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[LOLtron]

This might make for the two most popular weeks since RU took over.

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This pick really shoudln't come as a surprise.

TO THE REVIEWS!

Sandman Overture #1

Writer: Neil Gaiman • Artist: J. H. Williams

Twenty-five years since THE SANDMAN changed the landscape of modern comics, Neil Gaiman's legendary series is back! THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE heralds New York Times best-selling writer Neil Gaiman's return to the art form that made him famous, ably abetted by artistic luminary JH Williams III (BATWOMAN, PROMETHEA), whose lush, widescreen images provide an epic scope to The Sandman's origin story. From the birth of a galaxy to the moment that Morpheus is captured, THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE will feature cameo appearances by fan-favorite characters such as The Corinthian, Merv Pumpkinhead and, of course, the Dream King's siblings: Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, Destruction and Destiny. 'People have often asked me what happened to Morpheus to make it possible for him to be captured in THE SANDMAN #1,' Gaiman said. 'And now they get to find out. And finding out, they get to learn secrets of the Endless that I've kept to myself for 25 years. Family secrets. And I should warn you: one of the Endless dies on page five.' The first issue of this 6-issue, bimonthly miniseries features a stunning double-page interior foldout.

digital copy availible here

Ze rules:

Post your review in the forum thread or in the comments section here on the front page.

Review as often or as little as you like. Once you've posted 5 reviews, you will be awarded 1 pick. You can post 5 reviews, right? That's a totally achievable goal and with day and date digital releases becoming the standard, it shouldn't matter if your shop ordered enough copies of this weeks comic or not.

When multiple Review Groupers have posted 5 (or more) qualifying reviews, they will be awarded their pick in the order that they qualified. What constitutes a qualifying review? Any review posted (with a score on a scale from 0-10, that's right 0!) within 1 calendar month of the thread going live. Reviews are to be at least 5 sentences long. It shows that a) you have at least read this week's pick and b) you have some unique insight into the comic.

Reviews posted while waiting in line for your pick will be applied to your next pick.

I'll be keeping track of everyone's progress with the newly christened Spreadsheet of Fantastic (RIP, Spreadsheet of Doom) and reporting the results in the Current Members list in the weekly OP. When it's your turn to make a pick, I will PM you. If you do not respond to me by Midnight EST the following Sunday, you will lose your pick and I will start a poll to determine that week's selection.

Any week in which we do not have a Review Grouper with 5 qualifying picks, we will determine the week's comic via poll.

If it's your week to pick, remember to keep it under $3.99.

Current Members List

5 Reviews	4 Reviews	3 Reviews	2 Reviews	1 Review
PhoenixEquinox	bkthompson Stephen Day	ElijahSnowFan Jude Terror Ntikrst Punchy thefourthman Victorian Squid	doombug GHERU GLX Grayson SilverPhoenix TimDrake'sDumbWings	BlueStreak GiveWarAChance guitarsmashley HNutz jeremy john lewis hawk Jubilee Keb nietoperz

RU's note - yes the members list has been culled some, if you feel your name was removed in error - REVIEW A COMIC!

Written or Contributed by GHERU

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READ THIS ARTICLE ON THE FRONT PAGE, HUMANS!

[GHERU]

