Reddit reviews The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes (New Edition)
We found 52 Reddit comments about The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes (New Edition). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Vertigo
absolutely. (though my recommendations will probably be pretty cliche/entry level in the world of comics)
If you want to stick to recent marvel, but want an "everyman" story, check out Matt Fraction's run on Hawkeye, where it basically just explores his everyday life. it's comedic and fun and Aja's art is wonderfully simple.
Another current series that is great (and will be constantly recommended) is Saga. Brian K. Vaughan's writing is great and Fiona Staples is one of the best digital artists in comics. The story is like star wars on acid, but with a wholesome focus, at it's core, on family. it's weird, funny, progressive, and quite graphic. interesting, sympathetic characters. Highly recommend it.
Another classic Brian K Vaughan series is Y: The Last Man. All men on earth simultaneously die, barring the protagonist, Yorick. Vaughan's writing is great in this as well.
One of my favorite series from all time is Neil Gaiman's famous Sandman. the series is basically stories about storytelling, with the (occasional) main character being Morpheus, "god" of dreams (though he has many other names/titles/definitions). it is often surreal and appropriately dreamlike. Gaimain loves his deities and mythologies and the world of Sandman simultaneously creates its own mythology while including/alluding to all those that humans have created IRL. Sandman's depiction of "reality" changes as drastically and frequently as the constantly shifting roster of illustrators involved.
Around that same time was Grant Morrison's Batman: Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth. while this was just a one-shot novel, it was very dark and directly focused on the psychological aspects of batman as a character. the idea that batman is as crazy as his enemies is nothing new, but this book epitomized it. like Sandman, very late 80's/early 90's feel.
another trippy comic i love is Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing. Moore reworked swamp thing as a sympathetic monster with themes focusing on identity and memory, while still being within the horror genre. Alan Moore is probably a literal genius and he's known for his many other famous classics, like Watchmen (probably the most classic/important comic, which is also about comics), V for Vendetta, and From Hell. Anything by Moore is a safe bet and he sets the bar for writing in the comic medium.
If you are more interested in art than story, my biggest reccomendation would be literally anything drawn by Jean Giraud, aka "Mœbius." He is probably a national hero in france and he was one of the most celebrated comic artists of all time. he made masterful linework look easy and he has a genius understanding of simple composition and color.
there are tons of smaller, fun books/series, many of which i have yet to read, but the ones i listed are all pretty standard, accessible recommendations. definitely check out a few! Edit: typos
I have the Absolute Sandman edition and it's gorgeous. However, they are fairly expensive, so if you're unsure about the series, the trade paperbacks would be a reasonable way to start until you're sure it's worth investing in.
Also, check if your local library has them available, or if not, if you can ILL them.
They are ABSOLUTELY worth it for a nongraphic novel type of person. The stories are deep, and the art is always exquisite. I think Sandman really shows why graphic novels are 'graphic novels' and not 'comic books' (not that there's anything wrong with comic books).
If DC imprints count:
You might want to give the Ravenloft series a try. It's Dungeons and Dragons in a gothic setting with emphasis on vampires and zombies and the like. I don't know if any of the books are actually good, but it'd be worth giving a shot.
I would also recommend Neil Gaiman's Sandman. It's more on the fantasy side of the genre but it's got some really terrifying sequences in it, especially in the early volumes, and absolutely has a dark, gothic edge.
Another series in that "dark fantasy but not quite scary" vein is Karl Edward Wagner's Kane. It's a sword-and-sorcery type setting that rarely becomes truly terrifying but might be dark enough for your liking. I actually read my first Kane story in a Weird Tales compilation, so it at least has that kind of horror cred behind it. Don't read it if you despise Lovecraftian-style racism, though.
For the trades, Sandman Vol 1. and follow the numbering up to Volume 10 where it concludes.
The whole series is also collected in two omnibuses, if you prefer reading that way. Besides that, they're also collected in 5 absolute editions.
I think these would be right up your alley.
are you familiar with trades?
