[Netflix] The Sandman

[Jaymann]

Finished season 1 last night. I thought it was interesting how they:

Spoiler:

wrote themselves out of the kill or be killed situation. It seems as if the show thus far has been mostly a set up for further seasons.

[Zaxxon]

Whelp, I read issue 1 today. Hooked so far.

[$iljanus]

They can probably wrap things up with two additional seasons which hopefully is short enough to keep the show in the good graces of the Netflix execs.

The Sandman is one of my favorite graphic novel series and they did a wonderful job bringing it to life.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, I finished it last night and if they never do another episode, it'll still be magnificent. I'm confident they're going to (based on reviews and popularity), so hopefully they can finish the entire story arc. I'm not sure if 3 seasons would do it (and I'd hate to see too much cut), but as long as we get a completed story that would be ideal.

100% recommend. It's so nice when something with such an overwhelming positive history is adapted to a new format and it doesn't completely suck.

Here's hoping someday there's someone willing to give The Dark Tower a try. I'm still amazed nothing has ever come from that series of books. Definitely not any movies.

[Max Peck]

[Skinypupy]

I didn't realize (until watching this show) that Thewlis was the voice (and visual inspiration) of for the Shame Wizard in Big Mouth.

That’s what I know him from! He looked and sounded so familiar, but I couldn’t place it and hadn’t bothered to look it up. It had been bugging me.

I finished Episode 5 last night, which was fascinating. That turn it takes was seriously dark.

I generally like the show, although I do think the story feels very meandering and disjointed. Not hard to follow, mind you, just…unfocused. I’m sure that’s how the comics Al are structured, but it can be a bit jarring to watch.

I also can’t get past the lead constantly looking like he’s trying to do his best Peter Murphy impression.

[Smoove_B]

I finished Episode 5 last night, which was fascinating. That turn it takes was seriously dark.

Yes #5 ("24/7") is where it starts to turn. The next episode ("The Sound of Her Wings") is one of the best of this season (and in the comic). It's critical for understanding the main character, imho. In terms of darkness...keep going! My favorite episode is #9 (and one of my favorite of the comics to read). It's such a great idea and seeing it acted out was better than I'd hoped.

I generally like the show, although I do think the story feels very meandering and disjointed. Not hard to follow, mind you, just…unfocused. I’m sure that’s how the comics Al are structured, but it can be a bit jarring to watch.

It's going to start tightening up after #6 - the final grouping goes by quite fast. I'm excited people are liking it; believe the hype!

[Zaxxon]

Can I just jump in to say how happy I am that something is bringing genuine joy to Smoove right now? That's something we can all appreciate.

[Smoove_B]

It really did, and reading everyone's enjoyment as well. When I first read the series (mid to late 1990s), I didn't have anyone to talk to about it. I'm glad you're finally all catching up.

[hepcat]

It's just an excellent show for fans of the graphic novels. It stays true to the look, feel and story to a remarkable degree. I'm not sure if it translates well to people who never read the series (poor bastards)....but who cares. Screw them. They've got their Game of Thrones. Let me have my Sandman!

Now I want a House of Mystery/House of Secrets series.

[$iljanus]

Yeah, I finished it last night and if they never do another episode, it'll still be magnificent. I'm confident they're going to (based on reviews and popularity), so hopefully they can finish the entire story arc. I'm not sure if 3 seasons would do it (and I'd hate to see too much cut), but as long as we get a completed story that would be ideal.

100% recommend. It's so nice when something with such an overwhelming positive history is adapted to a new format and it doesn't completely suck.

Here's hoping someday there's someone willing to give The Dark Tower a try. I'm still amazed nothing has ever come from that series of books. Definitely not any movies.

They can trim some standalone stuff if needed although I'm a fan of the entire Sandman run so including as much as possible would make me very happy. Perhaps doing 12 ep seasons would do it? I hope the bean counters won't try to kill it in the crib because it costs too much.

[hepcat]

As much as I love Jenna Coleman, I do wish they’d have kept John instead of substituting Johanna. That character has been a favorite of mine for decades, so it’s one that’s near and dear to me. The character’s masculinity is a sort of weakness at times (well….many times) and making him a her takes away some of that weakness. Essentially making the character…well….not Constantine. If that makes sense.

[Smoove_B]

I think it's all part of the distancing from DC comics and that one must have been too obvious to leave. Some are still there, though the connection was removed.

Spoiler:

I didn't realize Matthew was from Swamp Thing, for example. And they removed Brute and Glob because apparently they were part of the 1970s run of the Sandman.

The one thing that genuinely surprised me was the voice actor for Mervyn

Spoiler:

Mark Hamil!

I also can’t get past the lead constantly looking like he’s trying to do his best Peter Murphy impression.

