The best issues of Gaiman’s 'The Sandman'

Way before he found success with novels and adaptations like "American Gods" and "Neverwhere," British fantasist Neil Gaiman stepped into the limelight in the late ‘80s with "The Sandman," his highly acclaimed comic book series under the DC Vertigo line. In this blog, we’ve listed the top issues in the curious and endearing lore of Morpheus, lord of dreams.

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'A Dream of a Thousand Cats'
This story took place in the 18th issue (part of the Dream Country volume) and saw Gaiman depicting an alternative reality where Morpheus (here in the form of a cat) is visited by a cat who had stumbled into the land of dreams. The cat imagined a world in which humans were pets instead. A form of redemption occurs toward to end of this poignant story of how dreams shape reality.

'Ramadan'
This 50th issue is a remarkable tale in the vein of the "Arabian Nights," a very humane take by Gaiman on the contrast between the glorious city of Baghdad of the past and its crumbling, broken version of today. Morpheus captures and preserves this long-gone glory in a mirror ball in this heartwarming tale that shows how everything is kept immortal and faultless in dreams.

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'The Sound of Her Wings'
Here, we see a very human side of Morpheus as he catches up with her older sister Death. We are given the value of sibling affection among the Endless as well as a glimpse of Dream’s hubris. It’s the issue (eighth) that would further layer and deepen the narrative of the entire series, giving readers a very pragmatic take on mortality from the point of view of gods.

'A Midsummer Night’s Dream'
This, the series’ 19th issue, is probably the most accomplished of Gaiman’s work in comics, winning for him the World Fantasy Award. It’s a novel, alternative take on the story of Shakespeare in all his human frailty. Dream, of course, is the Bard of Avon’s patron in this refreshing take on making sacrifices for art’s sake, and the lifelong pain that often comes with that choice.

Hello, everyone, Daniel Volitich here. I enjoy video games, animation, films, and comic books. To make my dreams of becoming a video game designer come true, I'm currently studying animation at the San Francisco College of the Arts. For related posts of games and comic books, visit this blog.