[Reveal] Spoiler: Click to Expand

001. Daredevil #82 - 8.13
002. Exiles #77 - 6.29
003. Jonah Hex #5 - 6.26
004. American Virgin #1 - 7.7
005. Birds of Prey #92 - 6.41
006. Squadron Supreme #1 - 7.66
007. Blue Beetle #1 - 5.95
008. Aquaman: SoA #41 - 6.67
009. DMZ #6 - 7.65
010. Captain America #17 - 7.43
011. Thing #6 - 7.03
012. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #8 - 7.68
013. Cable & Deadpool #28 - 7.45
014. Fell #5 - 8.81
015. X-Factor #7 - 7.84
016. My Inner Bimbo #1 - 6.38
017. Wonder Woman #1 - 7.3
018. Green Lantern Corps #1 - 5.65
019. Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #1 - 5.38
020. New Avengers #21 - 6.12
021. Detective Comics #821 - 8.05
022. Ultimate Spider-Man #97 - 7.86
023. Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #1 - 4.17
024. Batman #655 - 7.69
025. Usagi Yojimbo #95 - 6.41
026. Sonic the Hedgehog #165 - 6.5
027. The Boys #1 - 7.3
028. Heroes for Hire #1 - 6.25
029. Ultimate Fantastic Four #33 - 5.75
030. Local #6 - 9.1
031. Thunderbolts #106 - 6.14
032. Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #8 - 8.34
033. True Story, Swear to God #1 - 7.69
034. Criminal #1 - 7.63
035. Fables #1/#54 - 8.83
036. WildCats #1 - 6.51
037. Action Comics #844 - 7.22
038. Incredible Hulk #100 - 7.5
039. Franklin Richards, Son of a Genius: Happy Franksgiving - 4.32
040. Texas Chainsaw Massacre #1 - 4.34
041. Punisher War Journal #1 - 6.54
042. Immortal Iron Fist #1 - 7.35
043. Spider-Man: Reign #1 - 4.79
044. The Spirit #1 - 7.67
045. New Avengers: Illuminati #1 - 7.33
046. Winter Soldier: Winter Kills - 8.27
047. Amazing Spider-Man #537 - 6.94
048. Thunderbolts #110 - 6.75
049. Red Menace #3 - 7.43
050. Moon Knight #7 - 5.86
051. Ultimate Civil War Spider-Ham Crisis #1 - 6.21
052. Action Comics Annual #10 - 7.87
052. All New Atom #8 - 6.98
052. Dark Tower #1 - 8.61
052. Fantastic Four: The End #5 - 8.55
052. Fell #7 - 9.03
052. newuniversal #3 - 8.13
052. Pirates of Coney Island #4 - 7.93
052. Ultimate Spider-Man #105 - 7.7
052. Uncanny X-Men #483 - 6.47
053. Batman #663 - 3.83
054. Civil War #7 - 7.2
055. Runaways #24 - 9.01
056. Punisher MAX #45 - 7.47
057. Blade #7 - 6.08
058. Army@Love #1 - 6.38
059. Blue Beetle #13 - 6.4
060. Avengers: The Initiative #1 - 7.27
061. Nova #1 - 6.92
062. Cable & Deadpool #39 - 5.92
063. Catwoman #66 - 7.06
064. 52 Week Fifty-Two - 7.15
065. Countdown #51 - 6.8
066. Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #12 - 6.31
067. Captain America #26 - 8.28
068. Witchblade #106 - 5.81
069. Invincible #42 - 8.35
070. Sub-Mariner #1 - 5.54
071. Highwaymen #1 - 7.87
072. Superman/Batman #37 - 4.6
073. Dynamo 5 #5 - 6.28
074. Annihilation: Conquest - Wraith #1 - 6.63
075. Lone Ranger #7 - 7.54
076. X-Men #201 - 4.76
077. Metal Men #1 - 6.18
078. Green Lantern #22 - 7.85
079. Pilot Season: Ripclaw - 5.89
080. X-Men: First Class #3 - 7.53
081. Teen Titans #50 - 8.02
082. Buffy the Vampire Slayer #6 - 6.96
083. Punisher War Journal #11 - 5.22
084. World War Hulk #4 - 6.96
085. All-Star Batman & Robin #7 - 6.43
086. Vinyl Underground #1 - 5.73
087. Green Arrow & Black Canary #1 - 8.27
088. The Sword #1 - 6.89
089. She-Hulk #22 - 7.38
090. Tales of the Fear Agent: Twelve Steps in One - 6.18
091. Annihilation: Conquest #1 - 6.93
092. Batman and the Outsiders #1 - 6.87
093. Flash #234 - 5.72
094. Gotham Underground #2 - 5.52
095. Ultimates 3 #1 - 4.8
096. Amazing Spider-Girl #15 - 6
097. Birds of Prey #113 - 7.16
098. Pax Romana #1 - 8.59
099. Hack/Slash #7 - 6.97
100. HULK #1 - 7.19
101. Booster Gold #6 - 7.68
