Milking a Dead Sleeping Dog (The Sandman: Endless Nights - Neil Gaiman)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	The Sandman: Endless Nights - Neil Gaiman
Date:	23/12/07 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some nice, new Sandman stories with great art.

Disadvantages: Lacks coherence and often disappoints.

Neil Gaiman's Sandman series for DC Comics was one of the most celebrated and acclaimed during its seventy-five issue run from 1989 to 1996, and its enduring popularity with both comic aficionados and the sort of people who would otherwise frown upon the comics medium could easily have seen the series continue ad nauseam to this day, as the popularity of its various licensed spin-offs demonstrates. Thankfully, Gaiman placed his artistic principles above a steady income, and was evidently successful in persuading his employers to set him free as soon as his series had reached its natural end point. Well, perhaps a year or so thereafter. In any case, the prolific writer's other projects and film royalties ensure that he remains sufficiently loaded to spend in whichever manner a slightly eccentric fantasy writer chooses, and he is at liberty to choose when to don an old hat.

Published exclusively as a graphic novel in 2003, rather than the usual limited series of comics later collected into a paperback, 'Endless Nights' is technically Gaiman's second Sandman project since the conclusion of the series; the first was the radical departure 'The Dream Hunters,' an illustrated novel in the Oriental folk tale tradition that bears no direct relation to the series outside of a few tangential, obscure parallels. Disregarding the various Sandman spin-offs written by different authors, most notably 'The Dreaming,' is easily accomplished, making this attractive collection of seven stories the first direct continuation of Gaiman's story by his own hand in seven years, and a reasonably successful one at that.

In the tradition of earlier short story cycles within the Sandman series itself (as collected in the paperbacks 'Dream Country,' 'Fables & Reflections' and 'Worlds' End'), there is no necessary link between these incredibly diverse tales, each of which focuses specifically (and in most cases, very abstractly) on one of the seven Endless: the seven personifications/incarnations/something-or-other of Death, Desire, Dream, Despair, Delirium, Destruction and Destiny. The Endless are not gods, the likes of which are far more commonplace in Gaiman's metafictional universe, as gods will expire or retire when they cease to be worshipped by living beings. The Endless will exist for as long as there is life to cater for in each of their respective realms as the caretakers of the cosmos... or something like that. Look, I'm really trying here.

This book faces the natural obstacle of a fan base that was promised and sold a conclusive ending many years previously, and considering the tedious and lengthy plots of the later Sandman issues it's understandable that some will be unwilling to go for a lap of honour, but Gaiman has really done himself a favour by so clearly demonstrating the boundless universe of his creation across seventy-five issues. Coupled with the Endless' timeless nature, this really means that anything goes in these new stories, unrestrained by any bonds to time, space or characters outside of the seven at its foundation. This results, as may have been expected, in a couple of stories being set explicitly after the events of the series, a couple being set in the distant past, and others free of any direct relation, and although this leads to a slightly disappointing lack of continuity across the whole thing, it works far better than a direct mini-series continuation would have, especially as the more dynamic plots here seem to indicate that Gaiman has really run out of ideas as far as continuing the series in a linear fashion.

As a loving return to the classic style, Gaiman naturally hired talented artists to work on each of his separate stories, and free from the rushed deadlines and stylistic restrictions of a monthly comic, the art really gets a chance to stand out and satisfy the author's increasingly expansive horizons. P. Craig Russell is the only Sandman veteran of the bunch, having provided all the art for the oddball fiftieth issue story 'Ramadan,' and along with Preacher's Glenn Fabry, produces the most recognisably "comic book art" of the volume, opting for its customary bold outlines and prominent, natural colours, as opposed to the more extravagant excesses elsewhere. Under direction of Gaiman's script, Russell creates a very effective parallel between the drab "real world" and colourful fantasy realm of the opening story 'Death and Venice' that highlights its main theme of that divide, and this is the first of several stories to employ an effective mystery angle that resolves the confusing events by the end and lends it well to re-reading in the future.

I was particularly pleased that this opening piece offers equal entertainment to Sandman veterans as well as newcomers who may only have approached the book out of curiosity due to its status as a New York Times bestseller (a comic? I ask you, how ridiculously illiterate! I'll stick to Dan Brown, thank you very much). It reveals everything that the reader needs to know to enjoy this independent tale, and it has one of the best opening scenes ever as a wealthy king indulges in his ideal death of being crushed by an elephant while being brought to orgasm by a pair of young virgins. "If I were a rich man," etc. I'm a lot less fond of the second story, 'What I've Tasted of Desire,' which is lavishly illustrated in a romantic fantasy style by Milo Manara, but falls into the author's 'Stardust'-like fairy tale style that I've never really enjoyed. It's a female-centric dark romance set sometime in the age of tribes, rape and pillage, and though it struggles to communicate the meaning of Desire, this has been done more successfully and in a more satisfyingly Sandman style in the series' past.

