Sandman - Neil Gaiman

In addition to reading Neil Gaiman's Sandman #5, I did some research on his life and other work to gain a better understanding of his influence on the world of comics. In short, his success is far reaching, and his comics demonstrate only a part of his ability as a writer. But regardless, his graphic work has earned tremendous recognition, which I would argue is due to the fact that Gaiman is so versatile. Gaiman's experience ranges from children's books to venues beyond the visual arts such as poetry and prose. In short, his multiplied success allows him a greater understanding of what will appeal to any given audience.

Sandman's mystical subject matter was what struck me the most while reading it for the first time. Such topics are easy to butcher, so it is impressive to witness a thoughtful treatment of magic and myth paired with quality design in his comics. In the video we watched during this week's class, Alan Moore [whose work I think clearly relates to that of Gaiman]discusses the necessity for successful fantasy to remain a derivative of reality in some aspect. Despite its fictitious qualities, the reader remains grounded in parts of Sandman such as the zombie figure receiving a ride from a usual woman in a usual car, or our empathy that results from the same character having lost his mother and using that as a driving force for his actions. Overall, Gaiman's knowledge and care in his own work are what allow him to so eloquently execute comics that resonate with a great number of people.