Sandman: World's End

Sandman, vol. 8: World's End by Neil Gaiman, 168 pages

What a swing from volume 7! In the continuing tale of the Sandman, we have switched from a cohesive story arc focusing on Dream and his sister Delerium to a volume featuring waylaid travelers spinning yarns to pass time, and in which Dream makes just the barest cameo.

Despite walking away from the titular character, this may be my favorite of the Sandman volumes. Travelers from various time periods/realms/universes/what-have-you are stuck in the World's End Inn, a mystical tavern and boarding house, telling tales as they wait out the storm that drove them all to the inn. The stories are rich in detail and range from a young boy's sailing experiences to the experiences of an apprentice in a city that exists solely to dispose of the dead (in concordance with the deceased's cultural traditions and with all due respect, of course). Many of the stories have stories nested inside them, making this book the comic book equivalent of matryoshka dolls (a metaphor that is pointed out by Stephen King in his fascinating introduction to the volume; dude can write an intro like no other!). They're beautiful, haunting, and infinitely engrossing. Well done, Mr. Gaiman.