The Sandman Companion

The Sandman

by Hy Bender, Neil Gaiman

The Sandman was a groundbreaking and award-winning series that told the dark and tragic tale of Morpheus, the King of Dreams. A fascinating mythology of horror and consequence, this epic masterfully combined intriguing literature with captivating art. THE SANDMAN COMPANION is an exhaustive guide to this legend. Revealing hitherto undisclosed information and behind-the-scenes secrets, this book features in-depth interviews, never-before-seen illustrations, character origins, and story explanations and analysis. Also including excerpts from the original proposal for the series, this handbook is the perfect complement to the Sandman graphic novels.

Genres: Nonfiction, Comics, Graphic Novels, Reference, Books About Books, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

273 pages, Hardcover

First published December 8, 1999

About the author

Hy Bender is an author who has written or cowritten 15 books. Bender also writes reviews of New York theatre productions and comedy shows, primarily for his website, and occasionally for other publications such as The New York Times. Bender has written humor articles for such national magazines as Mad Magazine, Spy, American Film, and Advertising Age.

Bender is currently focused on screenwriting, and runs the respected Manhattan movie writing workshop NYScreenwriters.org. Bender runs a script analysis service to help writers identify and repair problems with their screenplays and teleplays, and runs a book proposal service that helps authors sell their concepts to book publishers.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fun read for any Sandman fan, but I'd recommend re-reading the series right before diving into the companion if it's been a while. There are many specific references throughout the companion and despite the fact that I had just read the series I still had to go back and look things up several times to figure out which scene was being discussed. I liked the mix of details on Gaiman's writing, the characters/storyline, and the work done by the pencillers. The companion is full of fun tidbits like a dissection of the different fonts used for characters' speech bubbles, an exploration of all the past DC characters and people in Gaiman's life that made cameos, and lots of examples of symbolism throughout the book. My only complaint is that the interview-style conversation between Gaiman and companion author Hy Bender felt too rehearsed. Each chapter is supposed to contain an interview with Gaiman, but I can't imagine how much work it took to construct these interviews the way they appear on the page. Bender will ask a general question and Gaiman will respond with five different examples (including the comic and page number) and they will take turns quoting long chunks of text from those examples. But at the same time, Bender often asks follow-up questions that would have to flow naturally from the conversation. It's probably the strangest interview I've ever read, just because it's too perfect. But the book is thorough without becoming boring, and I came away from it feeling that I had a much deeper understanding of the Sandman series, and of Gaiman.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been some years since I’ve read the original Sandman series. My ex worked as a dustman and found a boxset that someone had put out with their rubbish and promptly saved it. Quite luckily so, as I was immediately entranced by the colours and storylines. It had been years since I’d read any comics, having been pretty much addicted to the Beano as a kid, and I’d never seen anything like it. This was no easy-going bit of children’s fun, but something serious, grown up, which in my late teens to early twenties, I found hard to appreciate fully. Reading this Companion guide now, many years later, makes me realise how many of the details I had missed.

This book breaks down each collection bit by bit, with *extensive* interviews (and yep, they truly are) in between to further help explain each storyline and also how they came about. I am actually planning on rereading the entire series, as well as the additional stories that have been published since (and, as it happens, there appears to be truly no end to the Sandman storylines, considering the infinite nature of the idea as a whole). I am sure that this book will come in useful, as I read each book, in helping to understand the minutiae of details contained within, and how much of a genius Gaiman truly is.

Final rating: ★★★★★ – Loved it/couldn't put it down

[D.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A largely unnecessary book, made worthwhile almost exclusively for the interviews with Gaiman. The occasional input from other creators & Sandman-boosters add little to the text, and even less to the reading of the series itself. Bender also tends to promote his own theories from time to time without any support from the prime series creator himself (e.g., that Lucien the librarian is actually the Biblical Adam), and ignores other information that could be further explored (just who is Leigh Bauch, the person credited in this book with early art in developing Sandman?).
Even the art is mostly previously published, with only a few unpublished sketches to entice the completist.
A miss for anyone but the absolute most hardcore Sandman follower.

[Aneel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this on a whim.

