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The Sandman
The Sandman, Vol. 5: A Game of You
Take an apartment house, mix in a drag queen, a lesbian couple, some talking animals, a talking severed head, a confused heroine, and the deadly Cuckoo. Stir vigorously with a hurricane and Morpheus himself and you get this fifth installment of the Sandman series. This story stars Barbie, who first makes an appearance in The Doll's House, who here finds herself a princess in a vivid dreamworld. collecting The Sandman #32–37
192 pages, Hardcover
First published March 26, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,463 reviews
April 21, 2021
I have read the first five volumes of The Sandman, and so far this is only my third favorite (after A Doll's House and Seasons of Mist). Its development is somewhat muddy, its narrative too crowded with characters, and it is somewhat removed from the central myth of Sandman and the theological and cosmic questions which surround him, themes I find the most compelling part of this series.
I admit, though, that this preference may be merely a matter of taste. What A Game of You lacks in abstract matters, it compensates for in its emphasis on the personal. As the title indicates, this tale is about human psychology and the stratagems we employ both to hide from ourselves and to endure what we must. But it is also more than mere psychologizing, for it is metaphysical too, suggesting that our dreams may be rooted in an extra-personal reality, a pre-planned landscape which can be invaded and dominated by others.
Our tale opens as the sleeping Barbie--a character (along with her husband Ken) from "A Doll's House"--is being summoned by a group of little talking animals to a dream world where she is the Princess, and in which her friends the animals are being menaced by someone--or something-- called "The Cuckoo." Soon The Cuckoo extends its menace to the waking world, Barbie is sucked into the world of dreams, and her fellow apartment dwellers--a lesbian couple (one of whom looks like an adorably benign Pete Lorre), a transgender woman, and a hippie witch (who is a lot--I mean a lot--older than she looks.) Their quest to defeat The Cuckoo, and the help they receive from Dream, occupies most of the narrative.
Perhaps most remarkable about this tale is its great range, from the childlike and whimsical to the violent and horrific. Nothing in this tale--neither the sentiment nor the ghastly humor--seems the least bit out of place.
July 12, 2022
Barbie (of Ken and Barbie from The Doll's House) has moved into a new apartment building, and is trying to figure out who she is and how she is connected to Dream's lands.
This has a great cast of characters who live in her building, and you become attached to all of them as they try to help each other. Especially Wanda.
That ending! I teared up a bit, not gonna lie.
Recommended.
This has a great cast of characters who live in her building, and you become attached to all of them as they try to help each other. Especially Wanda.
That ending! I teared up a bit, not gonna lie.
Recommended.
September 19, 2017
The spell has been broken, the dream has ended. Well, at least, for now.
I was really surprised at how weak the writing was in this volume; it felt more like a spin-off than part of the actual series. Dream was barely present; he was more of a side character, only appearing briefly in the series that was named after him. Whatever was Neil Gaiman thinking when he decided to centre the story on Barbie?
Yes, Barbie. If felt so off centre and removed from The Sandman myth: the very thing that makes this series so compelling, intelligent and cool. Sure it had lots of twisted elements and horror tropes but it still just didn’t feel right. The last edition was about Lucifer. Previous ones have been about crazy serial killers with teeth for eyes and all manner of fucked up things. We’ve even had an edition on the endless. So this felt rather (how shall I put it?) unimpressive and unimaginative when you compare it with what came before. The problem with such a great series as this is that when it fails to deliver, it really fails to deliver.
Moreover, the artwork changed after two issues. The characters had completely different faces. I had to go back and check who was who based upon the clothing and hair styles; it was quite odd. Perhaps this is just a problem with my edition? The only character who had any sense of presence remains an enigma. She clearly had some past with Dream, though it is never divulged to us. The Witch was interesting; this is clearly the last we will ever see her however. All in all, it has far too much Barbie and not enough Dream.
As such, I’m going to be taking a considerable break from this series. I do love it, but I need time before going back. It won’t be until early next year before I pick up another volume, I was just so disappointed here.
I was really surprised at how weak the writing was in this volume; it felt more like a spin-off than part of the actual series. Dream was barely present; he was more of a side character, only appearing briefly in the series that was named after him. Whatever was Neil Gaiman thinking when he decided to centre the story on Barbie?
Yes, Barbie. If felt so off centre and removed from The Sandman myth: the very thing that makes this series so compelling, intelligent and cool. Sure it had lots of twisted elements and horror tropes but it still just didn’t feel right. The last edition was about Lucifer. Previous ones have been about crazy serial killers with teeth for eyes and all manner of fucked up things. We’ve even had an edition on the endless. So this felt rather (how shall I put it?) unimpressive and unimaginative when you compare it with what came before. The problem with such a great series as this is that when it fails to deliver, it really fails to deliver.
Moreover, the artwork changed after two issues. The characters had completely different faces. I had to go back and check who was who based upon the clothing and hair styles; it was quite odd. Perhaps this is just a problem with my edition? The only character who had any sense of presence remains an enigma. She clearly had some past with Dream, though it is never divulged to us. The Witch was interesting; this is clearly the last we will ever see her however. All in all, it has far too much Barbie and not enough Dream.
As such, I’m going to be taking a considerable break from this series. I do love it, but I need time before going back. It won’t be until early next year before I pick up another volume, I was just so disappointed here.
May 27, 2015
We’re back in the game!!!
Creative Team:
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Illustrators: Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt & Stan Woch
Covers: Dave McKean
Letterer: Todd Klein
FAIRY TALES, NATURE’S FORCES, BLOOdY WITCHCRAFT & COMPACT’S TERMS
I am truly GLAD that my struggles in Season of Mists (the fourth volume) were left there and Neil Gaiman played with my mind a game, a wonderful game of words and images, a game where ironically you are given the rules of it until the end, but that isn’t a reason for not enjoying the fullest this remarkable game of dreaming awake while reading, a game that it is not for the faint of heart.
Everybody dreams. I read about it. You don’t dream, you go koo-koo.
What is a Dream-King without dreamers?
What is Death without living people?
Morpheus and Death are powerful, they are members of the Endless, however not matter how powerful they are, they still need people.
Without people, their realms are left without purpose, without content, without richness.
We aren’t islands and we shouldn’t wish to be ones.
While you read more and more The Sandman, you realice that while Morpheus, the Dream-King, is indeed the title character, the story gets its impact thanks to the recurrent characters, that even you don’t realize that they will be recurrent until you meet them again. While some first encounters with the “secondary” characters give you a clear message that they are relevant, sometimes, they will just make a cameo or a brief appearance, but doing something vital in a following storyarc.
Nothing happens by chance in The Sandman, each event has a purpose, a content, a richness.
But not always each event will be blissful, some will bring sorrow, but such is life.
Thessaly? What’s going on here?
Just stuff.
Stuff?
Uh huh.
While the storyarc has many artists involved, I want to highlight the sections illustrated by Shawn McManus, which I think was a perfect choice due the topic in this particular storyarc.
If you already read The Doll’s House (the second volume) you already met stuff hard to digest, and here? Oh, baby, you will met more stuff kinda harder to digest. Some truly sad provoking you to... cry a little, and some truly gross provoking you to... check your door’s locks.
A Game of You is Neil Gaiman’s tribute to all those epic fantasies and fairy tales, such as Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia and Wizard of Oz, as long as a tribute to all those games that we played in our childhoods, such as “Hide-and-Seek”, “Simon Says”, “Puzzles”, “Card Games”, “Playing House”, etc...