102. Order #7 - 6.97
103. Narcopolis #1 - 5.37
104. Reviewer's Choice -
105. Tiny Titans #1 - 6.81
106. Loaded Bible 3: Communion - 8.68
107. Project Superpowers #1 - 5.93
108. Echo #1 - 8.34
109. Mighty Avengers #10 - 7.12
110. Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #27 - 7.73
111. Proof #6 - 8.48
112. Secret Invasion #1 - 7.95
113. Titans #1 - 6
114. Noble Causes #32 - 7.26
115. Hulk vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide - 7.39
116. DC Universe 0 - 4.94
117. House of Mystery #1 - 7.77
118. Captain Britain and MI:13 #1 - 7.36
119. Checkmate #26 - 4.09
120. Final Crisis #1 - 6.91
121. The Boys #19 - 8.3
122. Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 - 5.53
123. Transformers Spotlight: Cyclonus - 5.92
124. Trinity #4 - 5.15
125. Jonah Hex #33 - 8.7
126. I Kill Giants #1 - 7.55
127. Batgirl #1 - 5.23
128. Uncanny X-Men #500 - 6.22
129. Wildcats #1 - 7.33
130. Venom: Dark Origin #1 - 7.16
131. Astonishing X-Men #26 - 5.12
132. Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1 - 7.67
133. Runaways #1 - 7.34
134. Marvel Apes #1 - 6.15
135. Star Wars: The Clone Wars #1 - 6.22
136. Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33 - 7.25
137. Back to Brooklyn #1 - 5.58
138. Four Eyes #1 - 9.26
139. Green Lantern Corps #29 - 6.16
140. Ghost Rider #28 - 7.44
141. Unknown Soldier #1 - 8.66
142. Amazing Spider-Man #575 - 6.98
143. Final Crisis: Resist - 6.44
144. Batman: Cacophony #1 - 7.37
145. Deadpool #4 - 6.57
146. Ms. Marvel #33 - 5.97
147. Secret Invasion #8 - 7.15
148. Punisher: War Zone #1 - 7.17
149. Ex Machina #40 - 8.11
150. Immortal Iron Fist #21 - 8.21
151. Incognito #1 - 8.65
152. Punisher #1 - 6.25
153. G.I. Joe #1 - 6.68
154. Hellblazer #251 - 6.94
155. Justice Society of America #23 - 6.53
156. Watchmen - 9.88
157. Batman #686 - 8.84
158. Amber Atoms #1 - 4.25
159. Runaways #7 - 5.25
160. Superman: World of New Krypton #1 - 6.68
161. Guardians of the Galaxy #11 - 6.41
162. Invincible #60 - 7.08
163. Muppet Show #1 - 6.66
164. Flash: Rebirth #1 - 6.93
165. Wolverine: Weapon X #1 - 6.52
166. The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft #1 - 7.82
167. Ghost Rider #34 - 8.82
168. Phonogram: The Singles Club #2 - 6.33
169. Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! #1 - 7
170. Unwritten #1 - 8.53
171. The Boys: Herogasm #1 - 7.09
172. Last Days of Animal Man #1 - 6.23
173. Batman and Robin #1 - 8.01
174. Amazing Spider-Man #597 - 7.19
175. Transformers Spotlight: Cliffjumper - 7
176. Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia - 6.62
177. Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 - 6.71
178. Wednesday Comics #1 - 7.84
179. Blackest Night #1 - 8.87
180. Immortal Weapons #1 - 7.17
181. Mice Templar: Destiny #1 - 7.81
182. Doom Patrol #1 - 5.12
183. Ultimate Comics Avengers #1 - 7.14
184. Daredevil #500 - 8.62
185. Fantastic Four #570 - 6.9
186. Sweet Tooth #1 - 8.1
187. Dark Reign: The List - Avengers - 5.95
188. Beasts of Burden #1 - 8.73
189. Wolverine: Giant Size Old Man Logan - 7.95
190. Teen Titans #75 - 4.67
191. Haunt #1 - 6.6
192. Unwritten #6 - 7.41
193. Azrael #1 - 4.11
194. Dark Avengers: Ares #1 - 6.79
195. Deadpool Team-Up #899 - 5.24
196. Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows #1 - 6.96
197. Punisher #11 - 7.39
198. Image United #1 - 3.53
199. Jonah Hex #50 - 9.23
200. Invincible Iron Man #21 - 7.45
201. Walt Disney Comics & Stories #701 - 5.85
202. Hellboy: The Bride of Hell - 7.32
203. Webcomics Week -
204. Siege #1 - 7.84
205. Amazing Spider-Man #617 - 8.39