The Sandman/Dream King's own story is the major selling point for fans as it takes place in the incredibly distant past, before our own solar system supported any life, and when the Endless' family tensions were only just beginning. Painted in a fittingly dreamy style by Miguelanxo Prado with soft outlines enhancing the ethereal atmosphere, the story is another romance of a sort, as the tale of Dream's first of many ill-fated relationships with a mortal being, but it carries off such an intriguing sense of antiquity and mysticism that it's easily the highlight of the collection for me. Further mysteries of the universe are revealed and added to the bursting Sandman mythology in a manner true to the early series, and despite the Onanistic excitement the author is clearly experiencing in finally unveiling some long-hinted-at secrets and characters, he remains sober enough to allow the universe to retain some sense of mystery.

After this point, the collection takes some liberties and goes all arty on us, which makes for some interesting chapters that wouldn't have worked as well (or even been permitted) in a monthly series, but that are great as a deviation. Despair has always been one of the most psychologically interesting of the Endless, and rather than offer up another story about a depressed human turning his life around, Gaiman and cover artist Dave McKean conceived the idea of 'Fifteen Portraits of Despair,' presenting a sequence of single or double-page spreads detailing the sorry situations of selected individuals, as well as more abstract takes on the idea of Despair herself. It's primarily a vehicle for Barron Stoney's abstract art, which bears similarities to McKean's and makes me a little sad that the cover artist didn't handle this himself.

Delirium's tale is similarly artistic, Bill Sienkiewicz really capturing the idea of the character in her most disoriented state yet through a clashing mixture of soft watercolours and stark angles and of course the ever-present fish and butterflies of Delirium's realm, but aside from Gaiman's thoughtful 'portraits' of characters' individual delusions, ranging from upsetting to amusing, the linear plot that arises turns out to be very disappointing and basic. This is the first story to show some of the consequences of the original Sandman climax, with the new incarnation of Dream making a bit of a gratuitously pointless cameo appearance, and is sure to be the most alienating to new readers with its frequent references to characters and events that even the long-time reader may have trouble recalling.

Destruction's tale 'On the Peninsula,' like the opening story, is a comparatively straightforward one with some interesting science fiction themes that doesn't try to be too clever, and the book is rounded off with a worthless wander around Destiny's garden once again that essentially repeats the points we've been told about the enigmatic oldest sibling of the Endless in all of his appearances ever, that abruptly finishes up without bothering to provide an actual story. Gaiman singles out artist Frank Quitely for particular praise here in this mini illustrated tale of very few words, but it really is a very disappointing conclusion and a wasted opportunity to explore a very significant theme (or at least, one of seven).

'Endless Nights' is a nice enough appendix to the Sandman franchise that is content to be just that, without tying up any real loose ends from its predecessor or trying to inaugurate a new era. In this manner, it's about as enjoyable as the Sandman series' later short story cycles (paperback collections six and eight) and succeeds in recapturing that same atmosphere, but as a conclusive or definitive statement on the seven Endless it falls short of the mark. With the exception of 'Fifteen Portraits of Despair,' which is commendably painful to read, none of these tales succeed in summing up Death, Desire, Dream, Delirium, Destruction or Destiny in any meaningful way, or at least pale in comparison to earlier, more successful attempts towards the beginning of the Sandman series when these ideas were fresh and exciting. Gaiman even tries to really, really nail down precisely, definitively the exact nature of the Endless in 'The Heart of a Star,' but it still doesn't make a whole lot of sense no matter how it's worded. That isn't inherently a problem of course, as the mystery is what makes some of these stories so appealing, but it's clear that the idea of writing seven stories based on these seven characters was more of a helpful foundation than a true design plan.

The art is excellent without exception, which is more than can be said for the script, but a few years away and a new audience of sorts leads to some departures from the regular series, most notably in the sex and breast count which is significantly increased even when not entirely necessary, to prove to prospective buyers just how non-childish this really is. Gaiman also gets to write a particularly long and nostalgic introduction and thank you section that's about as insightful as is required, and Dave McKean provides the linking artwork between chapters based on his cover design. While this isn't the essential and mind-blowing Sandman continuation some fans will have been hoping for, it could have been a lot worse: they could have made a film.

Summary: Seven new stories illustrated by seven artists (2003).