But she still has to be stopped.
Why?
Well, she’s dangerous. She’s evil.
Dangerous? Perhaps. But Evil? She acts according to her nature. Is that evil?
We meet again Barbie, one of the characters introduced in The Doll’s House, she is now living in New York, in an apartment building which its owner is out of town, but she has plenty company with hr neighbors: Hazel and Foxglove (introduced (at least from my perspective) in Death: The High Cost of Living and visited again in Death: The Time of your Life, but here you will have them in a moment of the past), Thessaly (a nerdy/geeky-look-like petite woman with huge spectacles which is in reality a lot more than what she appears to be (I loved her character!!! I hope to meet her again in following stories)), George (mysterious quite man which, yes, you guess right, he is more than he appears to be, of course he will! This is The Sandman!!!) and Wanda (best friend of Barbie and born as Alvin Robert Caleb Mann, but in the process to change that).
Barbie isn’t dreaming, and soon enough she will realize that she should be thankful of that since when she would dream again, nobody will be safe! Not matter if they are in or out of her dreams!
This is such great creative story telling us that not always taking an action is the right choice, sometimes the best way to help somebody is not doing anything, but of course, we aren’t gods for not saying Endless members to know when to act and when not, as in anything in our lives and our interaction with others, we just can take responsibility for our actions trusting that our choices are for the better.
Also, this story is about knowing ourselves and embrace each part of us, even if we want to make a dramatic change in our existences, we can’t forget each element that makes what we are, since each tiny little piece, not matter if we like them or not, not matter if we think that we would be better if we forget them, each portion, visible or invisible, solid or intangible, all they are components of ourselves, and each fragment is part of us for a reason, a purpose, adding content, adding richness.
Don’t stop playing the game, the game of life until it would be over, and maybe, ironically, somebody, maybe a smiling girl in goth clothes, would tell us the rules of the game, the game that we played. And remember, you don’t decide when the game is over, it’s a call for the game itself. You just have to play it as best as you can, to the fullest, with all the power of your will.
Creative Team:
Writer: Neil Gaiman
Illustrators: Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt & Stan Woch
Covers: Dave McKean
Letterer: Todd Klein
FAIRY TALES, NATURE’S FORCES, BLOOdY WITCHCRAFT & COMPACT’S TERMS
I am truly GLAD that my struggles in Season of Mists (the fourth volume) were left there and Neil Gaiman played with my mind a game, a wonderful game of words and images, a game where ironically you are given the rules of it until the end, but that isn’t a reason for not enjoying the fullest this remarkable game of dreaming awake while reading, a game that it is not for the faint of heart.
Everybody dreams. I read about it. You don’t dream, you go koo-koo.
What is a Dream-King without dreamers?
What is Death without living people?
Morpheus and Death are powerful, they are members of the Endless, however not matter how powerful they are, they still need people.
Without people, their realms are left without purpose, without content, without richness.
We aren’t islands and we shouldn’t wish to be ones.
While you read more and more The Sandman, you realice that while Morpheus, the Dream-King, is indeed the title character, the story gets its impact thanks to the recurrent characters, that even you don’t realize that they will be recurrent until you meet them again. While some first encounters with the “secondary” characters give you a clear message that they are relevant, sometimes, they will just make a cameo or a brief appearance, but doing something vital in a following storyarc.
Nothing happens by chance in The Sandman, each event has a purpose, a content, a richness.
But not always each event will be blissful, some will bring sorrow, but such is life.
Thessaly? What’s going on here?
Just stuff.
Stuff?
Uh huh.
While the storyarc has many artists involved, I want to highlight the sections illustrated by Shawn McManus, which I think was a perfect choice due the topic in this particular storyarc.
If you already read The Doll’s House (the second volume) you already met stuff hard to digest, and here? Oh, baby, you will met more stuff kinda harder to digest. Some truly sad provoking you to... cry a little, and some truly gross provoking you to... check your door’s locks.
A Game of You is Neil Gaiman’s tribute to all those epic fantasies and fairy tales, such as Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia and Wizard of Oz, as long as a tribute to all those games that we played in our childhoods, such as “Hide-and-Seek”, “Simon Says”, “Puzzles”, “Card Games”, “Playing House”, etc...
But she still has to be stopped.
Why?
Well, she’s dangerous. She’s evil.
Dangerous? Perhaps. But Evil? She acts according to her nature. Is that evil?
We meet again Barbie, one of the characters introduced in The Doll’s House, she is now living in New York, in an apartment building which its owner is out of town, but she has plenty company with hr neighbors: Hazel and Foxglove (introduced (at least from my perspective) in Death: The High Cost of Living and visited again in Death: The Time of your Life, but here you will have them in a moment of the past), Thessaly (a nerdy/geeky-look-like petite woman with huge spectacles which is in reality a lot more than what she appears to be (I loved her character!!! I hope to meet her again in following stories)), George (mysterious quite man which, yes, you guess right, he is more than he appears to be, of course he will! This is The Sandman!!!) and Wanda (best friend of Barbie and born as Alvin Robert Caleb Mann, but in the process to change that).
Barbie isn’t dreaming, and soon enough she will realize that she should be thankful of that since when she would dream again, nobody will be safe! Not matter if they are in or out of her dreams!
This is such great creative story telling us that not always taking an action is the right choice, sometimes the best way to help somebody is not doing anything, but of course, we aren’t gods for not saying Endless members to know when to act and when not, as in anything in our lives and our interaction with others, we just can take responsibility for our actions trusting that our choices are for the better.
Also, this story is about knowing ourselves and embrace each part of us, even if we want to make a dramatic change in our existences, we can’t forget each element that makes what we are, since each tiny little piece, not matter if we like them or not, not matter if we think that we would be better if we forget them, each portion, visible or invisible, solid or intangible, all they are components of ourselves, and each fragment is part of us for a reason, a purpose, adding content, adding richness.
Don’t stop playing the game, the game of life until it would be over, and maybe, ironically, somebody, maybe a smiling girl in goth clothes, would tell us the rules of the game, the game that we played. And remember, you don’t decide when the game is over, it’s a call for the game itself. You just have to play it as best as you can, to the fullest, with all the power of your will.
May 1, 2020
Re-Read 5/1/20:
*shiver* Such goodness may deserve a more verbose review, but fortunately, I already wrote one. :) And I don't really have much new to say. :)
Original Review:
I love Barbie. I love Wanda. I love Thessaly.
Truly, this was one hell of a tightly-woven story including inner-worlds, cuckoo birds, ancient witches, pulling down the moon, and death.
There's no way in hell that I could really boil it down to essentials. As a whole, it seriously rocks and hits me in the feels. Sexual identity and childhood and babies are only a part of it. Being wise and forgiving is only a part of it.
Hell, I see that holy-bitch at Wanda's funeral and I see her just acting in her nature, just like the Cuckoo, and I feel like Thessaly, knowing I really ought to behave like Barbie. It tears me up.
This is serious literature. Both fantastic, strange, and deep as hell and sharp. :) Hard to believe, after reading it, that it is a comic.
*shiver* Such goodness may deserve a more verbose review, but fortunately, I already wrote one. :) And I don't really have much new to say. :)
Original Review:
I love Barbie. I love Wanda. I love Thessaly.
