Comic collectors tend to find themselves in camps for the most part...you are either a Marvel or DC or Indy camp adherent. There are economic reasons for this. Who can pick them all up? (
CCL store owner ComicCastle Pat excluded :) ). So collectors have to target their collecting patterns.
That is why I must painfully confess to having missed out on the quality series of the Sandman. Being a Marvel/Dark Horse guy, I was caught napping while all this great stuff was being published, and admit to being clueless about most of it.
BUT...(aHA! there's always a BUT) I very much have followed the career of artist
P. Craig Russell. His early work for First Comics producing the Michael Moorcock
Elric books, Dark Horse's
Conan and the Jewels of Gwahlur, his Magnum Opus,
The Rings of Nibelung...all treats and highlights of my collection.
So when this book was announced, I pounced on it, and was delighted with what I found. This book is not for everyone. It's story has the quality of fable/myth/fairytale/fantasy. No spandex, no testosterone. And artwork that is, in my mind, museum quality. Fitting for the subject matter, lush while maintaining a sense of humour. Brilliant.
I will apologize here to
Neil Gaiman fans and followers of writers in general. I have gone on and on about art and left the writer in the lurch. His work here was perfect: witty, imaginative, with a traditional feel but never predictable.
This is the first of a 4-part series, and I, for one, will be lined up to snag every issue. A book you could share with your kids (if you're that old) or your English teacher (if you're not). Give it a try.