The original art for Morpheus was inspired by Peter Murphy and Robert Smith, apparently. I only recently saw the inspiration for the comic book version of Death; she died in 2018. If anyone is reading along with the comics, you can see her here. I figured she was a mix of people, but apparently they really just used her look. I was blown away when I saw the photos.

[Carpet_pissr]

Here's hoping someday there's someone willing to give The Dark Tower a try. I'm still amazed nothing has ever come from that series of books. Definitely not any movies.

Yes please

The graphic novels are FANTASTIC if you haven’t checked those out.

I think the hesitation to do a proper, HBO GOT style treatment of The Dark Tower is maybe it’s too ‘weird’, long, or complicated for such a large (mainstream) project? No idea. It’s just so..big.

I plan to re-read both the books and graphic novels at some point.

[Skinypupy]

Finished this tonight. I mostly enjoyed it, but found the ending to be mostly just anticlimactic. I kept waiting for something cool to happen in the last three episodes, and it just really never did. Giving what seemed to be the most interesting character so little screen time was disappointing.

Spoiler:

Desire

I’d likely watch a second season, but I certainly don’t think this one ended on a particularly high note. 6/8 tentacles.

[Smoove_B]

If they were only given 10 episodes, they really didn't have much room to work with, imho. They've basically introduced the character, resolved the immediate conflict and telegraphed what the bigger picture issues are going to be moving forward. I'm pretty sure we're going to get more and I hope it comes quick!

[Skinypupy]

I think part of the problem I had is that they kept introducing these really interesting characters, giving them a few minutes of screen time for one specific purpose, then never seeing them again.

Spoiler:

Cain & Abel, Constantine, Mervyn, Desire, Fiddler’s Green, Matthew, Lucifer, etc.

And it gave lots of screen time to characters that I thought were incredibly dull.

Spoiler:

I honestly could not have cared much less about Rose Walker. The whole “Cereal Killer” Convention storyline about put me to sleep.

My hope is that a second season will give these cool characters more to do.

That episode in the diner was like something out of the Twilight Zone.

This episode was, by far, the highlight of the season for me.

[Zaxxon]

I've been burning through the comics and would definitely recommend the newly-published compilations if you want more on these characters. The full 75 issues are available across 4 books, around $20 each. I've just started book 2.

3 episodes into the show, as well. Enjoying it so far, although Patton Oswalt's voice took me right out of suspension of disbelief.

[hepcat]

I think part of the problem I had is that they kept introducing these really interesting characters, giving them a few minutes of screen time for one specific purpose, then never seeing them again.

Spoiler:

Cain & Abel, Constantine, Mervyn, Desire, Fiddler’s Green, Matthew, Lucifer, etc.

You’re not wrong. I probably enjoyed those appearances more because I grew up on them. And I give them some leeway in exposing us to characters who will get more to do in further seasons. There’s a ton of history that they wanted to at least dip our toes into. For a non fan, I can understand why that might annoying.

[Zaxxon]

Bam!

[hepcat]

I’m taking it slow and savoring the show. I just finished episode 7 last night. I loved the story of Hob Gadling and so far I’m really enjoying Rose Walker’s story too.

[Zaxxon]

We finished ep 8 last night. Also loved the Hob/Sound of Her Wings ep.

In current meme news...

[hepcat]

Wow, didn't realize it until now, but the actor playing Hob? That's Ben Kingsley's son.

[$iljanus]

In case this wasn't posted, the Dreaming continues!

Sandman bonus episode released

Until then, Sandman fans will have to make do with this one, which is an adaptation of two stories from the Sandman comics: “A Dream Of A Thousand Cats” and “Calliope.” The former is an animated segment featuring a wild assemblage of voice actors (some of which are meta-Gaiman nods), including Sandra Oh, Joe Lycett, David Tennant, Michael Sheen, James McAvoy, and Neil Gaiman himself. Tennant and Sheen star in Prime Video’s adaptation of Good Omens (based on a book co-written by Gaiman), McAvoy played Morpheus in Audible’s very good audiobook version of The Sandman, and Neil Gaiman is… Neil Gaiman.

The latter part of the two-part episode, “Calliope,” stars Melissanthi Mahut in the title role and Arthur Darvill (the great Rory Pond) as Richard Madoc, plus Derek Jacobi, Nina Wadia, Souad Faress, and Dinita Gohil. Both parts of the episode will most likely be standalone stories, which is probably why they’re being released separately from the rest of The Sandman, as that’s what they were in the original comics. Still, Tom Sturridge’s Dream will stop by and there will be important Sandman themes to dig into.

I'm currently listening to the audiobook of The Sandman since I can't find my graphic novels to reread at the moment. The voice talent is really good!

[hepcat]

Zaxxon even pre bammed you a few posts back.

[$iljanus]

Zaxxon even pre bammed you a few posts back.