Truly, this was one hell of a tightly-woven story including inner-worlds, cuckoo birds, ancient witches, pulling down the moon, and death.
There's no way in hell that I could really boil it down to essentials. As a whole, it seriously rocks and hits me in the feels. Sexual identity and childhood and babies are only a part of it. Being wise and forgiving is only a part of it.
Hell, I see that holy-bitch at Wanda's funeral and I see her just acting in her nature, just like the Cuckoo, and I feel like Thessaly, knowing I really ought to behave like Barbie. It tears me up.
This is serious literature. Both fantastic, strange, and deep as hell and sharp. :) Hard to believe, after reading it, that it is a comic.
May 31, 2024
With their princess missing from the Land, Wilson, Prinado, Martin Tenbones and Luz are on the verge of losing the fight with the Cuckoo. As a last resort, Martin Tenbones sets out to find said Princess and have her (re)join the fight. Unfortunately, he is killed before he can fully deliver his message.
Following her divorce, Barbie has led a rather isolated and zombie-like existence, having only her friend Wanda force the occasional outing on her. The last of these gives our protagonist quite a shock, when a dying giant furry... thing(?) entrusts her with a necklace and a cryptic plea of help. As memories of her old dreams resurface, Barbie recognizes the dying creature as her companion Martin Tenbones...
Story-wise I found the fifth installment to be a bit confusing, with a whole lot of new characters thrown into the mix, generally with very little explanation. This seems to be intentional on Gaiman's part, as he'd revisit stuff in later volumes. Case in point: Princess Barbara and Martin Tenbones actually first show up in the 2nd volume of the series (The Doll's House), as part of a slew of incomprehensible dreams that Rose Walker's dream world shenanigans affect. I actually hadn't figured that out myself, until I was checking the Sandman wiki for Barbie's full name. In my defense, back then, the drawing style looked very different.
In this volume the art quality is so much better, with only minor inconsistencies in character design: Barbie's inexplicable perm in chapter three, and Thessaly's sudden "glow up" after the first chapter. But those are fairly minor complaints, that most people would (probably) not care about. The many wondrous places, that princess Barbara and her entourage pass en-route to the Isle of Thorns, more than make up for the aforementioned short comings. They reminded me of the wonder of Grimm's Fairy Tales with some unexpected adult twists, as the casualties of the battle get revealed.
My main complaint lays with the side-quest of the ladies, whose purpose felt... wasted. I appreciated the message behind the end result, not to mention Thessaly's awesome antics, but the whole Moon journey could very well have been left out. Yes, its contribution to highlighting Wanda's struggles as a trans-woman are appreciated, but the actual journey part was over way too soon, with too little effect.
Score: 4/5 stars
I need to stop these gaps in reading successive volumes of the Sandman series, especially since I DO actually own all of them in physical copies (prequel included). With the author's tendency to build complex quests based on minor story threads from previous volumes, a lot of the connection subtleties are lost on me while reading.
The art in volume 5 was positively gorgeous, and has contributed A LOT to lessen my annoyance with the gaps in character motivations. It also reveals my worrisome fascination with horrific imagery... such as flesh-eating zombie-babies.
===================
Review of volume 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
Review of volume 2: The Doll's House
Review of volume 3: Dream Country
Review of volume 4: Season of Mists
Review of volume 6: Fables & Reflections
Review of volume 7: Brief Lives
Review of volume 8: World's End
Following her divorce, Barbie has led a rather isolated and zombie-like existence, having only her friend Wanda force the occasional outing on her. The last of these gives our protagonist quite a shock, when a dying giant furry... thing(?) entrusts her with a necklace and a cryptic plea of help. As memories of her old dreams resurface, Barbie recognizes the dying creature as her companion Martin Tenbones...
Story-wise I found the fifth installment to be a bit confusing, with a whole lot of new characters thrown into the mix, generally with very little explanation. This seems to be intentional on Gaiman's part, as he'd revisit stuff in later volumes. Case in point: Princess Barbara and Martin Tenbones actually first show up in the 2nd volume of the series (The Doll's House), as part of a slew of incomprehensible dreams that Rose Walker's dream world shenanigans affect. I actually hadn't figured that out myself, until I was checking the Sandman wiki for Barbie's full name. In my defense, back then, the drawing style looked very different.
In this volume the art quality is so much better, with only minor inconsistencies in character design: Barbie's inexplicable perm in chapter three, and Thessaly's sudden "glow up" after the first chapter. But those are fairly minor complaints, that most people would (probably) not care about. The many wondrous places, that princess Barbara and her entourage pass en-route to the Isle of Thorns, more than make up for the aforementioned short comings. They reminded me of the wonder of Grimm's Fairy Tales with some unexpected adult twists, as the casualties of the battle get revealed.
My main complaint lays with the side-quest of the ladies, whose purpose felt... wasted. I appreciated the message behind the end result, not to mention Thessaly's awesome antics, but the whole Moon journey could very well have been left out. Yes, its contribution to highlighting Wanda's struggles as a trans-woman are appreciated, but the actual journey part was over way too soon, with too little effect.
Score: 4/5 stars
I need to stop these gaps in reading successive volumes of the Sandman series, especially since I DO actually own all of them in physical copies (prequel included). With the author's tendency to build complex quests based on minor story threads from previous volumes, a lot of the connection subtleties are lost on me while reading.
The art in volume 5 was positively gorgeous, and has contributed A LOT to lessen my annoyance with the gaps in character motivations. It also reveals my worrisome fascination with horrific imagery... such as flesh-eating zombie-babies.
===================
Review of volume 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
Review of volume 2: The Doll's House
Review of volume 3: Dream Country
Review of volume 4: Season of Mists
Review of volume 6: Fables & Reflections
Review of volume 7: Brief Lives
Review of volume 8: World's End
April 29, 2021
After reading issues 29-31 and not enjoying them at all, I expected this volume to be not so good. However, I liked reading Barbie’s story even if Dream didn’t appear much in this volume. Yes, it wasn’t nearly as good as Season of Mists but well, I doubt any upcoming volume will be.
A Game of You was fun and intriguing. I found the flawed characters interesting and they quickly grew on me. It was also nice to read about Barbie, a character we’ve met before, and discover more about her.
That being said, I’m finding it underwhelming to read the rest of vol 6 especially since they seem to be independent stories and not related. Thing is, I find stories that start and finish in one issue in Sandman, mostly tedious and uninteresting. Still, so far all volumes managed to get at least 4 stars from me (with the exception of The Doll House), so I might like it after all. These comics are taking me way too long to read and the art style is certainly not helping.
A Game of You was fun and intriguing. I found the flawed characters interesting and they quickly grew on me. It was also nice to read about Barbie, a character we’ve met before, and discover more about her.
That being said, I’m finding it underwhelming to read the rest of vol 6 especially since they seem to be independent stories and not related. Thing is, I find stories that start and finish in one issue in Sandman, mostly tedious and uninteresting. Still, so far all volumes managed to get at least 4 stars from me (with the exception of The Doll House), so I might like it after all. These comics are taking me way too long to read and the art style is certainly not helping.
August 8, 2020
I really like how Gaiman explores child imagined fantasy worlds like Narnia or Oz. Yet at the same time this is also very much about identity and how we view ourselves, especially those of queer and trans orientations. I really enjoy how Gaiman weaves in elements of past storylines as this reaches back to minor characters from A Doll's House and the demented issue where Dr. Destiny tortures the patrons of a diner in Preludes & Nocturnes. These little Easter eggs really add to my enjoyment of the stories when I see them. I like Shawn McManus's cartoony art and feel it fits this story perfectly.
