A new mainstream
A new mainstream |
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Page 15 of 23  Sandman (1988). Art: Mike Dringenberg. Featuring the first appearance of 'Death', the Sandman's sunshiney sister who 'everybody meets in the end': she would later become a cult in her own right. The popularity of this new Sandman series came down, chiefly, to the quality of the writing. Gaiman had been much influenced by Alan Moore, but developed his own, sometimes very literary, style. The stories would weave together elements from Greek mythology and European folklore, and were often designed to be read as complete graphic novels. This aspect was fortified by the gradual introduction of supporting characters over the years: for example, it transpires that the Sandman has a 'family', known as "The Endless', who include Destiny, Desire, Despair, Destruction, Delirium, and most memorably, Death - a rather cheerful, sexy young woman. (Death was eventually given her own series, and has become something of a cult.) More than this, Sandman was one of those comics that captured something of its time. In particular, it chimed with some of the preoccupations of the 'gothic punk' subculture, especially the romantic obsession with death (both Sandman and Death dress entirely in black and could be mistaken for 'goth' band-members). At the same time, it reflected many of the trends in contemporary horror novels and film: plotlines about demons and serial killers were often dealt with in an ironic, blackly humorous style, but could still be very shocking for their level of gore. Finally, there was some resonance with the not unconnected New Age interest in states of the unconscious. As Gaiman put it in an interview: 'One of the joys of Sandman is that what it basically says is that "yes, every single theory about dreaming is true". This is a world created by the fact that people personify dreams; and so the Sandman exists in the same way that, because people personify death, death exists. Personal realities are all valid because they're based on perception, and agreement is reality."  Sandman (1983). Art: Sam Keith and Mike Dringenberg. A scary but untypical early story. |