The Sandman: The Wake by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Prior to Sandman, I could only say that I was drawn to Neil Gaiman. The books I read were good, not great (exception being Neverwhere). After finishing the Sandman graphic novels, I know why I am drawn to Neil's writing. He shows profound beauty in the dark. See my three favorite characters (in no specific order): Delirium, Death, and Dream. Delirium can be a sad character if you choose to see her that way, prefer to see her as pure character. Delirium, who began her time as an Endless as Delight, provide a fun house mirror view of the world. She can be honest, comical, and incredibly insightful; all of this of course is unbeknown to her. Death is the Gidget of Grim Reapers, she provides a not so dark version of the end of life, even when she eventually has to collect the life of her younger brother. And finally, Dream. Hopeless romantic, brutally honest, and so completely broken than he is beyond repair; however, he is responsible for creating both nightmares and pleasant dreams and he does both well. He is not fair, he is not sinless, he is humanity magnified a thousand times. He takes his broken parts, helps those who he can, then he ends. By his choice. By his hand projected through the Morrigan. And as an audience, we could be angry, we could be sad, or we could understand and morn him in the Wake.
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