March 29, 2019
Impressed once again! I have so much love for this series. Full review to come...
September 14, 2018
Sandman continues to confound and confusticate, though that’s good thing in this instance. This volume took a sharp left turn from the last one, with a minor character taking center stage and Dream playing only a small supporting role. It’s a little bit like watching a Ghostbusters spinoff where Louis Tully gets lead billing and Peter Venkman shows up to crack a few jokes toward the end before high-fiving Slimer in a closing freeze frame (which, incidentally, is a spinoff I’d watch the crap out of).
Keep that wonderful weirdness coming, Gaiman.
Keep that wonderful weirdness coming, Gaiman.
March 15, 2021
Si hay algo de lo que no me puedo quejar, es sobre la monotonía: cada volumen tiene su particularidad.
➤ "Todos tienen un mundo secreto dentro de ellos. Toda la gente del mundo, me refiero a todos. No importa cuán aburridos y aburridos sean por fuera, dentro de ellos todos tienen mundos inimaginables, magníficos, maravillosos, estúpidos, asombrosos. No solo un mundo. Cientos de ellos. Quizá miles."
A Game of You nos trae un viaje clásico de cuentos de hadas protagonizado, en su mayoría, por mujeres, y donde nuestro clásico protagonista Morfeo apenas aparece. El arco que conforma el volumen cinco trata de un extraño ente conocido como El Cuco que amenaza el universo onírico de una joven, y por extensión su vida, mientras que sus peculiares compañeros de edificio se embarcan en un peligroso viaje a los dominios de Sueño para salvarla.
Respecto a los personajes, Gaiman vuelve a introducir a Barbie, cuya última aparición se dio en el segundo tomo de la saga, que toma el rol principal y es la heroína y víctima en la aventura que sucede; al mismo tiempo, se nos presenta a su mejor amiga Wanda, quien es una mujer trans y confidente, que, a pesar de todo, no renuncia a su identidad. Completan el grupo Tesalia (una bruja) y Foxglove y Hazel (una pareja de lesbianas). Definitivamente un tomo que se caracteriza por su inclusión, feminismo y valores humanos sobre todo.
➤ "Y si hay una moraleja, no sé cuál es, salvo tal vez que deberíamos despedirnos siempre que podamos."
La aventura presentada recuerda remotamente a obras como Alicia en el país de las maravillas, El Mago de Oz o El señor de los anillos: tenemos animales y seres inhumanos que hablan, un recorrido misterio ligado al peligro y unos valerosos personajes que están dispuestos a realizarlo. De hecho, una de las manifestaciones con más carga de fantasía presentes en todo Sandman.
A su mitad del camino, Sandman sigue presentando arcos y elementos diferentes e interesantes. Si A Game of You nos sedujo con una trama que descarriló la saga hacia una dirección fantasiosa y no tan oscura como sus pares, ¿qué podemos esperar del resto? Lo que sí es claro es la habilidad de Gaiman, con un guión excelente, conexiones entre tomos, referencias, exploración de diversos géneros y hasta temas profundos en el trasfondo de este universo que no se me va a escapar.
➤ "Todos tienen un mundo secreto dentro de ellos. Toda la gente del mundo, me refiero a todos. No importa cuán aburridos y aburridos sean por fuera, dentro de ellos todos tienen mundos inimaginables, magníficos, maravillosos, estúpidos, asombrosos. No solo un mundo. Cientos de ellos. Quizá miles."
A Game of You nos trae un viaje clásico de cuentos de hadas protagonizado, en su mayoría, por mujeres, y donde nuestro clásico protagonista Morfeo apenas aparece. El arco que conforma el volumen cinco trata de un extraño ente conocido como El Cuco que amenaza el universo onírico de una joven, y por extensión su vida, mientras que sus peculiares compañeros de edificio se embarcan en un peligroso viaje a los dominios de Sueño para salvarla.
Respecto a los personajes, Gaiman vuelve a introducir a Barbie, cuya última aparición se dio en el segundo tomo de la saga, que toma el rol principal y es la heroína y víctima en la aventura que sucede; al mismo tiempo, se nos presenta a su mejor amiga Wanda, quien es una mujer trans y confidente, que, a pesar de todo, no renuncia a su identidad. Completan el grupo Tesalia (una bruja) y Foxglove y Hazel (una pareja de lesbianas). Definitivamente un tomo que se caracteriza por su inclusión, feminismo y valores humanos sobre todo.
➤ "Y si hay una moraleja, no sé cuál es, salvo tal vez que deberíamos despedirnos siempre que podamos."
La aventura presentada recuerda remotamente a obras como Alicia en el país de las maravillas, El Mago de Oz o El señor de los anillos: tenemos animales y seres inhumanos que hablan, un recorrido misterio ligado al peligro y unos valerosos personajes que están dispuestos a realizarlo. De hecho, una de las manifestaciones con más carga de fantasía presentes en todo Sandman.
A su mitad del camino, Sandman sigue presentando arcos y elementos diferentes e interesantes. Si A Game of You nos sedujo con una trama que descarriló la saga hacia una dirección fantasiosa y no tan oscura como sus pares, ¿qué podemos esperar del resto? Lo que sí es claro es la habilidad de Gaiman, con un guión excelente, conexiones entre tomos, referencias, exploración de diversos géneros y hasta temas profundos en el trasfondo de este universo que no se me va a escapar.
June 8, 2007
This came into my bookstore and I hadn't read it in a couple years, plus it's the one with the transwoman in it, and I was feeling emotionally vulnerable. So bring it on!
So... yeah. So when I was a little kid I read this and it was like, I was a baby transsexual and all I knew about it was that I'd better not talk about it or admit it to myself or to anybody else. So this book touched me in kind of a weird place and I was SUPER stoked that it treated a transwoman as a human being and, y'know, in a positive light.
Well- and I am going to spoiler the shit out of this for you- years and years later and years into manifesting a trans identity, uh, the story is really good but this loses four stars for shitty portrayal of a transwoman. Seriously. It makes sense that she resonated for me when I didn't know what it was like to be trans- she reads VERY MUCH like a transwoman written by somebody who's not one. Basically I feel wicked betrayed.
It gets one star back though because of the three panels on the second-to-last page- you'll know 'em when you see 'em- that always ALWAYS make me cry my friggin eyes out til I fall asleep. Seriously. I cry and cry. It's gross.
Anyway, yeah, this is good, it makes me feel comfortable dismissing Neil Gaiman as somebody I don't care about. BLAH
So... yeah. So when I was a little kid I read this and it was like, I was a baby transsexual and all I knew about it was that I'd better not talk about it or admit it to myself or to anybody else. So this book touched me in kind of a weird place and I was SUPER stoked that it treated a transwoman as a human being and, y'know, in a positive light.
Well- and I am going to spoiler the shit out of this for you- years and years later and years into manifesting a trans identity, uh, the story is really good but this loses four stars for shitty portrayal of a transwoman. Seriously. It makes sense that she resonated for me when I didn't know what it was like to be trans- she reads VERY MUCH like a transwoman written by somebody who's not one. Basically I feel wicked betrayed.