206. Joe the Barbarian #1 - 7.97
207. Robocop #1 - 3.59
208. FREE4ALL -
209. Choker #1 - 6.17
209. Tails of the Pet Avengers - 7.04
210. Supergirl #50 - 5.34
211. X-Men Forever #18 - 5.35
212. First Wave #1 - 6.98
213. Daytripper #4 - 7.19
214. Irredeemable #12 - 6.28
215. Amazing Spider-Man #626 - 5.18
216. Blackest Night #8 - 6.41
217. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 - 9.23
218. Kill Shakespeare #1 - 5.36
219. X-Men Forever Annual #1 - 6.41
220. Siege: Secret Warriors - 6.53
221. I, Zombie #1 - 8.22
222. Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1 - 7.25
223. Avengers #1 - 7.51
224. Gotham City Sirens #12 - 4.39
225. Red Hood: The Lost Days #1 - 6.71
226. S.H.I.E.L.D. #2 - 7.57
227. New Avengers #1 - 6.15
228. Bullet to the Head #1 - 4.5
229. Deadpool: Wade Wilson's War #2 - 4.2
230. Batman & Robin #13 - 6.24
231. Gorilla-Man #1 - 4.81
232. Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1 - 4.79
233. Justice League: Generation Lost #6 - 7.39
234. Baltimore: The Plague Ships #1 - 6.46
235. Thor: The Mighty Avenger #3 - 6.21
236. Tiny Titans #31 - 5.17
236. New Avengers #3 - 4.88
237. Garrison #5 - 4.71
238. 1 Month 2 Live #1 - 6.02
239. Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Ghastly Fiend of London #1 - 7.82
240. Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #3 - 7.73
241. Nemesis #3 - 5.17
242. Franken-Castle #21 - 6.14
243. Ultimate Comics Thor #1 - 5.88
244. Victorian Undead Special - 6.25
245. Kick Ass 2 #1 - 6.58
246. Incognito: Bad Influences #1 - 8.05
247. Superboy #1 - 6.81
248. American Vampire #8 - 8.17
249. Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil - 8.5
250. Batwoman #0 - 8.04
251. Daredevil #512 - 5.87
252. Booster Gold #32 - 7
253. Suicide Forest #1 - 8.16
254. Larfleeze Christmas Special - 4.89
255. Action Comics #896 - 6.92
256. Weird Worlds #1 - 2.02
257. Casanova: Gula #1 - 8.53
258. The Spirit #10 - 6.72
259. Fantastic Four #587 - 5.1
260. Week 260 -
261. Heroes for Hire #3 - 7.24
262. Hellblazer #276 - 5.28
263. Avengers #10 - 4.16
264. Secret Warriors #25 - 6.61
265. Ultimate Spider-Man #155 - 6.68
266. Morning Glories #8 - 7.5
267. Lorna: Relic Wrangler #1 - 3.46
268. Butcher Baker: The Righteous Maker #1 - 7.09
269. Brightest Day #23 - 4.38
270. Uncanny X-Men #535 - 7.5
271. Thunderbolts #156 - 5.92
272. Walking Dead #84 - 7.3
273. Avengers Academy #13 - 6.42
274. Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #1 - 5.4
275. Hawkeye: Blindspot #4 - 5.5
276. Iron Man 2.0 #5 - 5.57
276. Secret Avengers #13 - 4.49
277. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 - 5.67
278. Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #1 - 5.48
279. Northlanders #41 - 6.83
280. All Nighter #1 - 6.36
281. THUNDER Agents #8 - 7.95
282. Jonah Hex #69 - 8.84
283. Red Wing #1 - 6.1
284. Daredevil #1 - 7.92
285. Amazing Spider-Man #666 - 6.15
286. Severed #1 - 8.26
287. Detective Comics #881 - 8.81
288. Damaged #1 - 7.31
289. Ultimate Comics Ultimates #1 - 5.41
290. Uncanny X-Force #14 - 8.11
291. Static Shock #1 - 6
292. Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #4 - 6.5
293. Batman #1 - 6.98
294. Aquaman #1 - 5.87
295. Animal Man #2 - 8.04
296. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3 - 5.1
297. HP Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror #1 - 3.67
298. Wolverine and the X-Men #1 - 8.09
299. Six Guns #1 - 7.6
300. Unwritten #31 - 7.8
301. Avengers #19 - 5.5
302. Infinite #4 - 3.5
303. Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist #1 - 5.58
