Hi.
I recently wrote a post where I recommended the Sandman comics as one of the top five comics to binge-read.
I did that in preparation for watching the series that is out on Netflix. The Netflix series covers volume one (Preludes and Interludes) and Volume two (The Doll House) with some parts of Volume three (Dream Country).
I will compare the TV series and the comic books because, yes, while I liked watching the characters come to life on screen, I did have some gripes with it.
The Sandman Comic (Volumes 1 and 2)
Volumes 1-9 of the Sandman comics are currently available on the Kindle Unlimited UK website, and since I have a subscription, I thought, of course, I had to grab this opportunity to read them. Boy, was I in for a treat!
Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
In Preludes and Nocturnes, Morpheus of the Endless and the Monarch of the Dream Realm is captured by a mage trying to capture death. The instruments of his station, which contain a part of his power, are taken by people who are part of the Richard Burgess cult. After seventy years in captivity, he is accidentally freed by Burgess’s son, and he returns to the dream world to find it in tatters. He sets out to reclaim each of his instruments.
The first thing I noticed is that the tasks of reacquiring these powerful items range from easy to difficult- Constantine being the easiest and John Dee being reasonably difficult. I say reasonably because Morpheus is, of course, the stronger of the two.
My first impression of Morpheus’s introduction in book one was interesting. He struck me as a moody emo kid. Now, why did I say that? Because he could have called his siblings for help, but he didn’t and instead chose to harbor revenge in his heart for 70 years. I also noticed he had a huge ego. Once it got ruffled, people would suffer the consequences. However, he takes his job seriously, so when he sees the extent of the dream world’s disarray after his reemergence, his sadness is palpable throughout the pages.
The story is written by Neil Gaiman, and the way he weaved mythology into the story is genius. Morpheus has different names and different faces for everyone and everything on earth. This is shown in the art. He appears differently to people based on culture and beliefs, and time. I found that aspect confusing at first, but when I reread it, I got it and found it fascinating.
Volume 2: The Doll House
In volume two (The Doll House), Dream has retrieved his tools, and it’s time to fix the dream realm. He discovers certain nightmares and dreams have escaped, so he tries to find them. A dream vortex (a human girl) threatens to destroy his realm, and he has to deal with it as soon as possible.
The Dollhouse is where you’ll see Morpheus as a Ruler in the Dream Realm and see him use his full powers. This volume also shows a member of the Endless, Desire, who is a shit-starter extraordinaire. This volume was way more entertaining; there’s a convention of serial killers (this wasn’t comforting), and there’s a peek into people’s dreams, and a child conceived unconventionally.
If there’s one thing I could say about these comics, it’s that they are gory ( entrails everywhere) and 18+. Neil Gaiman uniquely drew from mythology in this comic, and the art depicted every scene perfectly. It’s a 10/10, and I highly recommend you read it.
The Sandman (TV Series)
You know that thing where you are watching a movie adapted from books, and you keep screaming at the screen, THAT’S NOT WHAT WAS IN THE BOOK! Yeah, I found myself doing that. There were changes that I wasn’t ready for.
This might be spoilers for people who haven’t watched or read the books yet and are planning to. Proceed with caution
First of all, The Corinthian (who I had a massive crush on) was NOT supposed to be there. He was meant for the Doll House alone. The movie showed The Corinthian as someone trying to overthrow Morpheus basically, but all the dude wanted was to go on a lovely killing spree in the comics.
I will say I did enjoy having him get more screen time, but it was just a tiny (very tiny) itch of it being different in the comics.
Next, Constantine was a man in the comics, sorry but this was giving forced representation! I don’t know why they decided to make Constantine a woman. Granted, she still dated the same person, but I felt they should have just left that character the way it was. Yes, they are both bisexual, but I think they should have just left it.
I didn’t mind the Church scene with the demon. That was a cool way to witness the power of Constantine.
In the movie, it was stated that Morpheus was captured for one hundred years. As I stated previously, it was seventy years. This is important because Morpheus has a friend whom he meets up with every century, and he has never missed it. I didn’t like that they made him miss his appointment; yes, call me petty, but I liked their friendship in the comic, which started off as a bet.
A change I was okay with was Lucifer battling Morpheus. First of all, Geraldine was looking HAWT! ( sorry slight crush alert). However, a change in this scene I was not so happy about Chorozon’s costume! Yes, I don’t care. It was vital to the storyline (it looked like a BDSM shtick thing), and also, HE WAS PINK (I had a tantrum at not seeing him being pink).
My general opinion of Morpheus in the TV series was….who beat you? No, seriously, the dude looked like he was about to cry in almost every scene.
I didn’t care that someone of the character’s race changed because they kept to the script or made it better somehow.
Conclusion
I think the TV series tried to add more depth to the story and maybe make up for some things done in the comics. It’s interesting if you haven’t read the comics and go into it with fresh eyes, and it’s a bit annoying when you’ve read the comics and go, that’s not what I ordered.
Nevertheless, it was fun to see these characters come to life. And I think people should read the comics to understand more.