It gets one star back though because of the three panels on the second-to-last page- you'll know 'em when you see 'em- that always ALWAYS make me cry my friggin eyes out til I fall asleep. Seriously. I cry and cry. It's gross.
Anyway, yeah, this is good, it makes me feel comfortable dismissing Neil Gaiman as somebody I don't care about. BLAH
April 10, 2021
A Game of You reintroduces us to the minor character of Barbie from the 2nd volume, The Doll's House.
I really liked how this story plays out, along with the new characters of Wanda, Hazel, Thessaly and Foxglove.
The story of Barbie goes from fantasy (her dreamworld) to her real life in NYC throughout the whole volume.
It felt like I needed some acid at times to figure out the fantasy elements of her dreamworld and what was really going on?!
But isn't that what's great about dreams?
You'll wake up from one, remember strange and distorted details, and think you've lost your f'ing mind! hahaha
The whole plot of A Game of You comes together in the end, and I liked how the plot developed now that I know the ending.
In fact, the end of this book broke my heart a bit.
Kudos to Neil Gaiman for adding emotion into this series along with topics of acceptance, unconditional love, transgender issues and finding your tribe in this strange world.
I really liked how this story plays out, along with the new characters of Wanda, Hazel, Thessaly and Foxglove.
The story of Barbie goes from fantasy (her dreamworld) to her real life in NYC throughout the whole volume.
It felt like I needed some acid at times to figure out the fantasy elements of her dreamworld and what was really going on?!
But isn't that what's great about dreams?
You'll wake up from one, remember strange and distorted details, and think you've lost your f'ing mind! hahaha
The whole plot of A Game of You comes together in the end, and I liked how the plot developed now that I know the ending.
In fact, the end of this book broke my heart a bit.
Kudos to Neil Gaiman for adding emotion into this series along with topics of acceptance, unconditional love, transgender issues and finding your tribe in this strange world.
May 1, 2020
In this fifth Sandman volume we meet some characters from previous ones. Barbie chief amongst them. She no longer dreams and as it turns out, that really will drive you mad - of sorts. We therefore get a magical dreamland, some colourful house-mates of different sexualities and *clears throat* ages and, of course, the Lord of Dreams.
Not sure if this volume actually does anything for the overall story - I'll only be able to judge that later - but it was quite some fun. From small-minded small-town folks getting a nasty mirror held up to their faces (not that they'll actually be ashamed and change) to witches, hurricanes and talking animals, the authors managed to pack this rainbow-coloured story full of some deep musings about sexual identities, different kinds of childhoods, forgiveness and much more. *
The most prominent topic in this volume was, once again, stories. How we make them, what they make us become in turn, the fact that we all have them.
I think my favourite character was Thessaly. No, she can't compete with Death, but she's close. And then there was one of THE most iconic images from the entire series (it's also one of the most beautiful in the series so far if you ask me):
So as you can see, the art will probably always be this way and nothing too pretty, but in many instances that actually works well with the story - the story is eccentric and so is the art.
Not as powerful as some of the other volumes I've read so far but on the level these writers and artists are operating, that still means it's very good.
*
Not sure if this volume actually does anything for the overall story - I'll only be able to judge that later - but it was quite some fun. From small-minded small-town folks getting a nasty mirror held up to their faces (not that they'll actually be ashamed and change) to witches, hurricanes and talking animals, the authors managed to pack this rainbow-coloured story full of some deep musings about sexual identities, different kinds of childhoods, forgiveness and much more. *
The most prominent topic in this volume was, once again, stories. How we make them, what they make us become in turn, the fact that we all have them.
I think my favourite character was Thessaly. No, she can't compete with Death, but she's close. And then there was one of THE most iconic images from the entire series (it's also one of the most beautiful in the series so far if you ask me):
So as you can see, the art will probably always be this way and nothing too pretty, but in many instances that actually works well with the story - the story is eccentric and so is the art.
Not as powerful as some of the other volumes I've read so far but on the level these writers and artists are operating, that still means it's very good.
*
July 18, 2012
A Game of You, the 5th volume in the Sandman series, is my favorite so far. One thing I've noticed Gaiman is very good at is picking up little threads he dropped in previous stories and building on them (this was one of my favorite things about Buffy; there's nothing more rewarding for a viewer/reader than a story that doesn't forget its past). The most notable one that gets picked up in this volume is the main character, Barbie, who was a minor character in The Doll's House. In that volume, we were introduced to her dream world very briefly, and I was surprised (and pleased) to see it turned into something bigger and darker.
I've also noticed by this point that the story doesn't suffer when Morpheus takes a back seat to the action. Gaiman is skilled enough to provide a compelling cast instead of just relying on one strong character with an entourage of half-developed sidekicks.
I've also noticed by this point that the story doesn't suffer when Morpheus takes a back seat to the action. Gaiman is skilled enough to provide a compelling cast instead of just relying on one strong character with an entourage of half-developed sidekicks.
April 17, 2022
I don’t think home’s a place anymore. I think it’s a state of mind.
My favorite volume thus far. Love some 90s trans representation.
We all have a world inside our head.
My favorite volume thus far. Love some 90s trans representation.
We all have a world inside our head.
October 5, 2020
More of the same.
As I wrote that it occurred to me that 'more of the same' is usually used in a negative sense but, in this case, it means 'more of the same absolutely incredible writing'.
I can't give these 5 stars, though, because the artwork continues to be just OK. People have assured me the artwork gets better as the series goes along but I'm not seeing any sign of that yet.
As I wrote that it occurred to me that 'more of the same' is usually used in a negative sense but, in this case, it means 'more of the same absolutely incredible writing'.
I can't give these 5 stars, though, because the artwork continues to be just OK. People have assured me the artwork gets better as the series goes along but I'm not seeing any sign of that yet.
January 3, 2022
Como es habitual en The Sandman, la protagonista de este volumen es un personaje secundario de los anteriores. En este caso, se trata de Barbara, la mujer que Rose Walker conoció en el segundo volumen. La acción se traslada a la ciudad de Nueva York de principios de los noventa: un lugar sucio, decrépito y bastante deprimente. El protagonista, Sueño, está ausente durante la mayor parte de los eventos. Me llama la atención el empleo por parte de Gaiman de personajes lesbiana y trans, algo que probablemente a la fecha de publicación del volumen no era habitual. El final, a decir verdad, es trágico. Me pregunto como continuará la historia en adelante.
September 29, 2020
I'll just launch right into it. A Game of You centers on a quintet of (mostly) mortal women sharing an apartment building in New York, two of whom are lesbians, one of whom is trans, one of whom is cishet, and the last of whom is an ageless witch. The cishet woman, Barbie, is the protagonist, or at least the person most of the action centers on; the trans woman, Wanda, is arguably the emotional core. For those not already in the loop, I'll also remind you that our author is a cishet man, and furthermore that this was written in the early '90s. Probably you're beginning to see the potential complications.
Let me acknowledge right off the bat that Gaiman clearly has good intentions. Each of these women (with one understandable exception) is portrayed sympathetically and affectionately, and it's pretty obvious our author's goal is to provide positive and affirmative queer representation in a period when that would still have been rare from a mainstream creator not directly affiliated with the LGBTQ community. I've read commentary from several—though certainly not all—trans readers who say Wanda was one of the first relatable transgender characters they came across in popular media, and that for that reason they're willing to overlook any authorial missteps. In short, Neil's heart is in the right place, and I think it (mostly) shows.
