Review: The Sandman, Volume 2
The Sandman, Volume 2: The Doll’s House
Neil Gaiman
232 pages - 1989 - fiction, graphic novel
November 24th, 2024 — November 25th, 2024
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½
I have never been a big fan of comics.
I think that I always wanted to be, for various reasons. I love the art style, especially in ones that are slightly horror-adjacent like this one. I think the stories one can tell in comics are oftentimes things that don’t translate as well to pure words or on a screen. Also, I was a huge nerd growing up, so it felt like a rite of passage that I missed a little.
But I also don’t like superheroes, I’m not great at following complex storylines and deep lore, and it feels like there’s a big barrier to try to jump over or dig under, and once I’ve passed it, that’s when the real trial begins. It’s daunting, not really knowing where to start.
I said back in February that I found The Sandman to be a wonderful entry point into the world of superheroes. I still think that that’s quite true; having read the first volume of this story months ago, I was still able to follow along without getting too lost in the weeds.
I also just love the art style. It’s wonderfully creepy, and there are so many little pieces that really tickled my brain. In one section of the story, a character falls asleep, and her dream is sideways on the page, but it’s not an abrupt transition; you’re reading along, following the flow, and all of a sudden, you’re holding the book sideways. Granted, I’m not often a reader of comics, so I don’t know how commonplace trickery like that is, but either way, it was delightful.
I’m saddened by the news of Neil Gaiman’s allegations earlier this year. I still am a fan of his work, and I try to separate art from artist, but it’s always disappointing to find out that someone you enjoyed is not a good person. I think a part of that colored the way I read this collection. There was a bit of it hanging over my head with every page.
Overall, though, I quite enjoyed it. I wish I had taken a little more time to look at the pictures. I’m still getting used to the pace of reading graphic novels versus a typical words-on-paper book. My instinct is to speed through it. I want to practice slowing down more, stopping to smell the illustrated roses.
Summary (Spoilers!)
The collection starts with a folktale about Dream and Queen Nada, being told to a boy who is becoming a man within his tribe. Nada had fallen in love with Dream and sought him out, but left him when she found out that he was not mortal. Angry with her, Dream sends Nada to Hell.
We learn that this scheme was thought up by Dream’s siblings Desire and Despair, who then start to plan a new scheme against their brother. Dream learns that four of his creations are missing—Brute, Glob, Corinthian, and Fiddler’s Green.
Meanwhile, Rose Walker and her mother Miranda are flown to England to meet Unity Kinkaid, who explains that she is Rose’s grandmother and Miranda’s mother. She had been a victim of the sleeping sickness that took some people while Dream was imprisoned. Miranda takes care of Unity, while Rose goes to America to search for her missing younger brother, Jed.
Rose finds an apartment that is inhabited with a variety of odd characters—Ken and Barbie, a couple who always finishes each other’s sentences; Chantal and Zelda, possibly sisters or lovers or best friends who wear bridal gowns and collect stuffed spiders; Gilbert, an eccentric “knight” with a collection of swords; and Hal, the landlord, who performs drag at night.
Rose dreams about Jed, and we learn that he is being kept chained and locked up in a basement by his current caretakers, Rose’s and Jed’s aunt and uncle, while they continue receiving monetary stipends for caring for him. Brute and Glob have taken residence in Jed’s mind, helping him spin stories in his head to keep him distracted from his horrifying reality.
Dream collects Brute and Glob, but he is captured by his other nightmare, Corinthian. We also see snippets of Corinthian going out into the world and “collecting”, which is a euphemism for killing people and stealing their eyes. He is constantly seen wearing his signature sunglasses, and when he takes them off, people shriek in terror.
Dream talks to Hob Gadling, who was granted immortality in the 1300s, once every hundred years. Eventually he admits that he only comes around to visit Hob because he is lonely.
Gilbert offers to join Rose on her search for her brother, and despite her protests, he comes along. They head to a hotel, where a “cereal convention” is occurring—it turns out to be a convention for serial killers, including the Corinthian, who is famous in their circle and becomes the guest of honor. Gilbert recognizes the Corinthian and writes a name on a piece of paper, telling Rose to say the name if she is in danger.
She is attacked by a serial killer one night while alone, and she summons Dream by calling upon Morpheus, his alias, who destroys the Corinthian and punishes the convention-goers. Gilbert goes out and finds Jed in the basement, and has him sent to a hospital.
Dream informs Rose that she is a “vortex”, meaning she can break down barriers between others’ imaginations and dreams. He says that the world will be destroyed if he does not destroy her, and that he is sorry, but it’s a part of his job to keep everyone safe. Gilbert identifies himself to Dream as Fiddler’s Green, his last missing creation, and offers himself in Rose’s place, but Dream refuses.
Rose’s grandmother Unity is on her deathbed, being cared for by Miranda, when she suddenly appears within the dream world. She offers herself in place of Rose, saying that, if she had not been afflicted with the sleeping sickness, she would have been the vortex instead of Rose. Before Dream can protest, Unity dies in the mortal world, destroying the vortex and freeing Rose.
Rose gets to reunite with her mother and brother, and we see their lives six months later, living in Seattle. Despite their troubles, they seem to be a happy and (relatively) normal family.
Dream confronts his sibling Desire, who admits that they impregnated Unity to get Dream to kill Rose, which would cause Dream’s own destruction since his kind (the Endless) cannot kill their kin. Dream threatens his sibling and flees.
Bring Me A Dream
I admit that there were a few portions of this story that I did not quite understand—I don’t get why there was a whole section in the middle with Hob Gadling, without much connection to the rest of the story. But I did still quite enjoy it, and I loved Dream admitting at the end that he did just want a friend.
Overall, I found it very compelling. The art style pulls you in, and the story itself is well-written and fascinating. I’m glad that I was fooled by the “cereal” convention. Learning that it was a group of serial killers was shocking in a delightful way, and I love how, while it is a group of horrible human beings who do unspeakable things, there still is the monotony of conventions that they go through.
I’m excited to see how these first two volumes translated to the on-screen adaptation of The Sandman that was made a little while ago. These collections were on my reading list because I wanted to watch it, but I am quite bad at watching something without reading the book first. Now that I’ve gone through these two volumes, I can hit play whenever. But I also hope that it’s different than the comics, because I think trying to capture the exact energy and feeling of the comics can only lead to failure.
I don’t know if I’ll continue reading The Sandman—I’ll add it to my reading list and see when I get to the next volume. But I’m glad I read these first two, and I’m excited to check out some other comic series in the future. There are so many out there, and it’s a lake in which I have not even really dipped my toes.
Total pages read so far, 2024: 17,486
Total books read so far, 2024: 48
Next book: Borne by Jeff VanderMeer