2nd reading after you've read the other 10 vol. of SANDMAN.

Reading this made me feel like I'd never left. Gaiman was pushing the envelope near the end of the series, and while he could have returned to Sandman by just phoning it in (I'd still have been happy), he decides to push the envelope still. Read the Desire or Despair chapters to see what I mean. Then read the Destruction or Death stories to get back to 'classic' Sandman stuff.Some might not get the references (like the DCU references in the Dream story (hint: Green Lantern and Superman mythos)). Some won't. That's the way it should be.Great job Neil.

Those of us who are long time fans of Gaiman's work should be well pleased with this, a full set of stories (one for each family member), all new and original. Each story is told in its own style- not just as straight narratives, that let the reader enjoy some of the breadth that comics as a medium can do. Gaiman wrote each story to suit the artists, or chose the artists specifically, and it really shines through. Barron Storey's "Fifteen Portraits of Despair" is a personal favorite, and wherever I think the art is sometimes less than awesome (for me, Manara), the writing holds it up.DC really pulled out all the stops on this, the book itself is beautiful, oversize, and just nice to own. If you're a long time fan, its a great book and it'll help tie you over the wait till a Delirium story in a few years time, and if you're brand new to the characters, the stories are structured to let you in on the ground floor w/o any back knowledge necessary. Almost makes me wish I could read it all new again.