Reviews of graphic novels and comic book collections every Tuesday and Thursday.


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The Sandman Vol. 4: Seasons of Mists by Neil Gaiman
In The Sandman Vol. 4: Seasons of Mists (1992, Vertigo/DC Comics, Amazon listing), Neil Gaiman's extended saga takes off. The storyline here is probably the strongest and most exciting in the series. For readers who enjoyed the short stories, but now want access into the extended Sandman Universe, this arc, rather than the first volume or "The Doll's House" is a great beginning.

It starts with a family meeting between the members of the Endless, minus brother Destruction, which precipitates Dream going to Hell to search for Nada, his lover that he banished when she denied him. In a huge anticlimactic moment--Dream spends an entire issue saying his good-byes before his journey, which he senses will end with his death--Lucifer doesn't want to fight Dream. Rather, he has emptied Hell and gives Dream dominion over the realm. This turns out to be a curse though. All manner of deities and entities seek Dream to ask for the key to Hell. How Dream handles this variety of gods and the fate of Hell becomes the crux of the story arc.

Along the way, we are given an extended view of the Sandman's realm, the Dreaming. Gaiman also introduces and expands upon the characters there, including Matthew, a talking crow, Cain, Abel, and Lucien, the librarian in a library of stories of books never written, only dreamed. Gaiman seamlessly mixes humor, drama, suspense, and intrigue to create a page-turning story with a satisfying conclusion.

The Sandman Vol. 4: Seasons of Mists 5 stars (out of 5)
posted by Sean McGurr at 8:00 AM