by Eden
In some ways, Brief Lives is the best of The Sandman volumes. It tells a complete, fairly straightforward story with an actual conclusion. It’s the most consistent artistically. It’s charming, although it’s maybe a bit too precious in places. It’s probably the volume I’ve read the most.
Fables & Reflection is an odd one. While it is just a collection of short stories, the issues aren’t presented in order. Three of the issues were published before the A Game of You and “Ramadan,” issue #50, was published after the next story arc. There’s also a brief story that appeared in Vertigo Preview #1 and Sandman Special from 1991. If this seems like it’s all over the place, you’d be right.