That said, boy is this a cringe-inducing read in 2019. We run pretty much the whole gamut of well-intended but ill-informed trans character tropes, from the fixation on Wanda's dead name and genitals (she spends pretty much the whole book in lacy underwear) to the biological essentialism of even the supernatural characters (the gods themselves, apparently, can't quite comprehend a woman who doesn't come equipped with the "proper" hardware) and ultimately to her . This article breaks down the problematic stuff in more detail, if you’re interested.
I think the real issue here is that, instead of writing a story which happens to involve a trans character in a leading role, Gaiman decided to write a story which is in large part about being trans. And when you set out to write a story about being something, especially something you yourself are not, it's crucial to tread carefully and to make absolutely sure you know what you're talking about. Maybe A Game of You is the best that could be expected given the period and the author, maybe not; but books live and age like human beings, and it's both permissible and important to remain in dialogue with them, to remember the relevant context without wielding it as a catch-all excuse for their flaws. (It's worth noting that Gaiman himself has said he probably wouldn't write this story today.)
Even without the gender trouble, though, this arc didn't impress me much. We spend a large part of it in Barbie's personal dreamscape, a fantasy kindom with deliberate shades of Tolkien, Lewis, and Carroll, trying to track down an elusive nemesis called the Cuckoo. I never found the threat to be particularly well-developed, and the resolution—a typical Sandman deus ex machina, of the kind I complained about in my last review—was no more satisfying. The epilogue sequence at was slightly more so, though of course it also plays into a number of the cringey clichés mentioned above—including, y'know, being set at .
So. A dispensable volume at best, and at worst an actively offensive one. Other readers may and do disagree about A Game of You's relative merits, but for my own part I can see little reason to recommend it when we've got plenty of much better trans narratives and much better Sandman stories out there to choose from.
----
See my reviews for the whole Sandman series here:
Preludes and Nocturnes (★★★★☆)
The Doll's House (★★★★☆)
Dream Country (★★★☆☆)
Season of Mists (★★★★☆)
A Game of You (★★★☆☆)
Fables and Reflections (★★★★☆)
Brief Lives (★★★☆☆)
World's End (★★☆☆☆)
The Kindly Ones (★★☆☆☆)
The Wake (★★★☆☆)
August 22, 2022
This was an amazing story on the theme of childhood fantasy. It doesn't hold back any punches as the protagonist comes to terms with her fantasy world.
February 18, 2021
Why do these have to be so heartbreaking?
July 15, 2013
The Sandman series goes from strength to strength, capable of reinventing itself with each new collection. Morpheus is mostly absent at the start of A Game of You , but that's all right, as the new characters prove interesting enough without his presence. The story takes place partly in a New York tenement, peopled with oddball characters that for some reason reminded me of Will Eisner, and partly in a fantasy realm that is lost in a far corner of Morpheus' Dreamcountry. Connecting the two is Barbara, a character that appeared first in Doll's House where she dreamt she was a princess ruling over a magic realm. The Barbie connection was clearly stated from the start, and here it takes a turn for the dark side, in both realms. Barbie is divorced from Ken and living rather poorly in the big city, while the realm is under attack from the Cuckoo and her trusty courtiers are pleading for her return to save them from the Cuckoo.
According to Wikipedia this story arc is one of the author's favorites, and I can see how some of his favorite themes of falling through the cracks of reality feature prominently here. Gaiman also mentions this is one of the 'girl' focused collections, as opposed to other 'male' oriented ones. He might have a point, but I didn't have any problems with following a mostly feminine cast. I would say that the appeal of the cast for me is in their marginalized social position: they are the misfits, the non-conformists that 'proper' people like to look down their noses and frown at. Wanda is a pre-operative shemale, Hazel and Foxglove are a couple of lesbians, Thessaly is a bespectacled bookworm that hides a long career in witchcraft, and so on. More than making a statement about social acceptance and exotic lifestyles, I think Gaiman chose these borderline characters in order to show how adversity can help show humans in their true light and how they can get out of trouble by sticking together and helping each other out.
Not to get into too much details about the plot, but Barbie gets trapped in a dream by a servant of the Cuckoo, and her neighbours summon the Moon Goddess to help them follow up and rescue her, only to provoke a cataclysm into the real world. In the Land Barbie as Princess Barbara sets out on a classic fantasy quest through deserts and forest until she reaches her former palace and comes face to face with the Cuckoo. Morpheus at last makes an appearance and provides not only a godlike solution to everybody's troubles, but also a meditation on personal responsibility and assuming the consequences (bad or good) of one's actions, on growing up and leaving childhood dreams behind and fitting in in an adult world. I had some problems with decoding the role of the Cuckoo as an agent of chaos, but probably a re-read will set me straight.
Of particular interest for me is the artwork of Shawn McManus, which I considered a step above previous volumes. I hope some of the characters here will return in later issues, particularly Martin Tenbones, if possible.
November 17, 2014
This is a great volume focused less on Dream/Morpheus himself than on dream worlds populated by Narnia-like and stuffed animal characters from Barbie's youth, "morphed" into somewhat scarier beings, this being Gaiman, and the dreams of her friends Wanda, a drag Queen, a lesbian couple, a witch named Thessaly, a "street" person who hates dogs, and a scary monster named Cuckoo… and there's a couple gruesome moments in it that just may stay with you… but what also may stay with you is the endorsement it makes for dreams/fantasy/imagination/story (and as with Gaiman, always, the importance of horror/fear in the construction of "reality". Dream and Death play small but memorable roles in this one, where Gaiman allows what he has to say to play out through his other quite memorable characters. This is a feminist tale, told primarily with and about a range of women; maybe the gender/sexuality "point" seems like it is being pushed a little hard in places, but in general it plays out beautifully and interestingly.
And the artwork. Have I said anything before about the covers, by Dave McKean? They are fabulous, really unsettling and amazing as a foundation for the tales. Some of the artwork (mainly by Shawn McManus, but some by Colleen Doran) seems younger and more colorful to fit Barbie's child fantasy/dream world, but even acknowledging that, I don't like it as much as some of the earlier or later artwork. Nevretheless, McKean's deeper, darker themes undergird the larger project, give it resonance.
And the artwork. Have I said anything before about the covers, by Dave McKean? They are fabulous, really unsettling and amazing as a foundation for the tales. Some of the artwork (mainly by Shawn McManus, but some by Colleen Doran) seems younger and more colorful to fit Barbie's child fantasy/dream world, but even acknowledging that, I don't like it as much as some of the earlier or later artwork. Nevretheless, McKean's deeper, darker themes undergird the larger project, give it resonance.
June 14, 2021
This was another fun, creative, weird, deceptively deep installment in the series. I really appreciate the fact that this fifth volume, like its immediate predecessor, feels like a complete thought on its own. There is no cliffhanger here. The story, while introduced earlier in the series, is a complete one. My biggest complaint is that the art style seemed to change from chapter to chapter, and the differences in how particular characters were drawn was a distraction.
August 3, 2023
“In the pale light of the moon I play the game of you. Whoever I am. Whoever you are. All sense of where I am, of who I am and where I'm going has been swallowed by the dark. And I walk through the stars and sky...a trinity of dreams beneath the moon.”
