Tag Archives: illustration

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Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman

Rating: ***** (5 out of 5)

Background: I am a big fan of Neil Gaiman and his Sandman series. I came across the more recent, graphic novel retelling of this book first, and while it appealed to me, it was nothing compared to what I experienced when I looked at the original version. The cover is absolutely beautiful, golden and luminous without being kitschy.

Review: It all begins with a wager between a badger and a fox. In a Japanese mountainside, there was a little temple, hardly visited by anyone anymore, and in it lived a monk. The fox and the badger wanted this temple for a den, and decided that whoever got the monk to abandon it would win it. But the monk wasn’t easily deceived, and somewhere along the way, the fox falls in love with him. And so begins a tale of love, sadness and sacrifice.

I don’t know why this book had such a strong effect on me. It’s a simple but lovely story which reminded me of old fables, albeit filled with much more sadness and subtlety than usual. But I found myself being only able to read it very slowly, a few pages at a time, to let it sink in.

The illustrations played a big role. In fact, even though I love Neil Gaiman’s writing, Yoshitaka Amano’s art is what made this book truly shine (in more than one way). It’s beautiful, with an incredible use of color and monochrome, and whimsical lines.

It doesn’t matter if you’re not familiar with the Sandman storyline, as this falls outside of it, but if you are, you’ll be able to appreciate the little details much more.

I can’t recommend this enough.

What’s Next: The second volume of the Absolute Sandman series is waiting for me on the shelf.

I though I would have finished this last friday, to end my Comic Book Reading Week with a flourish, but this book ended up needing more time than I though it would to go properly through, and real life also got in the way, with little time (or mental effort) for me to dedicate to reading. Next up will be at least one book about Photography, in preparation for university next month.

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The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton

Rating: *** (3 out of 5)

Background: I bought this on sale, very cheap, much cheaper than I would have expected, being from such a well-known person as Tim Burton is. The cover is lovely, and flipping through the pages made me curious.

Review: This is a collection of short stories in the form of poems and illustrations, and they all follow children who happened to be born different. Unnaturally different. The stories are tragic, sometimes cruel, but they all have a little humor thrown into them, so that the result is quite charming. My favourite story is the one that gives the book its name, the one featuring Oyster Boy.

This was an okay book for me. I preferred the illustrations over the poems, since I didn’t find them all that special or brilliant (even though there were plenty of metaphors for real world situations). Still, this is a pretty little book that is worth having, specially if you like Tim Burton, though I’m not sure I’d recommend it to someone who isn’t familiar with his work.

What’s Next: I like some of Tim Burton’s film works, but even so, reading this book didn’t make me feel more curious towards his other types of works…

I’m thinking of dedicating the whole of next week solely to reading comics. I have so many waiting for me on the shelf that it’s getting ridiculous. So, starting tomorrow, I’m officially dictating Comic Book Reading Week. Stay tuned!