Absolute Sandman Volume 2

One-sentence summary: Do I have to do this for Sandman?

Is there anything I could possibly add to the conversation about Sandman? It's gotta be one of the most analyzed comics of...well, ever. This collection contains some of my favorites (Seasons of Mist, for instance), and I absolutely adore the Absolute series from DC. It really is a premium product. Beyond just the enhanced size, this collection has about 100 pages of extras, 10 of which are a never-before-reprinted story from an old Vertigo special I hadn't read (and it was quite nice).

Seriously, though, it's Sandman. I really can't imagine anything original to say about it. Walking through the script of the issue where Lucifer forsakes Hell was more revealing than I thought it'd be, particularly in regards to the details in body language between Dream and Lucifer that were entirely purposeful (also amusing was Gaiman's tangent on how Lucifer could have his own series, but he didn't see it ever happening for legal reasons, which apparently got resolved).

I miss Sandman. There were a wave of comics from the 80s to early 90s -- Swamp Thing, Sandman, Starman, and probably some others I'm not remembering -- that allowed the main character to sort of step away from the series for a few issues, serving in an entirely perfunctory role as new or side characters romped away in a full-fledged story. When I'm reading back through these, when they're done right, it usually works so well and gives the comic a nice difference. I imagine month-to-month it might be a little more grueling for a fan, but maybe not.

One thing I hadn't noticed about Sandman when I first read through it years ago was how much variance the art has. I mean, it's almost always top-notch quality, but every story has its own artist that develops a unique feel for the story. It really helps give Sandman that episodic quality which allows for such different changes of tone between plots. The only thing that bothered me were in-story switches, which I think may have only happened once.

Anyway, it's a fantastic comic published in a fantastic format. Even at $60-100, I think it's worth it (but then again, I spend too much money on comics).