Ever since Neil Gaiman's astonishingly literate "Sandman" series ran from 1989 to 1996, I've wanted someone to point out the cool stuff I missed. Now, with DC/Vertigo's lavish "The Annotated Sandman, Vol. 1" ($50), that project has begun.
Anyone who reads comics regularly will know that writers from the United Kingdom make far more literary allusions than do American ones. And no British comic-book writer does this more than Gaiman. Especially in "Sandman," which wove myth, folklore, literature, DC Comics and pop culture into a seamless whole that served as a backdrop for compelling (and often horrifying) stories. It has been reprinted in a variety of formats and remains a critical and commercial bonanza, an evergreen seller for DC's Vertigo line.
But even as I reveled in the smart, moving stories in "Sandman," there were throwaway bits here and there lurking in the background, referring to things I didn't know about. They weren't of sufficient importance that I failed to understand or appreciate the stories, but enough that I was aware of them. I wanted to know what they were, out of curiosity and in case they added another layer to the already multilayered stories.
I wasn't the only one, which explains the existence of "The Annotated Sandman." For the work, Gaiman tapped Leslie S. Klinger, an expert on Dracula and Sherlock Holmes and an experienced hand at taking an academic approach to pop culture. Gaiman provided Klinger with the scripts and correspondence from when "Sandman" was being created.
The result is a huge hardback (12 by 12 inches), with page-by-page, panel-by-panel notes explaining the minutiae not readily apparent in "Sandman" issues 1-20. (Three more volumes will cover issues 21-75, and presumably annuals and specials). It's in black and white, as opposed to the original color comic book, but the lack of hue doesn't seem to hurt anything and probably prevents the book from being prohibitively expensive.
Rereading "Sandman" is fun, especially now that references to G.K. Chesterton, the English "poll tax" rebellion, Geoffrey Chaucer and so forth are explained. There are even references to the Erinyes -- the Furies of Greek myth -- that I missed the first time around, whose mention foreshadows the important role they play in the series finale.
Many books that are widely praised turn out to be a disappointment when finally read. "Sandman" is not one of those, and fully deserves the annotated treatment.