So far I have loved each volume of this story both equally and more than the previous volumes. Meaning I like the first or third volumes just as much as I love this one, but they almost feel like a part of this one, so each new insight into the Endless feels even more vital and special, and the further in I get the more my love expands. I can already tell that this is a series that I will reread, probably many times, and continue to get more out of it and make sense of it in different ways. I'm not surprised I find it so wonderful, because everything I have read by Neil Gaiman has been brilliant, but I don't think I had anticipated how epic the story would be or how immersive. It's also continuing to remind me that I want to reprioritise reading comics/graphic novels (what are they supposed to be called?!) especially after 2020, when I only read a few.
“Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody — no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds... Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.”
The quote above is one of my favourites from Neil Gaiman, and it was nice to read the story that it belonged to. That's been one of the most enjoyable things in the course of reading this (other than the story itself I mean) -- context for certain quotes or images I had loved of Dream or Death.
In this volume Dream appears infrequently, which works well. Sometimes there is power in not being there all the time. Knowing he will appear at some point... but not yet. It's fascinating how you can learn so much about a character even when they aren't on the page.
Barbie's story was riveting. Both that was happening in reality, and in her dreams, and that rather scary blend of the two. Her friendship with Wanda was lovely.
Thessaly was a great character. I see she has her own spinoff (is it called a spinoff in comics?) so I will have to read that when I can.
“And then it crumbled in his hand. It was just dust... Sand... A glittering, multicolored sand that fell away into the chilly wind at the end of the world.” --- I've never included photos in my Goodreads reviews, but I have to say when you are reviewing comics it feels tempting. I would love to include the image that goes with this quote. It was so beautiful. I was brought to tears several times while reading this, and this was especially true during this moment. It was incredibly well done. (Also, Wanda's grave, Barbie's choice of boon, the deaths of all her companions, and the moments when we got to see them again, and the nightmares. The nightmares were awful.)
I now only have one issue left in my omnibus, The Song of Orpheus and then I will have to wait a little while before I can continue the series. The other two omnibuses are ordered, and I'm hoping they won't take too long to arrive, but I also understand that my Sandman books won't be top priority at our very busy border at the moment!
UPDATED: They actually arrived quite quickly! :)
So far I have loved each volume of this story both equally and more than the previous volumes. Meaning I like the first or third volumes just as much as I love this one, but they almost feel like a part of this one, so each new insight into the Endless feels even more vital and special, and the further in I get the more my love expands. I can already tell that this is a series that I will reread, probably many times, and continue to get more out of it and make sense of it in different ways. I'm not surprised I find it so wonderful, because everything I have read by Neil Gaiman has been brilliant, but I don't think I had anticipated how epic the story would be or how immersive. It's also continuing to remind me that I want to reprioritise reading comics/graphic novels (what are they supposed to be called?!) especially after 2020, when I only read a few.
“Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody — no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they've all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds... Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.”
The quote above is one of my favourites from Neil Gaiman, and it was nice to read the story that it belonged to. That's been one of the most enjoyable things in the course of reading this (other than the story itself I mean) -- context for certain quotes or images I had loved of Dream or Death.
In this volume Dream appears infrequently, which works well. Sometimes there is power in not being there all the time. Knowing he will appear at some point... but not yet. It's fascinating how you can learn so much about a character even when they aren't on the page.
Barbie's story was riveting. Both that was happening in reality, and in her dreams, and that rather scary blend of the two. Her friendship with Wanda was lovely.
Thessaly was a great character. I see she has her own spinoff (is it called a spinoff in comics?) so I will have to read that when I can.
“And then it crumbled in his hand. It was just dust... Sand... A glittering, multicolored sand that fell away into the chilly wind at the end of the world.” --- I've never included photos in my Goodreads reviews, but I have to say when you are reviewing comics it feels tempting. I would love to include the image that goes with this quote. It was so beautiful. I was brought to tears several times while reading this, and this was especially true during this moment. It was incredibly well done. (Also, Wanda's grave, Barbie's choice of boon, the deaths of all her companions, and the moments when we got to see them again, and the nightmares. The nightmares were awful.)
I now only have one issue left in my omnibus, The Song of Orpheus and then I will have to wait a little while before I can continue the series. The other two omnibuses are ordered, and I'm hoping they won't take too long to arrive, but I also understand that my Sandman books won't be top priority at our very busy border at the moment!
UPDATED: They actually arrived quite quickly! :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2014
Example #832 as to why cis people should never ever attempt to write about trans women. Ever. Every single negative stereotype is included here, from the age-old trope of "the surgery" and depictions of trans women as frivolous and overemotional to the extreme and wrapping up with the "trans woman as tragic warning" trope that means we can only ever be killed and even then denied the very identity we died to achieve. And so much misgendering. So much. From the common "oh, Wanda's really a man" to a rather imaginative new form of exclusion with "I'm sorry, but the moon can't take you to dream land because only real women can use her magic."
I wish I weren't a completeist. I wish I'd have just skipped this entire volume beforehand, because then my love for the series would remain untarnished and I'd not have to add Neil Gaiman to the list of writers I adore but I can't think of without cringing. I picked up this graphic novel because I wanted to relax in the brisk autumn afternoon and think on subjects that were far from my daily life. To see my life written as a tragicomic mockery that reinforces so many harmful concepts was not what I was in the mood for. At all.
I wish I weren't a completeist. I wish I'd have just skipped this entire volume beforehand, because then my love for the series would remain untarnished and I'd not have to add Neil Gaiman to the list of writers I adore but I can't think of without cringing. I picked up this graphic novel because I wanted to relax in the brisk autumn afternoon and think on subjects that were far from my daily life. To see my life written as a tragicomic mockery that reinforces so many harmful concepts was not what I was in the mood for. At all.
October 20, 2018
Neil Gaiman'ın efsanevi Sandman Serisi'nin 5. kitabı. Bence önceki fasiküllerin gerisinde kalıyor. Ama o bir "Sandman" cildi ve heyecanla beklenmeyi, elinize aldığınızda hemen okunmayı fazlasıyla hak ediyor. İthaki Yayınları'ndan çıkan kitabı çok daha değerli kılan ise bence açık ara en iyi yabancı fantastik sanatlarda dilimize müthiş eserler kazandıran çevirmen Elif Ersavcı, yayın sorumlusu ve dizi editörü Alican Saygı Ortanca, Emre Aygün ve Ömer Ezer. Böylesi bir ekibin edebiyatımıza kazandırılan yabancı eserlerdeki yeri her zaman beş yıldızla ifadelendirilebilir. Çizgi romana gelecek olursak; fazlasıyla "Oz Büyücüsü" ve "Alice Harikalar Diyarı'nda" izlencesi var. Karakterler önceki fasiküllere göre üç değil, sanki silik birer iki boyutlu. Derinlik yok. Bunun yanında her zamanki Gaiman hayal gücü işi başında. Onun tekinsiz, süprizlerle dolu cümlelerini takip etmeyi seviyorum. Sonuç olarak, dediğim gibi diğer ciltlere göre düşük bir seviyede olabilir ama Sandman seviyorsanız tabii ki kaçırmamnız gerekn bir kitap daha.
April 11, 2019
Δεν περίμενα να συμπαθήσω τόσο πολύ την Barbie και την Ονειρική της Χώρα! Από τους καλύτερους τόμους της σειράς μέχρι στιγμής!
η άποψη μου για όλη τη σειρά εδώ:
https://wordpress64426.wordpress.com/...
