What is it with Gaiman?

[Floyd-the-k]

I've always been nervous about reading any of Neil Gaiman's stuff. It was recommended to me back in the 80s by a colossal nerd, so I didn't read it then. Then someone loaned me a terrrible pretentious comic with a wordy foreward by Gaiman. Now Jim Campbell says Gaiman's not a genius.
  On the other hand John whatsisname says Gaiman is insufficiently respectful to Kirby, so he can't be all bad. And the Northcote library is full of Gaiman's work.
  What's a boy to think? What do you think? Genius? If so, how?

[johnnystress]

I'm currently re-reading the Sandman books- they're bordering on genius in my opinion

the how part..hmm..

well I find myself believing in the concept of The Endless, Lucifer seems an alright sort of guy
and Death is a saucy minx

[Bico]

He's alright.  Teen goths will swoon for his stuff, and the Death GNs went down well with some non-comic -reading people (girls, mainly) I know.
Not so sure about 'genius', but some good ideas here and there, and finishing Sandman, rather than drawing it out forever, was a welcome move.

The main critique that should be levelled at Gaiman - and it's not really his fault - is that his emulators pretty much make up the bulk of the Vertigo line of comics - which he can probably be blamed for helping create in the first place.  Either half-assed knock-offs of his writing style, or reheated onanistic trash featuring some character who made a brief cameo in Sandman number 15.  There are the odd exceptions to the rule - like Preacher - that help distract from what a juvenile pile of pretentious old wank 90 percent of Vertigo titles really are, but they're getting a bit thin on the ground of late.

[I, Cosh]

Gaiman is not a genius, but The Sandman is. His other work is highly variable, but frequently worth picking up because Dave McKean is a genius and he doesn't do nearly enough comic work.

If they're in the library, pick up the first couple of volumes and give them a go. The first is mostly scene-setting, with each of the stories a deliberate pastiche of a particular type of horror writing. In my opinion, the series doesn't really get into its stride until Season of Mists, but if you don't like The Sound of Her Wings (the last story in the first book) then it's probably not for you.

On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend his novels unless you're really short of something to read. While they're enjoyable enough to read, they suffer from excessive padding to compensate for the lack of accompanying pictures and the odd fact that thigns that would probably work in a comic sound trite or pretentious in prose.

[Quirkafleeg]

I read a couple of Sandman books and they were ok-ish over all... the 'cereal convention' is fun and the stand alone story about the bloke who lives forever is brilliant but I suspect I'm not really gothy enought to really get them.

>suffer from excessive padding to compensate for the lack of accompanying pictures

This seems to be the bane of large numbers of comics writers shifting to prose.

[Satanist]

I read most of Sandman and though I enjoyed it felt it mostly disappeared up its own arse towards the end. I've no wish to reread it.

I also enjoyed 1602 but then I'm not into superheroes so didn't mind seeing them treated different from the "core concepts".

Genius? Nah but the first 30 or so Sandman are excellent.

[Jim_Campbell]

"I suspect I'm not really gothy enought to really get them"

Just to be clear ... if I'm not gothy enough to get them, then fucking no-one is.

I thought Gaiman at the end of the 80s and into the 90s was the best example of the Emperor's New Clothes I've ever seen. Sandmand and Black Orchid aren't bad as such ... they're just dull.

Meanwhile, celebs queued up to froth over the books. One of the Sandman collections featured a quote on the front along the lines of "Sandman is a comic book for intellectuals, and I say it's a bout time - Norman Mailer"

Which (to my mind) begged the obvious question: how many comics does Norman Mailer read?

Sandman was enough to put me off Gaiman for good. I still like Violent Cases (and I rather enjoyed Good Omens), but you'd have to hit me with sticks to get me to read anything else of his.

Cheers!

Jim

[House of Usher]

All very fair comment so far.

[paulvonscott]

"the stand alone story about the bloke who lives forever is brilliant"

That one was the highpoint for me, I even wrote a letter into the comic after that one which thankfully wasn't published.  Enjoyed Sandman at the time, and I gave up on it eventually as it just got boring.  Maybe it always was boring, but I eventually developed a severe allergic reaction to all the poncey fairy dreamwank.

Good for its time I'd say, and still probably enjoyable for anyone who likes their poncey fairy dreamwank.  

And they can stick that one on the back of the book.

[ThryllSeekyr]

I've had aquaintences that have read alot Vetigo, 'SandMan', 'Death', 'HellBlazer' and 'The Preacher'

As sidenote, I'm of the opinion now that the 'Constintine' movie might have also been a product of 'The Preacher' as well as " Hellblazer' , though it still didn't reflect anough of what I had got out of 'HellBlazer' to call it a good interpretation.

I never really got into the 'Sandman' thing. Thopugh there was a tiume when I was surrounded by  the 'Hellblazer', 'Death' comics and 'Sandman' graphic novels left lying around back in the day s when I sharing house with acouple of friends from school.

[LARF]

Paul are you saying you had dreamwanks about faeries?

:-)

[Dark Jimbo]

So if you're someone who has an unhealthy interest in mythology, knows more about fairy tales than is probably good for them, isn't a goth in any way but does love all things horror, is happily prepared to slog away at pretensiously wordy comics (i.e. Promethea) and secretly revels in the wordiness, but hates most American comics and despises all kinds of teenage goth wankery - will you (I) like Sandman?

[johnnystress]

it's likely

[Carlsborg Expert]

I dunno but what is it with gay men?

buddum tish!

[Bico]

If you think about it, it's probably better than having an ACTUAL wank about fairies.