304. Defenders #1 - 8.55
305. Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive #526 - 4.19
306. Amazing Spider-Man #676 - 4.19
307. American Vampire #22 - 9
308. Fatale #1 - 7.8
309. Severed #6 - 8.5
310. Hellblazer #287 - 9
311. Secret Avengers #21.1 - 6.06
312. Winter Soldier #1 - 8.88
313. Batwoman #6 - 3.88
314. Daredevil #9 - 7.33
315. The Sixth Gun #19 - 8
316. Moon Knight #10 - 6.75
317. Hulk #49 - 7.5
318. The Shade #6 - 7.13
319. Amazing Spider-Man #682 - 7.13
320. Avengers vs. X-Men #0 - 5
321. Swamp Thing #8 - 7.88
322. America's Got Powers #1 - 5.5
323. Reset #1 - 8
324. The Goon #39 - 7
325. Dial H #1 - 4.45
326. Dan the Unharmable #1 - 7.5
327. Dancer #1 - 6.58
328. Batman Incorportated #1 - 7.14
328. Youngblood #71 - 4.17
329. Star Trek The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation #1 - 6.21
330. Insufferable Weeks 1-6 - 7.71
331. The Massive #1 - 6.92
332. Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar's Remedy #1 - 8.6
333. Hit Girl #1 - 6 (Only one review was in.....seriously)
334. Infernal Man-Thing #1 - 7.25
335. Punk Rock Jesus #1 - 6.38
336. Captain Marvel #1 - 4 (Only one review in)
336. Avengers vs. X-Men #8 - 7 (Only one review in)
337. Debris #1 - 5.5
338. X-Men #33 - 4.4
339. Gambit #1 - 7 (Only one review in)
340. Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1 - 7.5
341. Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1 - 7.5
342. Uncanny X-Force #30 - 8.8
343. Action Comics #0 - 3.8
344. Batman #0 - 7.3
345. The Unwritten #41 - 8
346. Happy #1 - 7
346. Talon #0 - 7.5
347. Daredevil: End of Days #1 - 9
348. Uncanny Avengers #1 - 7.3
349. The Zaucer of Zilk #1 - 7.9
350. National Comics: Madame X #1 - 6
351. Bedlam #1 - 7.8
352. Storm Dogs #1 - 6
353. Great Pacific #1 - 6.2
354. Uncanny X-Force #34 - 7.9
355. FF #1 - 6.5
356. Avengers #1 - 4.5
357. Avengers Arena #1 - 5.34
358. Wonder Woman #15 - 8.5
359. Week of 12/26/12 Free for All
360. New Avengers #1 - 4.6
361. Avengers Arena #3 - 0
362. Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth #1 - 2.5
363. The Answer #1 - 8
364. Invincible #100 = 7.3
365. Winter Soldier #15 - 7
366. Katana #1 - 4
367. Daredevil #23 - 9
367. Justice League of America #1 - 8
368. Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 - 6.6
369. Age of Ultron #1 - 3.43
370. The Manhattan Projects #10 - 8.53
371. Constantine #1 - 3.5
372. East of West #1 - 8
373. Miss Fury #1 - No reviews in.
373. Thanos Rising #1 - 2.
374. Uncanny Avengers #6 - 7
375. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villain Microseries #1 (of 4): Krang - 9
376. Mind MGMT #10 - 10
377. The Movement #1 - 2.2
377. Suicide Risk #1 - 7.2
378. 12 Reasons To Die - 7
379. Dream Merchant #1 – 6
380. The Bounce #1 – 7.5
381. Wake #1 - 9
382. Blackacre #7 - 3.5
383. Batman Vol 2 #21 - 6.15
383. Breath Of Bones A Tale Of The Golem #1 - 10
384. 100 Bullets Brother Lono #1 - 5
385. The Massive #13 - 8
386. Avengers AI #1 - 7.5
386. Catalyst Comix #1 - 7
387. Justice League #22 - 5.5
388. Deadpool #13 - 7.3
389. Lobster Johnson: A Scent of Lotus #1 - 8
390. Free For All
391. Burn The Orphanage Born To Lose #1 - 2.5
391. Trillium #1 - 8.98
392. Saga #13 - 8.2
393. Batman '66 #2 - 8
394. All Star Western Vol 3 #23 - 7
395. Free For All
396. Captain America Vol 7 #11 - 5.825
397. Zero #1 - 9.5
398. Free For All
399. Grindhouse Doors Open At Midnight #1 - 8
399. Captain America Living Legend #1- 5.8
400. Retro Reviews!
401. Letter 44 #1 - No Reviews In, yet
401. Forever Evil Rogues Rebellion #1 - 6.25
402. Velvet #1 - 9

