1. The Sandman: Overture #1 by Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams III (Vertigo)
Neil Gaiman's The Sandman was a legendary series that ran from 1989 to 1996 and was remarkably one of the few comics that ended when its creator left (you could argue that the character already existed from the 30s, and a character called Sandman was around in that time but compare that Sandman to Gaiman's and what he did with his series and Gaiman should rightly be acknowledged as creating what we know as The Sandman today). Gaiman returned to the character and his world in 2003 with Endless Nights (another marvellous book) but the writer has shied away from comics for much of the last 10 years, writing numerous bestselling and award-winning novels like Coraline and The Graveyard Book, occasionally returning to pen some great books like Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? and acting as a consultant for Angela's dialogue on the current Guardians of the Galaxy series for Marvel. The Sandman: Overture is a prologue to the first book in the series, Preludes and Nocturnes. In the first book we see an Aleister Crowley-like figure conjuring up Dream, entrapping him - but how did Dream wind up a prisoner? The story was never told - until now! And the first issue in this 8-part mini-series is INCREDIBLE. Gaiman takes us several galaxies away as Dream inhabits the sleep of a flower-like alien called Quorian until he somehow dies! From there, fans are reintroduced to beloved characters like Dream's siblings of the Endless, Death and Destiny, we see the monstrous Corinthian, and we return to Dream's castle to see Lucien the librarian and Merv Pumpkinhead the janitor before the book ends with a mysterious four-page fold-out image. Gaiman writes the characters so naturally and easily that it feels like no time has passed since Endless Nights, or even The Wake. He slips back into the mode of writing Sandman comics like he never stopped and the familiar cadences and storytelling gymnastics are as enthralling to read as ever. It's dream-like in its structure but also lucid in its telling - an amazing balancing act showing how accomplished Gaiman has become as a writer. JH Williams III - WOW. You'll know this guy from his amazing artwork on Batwoman, defining the look of that series, as well as other books like Desolation Jones, with Warren Ellis, but he really goes all out on Sandman: Overture. Flicking through the comic, there isn't a single page that feels rushed or badly thought out. The opening sequence where Dream is an alien flower is so good and the black flower of Dream even, somehow, looks like him! Williams then uses his famously imaginative layouts to present the Corinthian's story, the panels of which are teeth framed within a mouth - if you know who the Corinthian is you'll know the relevance - and then shows us Destiny and Death's scene as the pages of Destiny's book. Even George Portcullis' page is framed as a portcullis! The splash page of Dream descending to his castle is gorgeous and the four page fold-out is the icing on the cake. His character design of Dream is recognisably the Sandman though looks less like Gaiman than other artists have drawn - a good thing, I think, as it makes Dream more of his own person. This comic also has two covers, one by Williams and one by Dave McKean - I got Dave's cover because it's not a Sandman comic without a Dave McKean cover. And of course it's brilliant! This is an absolutely terrific first issue that sets off an original, exciting new story for a beloved set of characters and fans of the series will find their hearts leaping at seeing familiar images on nearly every page (the war mask!). The Sandman: Overture #1 is one of the few comics this year that actually lives up to its hype - maybe even surpasses it! But there are still 7 comics (only 7!) to come so we'll see, but I'm so glad that it's as good as I'd hoped. Welcome back, Neil Gaiman and Dream! * Those are my picks for the comics of the week - what're yours? Let me know in the comments below! See you guys next week, happy comics reading and have a great Halloween!