Maus got me started. It has some violence (not a ton) in it - it is the Holocaust, after all - but it's not violence just for the sake of violence. It's a true story. If the Holocaust in general is too unsettling to her, then this ain't the book for her.
Black Hole is quite bizarre, which is typical for Charles Burns, but very good.
If she calls comics "picture books" then I'm guessing that all superhero books are out the door. That's the single biggest segment of comic sales, so if that's what she thinks of comics in general then she probably thinks the same of superhero books in general. That's not meant as criticism. To each her own. It's just my guess about her tastes.
Maybe the Sandman? I don't know; there's a lot of ways you can go with this. Good luck and merry Christmas, my friend.
The Sandman is phenomenal. One of my buddies received all of the Absolute versions as a gift and let me borrow them one by one as he finished them. Easily the best comic I have ever read. It's not strictly in the horror genre (probably best described overall as fantasy) but it definitely has horror elements.
The sandman preludes and nocturnes
About 400 off
The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes (New Edition) https://www.amazon.in/dp/1401225756/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_vdKOwb15948Z6
If you enjoyed Batman, I would highly recommend checking out the new Scott Snyder setup with the new 52 for Batman. Vol. 1 - Court of Owls and Vol. 2 - City of Owls is a fanatasic story arc that plays well with Batman (and I'm not a huge super hero comic fan).
After that it kinda went wierd, but still enjoyable.
Also would highly recommend Preacher (Careful with Preacher, as you WILL get addicted, and have to purchase all 9 volumes, but amazing story and well written with some adult humor/content btw).
Also Sandman, Y: The Last Man, and Saga all always good choices (Saga is being written as we speak, only volumes 1 through 3 are out, same author of Y : The Last Man. Fantastic mix of fantasy and sci-fi... again adult elements)
A very long list that I believe is full of gems:
Preacher, Volume 1 by Ennis
Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Gaiman
Invincible: Family Matters by Kirkman
Southern Bastards
Kingdom Come
Marvels
Watchmen
Saga
Mind MGMT
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
Batman: The Long Halloween
Pride of Baghdad
All Star Superman
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye
Thor: God of Thunder
Annihilation (read it digitally on Marvel Unlimited, finding it in print is costly)
Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, Volume 1 (by far, my favorite take on the characters. Hickman writes them to perfection.)
Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt
Edit: Also, you might want to give manga (asian graphic novels) a try! Good ones to get started with are Death Note and Bleach. I also liked xxxHolic (though I never finished the series), and the anime film for Akira was amazing so I can only imagine that the manga would be just as good -- if not better!
Vol 1
Omnibus Vol 1
All ten TPBs
Sandman by Neil Gaiman
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
Blacksad by Juan Diaz Canales
(Contains Somewhere Within the Shadows, Arctic Nation and Red Soul)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
I think the best thing to do for now would be to ween into comics. I'd start off with graphic novels so you don't have to follow too deeply into a series. Start off reading something like The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, or Watchmen by Alan Moore. Get a feel of it before you start off. Once you read a couple of novels, I'd look into getting some trade paperbacks of some series. The Walking Dead has been a really good series; it isn't just a plain zombie story...it's more about the human side of the standard zombie tale, such as how they survive, how they interact with each other, etc. Another good TPB to get into would be The Sandman which has some of the coolest artwork and storytelling I've seen. After you start catching up with some TPB's, THEN I'd look into single issues, starting with the first issue of an arch (it will say something like Part 1, Part 1 of 6, etc.). The comic book shop guys are usually pretty cool dudes and can help you find a good arch thats currently going on. Also, places like Half Price Books usually have TPB's for cheaper, but that depends on if you're okay with buying from a secondhand place instead of a small business (I like to go about half and half on purchases, just to save money and to help keep the small guy in the game). Hope this helps!
Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Excellent series. I have the full set of the absolute editions.
Absolutely read Y The Last Man by Brian K Vaughan at some point in your life! It's 10 volumes. One of the best stories I've ever read, which I binge-read in a weekend the first time. Post-apocalyptic, scary & humorous too. Really, just everything BKV writes. (Edit: I should clarify. Only scary in a chaotic society/socially relevant way, it's not horror.)
