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The Sandman: Overture
The Sandman: Overture #3
The armies of the night are gathering. The universe is beginning its final dance. Morpheus, far from home, walks the path of madness, accompanied only by himself.
36 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 29, 2015
The art is so completely stunning in this edition as Dream continues his journey with the edition of Dream cat which I enjoyed. You can not fail to marvel at the amazing graphics which completely compliment Gaiman's clever storytelling.
January 23, 2016
Sandman Overture #3 has the weakest story so far, but it doesn't mean it is less than top-notch. The art is as surreal and as colorful than the previous issues. There are nods and references to both DC and Marvel, and it made me feel (which in fact it is) that this is the same Multiverse, told from a different perspective.
While issue two explains Dream's mission, this one serves as a launch pad for a great event, though for the most part, the issue felt almost like a filler.
Yes, it may be the weakest issue so far, but I'd still give it five stars.
While issue two explains Dream's mission, this one serves as a launch pad for a great event, though for the most part, the issue felt almost like a filler.
Yes, it may be the weakest issue so far, but I'd still give it five stars.
September 13, 2016
First read: 2015
August 2, 2014
Have you ever heard Neil Gaiman speak? He talks very. Very. (Deep breath) Very. Sl. Ow. L. Y. It’s almost comical how plodding and sonorous his voice is, but that voice is also his narrative style which has made reading his novels, for me anyway, impossible. They’re not fast paced to start with but then I hear his voice and suddenly the snail’s pace drops to a near stop.
That’s how Sandman Overture #3 reads: extremely slowly. It doesn’t actually feel like you’re reading a single issue, it’s like you’re reading a novella or something, there’s so much text. Which I suppose makes up for the looooooong stretches between issues - Overture #1 came out on Halloween 2013 and it’s August 2014 and we’re only on #3! In fact, Gaiman’s said that this issue will be the last of the year with #4 slated for 2015! I guess he’s so highly regarded though that he can get away with missing deadlines.
But this issue isn’t bad because it’s drawn out or overwritten (though it is both), it’s because it’s actually really badly written. So, Morpheus has teamed up with a giant cat version of him and together they’re trying to stop a crazy star - a literal giant gaseous star that’s apparently gone nuts (yes, they have minds apparently) - from triggering a war that’ll destroy the universe? Or something trippy like that. Forces are being marshalled across the galaxy including - surprise! - the freakin’ Green Lantern Corps! That’s right, those dudes make a cameo to remind us that Sandman is part of the DC Universe!
That’s just the context of this issue though, what happens is that Morpheus and Cat Morpheus rescue a little girl called Hope who acts as exposition-starter to Morpheus who tells her his tragic love story. The end. And, because Gaiman sets all of that war stuff up so damn slowly, that it doesn’t feel urgent or impending, it feels - well, just dull which is the opposite of how we’re supposed to feel about that storyline. Zzz… huh? Wuzzat? War? Oh, something excitings going to happen! More narration… zzz…
Can we put a kibosh to little girl characters called Hope, please? It’s starting to become cliche. And Cat Morpheus feels derivative, like Gaiman read Saga and noticed how the most beloved character in this huge-selling comic is the Lying Cat and decided, hey, I’ll do the same! So we’ve got two characters who feel totally derivative and, frankly, surplus to the story, at least as it is so far.
Morpheus’ love story too - which is conveniently set up when Hope asks him something like why’re you sad, have you never known love? or some such drivel - is just one long dreary exposition-filled slog through the most tedious love story you’ve ever heard, that never once convinces you that Dream once felt emotions.
The one plus I’ll give Gaiman is that we find out the origin of the horned gates of the Dreaming and his awesome helm. Also those witches from The Kindly Ones make an ominous appearance too. But that’s it.
Far and away the best thing of the comic is the art team Gaiman’s assembled which are the top tier talents of the industry - JH Williams drawing, Dave Stewart colouring, Todd Klein lettering. And Williams’ art is, as you’d expect if you’ve seen this guy’s work, incredible. The imaginative layouts, the splash pages which are so beautifully laid out - a massive piece of land being held up by a giant troll across two pages for example - and Morpheus’ ultra-stylish Western outfit, are just a few highlights. But he can also transition between inks and pencils to a painted style and lose none of his precision. And Dave Stewart’s colours - we all read comics up close but hold this comic out at arm’s length and look at how the colours form on the page. It’s like the pages are lit up!
