J. H. Williams IIIRecensioni

What can I say other than this is a jewel. A wonderful story told by a master of this genre and a master of storytelling period. I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to enjoy Overture but pained that the Sandman must end again as quickly as it started again. Oh, and the art is pure mastery as well.

If I'm being perfectly honest, the story on its own was not quite five stars for me. It was ambitious and grand and I loved it, but it either needed more space or less plot because it felt a bit rushed at times. I wish I'd gotten to know Hope better, at least.

The art, though. It's trippy and intricate, and I could stare at those pages for hours, and they fill me to bursting with wonder like every Sandman story does.

Wow, this is trippy even by Sandman standards! I wonder why it took me so long to finally get around to reading it. A beautiful story, told in even more beautiful art.

Fantastic pencils, coloring, lettering, covers, and writing. I won't add more, since the other reviews do a better job.

The characters are readily the best part of the story, and Delirium, whom I always want more of, is wonderful in this. The artwork in Overture is also among the best of the whole series. However, the story itself felt chaotic and disconnected. I frequently found myself checking to see if I'd missed a page when I hadn't. I never got the sensation of being drawn in which I've come to expect from this series. Overall I found it disjointed and unsatisfying.

This has to be the prettiest comic I've ever read and I actually loved the story a lot more than the last couple regular Sandman volumes.

Frankly I found the art okay to overly confusing, which was pretty distracting. The story was meandering, which was intentional, but not in a way that I by and large found enjoyable. I did like that we finally see the backstory behind that world that Dream destroyed during Barbie's story. That's the primary reason for my good rating.

wow.

Finally got around to reading this prequel, published 20-ish years after the original run, and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. I didn't like the circular layouts, didn't like the story, and didn't care about the unanswered questions it finally answered. My least favorite of the Sandman books.

Beautiful illustration but not much story here. Book One is entirely introduction of the characters and world building and never gets to any actual storytelling. I was initially looking forward to a female person-of-color story but didn't find much to like here. Hackneyed ideas about sex and magic including a superpowered female who still needs an old white guy to teach her how to be powerful. Yuck.½

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Everything about this book is stunningly beautiful. Gaiman's story is moving and strong evoking the original SANDMAN series, while telling a new and fresh story for Morpheus. JH Williams III's art and Dave Stewart's colours are truly breathtaking. There are so many different styles all seamlessly woven into the tapestry of this book. It's daring and evocative and truly a work of art in a way that many comics aren't. Every micro-panel is as beautifully detailed and important as the 4-page spreads and every page layout gives weight and meaning to the story being told. Nothing is frivolous, and nothing is unintentional.

Todd Klein, the letterer for the original SANDMAN series, as well as this one, knocks it out of the park again with new distinct lettering styles for new species and characters all still in the same tone and feel as his original work.

This has just made me want to re-read SANDMAN immediately. And then read this again right afterwards.

So great. Seriously. Drop everything you're doing, I don't care, the baby can change it's own diaper, I said EVERYTHING. Drop it all and read this now. You won't regret it. (But maybe wash your hands first, they're covered in baby poo)

Nicely linear, different style but quite nice. It does clear up way less than anticipated but it's fine.

Love the art in this book. Enjoyed the story quite a bit, too.

This was interesting but a bit too hectic for me.

Great to return to this series. Feels like home. Always wanting more when I'm done the book.

It took me a week to slog through this crap as one chapter at a shot was all I could endure.

Bad enough this opening book in the series is an overlong and tedious chase scene with unbearably busy art with multiple clashing styles on each page, but the whole thing is presented in one of the most awkward and annoying formats for a book: a wobbly panoramic spread that opens up to be only seven inches tall but nearly two feet wide. Reading it anywhere but firmly on a flat surface is an annoying and clumsy chore. It's the sort of book that if dropped once while open, the bound pages are sure to start splitting from the cover.

Really, it's more a Where's Waldo? picture book than a story as it is purely Easter eggs. Hey, that guy looks like he was drawn by Jack Kirby! Hey, that guy from Chicago looks like Flattop from Dick Tracy! Hey, Dracs and Steins look like Universal movie monsters! Hey, pirates! Hey, Japanese robots! Hey, zombies!

Just to really drive home how self-indulgent this project is, the end matter has over two dozen pages listing all the music J. H. Williams III listened to while working on the art. Mostly vinyl, of course! And he specifies the color of vinyl! And which ones were picked by his wife! OMG!

And this is just Book One? No. Never again.