Sandman by Neil Gaiman is probably the closest other series to Fables. Very rich in mythology & folklore.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore is very similar in nature, being about literary characters. Just forget the craptacular movie ever existed. The book is much better.
The Maxx by Sam Keith is one of the best 90s books IMO. Trippy, weird, and whimsical. A psuedo-superhero story that explores mental illness & abuse.
Edit2: Oops, how could I forget Bone by Jeff Smith which at 1,300+ pages is certainly epic -- a fun, fantastical adventure for all ages. And couple that with the fact you can often find the One Volume edition used for under $20, it's an amazing value. Do note the paper is very, very thin though, so artwork bleeds through. If that's a deal-breaker, try the more expensive single volumes.
There's The Invisibles by Grant Morrison, one of my personal favorites but definitely on the weird side. - http://www.amazon.com/Invisibles-Vol-Say-Want-Revolution/dp/1563892677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320418749&sr=8-1
The Sandman books which are easily the most compelling modern mythology that have been put down in comic form - http://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Vol-Preludes-Nocturnes-New/dp/1401225756/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320418825&sr=1-1
Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis, frequently called the best sci-fi graphic novel ever, and I tend to agree with that - http://www.amazon.com/Transmetropolitan-Vol-01-Street-Revised/dp/1401220843/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320418877&sr=1-1
And if you want a really strange series I'd suggest trying to find a copy of Jodorowsky's The Metabarons. Another one of my favorites, and his most accessible story (the man is a genius but he also appears to be completely insane until you get acquainted with the stuff he's done) but still, it's like Shakespeare meets connan the barbarian filtered through DBZ, fastened to a rocket made out of Warhammer 40k and shot into the sun.
http://www.amazon.com/Metabarons-1-Othon-Honorata/dp/1594650004/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320419305&sr=1-5
The Sandman Series by Neil Gaiman.
Introduction to Comics
How to Get Into Comic Books (13:40) | Patrick Willems
Consider your intent/commitment. Think about your favorite shows, movies, books, etc. Reading primarily for enjoyment or encyclopedic knowledge? Collecting? Have the time/resources to read 50 or 500 comics per character?
Don’t try to read everything at once. There’s too much. Forget about catching up, continuity, universes, etc. for now. Older comics can be an acquired taste for modern audiences, so they aren’t necessarily ideal starting points. Writers change often, characters get re-worked, and origins are re-told. Remember, there are many great characters, creators, publishers, etc. to explore.
Pick an interesting character/team and seek their most popular/acclaimed stories. Focus on self-contained, complete stories in one corner of the universe. There will be unexplained references/characters, just persevere or Wiki. Don’t let the tangled web of shared-universe comics overwhelm you. Think of it like solving a jigsaw puzzle one small piece at a time until you finally see the big picture.
Discover your preferences and let them guide you. Don’t get stuck preparing/over-analyzing, just start reading. Do you like/dislike old/new comics? Specific writers/genres? Cartoony/realistic art? Familiar/weird concepts? References/self-contained? All-ages/mature content? Follow these instincts. Didn’t understand a reference? Maybe read that next.
Acquire/Buy comics:
Marvel
DC
You can skip to the 2016 re-launch with DC Universe: Rebirth and then any Rebirth series #1.
Other
Sandman v1. One of the best things ever.
Catwoman mug for drinking while reading comics
The Alan Moore run on Swamp Thing is great; lots of horrifying imagery. A similar feel to Gaiman's [Sandman] (https://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Vol-Preludes-Nocturnes-New/dp/1401225756) (and shares their version of Hell).
The cheapest intro would probably be buying the first few issues on Comixology and see if you like them. Other than that, pick up the first collection - Preludes and Nocturnes - and see how it goes.