[Victorian Squid]

If I rip mine in half, will I be internet-famous?

[Punchy]

If I rip mine in half, will I be internet-famous?

Yes, but only if you do it because Neil Gaiman is a woman.

[Victorian Squid]

Yes, but only if you do it because Neil Gaiman is a woman.

He talks like one, does that count?

[Punchy]

He talks like one, does that count?

Are you saying British people sound like women?

You anglophobe!

[Victorian Squid]

Are you saying British people sound like women?

You anglophobe!

No, but the posh ones do.

It's more like classism, I like Twigg just fine for example.

[S.F. Jude Terror]

No, but the posh ones do.

It's more like classism, I like Twigg just fine for example.

This is very funny to me, especially as I only recently had it explained to me exactly what "posh" means.

[Victorian Squid]

[GHERU]

This is very funny to me, especially as I only recently had it explained to me exactly what "posh" means.

[Punchy]

This is it, the long awaited return of Neil Gaiman’s legendary Sandman! Although, for me, it isn’t really that long awaited. I wasn’t even born when the first issue of Sandman came out, so it wasn’t until this summer that I finally got around to reading all 10 volumes, plus Endless Nights, Dream Hunters and the Death minis. Needless to say, it deserves it’s reputation as one of the best comics of all time, and I am very excited to have Gaiman return to the world of The Endless, especially because he’s joined by the brilliant artwork of JH Williams III.

This story is a prequel to the original Sandman run, aiming to show just how Morpheus was weak enough to be captured by those sub-Crowley occultists in #1, and whilst we don’t know much about the plot after this first issue, that final 4-page fold-out spread blew my mind, and shows just how epic the scale of the War that so weakened Morpheus was. The issue begins on an Alien planet, with a race of sentient plants that can dream, one of these plants is visited by a form of Dream that also looks like a plant, and they talk, until this Dream is attacked by fire. I’m guessing this is a separate version of Dream to the one we’re familiar with, and his/it’s death is what causes the end of this issue.

We then move across the galaxy to London in 1915, where one of Gaiman’s most terrifying creations, The Corinthian returns. I’m a huge fan of this character, both of the evil original we see here, and also the nicer version that appears in later Sandman stories. The visual of a man with mouths for eyes is just so creepy, and seeing him once again prey on a vulnerable young man was both brilliant and scary.