It’s also worth noting that Vertigo have listened to readers’ complaints (or maybe Gaiman told them to cut the shit?) of that first Overture issue where the ads were every other page, the editorial was slam bang in the middle. They’ve cleaned things up in this issue so there are minimal ads and absolutely no breaks in the story. It’s page after page of comic until it’s over and THEN we see a couple ads, plus a preview of something called Bodies. Much better, Vertigo!
Sandman Overture is the first Sandman book I’m reading in single issues so maybe I’m being unfair and #3 - which is essentially a bridge issue - will read better in the collected edition. Maybe. But judging the comic in itself, I found it wholly unremarkable and quite a bit boring to read but beautiful to look at.
And no more Green Lanterns, please!
Merged review:
Have you ever heard Neil Gaiman speak? He talks very. Very. (Deep breath) Very. Sl. Ow. L. Y. It’s almost comical how plodding and sonorous his voice is, but that voice is also his narrative style which has made reading his novels, for me anyway, impossible. They’re not fast paced to start with but then I hear his voice and suddenly the snail’s pace drops to a near stop.
That’s how Sandman Overture #3 reads: extremely slowly. It doesn’t actually feel like you’re reading a single issue, it’s like you’re reading a novella or something, there’s so much text. Which I suppose makes up for the looooooong stretches between issues - Overture #1 came out on Halloween 2013 and it’s August 2014 and we’re only on #3! In fact, Gaiman’s said that this issue will be the last of the year with #4 slated for 2015! I guess he’s so highly regarded though that he can get away with missing deadlines.
But this issue isn’t bad because it’s drawn out or overwritten (though it is both), it’s because it’s actually really badly written. So, Morpheus has teamed up with a giant cat version of him and together they’re trying to stop a crazy star - a literal giant gaseous star that’s apparently gone nuts (yes, they have minds apparently) - from triggering a war that’ll destroy the universe? Or something trippy like that. Forces are being marshalled across the galaxy including - surprise! - the freakin’ Green Lantern Corps! That’s right, those dudes make a cameo to remind us that Sandman is part of the DC Universe!
That’s just the context of this issue though, what happens is that Morpheus and Cat Morpheus rescue a little girl called Hope who acts as exposition-starter to Morpheus who tells her his tragic love story. The end. And, because Gaiman sets all of that war stuff up so damn slowly, that it doesn’t feel urgent or impending, it feels - well, just dull which is the opposite of how we’re supposed to feel about that storyline. Zzz… huh? Wuzzat? War? Oh, something excitings going to happen! More narration… zzz…
Can we put a kibosh to little girl characters called Hope, please? It’s starting to become cliche. And Cat Morpheus feels derivative, like Gaiman read Saga and noticed how the most beloved character in this huge-selling comic is the Lying Cat and decided, hey, I’ll do the same! So we’ve got two characters who feel totally derivative and, frankly, surplus to the story, at least as it is so far.
Morpheus’ love story too - which is conveniently set up when Hope asks him something like why’re you sad, have you never known love? or some such drivel - is just one long dreary exposition-filled slog through the most tedious love story you’ve ever heard, that never once convinces you that Dream once felt emotions.
The one plus I’ll give Gaiman is that we find out the origin of the horned gates of the Dreaming and his awesome helm. Also those witches from The Kindly Ones make an ominous appearance too. But that’s it.
Far and away the best thing of the comic is the art team Gaiman’s assembled which are the top tier talents of the industry - JH Williams drawing, Dave Stewart colouring, Todd Klein lettering. And Williams’ art is, as you’d expect if you’ve seen this guy’s work, incredible. The imaginative layouts, the splash pages which are so beautifully laid out - a massive piece of land being held up by a giant troll across two pages for example - and Morpheus’ ultra-stylish Western outfit, are just a few highlights. But he can also transition between inks and pencils to a painted style and lose none of his precision. And Dave Stewart’s colours - we all read comics up close but hold this comic out at arm’s length and look at how the colours form on the page. It’s like the pages are lit up!
