Review: The Sandman: Overture #1

I was one of the unfortunate ones who was unable to be privy to the first 75-issue run of Vertigo’s The Sandman, but after all the hoopla at Marvel about the arrival of writer Neil Gaiman on Guardians of the Galaxy (which turned out to be a bust), I just had to look at this week’s The Sandman: Overture #1 to see what this dude is about.

I am in love.

With a double gatefold spread and beauteous verbage and art by J.H. Williams III, this book is both a sonnet to the character it features and an invitation to the reader to either make a new flame or rekindle and old one.

It has been awhile, with all the pseudo renumberings, etc., that a #1 has had this much of an effect on me as a reader, but the saga told here by Gaiman (an incredible writer whom I am sorry we did not see handle Marvel’s rag tag Quill team) is a valid one, one that not only requires thought by the reader (something in small quantity in comic books today) but a second and third re-read, once for the story (again) and once to behold Williams’ art in all its glory.

There is a lot of introduction (or re-introduction) here with characters like Destiny, the Corinthian and my favorite, Merv Pumpkinhead, but that is okay. These characters already have a depth some of those I have been reading off and on for years are sorely lacking.

This is not an annual, despite its somewhat voluminous price tag. As a reader who does not have five bucks to plunk down just anytime on any book, I am happy I took this chance on The Sandman: Overture #1. The cover alone … well, my colleague Doc will tell you more about that in his Cover Shoot column, elsewhere on CBN.

I think I understand Angela better now. Hey Bendis, move over.