After this, the story moves again, as both Destiny and Death of the Endless appear, with Destiny watching these events unfold in his book, and Death being rather worried for her younger brother. Once again, it’s just brilliant to see these characters again, and Gaiman steps effortly back into writing everyone really, it’s like he’s never been away. I will say that I did find that his narration in this issue was a bit more flowery and prose-like than ever before, but I suppose he has been writing books without pictures pretty much exclusively since The Eternals, and it can be hard to switch gears. That said, the long narration describing the new, and very cool character of George Portcullis was wonderful, and did feel like a bit of a short-story. George Portcullis is the manager of Dream’s London Office, and he’s there to allow Morpheus to intercept The Corinthian before he can kill, and unmake him. The conversation between Morpheus and Corinthian is very cool, and it explains a lot of back-story that came into play in The Doll’s House story, and sets up just how Corinthian was able to roam free and become a serial killer.

Just as Morpheus is about to unmake Corinthian, he is called away by a powerful, unknown force, but not so powerful that he can’t slow it down and stop off in The Dreaming to arm himself for battle, putting on his weird helmet and all that. This also allows Gaiman for some more cameos, from the likes of Lucien and Merv Pumpkinhead, which were great fun. I’m assuming that the likes of these characters and the other Endless won’t appear again in this series, so a little bit of fan-service to start off is tolerable. It’s just a shame Matthew The Raven wasn’t around at this point.

Morpheus is then whisked off to… a meeting of loads of versions of himself? This is a fantastic 4-page spread as I said, and there are loads of different versions of Dream here, including a Robot, a Tree, a fish, a guy with a moon-shaped head, and more. We also see the Cat-Dream, a version that has appeared before in Sandman. I initially assumed that all the different forms that Dream took were just the same person, changing appearance, but now it looks like they are different entities entirely? I don’t know, but I’m excited to find out. It’s clear from this issue that the story Gaiman has to tell here isn’t a Before Watchmen-esque cash-in, but something new and different and not just a box-ticking exercise like many prequels.

JH Williams III is one of the best artists in comics today, and here, he delivers his best work since Promethea. I feel that Williams’ style suits a story that’s more than just your average superhero stuff, like Batwoman was (and really, the story of Batwoman was below average), and here, Gaiman’s script matches his ambition. On Batwoman, his art was overly elaborate for such a simple story, and made things confusing, but here, it works, basically, I’m the only person online glad that he’s left Batwoman, because that was a waste of his talents, even though Williams himself would obviously disagree. There are some amazing layouts here, like the page that reintroduces The Corinthian being made up of Teeth, or the way the panels are inside Destiny’s book, or the George Portcullis pages being, well, Portcullis-shaped. This made each page look different and exciting, the colours from Dave Stewart are also hugely important, with him using a variety of different styles and techniques throughout. Williams also uses different styles, particularly on the pages with all of the different Dreams. This book is just beautiful to look at, and even if you aren’t familiar with Sandman, it’s worth buying just for Williams and Stewart. That said, I did choose the Dave McKean cover, because it’s not Sandman if Dave McKean isn’t on covers, even a latecomer like me knows that.

So, at the end of the day, this is a fantastic return for Gaiman and Sandman, fans of that series will love it, and I can only imagine how good this must be for people who have been waiting 10 years or more for it, rather than Punchy-come-lately, who’s been waiting 3 months. One of the best comics ever is back, and it’s not missed a beat, a cause for celebration methinks.

10/10

Yes, a 10.

[David Bird]

I'm not a member of the group, so excuse me while I interlope!

I thought it was a strong beginning. To be honest, I had so many reservations going in that I didn't even bother to put it on my pull list, but I intend to when I go in tomorrow. Gaiman does a nice job of re-introducing favourites and of setting up setting us up for something on a grand scale and Williams brings his A game for the art. If this level of energy and creativity is maintained, it will be a worthy addition to the series, and not just the attempt to cash in that most prequels are.

9/10

Jude, two questions. First, what definition of posh were you given? And, second, what, if anything, did you think it meant?

[GHERU]

Need a score of 0 - 10 please

[David Bird]

Need a score of 0 - 10 please

Done.

[GHERU]

any ideas for this week?
http://www.midtowncomics.com/store/week ... asp?pl=534