It’s also worth noting that Vertigo have listened to readers’ complaints (or maybe Gaiman told them to cut the shit?) of that first Overture issue where the ads were every other page, the editorial was slam bang in the middle. They’ve cleaned things up in this issue so there are minimal ads and absolutely no breaks in the story. It’s page after page of comic until it’s over and THEN we see a couple ads, plus a preview of something called Bodies. Much better, Vertigo!
Sandman Overture is the first Sandman book I’m reading in single issues so maybe I’m being unfair and #3 - which is essentially a bridge issue - will read better in the collected edition. Maybe. But judging the comic in itself, I found it wholly unremarkable and quite a bit boring to read but beautiful to look at.
And no more Green Lanterns, please!
That’s how Sandman Overture #3 reads: extremely slowly. It doesn’t actually feel like you’re reading a single issue, it’s like you’re reading a novella or something, there’s so much text. Which I suppose makes up for the looooooong stretches between issues - Overture #1 came out on Halloween 2013 and it’s August 2014 and we’re only on #3! In fact, Gaiman’s said that this issue will be the last of the year with #4 slated for 2015! I guess he’s so highly regarded though that he can get away with missing deadlines.
But this issue isn’t bad because it’s drawn out or overwritten (though it is both), it’s because it’s actually really badly written. So, Morpheus has teamed up with a giant cat version of him and together they’re trying to stop a crazy star - a literal giant gaseous star that’s apparently gone nuts (yes, they have minds apparently) - from triggering a war that’ll destroy the universe? Or something trippy like that. Forces are being marshalled across the galaxy including - surprise! - the freakin’ Green Lantern Corps! That’s right, those dudes make a cameo to remind us that Sandman is part of the DC Universe!
That’s just the context of this issue though, what happens is that Morpheus and Cat Morpheus rescue a little girl called Hope who acts as exposition-starter to Morpheus who tells her his tragic love story. The end. And, because Gaiman sets all of that war stuff up so damn slowly, that it doesn’t feel urgent or impending, it feels - well, just dull which is the opposite of how we’re supposed to feel about that storyline. Zzz… huh? Wuzzat? War? Oh, something excitings going to happen! More narration… zzz…
Can we put a kibosh to little girl characters called Hope, please? It’s starting to become cliche. And Cat Morpheus feels derivative, like Gaiman read Saga and noticed how the most beloved character in this huge-selling comic is the Lying Cat and decided, hey, I’ll do the same! So we’ve got two characters who feel totally derivative and, frankly, surplus to the story, at least as it is so far.
Morpheus’ love story too - which is conveniently set up when Hope asks him something like why’re you sad, have you never known love? or some such drivel - is just one long dreary exposition-filled slog through the most tedious love story you’ve ever heard, that never once convinces you that Dream once felt emotions.
The one plus I’ll give Gaiman is that we find out the origin of the horned gates of the Dreaming and his awesome helm. Also those witches from The Kindly Ones make an ominous appearance too. But that’s it.
Far and away the best thing of the comic is the art team Gaiman’s assembled which are the top tier talents of the industry - JH Williams drawing, Dave Stewart colouring, Todd Klein lettering. And Williams’ art is, as you’d expect if you’ve seen this guy’s work, incredible. The imaginative layouts, the splash pages which are so beautifully laid out - a massive piece of land being held up by a giant troll across two pages for example - and Morpheus’ ultra-stylish Western outfit, are just a few highlights. But he can also transition between inks and pencils to a painted style and lose none of his precision. And Dave Stewart’s colours - we all read comics up close but hold this comic out at arm’s length and look at how the colours form on the page. It’s like the pages are lit up!
It’s also worth noting that Vertigo have listened to readers’ complaints (or maybe Gaiman told them to cut the shit?) of that first Overture issue where the ads were every other page, the editorial was slam bang in the middle. They’ve cleaned things up in this issue so there are minimal ads and absolutely no breaks in the story. It’s page after page of comic until it’s over and THEN we see a couple ads, plus a preview of something called Bodies. Much better, Vertigo!
