I was wondering if any of you lovely lot have any thoughts as to the colours or framing that Gaiman uses in Sandman (and related character books)?
In particular:
-thoughts re: borders in Kindly Ones - does it work for you?
-thoughts re: dream hunters as prose vs the striking images of talbot zulli, etc.
-any feelings/thoughts about the complete contrast between the wake and its preceeding graph kindly ones
-whether you'd have preferred a different ending?
-feelings re: collecting the comic vs the graphic novels and how the story was told
-anything else re: colour or image??

Ok - not much I know... *grin* But if you could post here or mail me (if more than a few lines, word document is fine *L*) and I'll gladly give credit where its due in the diss - thanks
Paul

*fades into the night once more...*

I've thought about some of these things before, (particularly the art styles, paneling system and framing style used), and for the most part, apart from some issues where there was obvious intent behind how the art and framing was done, (i.e Calliope from Volume III), I've usually simply chalked it up to different artist styles or Neil trying new things.

However, I do find some things interesting about the both The Kindly Ones and The Wake's framing and art. The main thing is that we often seem further away from the action than is usual. Perhaps this is part of trying to create a bit of a distance between the characters and the audience since one of the main themes I find in The Kindly Ones is that we seldom know what is going on in the heads of the characters, particularly Dream. (Interesting too is the regularity of the panels, as opposed to many previous Sandman issues where the panels would frequently vary both in size and shape). Also expressions on the faces of the characters seems to be a bit on the blank side, again, particularly with Dream. Most of the time characters seem to be keeping their poker faces on, or we get sudden, tremendously expressive bursts of emotion out of them. (For the latter, think about Rose's eyes while giving her solilique on love, or Dream's anguish when speaking of Orpheus). Given the inner turmoil that many characters are going through, and the surprise ending Gaiman is setting us up for, I find all this to be a very effective usage of the art and frames.

The Wake, as you pointed out, gives us a very different style of drawing, almost impressionistic. Again, perhaps this is a very appropriate style of use. One thing I've always thought about impressionistic art is that it both shows you an image, and yet at the same time conceals the concrete details of that image. And The Wake does this quite often, both revealing truths and insights about both minor characters and the Endless, and yet at the same time shrouding many elements of the story in more secrecy and mystery. (Just a few examples of this; where did the messangers that brought the news of Dream's death come from? Who laid out the cerements and the books used in the wake? etc.). Again, this seems to happen most often around the new Dream, which again is somewhat appropriate, considering we're getting an inside look at a Dream that is just forming, and since when did dreams ever give out anything that might be labeled concrete?

Now, as far as personal feelings go, well, I liked both graphic novels, but then Sandman is one of my favorite stories of all time, so it would have been hard not to. As for the ending, as much as I wish that the tale of Morpheus had gone on forever, I know that Gaiman couldn't do that and be true to the story. Also, one of my definitions of a great story is that it moves you, and I think few things move the heart as much as tragedy, so there I would say that Sandman certainly lived up to its promise. And at least one thing from the last issue can offically be called spooky and haunting: in the last issue of The Wake, there is a bit of a wrap up of the relationship between Dream and Shakespeare. For just a moment, when Shakespeare asks Dream why he had him write The Tempest as the second play of their bargain, Dream drops all of his defenses and pretenses, and tells Shakespeare how he wanted a story of a magician who abandons his spells and his island because Dream himself never could. Which always made me wonder; did he know, even then, the fate that awaited him? (Fatalism is another of Gaiman's favorite themes). Did he, even then, look forward to it with mixed longing and regret, and steadfast determination?

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Larger than life is the perfect size

It's been a while since I read the whole thing, so certain points might be lacking a bit in precision. Hope it still helps...

-thoughts re: borders in Kindly Ones - does it work for you?

I never noticed them until I read about them in the Companion. In other words, I guess they didn't distract me, and they might have had an unconscious effect on how I read things, but on the whole it was fairly clear where the story was situated at any given time. I.e. they only signposted something rather obvious, but they didn't do it in an overly overt way.

-thoughts re: dream hunters as prose vs the striking images of talbot zulli, etc.

IMO, Dream Hunters is a pastiche (perhaps there's a better word, but generic definitions seem to differ from one school of criticism to the next anyway) of a text-based form. That aspect probably works best in prose form. The comic images have an immediacy of action and appearance that prose rarely has, and silence and timing are more readily useable in the comic form, perhaps; then again, prose does things that in a comic would have to be achieved by using different means.

-any feelings/thoughts about the complete contrast between the wake and its preceeding graph kindly ones

TKO was very much about driving the plot to its conclusion. What was happening was, no pun intended, less dream-like than the wake (or indeed The Wake). Also, the graphic style of TKO was completely different from what came before yet managed to use the previous novels' 'iconography' very cleverly. IMO The Wake's style (Zulli, right?), despite its soft edges, was still closer to Zulli's previous work, so visually it would have been more strongly linked to those specific episodes.

-whether you'd have preferred a different ending?

To the plot or to the series? I enjoyed both TKO and The Wake a lot, and I think Gaiman brought the series to an almost perfect end.

-feelings re: collecting the comic vs the graphic novels and how the story was told

Can't really judge that, as I only read the comic in collected form. From what I've heard, I could imagine that TKO worked less well in single issues.

Well, that's all I can think of at the moment. If you have further questions, let me know.

--
Mairsydoats and dosydoats and lidellamsydivy, a kidilee divy too, wouldn't you?

anyone else? *grins and looks at GMZoe who'se been really helpful so far...*

*fades into the night once more...*

can't be much help - I'd want to reread some of the books before I answer as I read them when they came out, and I don't have time right now for that much rereading

no sweat GMZoe - you've helped me loads already - and a big thanks to those who've also written... anyone else *looks hopeful adn tries not to lok at the pile of books gathering in the corner asking to be read for yet 'another' time...

*fades into the night once more...*