I've actually never read anything by him. Checked out his goodreads page, though, and based purely on speculation I think you might like these:
Charlie Stross Atrocity Archives Book 1 of the Laundry series
Neil Gaiman Preludes and Nocturnes it's a comic but don't think it's for kids, book 1 of the Sandman series
Jonathan Howard Johannes Cabal The Necromancer
this is a better answer than mine. link.
https://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Vol-Preludes-Nocturnes-New/dp/1401225756
That’s the first volume so you want to start there and if you like it just keep on going all the way through. The original story ends at volume ten.
Just buy the paper backs LINK it's the easiest way to get into the story and the cheapest. Or if you have a lot money to spend you can get the Omnibuses LINK. Like the other user said start with Preludes and Nocturnes and just follow in order. Or try this if you don't mind digital. Overture is a different story all together and should be read after the original series.
Take acting classes. Do scene work and improv.
Read Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting
Find a short story from a graphic novel you like, [online] (http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/) or from a book, and write it as a script. For starters, you can use Celtx or some other freeware formatting app.
Pick a stageplay you like. Read it, then watch it performed. Now, rewrite the most compelling scenes in screenplay form based on what you've seen. Streamline it, of course. Get rid of anything that doesn't work visually.
All about script format
Thanks for the contest! Halloween!
I've been really wanting to read Sandman vol. 1
It's here!
It does set the stage for all the characters and the universe. I'm sure you could go without though if you wanted to? I read them in order a number of years ago, so I don't remember the details of whether or not it is necessary to the "plot"
Preludes & Nocturnes (A TBP of the 1st 8 issues of The Sandman) by Neil Gaiman. Issue 8 when Death arrives and uses the line..."You get what everyone else gets, you get a lifetime." I was hooked.
A bit over $30 - I added two books that are probably under read, and one classic.
>Even the 'trades' are high quality hardcovers seem to cost a minimum of 25-20 bucks per book.
You can get paperback volumes for around 9 bucks a pop.
Here's volume 1: The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes (New Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401225756/
That specifically no, but you can start here if you like.
Just start with the first tradeback of the original run
http://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Vol-Preludes-Nocturnes-New/dp/1401225756/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452456721&sr=8-1&keywords=sandman
Start Here or if you have more money to spend on nice books the whole series was recolored and put in a very pretty binding Here.
Sandman
Only four Books:
The Box Man - Kobo Abe didn't really like it. Strange book.
King Rat - China Mieville
Damned - Chack Palahniuk
Ich habe die Unschuld kotzen sehen - Dirk Bernemann
I also read Transmetropolitan - Warren Ellis It' a Comic/Graphic Novel I read the whole series except for Issue 0. I also read a lot The Sandman - Neil Gaiman Not the whole series but almost. And I always enjoy Stories from Don Rosa.
Recommendations: Bukowski.
I'd love to get this for my husband because he's never read it. :) http://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Vol-Preludes-Nocturnes-Editions/dp/1401225756/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345433388&sr=1-1&keywords=sandman
Wow I have a ton of awesome recommendations, but first and foremost is the Sandman saga by Neil Gaiman or really anything distributed under Vertigo, they publish all DC comic's darker novels...
Also Watchmen, a classic by Alan Moore...
Johnny The Homicidal Maniac (JTHM) by Johnen Vasquez
Blankets by Craig Thompson...
Scott Pilgrim series...
Fahrenheit 451 graphic novel adaptation...
Read this
There are 10 volumes. I guess you could get them one by one, here's a link to vol. 1. If you want a bigger collection, there's the omnibus, there are 3 omnibus volumes.
By continuity, do you dislike not knowing the backstory of the characters, or you literally can't decipher which order the cells on the pages are supposed to be in?
There are a lot of graphic novel paperbacks that are collected story arcs (or even the whole series).
Watchmen and Sandman (10 volumes) you can read from beginning to end. And they are awesome.
And there are one's like Ms Marvel that are several individual comics collected so you can follow a whole story. You'll get enough backstory at the beginning to understand what all is happening.
/u/johnnycomet has you covered if you don't like the "graphic" part of graphic novels.
Lucifer, Hellblazer (Constantine), and American Gods (as well as other works) all operate under the larger Sandman universe created by Neil Gaiman. Start there for a good primer and to get a better idea of how the greater cosmos works in this. Sandman also sets up why Lucifer left Hell and why he's on Earth, though that doesn't happen until the Season of Mists arc of Sandman.