Sandman Overture is the first Sandman book I’m reading in single issues so maybe I’m being unfair and #3 - which is essentially a bridge issue - will read better in the collected edition. Maybe. But judging the comic in itself, I found it wholly unremarkable and quite a bit boring to read but beautiful to look at.
And no more Green Lanterns, please!
Merged review:
Have you ever heard Neil Gaiman speak? He talks very. Very. (Deep breath) Very. Sl. Ow. L. Y. It’s almost comical how plodding and sonorous his voice is, but that voice is also his narrative style which has made reading his novels, for me anyway, impossible. They’re not fast paced to start with but then I hear his voice and suddenly the snail’s pace drops to a near stop.
That’s how Sandman Overture #3 reads: extremely slowly. It doesn’t actually feel like you’re reading a single issue, it’s like you’re reading a novella or something, there’s so much text. Which I suppose makes up for the looooooong stretches between issues - Overture #1 came out on Halloween 2013 and it’s August 2014 and we’re only on #3! In fact, Gaiman’s said that this issue will be the last of the year with #4 slated for 2015! I guess he’s so highly regarded though that he can get away with missing deadlines.
But this issue isn’t bad because it’s drawn out or overwritten (though it is both), it’s because it’s actually really badly written. So, Morpheus has teamed up with a giant cat version of him and together they’re trying to stop a crazy star - a literal giant gaseous star that’s apparently gone nuts (yes, they have minds apparently) - from triggering a war that’ll destroy the universe? Or something trippy like that. Forces are being marshalled across the galaxy including - surprise! - the freakin’ Green Lantern Corps! That’s right, those dudes make a cameo to remind us that Sandman is part of the DC Universe!
That’s just the context of this issue though, what happens is that Morpheus and Cat Morpheus rescue a little girl called Hope who acts as exposition-starter to Morpheus who tells her his tragic love story. The end. And, because Gaiman sets all of that war stuff up so damn slowly, that it doesn’t feel urgent or impending, it feels - well, just dull which is the opposite of how we’re supposed to feel about that storyline. Zzz… huh? Wuzzat? War? Oh, something excitings going to happen! More narration… zzz…
Can we put a kibosh to little girl characters called Hope, please? It’s starting to become cliche. And Cat Morpheus feels derivative, like Gaiman read Saga and noticed how the most beloved character in this huge-selling comic is the Lying Cat and decided, hey, I’ll do the same! So we’ve got two characters who feel totally derivative and, frankly, surplus to the story, at least as it is so far.
Morpheus’ love story too - which is conveniently set up when Hope asks him something like why’re you sad, have you never known love? or some such drivel - is just one long dreary exposition-filled slog through the most tedious love story you’ve ever heard, that never once convinces you that Dream once felt emotions.
The one plus I’ll give Gaiman is that we find out the origin of the horned gates of the Dreaming and his awesome helm. Also those witches from The Kindly Ones make an ominous appearance too. But that’s it.
Far and away the best thing of the comic is the art team Gaiman’s assembled which are the top tier talents of the industry - JH Williams drawing, Dave Stewart colouring, Todd Klein lettering. And Williams’ art is, as you’d expect if you’ve seen this guy’s work, incredible. The imaginative layouts, the splash pages which are so beautifully laid out - a massive piece of land being held up by a giant troll across two pages for example - and Morpheus’ ultra-stylish Western outfit, are just a few highlights. But he can also transition between inks and pencils to a painted style and lose none of his precision. And Dave Stewart’s colours - we all read comics up close but hold this comic out at arm’s length and look at how the colours form on the page. It’s like the pages are lit up!
It’s also worth noting that Vertigo have listened to readers’ complaints (or maybe Gaiman told them to cut the shit?) of that first Overture issue where the ads were every other page, the editorial was slam bang in the middle. They’ve cleaned things up in this issue so there are minimal ads and absolutely no breaks in the story. It’s page after page of comic until it’s over and THEN we see a couple ads, plus a preview of something called Bodies. Much better, Vertigo!
Sandman Overture is the first Sandman book I’m reading in single issues so maybe I’m being unfair and #3 - which is essentially a bridge issue - will read better in the collected edition. Maybe. But judging the comic in itself, I found it wholly unremarkable and quite a bit boring to read but beautiful to look at.
