[The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1 is a gorgeous, oversized, fake-leather bound tome comprising the first twenty issues of the Sandman comic, and the print quality is fantastic. It's an extravagance, but it's not that much more expensive than buying the equivalent cheaper collection.]

I first dipped into Gaiman's Sandman series back in 1997, and I started in the wrong place (with Season of Mists). As a result, I wasn't drawn into the Sandman universe, and I gave up. Recently, however, I've gone on a deep dive into Alan Moore's graphic novels, and my interest in Sandman returned. This time, I started from the beginning.

I'm hooked. The plotting isn't anywhere near the tightness and complexity of Moore's graphic novels, but it's a helluva lot easier to follow. The mythology is rich, and though I don't know where it's going yet, it seems to be going somewhere.

Season of Mists is next in the chronology, and I'm curious to see how much better I like it in context.