η άποψη μου για όλη τη σειρά εδώ:
https://wordpress64426.wordpress.com/...
March 26, 2017
Στον πρώτο τόμο της σειράς ο συντάκτης και έχων το γενικό πρόσταγμα αυτού του εγχειρήματος, Karen Burger, μιλάει για την εξέλιξη αυτής του Sandman. Κανείς δεν περίμενε πόσο πετυχημένη θα γίνει. Αλλά κανείς δεν μπορούσε ούτε καν να συνειδητοποιήσει την ιδιαίτερη πορεία που θα ακολουθούσε η αφήγηση, μακριά από οτιδήποτε κλισέ έχει το μέσο, πόσο θα απογειωνόταν η φαντασία και η διήγηση θα άγγιζε επίπεδα που θα του χάριζαν όλα αυτά τα βραβεία. Το ξεκίνημα είχε ψήγματα του τι θα ακολουθούσε, αβέβαιο για ακόμα για τον ρόλο του, ακόμα λίγο αγκιστρωμένο από τον κόσμο της DC. Αν τελικά κάπου οδηγούσε, αν η κλιμάκωση θα μπορούσε να αγγίξει το ζενίθ με έναν και μόνο τόμο αυτός για μένα είναι ο 5ος.
Κάθε τόμος είναι διαφορετικός, με τον Sandman να αποτελεί τον κύριο θεματικό άξονα. Αυτό έχει σαν αποτέλεσμα ο Γκείμαν να εφορμά με μια ολοένα αυξημένη δημιουργικότητα, δίχως να περιορίζεται από αφηγηματικά όρια που θα έθετε μια ενιαία ιστορία. Και κάθε φορά οι προσδοκίες αυξάνονται. Εγώ έκθαμβος έκλεινα έναν τόμο, αποζητώντας την απόλυτη ονειρική ιστορία. Αυτή εδώ είναι η ιστορία που περίμενα. Είναι φτιαγμένη από τα υλικά των ονείρων, μιλάει για εκείνο το απροσδιόριστο συναίσθημα με το οποίο θα ξυπνήσουμε μετά από έναν κόσμο που υπόσχεται τόσο πολλά και είναι φτιαγμένος από την αστερόσκονη του καθενός μας. Και αποτυπώνει τόσο εξαιρετικά ο Γκείμαν τα ετερόκλητα στοιχεία που φτιάχνουν τους ονειρόκοσμούς μας, όπου η βία και η νοσταλγία γιατί κάτι όμορφο που ποτέ δεν θα μπορέσουμε να έχουμε συνυπάρχουν.
Είναι ο καλύτερος τόμος και μαζί ένας από τα καλύτερα κόμικς που έχω διαβάσει τα τελευταία χρόνια. Δεν είναι τυχαίο που ο Γκέιμαν χρειάστηκε έναν χρόνο για να ολοκληρώσει τους χαρακτήρες και την ιστορία του κόμικς. Η ιστορία είναι ολοκληρωμένη, το μέσο αγκομαχάει, τεντώνεται και τρίζει, για να ανταπεξέλθει στην ξέφρενη δημιουργικότητα αυτού του τεράστιου παραμυθά. Είναι καταπληκτικό, είναι η πεμπτουσία αυτής της σειράς, ένα ορόσημο στην καριέρα του Γκέιμαν.
Κάθε τόμος είναι διαφορετικός, με τον Sandman να αποτελεί τον κύριο θεματικό άξονα. Αυτό έχει σαν αποτέλεσμα ο Γκείμαν να εφορμά με μια ολοένα αυξημένη δημιουργικότητα, δίχως να περιορίζεται από αφηγηματικά όρια που θα έθετε μια ενιαία ιστορία. Και κάθε φορά οι προσδοκίες αυξάνονται. Εγώ έκθαμβος έκλεινα έναν τόμο, αποζητώντας την απόλυτη ονειρική ιστορία. Αυτή εδώ είναι η ιστορία που περίμενα. Είναι φτιαγμένη από τα υλικά των ονείρων, μιλάει για εκείνο το απροσδιόριστο συναίσθημα με το οποίο θα ξυπνήσουμε μετά από έναν κόσμο που υπόσχεται τόσο πολλά και είναι φτιαγμένος από την αστερόσκονη του καθενός μας. Και αποτυπώνει τόσο εξαιρετικά ο Γκείμαν τα ετερόκλητα στοιχεία που φτιάχνουν τους ονειρόκοσμούς μας, όπου η βία και η νοσταλγία γιατί κάτι όμορφο που ποτέ δεν θα μπορέσουμε να έχουμε συνυπάρχουν.
Είναι ο καλύτερος τόμος και μαζί ένας από τα καλύτερα κόμικς που έχω διαβάσει τα τελευταία χρόνια. Δεν είναι τυχαίο που ο Γκέιμαν χρειάστηκε έναν χρόνο για να ολοκληρώσει τους χαρακτήρες και την ιστορία του κόμικς. Η ιστορία είναι ολοκληρωμένη, το μέσο αγκομαχάει, τεντώνεται και τρίζει, για να ανταπεξέλθει στην ξέφρενη δημιουργικότητα αυτού του τεράστιου παραμυθά. Είναι καταπληκτικό, είναι η πεμπτουσία αυτής της σειράς, ένα ορόσημο στην καριέρα του Γκέιμαν.
August 27, 2020
Sandman gets better and better as we return to Barbie, a character from Book 2.
This time Barbie is trying to live her life the way she wants. With her best friend she travels the streets of New York being free. However, the Cuckoo wants revenge and sends its creatures to try and get Barbie back into dream land. In doing so Barbie and her whole building of neighbors have to step into the dream world again to survive.
This is basically a rescue mission but with a lot of interesting twist and turns. People seem shocked Sandman is almost a background character but a almighty god is only so interesting, it's better he's the surrounding the main characters so he gives a bigger impression of "super" powered. I also really enjoyed the supporting cast. From two lesbian characters who are figuring out their relationship, a trans character who will do anything to save a friend, and a witch, everyone has time to show off their skills and background.
Sandman is a slow burn. There's not major fights or big climatic showdowns. Despite being in the DC universe, it doesn't feel anything like a DC book. It took me years to read this. In fact I read volume 1 around age 16 and didn't like it much. At 31 I appreciate the slow burn storytelling and deep look into multiple character's lives. This was a fantastic volume with a somber but touching ending. A 5 out of 5.
This time Barbie is trying to live her life the way she wants. With her best friend she travels the streets of New York being free. However, the Cuckoo wants revenge and sends its creatures to try and get Barbie back into dream land. In doing so Barbie and her whole building of neighbors have to step into the dream world again to survive.
This is basically a rescue mission but with a lot of interesting twist and turns. People seem shocked Sandman is almost a background character but a almighty god is only so interesting, it's better he's the surrounding the main characters so he gives a bigger impression of "super" powered. I also really enjoyed the supporting cast. From two lesbian characters who are figuring out their relationship, a trans character who will do anything to save a friend, and a witch, everyone has time to show off their skills and background.
Sandman is a slow burn. There's not major fights or big climatic showdowns. Despite being in the DC universe, it doesn't feel anything like a DC book. It took me years to read this. In fact I read volume 1 around age 16 and didn't like it much. At 31 I appreciate the slow burn storytelling and deep look into multiple character's lives. This was a fantastic volume with a somber but touching ending. A 5 out of 5.
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