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  1. #1
    Legendary Member daBronzeBomma's Avatar
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    Default SANDMAN UNIVERSE - how is it?

    So, this will be most likely my next new purchase the next time I go to my LCS:



    Has anyone else here read SANDMAN UNIVERSE yet?

    Is it good? Like classic Gaiman good? Or just good for the nostalgia feels? Really hoping for the former, but bracing for the latter.

    Also, I get that this issue is merely a primer for a quartet of new titles down the line. Are you excited for any of them?
    Last edited by daBronzeBomma; 08-11-2018 at 01:12 PM.

  2. #2
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    I'm excited but i don't buy flopies anymore, i don't even buy TPBs... lol I will be there for that Absolute Edition though...

  3. #3
    I am a diamond, Ms. Pryde millernumber1's Avatar
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    It feels a bit like the bits of Mike Carey's Lucifer to me - quality, but doesn't quite feel truly Gaiman. (As someone who thinks Gaiman is incredibly talented, but I dislike the strong streak of cruelty in his work, I'm not sure how exactly I feel about this.)

    I'm definitely interested in Lucifer and The Dreaming - I really hope Bilquis Evely is a star soon. Her stuff in this book was beyond gorgeous.
    "We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
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  4. #4

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    I went into the issue knowing next to nothing about Sandman and I thought it was a decent read. The weakest would be the house of whisper snippet because it doesnt set up the plot the same way the other 3 does.

  5. #5
    Ultimate Member Lee Stone's Avatar
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    I just started reading it and had to collect some of my favorite dialogue so far...

    "Every unspoken sonnet, every unfinished opus. Even those titles martyred by retcon are here - erased but unforgotten." (An ode to pre-Crisis and pre-New52 fans..?)

    "It's called alliteration, Merv. It's atmospheric." (Ah... an argument for wordy narrative styles! Thank you!)

    "Some days you just gotta punch in as a puppet and roll with it." (How meta...)

    So far, it's the most Vertigo Vertigo has been in ages.

    Meanwhile... I am curious as to how related the Tim Hunter scene is to the previous runs, if at all.
    Surely the original Sandman series is canon within the Sandman Universe, however with DC's restructuring and reshuffling of characters and titles, there's really nothing I'm sure of just yet.
    And from what I can surmise from Tim's scene is that takes place after the Books of Magic mini-series and before his first ongoing. Which means that Gaiman may have jettisoned everything after his mini.
    Especially when you consider who his new teacher is.

    I ended up ranking them in this order-

    1. The Dreaming -actually a compelling story. Lots of interesting characters. (10 out of 10)
    2. Books of Magic -could be good. Just really need some more info to know where it fits or what is still canon in Tim's world. (8 out of 10)
    3. Lucifer -not really a fan of the character, but at least the story was a bit intriguing. (5 out of 10)
    4. House of Whispers -pretty much 'much ado about nothing'. Maybe they needed more pages for a better introduction to a new twist on House of Secrets/Mystery. (2 out of 10)

    I give it a 6 out of 10.

    Also worth noting that the digital edition came with all the covers and they're all really good.
    Very nice to see P. Craig Russell doing one.
    And I was taken aback by how good Jim Lee's cover was. I almost didn't recognize his art.
    Last edited by Lee Stone; 08-24-2018 at 06:00 PM.
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  6. #6
    small press afficionado matt levin's Avatar
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    I turned this down last week. $5 = over priced for me. And "Sandman Universe" was an idea I did not share.
    Heard some good things about the actual issue.
    Got it this week...whew...glad I did. Mostly I enjoyed the 'framing' story with Lucien and Matthew the Raven, and the way it was actually integral to the 'introductory stories" of Lucifer, Tim Hunter, and House. While I'm still cool to House and Lucifer (much enjoyed his first series, though), and still indifferent to Tim, I'm also now interested in seeing where House, Lucifer and Dreaming all are heading their next issues. So for that, and a solid Dreaming story, I found "Universe" 'worth it'. Heh...for what this all is worth!
    Age/Bronze, Age/Reptiles, Alex&Ada, Anne Bonnie, Astro City, Bone, Briggs Land, Cerebus, Criminal, Courtney Crumrin, Eleanor & the Egret, Fables, Fatale, Fell, Grass Kings, Green Valley, Goon, Gotham Midnight, Groo, Hellboy, Hillbilly, Incognegro, Jack Staff, JL8, Jonah Hex, Kane, Lazarus, Little Nemo, Lone Wolf, Next Wave, Popeye, Powers, Princess Ugg, Resident Alien, SiP, Squirrel Girl, Stray Bullets, 10G, Thief of Thieves, Tuki, Uncle Scrooge, Usagi, Velvet

  7. #7
    Spectacular Member Kevin Street's Avatar
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    It wasn't bad, certainly better than a lot of comics these days. Definitely not like peak Gaiman, but most of it is fairly well done and shows a deep knowledge of the original characters.

