Feature Friday - The Sandman (Very Minor Spoilers) - From Dave Christy

How about a "Friday Feature"?  
The whole crew LOVED The Sandman so much that we will be bringing a series of pieces that will be popping up over the next couple of months! 

Today Dave is here with a bit of history, some notes about the series and how it was adapted (with VERY minor spoilers)

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Dave - Dave Christy loves horror, music, documentaries and more.  He is also the co-runner of several fan based groups including Morningstars (THE Lucifer fan group also run by Melanie), and now is a member of the VIPers Spotlight Lounge team for Melanie's Muses.  Other than "In The Spotlight" Features -check out his "31 Days Of Halloween Movies"

My introduction to the works of Neil Gaiman is probably quite different than most other people. In the early 90’s, Alice Cooper had announced he was working on his next record, a concept album called “The Last Temptation” and he was working with Neil on the story. There was also a comic book that would accompany the CD. I wanted a little preview of what I’d be in store for so I picked up the latest issue of Neil’s “Sandman” comic. Lucky for me, it was issue #51, which was starting a new story arc. I didn’t even know the stories were in arcs. Thus began my journey and backtracking through the catalog, getting all the other stories eventually.

Netflix recently adapted “Sandman” for a series. However, this was not the first time Neil was approached for it. He always said studios would call him like “We want to adapt Sandman”. Neil would say “Great. How?” They didn't know and he was right. The wrong actor, the wrong touch, the wrong visuals, and the entire image is ruined. Today this is a thousand times worse. Even though Neil is closely tied to production, people continue to prejudge decisions. That is the literal definition of prejudice. Pre-judging - before seeing. Neil is constantly correcting these so-called fans who think they know more than the creator. The only downside of the casting is that I thought after Kat Dennings put in a fantastic performance as Death in the audible productions of Sandman Act 1 and Act 2, I would have loved to see her on screen as the character. But another choice was made and fans were outraged once again. She is black, not white like in the comics! Gasp! Get over it, people. Its about choosing the right person. 

They also want to complain about Lucifer being played by a woman. Angels are genderless. Unless we can find a genderless actor/actress with no genitalia, it won’t be authentic the way it was in the comics. The casting of Dream had to be a relative unknown. Tom Sturridge was picked to step into the role. If we had a big name actor, I feel it would have removed us from the realm and put us back in the real world. But after seeing him in action, he pulled it off wonderfully.

A year ago, a sneak peek behind the scenes of Sandman was released and that started the hype. The brief glimpses were looking amazing. But no real trailer at this time. We only had small teasers until this years Geeked Week and my excitement started.
 
The Endless. Dream, Death, Desire, Delirium, Despair, Destiny, and Destruction. But unlike most comics, the characters at the forefront of the series are others, except Dream in the first arc.

The first season covers the first 2 graphic novels. That will be the first 16 issues of the comic out of the 75 issue run. The first arc is when Dream is captured and imprisoned for 100 years. His tools of power are stolen from him. Twice. After his eventual release his journey begins. First he has to see what became of his realm of The Dreaming during his century long absence. Then his task of getting back his tools after he finds out where they are now.

Episode 6, “The Sound of Her Wings”, is where we first meet Death. During her meeting with Dream, she has her rounds do as he joins her. In a way it's the only true stand alone episode of the series. The in-between story between the two arcs. While the first half focuses on Death and her job, the second focuses on the deal between Dream, Death, and Hob Gadling. This episode is the perfect embodiment what this series can be.

“The Doll’s House” picks up the second arc when Rose Walker is in search of her brother. Meeting an interesting group of new friends along the way and a dangerous escaped nightmare from The Dreaming with his own plans for humanity. The Corinthian was another role perfectly cast. Boyd Holbrook reminds me of a young Tim Robbins. If this series was made 20-25 years ago, I could see Tim stepping into this role and being flawless.

A few adjustments from the comics aside, its a wonderful adaptation. For those interested in continuing the story before season 2, check out the audible series, Act 1 and Act II. It will cover the first 6 graphic novels until Act III comes out with the next 2. I may need to listen to these again or dig up the comics while I impatiently await Season 2 to see it all played out.

Check out the trailer below and if you missed the first article (Win it Wednesday from Jenn) - You can see it here. 

Note of the day that this article is posting there has been a bonus episode added to Netflix that was not included here.

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