by Eden
Dream Country is the shortest of The Sandman volumes — it’s just four single-issue stories, plus the script for one of them. But because of that, it’s actually a good sampler of The Sandman. It doesn’t require a lot of prior knowledge (do you know who Dream is? Do you know who Death is? You’re pretty well caught up). To me, it’s where Neil Gaiman actually established what he was doing with The Sandman.
The Doll’s House is volume 2 of The Sandman but it was actually the first collection (and the early editions included “The Sound of Her Wings” too). It’s not quite accurate to say this is where The Sandman really begins because Neil Gaiman is still figuring out what direction this comic is going to take, but it’s clear he was realizing this was just a way to tell stories.
In 2008, I reread The Sandman and wrote about it. And then I just didn’t read it again. That wasn’t necessarily a conscious choice but I do think there was a part of me that thought I’d gotten everything out of it I was going to.
Some people end up dead because of Valentina’s now-cursed camera and there are doll doppelgangers that sometimes come alive. Yes, trying to explain it, it all sounds silly but the comic blends what’s real and what’s not in such a masterful way.
Welcome to The Revision: an extensive deep dive into movies that are based on comics that are focused on women and girls (that don’t have superheroes). Yes, that’s highly specific, but that’s why it’s really cool.