To paraphrase a wise vampire, OH THAT FUCKING GUY!

[hepcat]

[Zaxxon]

Zaxxon even pre bammed you a few posts back.

To paraphrase a wise vampire, OH THAT FUCKING GUY!

I know, right?

[Zaxxon]

If there's a 2nd season, we get Midsummer Night's Dream...

[hepcat]

Okay, first 10 episodes done.

I loved the show from start to finish. I’m really surprised at how closely they stuck to the source material. I guess having the creator on board was a big plus.

The casting was almost perfect. Sturridge captured the look and (more importantly) the voice and demeanor of Morphius. Boyd was creepy as hell as The Corinthian…but he let his guard down every now and again to show us how he wanted to be free more than anything. Howell-Baptiste was the Death I wasn’t expecting, and I think it worked great (in the books, she’s a bit less grounded and that always bugged me a bit, but this version was everything from the books minus some of that goofiness). Park as Desire stole every scene they were in. Seriously, they just owned that role in so many ways. And Stephen Fry makes everything he’s in infinitely better.

The only two things that didn’t work perfectly for me were Jenna Coleman’s Constantine (she’s just not disheveled, angry and lost enough to be the character they were trying to replace), and Christie’s Lucifer. It’s not something I can describe in detail like my issue with Coleman as Constantine, but it just felt…off…to me. Christie wasn’t bad though, don’t get me wrong.

Definitely up for another season…or 8.

[Smoove_B]

Finished the bonus episodes last night; excellent as expected. I was surprised to hear that Calliope was one of the episodes, mainly because of how important it is in the bigger Sandman story. But I suppose it helps provide additional insight into the character and continues to lay the groundwork for where the story will start to go...

Also, as is always the case every time I re-read the series, I was today years old when I learned that the sleeping epidemic referenced in the first episode (and comic books) was real. I legitimately had no idea, but I should have known as the overall story weaves real world events into the narrative with ease.

[hepcat]

[Max Peck]

The book/film Awakenings revolves around survivors of that epidemic.

[MHS]

It's just an excellent show for fans of the graphic novels. It stays true to the look, feel and story to a remarkable degree. I'm not sure if it translates well to people who never read the series (poor bastards)....but who cares. Screw them. They've got their Game of Thrones. Let me have my Sandman!

Now I want a House of Mystery/House of Secrets series.

FWIW, I've never read the series and am really enjoying the show a lot. I will probably do as Zaxxon did and purchase some of the graphic novels.

[Zaxxon]

It's just an excellent show for fans of the graphic novels. It stays true to the look, feel and story to a remarkable degree. I'm not sure if it translates well to people who never read the series (poor bastards)....but who cares. Screw them. They've got their Game of Thrones. Let me have my Sandman!

Now I want a House of Mystery/House of Secrets series.

FWIW, I've never read the series and am really enjoying the show a lot. I will probably do as Zaxxon did and purchase some of the graphic novels.

Wait. Wrong Morpheus...

[sgoldj]

Finished the bonus episodes last night; excellent as expected. I was surprised to hear that Calliope was one of the episodes, mainly because of how important it is in the bigger Sandman story. But I suppose it helps provide additional insight into the character and continues to lay the groundwork for where the story will start to go...

I am glad about Calliope. I hope The Song of Orpheus makes it as a bonus season two episode. Also because of the bigger picture while being removed a step away

[hepcat]

It's just an excellent show for fans of the graphic novels. It stays true to the look, feel and story to a remarkable degree. I'm not sure if it translates well to people who never read the series (poor bastards)....but who cares. Screw them. They've got their Game of Thrones. Let me have my Sandman!

Now I want a House of Mystery/House of Secrets series.

FWIW, I've never read the series and am really enjoying the show a lot. I will probably do as Zaxxon did and purchase some of the graphic novels.

Excellent! I figured someone with your obvious taste and refinement would enjoy it immensely.

What I still find remarkable is how Tom Sturridge's voice just matches what I always thought Morpheus would sound like. It's always calm...even when he's obviously not.

[coopasonic]

It's just an excellent show for fans of the graphic novels. It stays true to the look, feel and story to a remarkable degree. I'm not sure if it translates well to people who never read the series (poor bastards)....but who cares. Screw them. They've got their Game of Thrones. Let me have my Sandman!

Now I want a House of Mystery/House of Secrets series.

FWIW, I've never read the series and am really enjoying the show a lot. I will probably do as Zaxxon did and purchase some of the graphic novels.

Excellent! I figured someone with your obvious taste and refinement would enjoy it immensely.

Counterpoint. I also love it!

[hepcat]

You just liked Morpheus’ hair. You’ve been dreaming about going emo for years now.

[Skinypupy]

You just liked Morpheus’ hair. You’ve been dreaming about going emo for years now.

EVERYONE wants that hair.