the sandman

“What is missing – regrettable for a story made of this material – is the strangeness and the anxiety that immediately distinguished The Sandman from all other comics.” Thomas Sotinel, Le Monde

Although I never read any of The Sandman comic books, and could not finish Gaiman’s American Gods, I nonetheless watched (decidedly Netflixy!) Netflix’s rendering over the past week, which I found mostly pleasant if on the light (although dark) side. Except for a few gems like Morpheus’ stroll with Death in Richmond and Hammersmith. And the unbearably lengthy “24 hours” episode about an endless spiral into primal violence, induced by the psychopath John Dee and Morpheus’ ruby. The actors are mostly terrific, starting with Tom Sturridge playing Morpheus as a young Robert Smith! But also Vivienne Acheampong as Dream’s librarian or Stephen Fry as … Fiddler’s Green! As a aside, I found out that the (much lighter) Netflix’s series Lucifer is also inspired by the corresponding Sandman character.

“It is in its digressions that The Sandman occasionally flourishes. Half of the sixth episode is devoted to a Sunday walk in today’s London. Lit in natural light (during a sunny day) and relying on limited special effects, it depicts the reunion between Morpheus and Death, his sister (Kirby Howell-Baptiste). In the guise of a radiant young woman, she summons mortals when the time of their passage from life to death has arrived. The exchanges between the two entities are light and sometimes profound. In this scene, the fantasy finally manages to take an unexpected turn.” Thomas Sotinel, Le Monde