Preludes and Nocturnes is not my favorite Sandman graphic novel, but I understand how it needs to plant the literary seeds so that in the next volumes, the plants of the plot would sprout out to life with well-defined story arcs. It is, after all, the prologue.

The whole volume follows the story of Dream, also known as the Sandman/Morpheus/Prince of Stories as he escapes from a mystical prison and embarks on a journey to find three talismans: a helm, a pouch, and a ruby.

• The tome kicks off with “The Sleep of the Just”, where we see how Dream is incarcerated, how it affects the sleeping and dreaming of the world, and how he wakes up from his sleep. I was intrigued by The Magdalene Grimoire, but the whole thing about the summoning of the wrong Endless didn’t really interest me; that kind of mistake-that-started-it-all is a bit passé, in my opinion.

•In “Imperfect Hosts” we delve deeper into the DC universe when we’re introduced to Cain and Abel. Not much action, but I liked the smooth incorporation of two mythologies.

•I ‘m quite contented with “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, because John Constantine is one of my favorite DC Comics characters. This is a nice, engrossing issue where Dream tries to get his pouch of sand, with a poignant ending for Rachel, Constantine’s former girlfriend. Loved it.

•“A Hope in Hell” receives a thumb up from me. Here we get to see a vaguely revealed yet fractured love story of Morpheus with Nada, and the triumvirate that rules Hell: Lucifer, Beezlebub, and Azazel. Here we see how Dream uses his wisdom to outwit the demons and attempts to get his helm. I liked it.

•“Passengers” is a bit confusing to me, and not much fun like what other DC Comics readers tell me. It must be a shame, but I’m not really familiar with the Justice League (the graphic novel version at least); this is the first time I’m introduced to Mr. Miracle/Scott Free. I do know who Scarecrow is, though, and I once again commend the effortless melding of stories. A new character by the name of John Dee/Dr.Destiny enters, and the plot thickens drastically...

•“24 Hours” is the most gruesome of all the issues in this volume. Many people have been tortured here, and while I’m not new to this kind of darkly twisted stuff, it still disturbed me. Not my favorite, although I quite liked the appearance of the Fates.

•In “Sound and Fury”, John Dee and Dream battle. Perhaps the most riveting part, being the climax. The tangible world and Dream’s realm are both shown, with the wide-range effect of the power of dreaming going haywire. The ending is spot-on.

•While it may only serve as an epilogue of sorts to this tome (or the “denouement” issue) that is not really linked to the previous seven issues, I loved “The Sound of Her Wings” because this is where Death, my favorite Endless, appears for the first time. She emerges as a Goth girl chiding her moping brother Dream. I marvel at how Gaiman designed her character, so unconventional and down-to-earth that it is the complete opposite of the usual depiction of “death” in popular culture. Also, I notice that while the previous issues have twisted, action-fueled flavor, this last issue has the tone that resonates with the rest of the succeeding volumes. It’s by no means light, yet it has a feel of serenity in it that blends perfectly with the underlying dark theme. Here we see Dream watching Death do her work—fetching souls after they shuffle off the mortal coil and then accompanying them to their destination. Quite a lovely closure to the volume.

All in all it’s a captivating read, a good springboard to a new mythology that an older audience will surely enjoy. I used to refer to the whole series as “graphic novels for the thinking man”, and I still think of it that way. The artwork is okay, although compared to the illustrations of the latter volumes it is still inferior.

Four stars for an epic read.