It's not as silly as superhero comics: all of the characters are based on older myths and the arcs have a specific purpose and the story has a specific end in mind.
Lucifer (the comic) follows the Sandman cosmos in scale and characterization, while American Gods is a smaller story with somewhat smaller characters, and Hellblazer wanders off a bit to establish a different pantheon, but it's still heavily influenced by the greater Sandman mythos. There are others that I haven't delved into in a while and can't remember as clearly, like Books of Magic and Anansi Boys.
Vertigo comics in general are a good source for these kinds of stories.
Keep in mind that Lucifer in the comics is a vastly different character. Don't get me wrong, I like the actor and the character they've created for the show, but he doesn't fit into the original mold at all. The story in the show is incredibly simplified and the scale and pacing are greatly diminished, to make for a serialized TV show. They tend to make Lucifer out to be a character from Supernatural, when the original story shows a completely different character. Be ready for that change.
Sandman (TPB Vol 1)
https://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Vol-Preludes-Nocturnes-New/dp/1401225756/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518061103&sr=8-1&keywords=sandman+preludes+and+nocturnes
Lucifer (TPB Vol 1)
https://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-Book-One-Mike-Carey/dp/1401240267/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518061143&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifer
The best place to start is just from the first book in the series Preludes and Nocturnes. [This] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Sandman-Vol-Preludes-Nocturnes/dp/1401225756/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404532357&sr=8-1&keywords=sandman) is a link to the amazon page of the book.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Sandman-Vol-Preludes-Nocturnes/dp/1401225756
Best place to start and it's not too long.
I am going to actually say you should not read Watchmen, which is usually high on people's list until you read more superhero stuff. the characters in that are superheroes cast in gritty realism.
Art / Graphic Novels
Maus -- very popular, very discussed, very good
Sandman -- Once you get over how 80's gothic this is, it is a superb story...for all 10 volumes.
TransMetropolitan -- Cyberpunk Hunter S Thompson
Fables -- Hands down one of the best series in terms of scope and planning.
Manga
Akira -- This will take you week to finish the whole series.
Pluto -- Though an actual knowledge of Astroboy would be wonderful for this, this manga is so good i was shocked at how sobering a manga could be.
Superhero
Batman -- I am going to break rank and say that Frank Miller's Batman miniseries The Dark Knight Returns isn't the best place to start atleast for Batman. It is a good read along with the Knightfall trilogy) but it is dense and famous becasue of when it was released. I am recommending Scott Snyder's new 52 Batman story arc Court of the Owls which is a two part arc edning with City of the Owls. This will also set you into current Batman. there are things that have happened before, the fight is against a new villian rather than an old one with tons of backstory. It is also drawn with style and grace and the whole thing is entertaining.
Green Lantern -- Rebirth -- This is completely one sided because I love Green Lantern and space shit. This is the beginning of the Geoff Johns run which will spill out into a huge decade long narrative culminating at The Blackest Night.
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As for other superheroes here are reading lists for DC and Marvel. It is really up to you what you find interesting. If you are into X-men, this podcast is really fun to get caught up with everything that has happened since the 70's. It is also hosted by a very knowledgeable husband and wife team.
Sandman is one of the greats, although bits drift close to 'superhero' the vast majority if far, far from it. Lots of mythology, cosmic ideas, big questions, life & death, nature-of-man type stuff.
On the more personal side Blankets is an absolutely amazing coming-of-age/first love story.
And of course there's always Maus. Won a Pulitzer and oh boy did it deserve it.
I honestly would not start with Good Omens. It's a brilliant book, but has very little of Neil Gaiman's writing style. His influence seems to be more in the plot and a bit of darkness here and there; whereas the writing is more Terry Pratchett than Neil Gaiman.
I highly recommend you start with one of his short story collections, like Smoke & Mirrors or Fragile Things. His Sandman graphic novels are also a great start in my opinion.