    The framing story is the most enjoyable part of the comic, and since that's the team who are going to do "The Dreaming" their series is the one I might buy. I particularly liked the scene inside the old lady's dream, since it was very colorful and imaginative. Bilquis Evely's art is quite good.

    The other series don't interest me that much. But if I had to pick another one from the three, Tim Hunter's looked the best.

  8. #8

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    First issue of the Dreaming came out today.

    I thought it was pretty good if a bit thin.

  9. #9
    I am a diamond, Ms. Pryde millernumber1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by the illustrious mr. kenway View Post
    First issue of the Dreaming came out today.

    I thought it was pretty good if a bit thin.
    It did feel a bit conventional. But again, Evely art. So pretty!
    "We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
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  10. #10
    small press afficionado matt levin's Avatar
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    Yeah, if hadn't had its pedigree, Marv and Matthew, it wouldn't likely've impressed me enough to keep reading.
    Age/Bronze, Age/Reptiles, Alex&Ada, Anne Bonnie, Astro City, Bone, Briggs Land, Cerebus, Criminal, Courtney Crumrin, Eleanor & the Egret, Fables, Fatale, Fell, Grass Kings, Green Valley, Goon, Gotham Midnight, Groo, Hellboy, Hillbilly, Incognegro, Jack Staff, JL8, Jonah Hex, Kane, Lazarus, Little Nemo, Lone Wolf, Next Wave, Popeye, Powers, Princess Ugg, Resident Alien, SiP, Squirrel Girl, Stray Bullets, 10G, Thief of Thieves, Tuki, Uncle Scrooge, Usagi, Velvet

  11. #11
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    It was good, but I have reservations about it. We are revisiting an finished storyline, and how much can it be exploited before it is no longer fresh?

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Stone View Post
    I just started reading it and had to collect some of my favorite dialogue so far...

    "Every unspoken sonnet, every unfinished opus. Even those titles martyred by retcon are here - erased but unforgotten." (An ode to pre-Crisis and pre-New52 fans..?)

    "It's called alliteration, Merv. It's atmospheric." (Ah... an argument for wordy narrative styles! Thank you!)

    "Some days you just gotta punch in as a puppet and roll with it." (How meta...)

    So far, it's the most Vertigo Vertigo has been in ages.

    Meanwhile... I am curious as to how related the Tim Hunter scene is to the previous runs, if at all.
    Surely the original Sandman series is canon within the Sandman Universe, however with DC's restructuring and reshuffling of characters and titles, there's really nothing I'm sure of just yet.
    And from what I can surmise from Tim's scene is that takes place after the Books of Magic mini-series and before his first ongoing. Which means that Gaiman may have jettisoned everything after his mini.
    Especially when you consider who his new teacher is.

    I ended up ranking them in this order-

    1. The Dreaming -actually a compelling story. Lots of interesting characters. (10 out of 10)
    2. Books of Magic -could be good. Just really need some more info to know where it fits or what is still canon in Tim's world. (8 out of 10)
    3. Lucifer -not really a fan of the character, but at least the story was a bit intriguing. (5 out of 10)
    4. House of Whispers -pretty much 'much ado about nothing'. Maybe they needed more pages for a better introduction to a new twist on House of Secrets/Mystery. (2 out of 10)

    I give it a 6 out of 10.

    Also worth noting that the digital edition came with all the covers and they're all really good.
    Very nice to see P. Craig Russell doing one.
    And I was taken aback by how good Jim Lee's cover was. I almost didn't recognize his art.


    The things is, there is so little good material being produced now, that it is hard for this to fail, at least creatively.

  13. #13
    Ultimate Member Lee Stone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mrbrklyn View Post
    The things is, there is so little good material being produced now, that it is hard for this to fail, at least creatively.
    How true.
    But Sandman is pretty much DC's Walking Dead, Saga or Hellboy. As long as they put new quality material out in a timely manner, and support it with quickly released trades, they should do fine, I think.
    "There's magic in the sound of analog audio." - CNET.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Stone View Post
    How true.
    But Sandman is pretty much DC's Walking Dead, Saga or Hellboy. As long as they put new quality material out in a timely manner, and support it with quickly released trades, they should do fine, I think.
    100% - but what is weird is that is true also for tmost of the rest of the line. Someone should tack that up on every workstation at the DC offices.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Stone View Post
    I just started reading it and had to collect some of my favorite dialogue so far...

    "Every unspoken sonnet, every unfinished opus. Even those titles martyred by retcon are here - erased but unforgotten." (An ode to pre-Crisis and pre-New52 fans..?)

    "It's called alliteration, Merv. It's atmospheric." (Ah... an argument for wordy narrative styles! Thank you!)

    "Some days you just gotta punch in as a puppet and roll with it." (How meta...)

    So far, it's the most Vertigo Vertigo has been in ages.

    Meanwhile... I am curious as to how related the Tim Hunter scene is to the previous runs, if at all.
    That book was a bomb the first time, so lets hope Gaiman can salvage that... other than that, I agree with everything you wrote. It still feels rewashed though.

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