The Sandman 9 by Neil Gaiman (1995, Hardcover)

You know, I enjoy reading both comics and more "conventional" forms of literature because of the ability of good writers(or in the case of Gaiman, GREAT writers) to make their fantasy real, and because of my freedom to invest myself emotionally in the characters and events of the story. That said, I surprised myself by the level to which I became emotionally involved in this story.

The Climax of the Sandman series, which is wrapped up in the follow-up collection "The Wake", "The Kindly Ones" ties together almost all of the strands from Gaiman's masterpiece story of the Lord of Dream. Even having read the previous 8 collections, I at times found myself having to search through my memory for the relevance of certain characters. So thorough is Gaiman's storytelling that even characters you thought finished and forgotten make their return and somehow impact this story. While the artwork was not among my favorite from the series, it fit well with the bleak, tragic storyline. Harsh, simple, and angular, it cuts away the needless details and helps to focus all elements of the story on the central storyline.

For those who have not read this collection or know what it contains, you may want to stop here, as spoilers are ahead: While the story deals with Morpheus' final stand against the Furies, or Kindly Ones as they prefer, his death is not as tragic as I had thought, as the child Daniel immediately steps into his place. I did find myself saddened by the loss of Morpheus, but even more so by the deaths of smaller characters in the storyline. The murder of Gryphon was so simple, and his final words so unimportant, but it was truly moving. It is the genius and skill of Gaiman that the reader becomes attached to even the smallest character. This is a must read.