And no more Green Lanterns, please!
September 18, 2014
For love of Alianora and the end of the universe ...
September 1, 2020
They have come from everywhere, and they gather here in their millions and their tens of millions, waiting for it to begin: The start of the war that will be the end of everything.
We see the 3 fates, meet a child, and find out the origin story of Dream's helm, and Alianora from A Game of You. This one is playing out but there are some nice cameos by the Green Lanterns and there even exists a Space Canine Patrol Corps, which I feel could have its own spin off. However this issue is very much a set up for the next.
We see the 3 fates, meet a child, and find out the origin story of Dream's helm, and Alianora from A Game of You. This one is playing out but there are some nice cameos by the Green Lanterns and there even exists a Space Canine Patrol Corps, which I feel could have its own spin off. However this issue is very much a set up for the next.
September 26, 2017
Benissimo a fuoco, questo terzo numero dell'antefatto alla saga del signore dei sogni, con Sandman e il suo se stesso gattesco che incontrano le temibili Eumenidi, trovano una bambina che sarà importante per la storia e si avvicinano alla città delle stelle, dove si trova il nocciolo dei loro problemi. Belli i disegni, complessi ma sempre leggibili, bella e poetica la storia.
July 30, 2017
Dream的旧情人还真多
December 11, 2017
Different worlds and one war with beautiful art and cool story - that’s why I keep reading!
August 10, 2022
Maravilloso de mis favoritos hasta ahora.
September 6, 2024
I love Sandman, and Overture is the best complete storyline, in my opinion.
December 17, 2014
First read today and the fourth issue comes out now! Good timing? Hope so.
This issue is artistically often incredible, with a range of styles blending into each other. Maybe the greatest image is the stretch of land Dream and the Dream cat and little girl being held up by a giant troll across two pages… Sometimes just breathtaking. Again, as with the last comic people waited months to get, not much happens in this issue, it is mostly exposition, back story, but I guess maybe that is what we are supposed to expect with a prequel… but more action, less vague philosophizing, or more efficient philosophizing about the nature of the universe… The thing I liked about this one over the second is that we now actually have people moving in quest-like fashion of sorts (missing the Tolkien-esque battles and other encounters, however!), and there are at least some interactions. We find out about a Dream love lost (well, one of MANY it seems, which may explain why Morpheus is so broody ALL the time… ). So we have three issues for a lot to happen, and it's basically all set up and a little back story so far… but in spite of my whining, I will be at Defiant Comics tomorrow morning to get my new issue! :)
This issue is artistically often incredible, with a range of styles blending into each other. Maybe the greatest image is the stretch of land Dream and the Dream cat and little girl being held up by a giant troll across two pages… Sometimes just breathtaking. Again, as with the last comic people waited months to get, not much happens in this issue, it is mostly exposition, back story, but I guess maybe that is what we are supposed to expect with a prequel… but more action, less vague philosophizing, or more efficient philosophizing about the nature of the universe… The thing I liked about this one over the second is that we now actually have people moving in quest-like fashion of sorts (missing the Tolkien-esque battles and other encounters, however!), and there are at least some interactions. We find out about a Dream love lost (well, one of MANY it seems, which may explain why Morpheus is so broody ALL the time… ). So we have three issues for a lot to happen, and it's basically all set up and a little back story so far… but in spite of my whining, I will be at Defiant Comics tomorrow morning to get my new issue! :)
August 18, 2014
The good parts are pure Gaiman, but are too few. Some nice touches like the nods to Marvel characters, but on the whole this felt like filler and didn't really advance the story much to speak of. I feel the wait between issues is altogether too long for something of so little substance. I trust the final half of the mini-series will make up for it.
Merged review:
The good parts are pure Gaiman, but are too few. Some nice touches like the nods to Marvel characters, but on the whole this felt like filler and didn't really advance the story much to speak of. I feel the wait between issues is altogether too long for something of so little substance. I trust the final half of the mini-series will make up for it.
