Sandman: The Wake

Sandman, vol. 10: The Wake by Neil Gaiman, 192 pages

In this, the final of the real Sandman series (volume 11 is a collection of seven short stories on Dream and each of his siblings), we see a significant shift in Dream's world, and indeed, in the world of all of the Endless. I really can't go into it without doing some SERIOUS spoiling, but I will say that the artwork in this volume is also a significant shift from the previous volume, and it mirrors the plot changes perfectly. This volume is the perfect example of how an artistic style can significantly enhance the story it tells; the heavy, geometric art that I so adored in volume 9 would be SO. WRONG. here, but the detailed, pencil-thin drawings and muted colors are the perfect way to tell this portion of the story.

As I wrap up this epic tale, I must go back to what I said during my first post about Sandman: I knew going into this that Sandman is an influential graphic novel, but I don't think I realized exactly how much of it I would see reflected in nearly all of the graphic novels I've read and enjoyed, through artistic style, story arcs, paneling, character development, and more. Consider me floored, and incredibly glad to have read these.