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| BrendanMcKillip.com brendan mckillip's daily journal |
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daily journal
A Brief Review I credit Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns with showing me that comic books could be written with an intensity and depth that an older, experienced reader of literature would expect. It's what got me seriously into reading comics back in 1990. Similarly, it was Neil Gaiman and his work in Sandman which opened my eyes to the fact that comics meant much more than just super heroes. Comics are a beautiful medium for telling all sorts of stories starring all sorts of characters. The only boundaries are the imagination of the creators and what can be physically printed.  It's because of the importance of these two works within my personal history of comic book reading that I continue to hold these books in such high regard and enjoy re-visiting them when I can. I've read DKR a number of times and though I'm almost ashamed to admit it, I'm still working my way through all ten installments of the Sandman series.This past weekend I finished reading Sandman: Brief Lives, book seven in the series, and by many regarded as the best storyline Gaiman crafted in the 75 issues he wrote in the series. The plot is fairly basic: Delirium wants Dream to assist her in going on a search to find their brother Destruction, who 300 years ago abandoned his role and his family. Of course, there is much more to the story than just this. Ultimately Gaiman's story is about change - its inevitability, its value, and its problems. His characters struggle to understand themselves and the world about them, and at journey's end have found the answers that they seek, but the answers don't always give the solace that they believed they would when the journey began. I can see where fans of the series hold this particular tale in high regard. Gaiman's story is particularly focused in its plot and theme, without heavy reliance on cryptic symbolism or philosophic double-speak. Having Jill Thompson remain as artist through out the entire story arc also helps keep Brief Lives together from a narrative standpoint. Too often a single Sandman tale will be illustrated by two or more artists, which can break continuity in the storytelling. Having Thomspon through out ties everything together nicely. I only have a few more Sandman collections to read, and then I'm going back to re-read the series finale (which is where I actually discovered the series) The Kindly One and The Wake posted by Brendan | 1:21 PM | permanent link |
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