Merged review:
The good parts are pure Gaiman, but are too few. Some nice touches like the nods to Marvel characters, but on the whole this felt like filler and didn't really advance the story much to speak of. I feel the wait between issues is altogether too long for something of so little substance. I trust the final half of the mini-series will make up for it.
August 21, 2014
For all my conflicting feelings about Neil Gaiman, the man can write comics - I wish he'd do it more. This series is one of the most beautiful I have ever come across: I exclaim with delight every time I turn the page and each page is more exquisite than the last. Even if the story was duff, it would be worth it for the art alone - but it's not. I was scared about going back to the world of the Sandman - how could it live up to what has already come before? I remembered at how disappointed I was in Endless Nights and worried that this would be a similar disappointment. I needn't have worried - it is a joy to return.
August 1, 2014
It's too bad this is only six issues long. It seems like it deserves to be much longer than that.
But I’m also nervous that we’re spending so much time on the journey, the Morpheus’ confrontation with his Father and/or the Queen of the Night figure isn’t going to live up to what’s come before. But then again, Gaiman is always good at conclusions that pull the rug out from under reader expectations...
But I’m also nervous that we’re spending so much time on the journey, the Morpheus’ confrontation with his Father and/or the Queen of the Night figure isn’t going to live up to what’s come before. But then again, Gaiman is always good at conclusions that pull the rug out from under reader expectations...
May 21, 2015
The story is being told in such little pieces but this was a very nice one as the person Dream and the cat Dream set out in search of the planets, met hope and travelled. As always the art work remains gorgeous. I am surprised the tale is half told as not much seems to happen but look forward to reading this all in one go once everything has been released.
August 10, 2014
These take so long to come out each time because the art is freakin' insane! Beautiful, complex, clever, scary and the perfect compliment to Gaiman's writing, the plot, and to Dream. I was often confused in issue #2 but this one finds solid narrative ground even as the panels slide, turn to smoke, and geometricize (I just made that word up).
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
January 11, 2016
I disegni di J.W.III sono ottimi e i colori di Stewart sono un guizzare surreali di sfumature inaspettatamente equilibrate, ma ho trovato che i capitoli 2 e 3 presentassero una storia leggermente più debole, ecco perchè ho voluto segnalare un voto leggermente più basso. Mi sarà utile come promemoria. ★★★★✩
April 13, 2016
The universe is coming to an end because of a mad star and Dream. Obviously, the universe doesn't end, because this is a prequel. This will also lead to the imprisonment that comes to an end at the start of "Preludes and Nocturnes."
I love the weirdness of this story. I can almost hear music while I read it. A soundtrack. Something off and clanky. Something beautiful.
I love the weirdness of this story. I can almost hear music while I read it. A soundtrack. Something off and clanky. Something beautiful.
August 1, 2014
Read in beautifully printed comicbook form: run, don't walk, to your comics shop for this installment.
I suppose you can find it on Kindle if you must; but, find it!
I love Williams art, combining imaginative layout and storytelling with beautiful rendering.
Highest recommendation.
I suppose you can find it on Kindle if you must; but, find it!
I love Williams art, combining imaginative layout and storytelling with beautiful rendering.
Highest recommendation.
December 2, 2014
Best issue so far. Dream tells a story to a little girl. Dream Cat has great lines. The pace and rhythm is typical Sandman of yore, elegant and cozy. And man, the art is amazing... J. H. Williams III is one hell of an artist.
August 15, 2014
The artwork is STUNNING. For all three issues so far, it has just been breathtaking. Of course, the story is fabulous, but what else would you expect from Gaiman? :)
September 7, 2014
Weird, weird journey. I will hold out for the whole series, but it's really weird in book 3.
December 28, 2014
I forgot how much I loved Sandman back in the day... Very happy to have him back, even for a short while.
December 23, 2014
Damn it I NEED MORE
January 20, 2015
Actually thinking about dropping this title also...not getting into it.
January 31, 2015
Interesting character of a godhead. You can see influences of American Gods in this. The art in this is the most creative I have ever seen.
January 31, 2016
Loving the art, loving the characters, loving the anticipation. Can't wait for more!
December 29, 2015
This is a volume where it's hard to understand Dream's consciousness, though in a way that's pleasing, and we begin to say what has happened to pull Dream towards it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews