Original Words by: Neil Gaiman
Graphicplay and Art by: P. Craig Russell
Coloring: Lovern Kindzierski
Lettering: Todd Klein
Associate Editor: Pornsk Pichetshote
Editor: Karen Berger
Covers by: Yuko Shimizu and P. Craig Russell
Published by: Vertigo/DC Comics
As this story begins, a Badger and a Fox make a small wager, that whoever can drive a young monk from the temple can claim the temple as their own home. While each puts on an impressive show, the young monk sees through each, and remains. However, the fox finds herself in a bit of a predicament–she has fallen in love with the monk. Having done so, when she learns of a plot hatched by demons to kill the monk, she seeks some way in which she might save this monk, and finds herself encountering the king of dreams–Morpheus–The Sandman. She gets an answer to her dilemma…and wakes.
The art here is quite good. There’s a certain charm to it–it’s fairly simplistic, but not overly so. There’s plenty of detail where necessary. Other than the fact that the art fits and simply works very well for the story, I don’t have much to say on it.
The story is by Neil Gaiman, and was originally published as a novella a decade ago. This is the first of a four-issue comic adaptation of that novella. The story maintains its strength, and having the panel-by-panel visuals to chronicle the story gives a much different feel to the story while staying extremely true to the original.
I don’t always find adaptations of anything to be all that wonderful–but I have to say, just as a first issue, this is probably the best adaptation of a written work I’ve come across–at least in recent memory. Curious from the start how closely this would follow the original source material, I actually pulled the original from my shelf to compare…and was very much impressed. Virtually word for word, this is identical to its source. The difference is in the format. Narration in the original that describes a setting doesn’t have to be prose–we see it in the visuals. We also don’t have narration telling us that the Fox said this or the Badger said that–we have the word balloons showing who says what, and what they ‘re saying. Though I recall enjoying the original well enough–the art was certainly beautiful to look at–the story itself never really stuck with me all that much. Somehow, the way it is presented here, it sticks, and thus puts this at least in equal footing with the original–if not surpassing it in its own way.
This comic adaptation brings something new and fresh to the table–enhancing the original, without displacing it. Neil Gaiman fans, P. Craig Russell fans, Sandman fans–all ought to find plenty to enjoy here, if only for nostalgia’s sake. You could certainly do far worse with a prose-to-comics adapted work.
Story: 8/10
Art: 9/10
Whole: 9/10
Filed under: Comic Reviews 2008, DC, Sandman: The Dream Hunters, Vertigo | Tagged: Comic Reviews 2008, DC Comics, dream hunters, Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, sandman, The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, Vertigo | Leave a comment »
Comic Reviews by Walt 