This was perfect for reading while I ate dinner over the course of a month or so. Short, self-contained interviews with Neil Gaiman about the Sandman series. Interesting insights. Bender asks good questions, and seems to have a good dynamic with Gaiman. It prompted me to go back and re-read some of the graphic novels, looking more closely at some of the themes. It was particularly interesting to read about the reception of the series as it was being written. I hadn't realized the extent to which The Sandman affected the Goth scene.

[h o l l i s]

This in no way made me love the Sandman series more in hindsight, it is what it is and I respect it but don't love it, but I found the interviews with Gaiman just reinforced what I've always thought : he's fascinating, thoughtful, and has a brain that seems unmatched with recall and references and homages. Reading through his process, his plotting, his inspiration, for each issue was so interesting.

I would actually recommend this for fans and (like me) sorta non-fans of the comic alike.

[Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, it's no secret that I love Neil Gaiman's The Sandman Series, so I'm reading all the ancillary materials which includes this. I am not sure what I was expecting but it ended up being mostly an interview with Neil Gaiman, with very little writing per se by Hy Bender, hence the 3⭐ rating.

The interviews do provide a lot of background detail and Gaiman's insights. A few of my favorites are listed below:-

🥵 His confession that he "found" his author's voice in Issue 6, but that story where a bunch of people are tortured to death in a 24 hours period was so graphic a lot of readers said they stopped buying Sandman after issue 6, only returning later when they were assured things were "safe".


⁉️ He had no idea the comic would be a success at the start, always waiting for it to get "cancelled". Except it kept getting more readers.

💀 Editor Karen Berger knew the series would take off in Issue 8 when Gaiman introduced Death and brought the emotional core into the Sandman stories. Gaiman actually says in an interview:
NG: The Cabala says the Angel of Death is so beautiful that when you see her, you fall in love. And you love her so hard that your soul leaves your body, drawn out through your eyes. I always thought that was a lovely notion.

He knew from the start that Death would be an instant star with readers, so he used her "like Marlon Brando getting paid $4 million to appear in ten minutes of Superman" - very sparingly and only for moments of great impact. He did the same, to a lesser extent, with Dream.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the book description said that Neil Gaiman was "extensively interviewed" here, they mean it. The main part "The Sandman Companion" is divided into sections, with each chapter devoted to a different storyline, and Neil gets to answer questions and talk a LOT about them all. After reading the entire comic series (several times), I love seeing each plotline from the inside out, and Neil throws in some lovely tidbits about things I'd never noticed, even on the third or fourth reading of a pariticular story.

[Fátima López Sevilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved being able to see behind the curtain and get to know about the creative process of writing: where do authors get their ideas? how do they sit down and write? was this book or series a success from the let go?

Neil Gaiman is always a pleasure to listen to and read, so this book felt like the perfect way to say "see you later" to the Endless family.

A must read if you love The Sandman, Gaiman, writing or comics in general.

[Andrew Sorrentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of stuff ‘behind the scenes’ you might say.

[Julie Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has tons of supplementary information about the Sandman series. You can find some trivia about and discussion of each issue, along with interviews from Gaiman and people who inspired him, character origin stories, spotlights on the art, character history on the development of Dream's character, and a FAQ. I don't recommend it for people who haven't read the comics--it's really for people who enjoyed the stories and want a deeper look into them.

[Linh Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brought me a whole new respect for Neil Gaiman as an author. His brilliance storytelling skills, his deep understanding of human nature and his impressive knowledge of mythology as well as pop culture are to be marveled at. I have always enjoyed his style of writing, the matter-of-fact way he present ideas that are layered yet never pretentious, that invite but never force you to think. His fantasy worlds were crafted in an almost absurdism way, very nonchalant. But throughout this book, I came to realize how meticulous he is about his writing, how he connect each ideas and maintain a theme throughout what seemingly are fragmented storylines. For me, that is the great part about Neil's writing - the way his stories would be a little all over the place and hard to follow at first, then before you realize, all the puzzle would fall into place perfectly and you are left to wonder how you didn't see it before.

The Sandman, many would argue, was his magnum opus, and they wouldn't be wrong. There has never been a more frustrating, unlovable main character that you cannot help but love and feel heartbroken for. There has never been a tragedy that left me as a reader absolutely wrecked, but cannot find a different way to change the ending. It has been a minute since a story affected me this way, and this companion book elevated it to a new level of appreciation. A story about gods and myths and otherworldly beings, and it was so human, the way as every creature, they are unaware of their shortcoming, they are selfish, they are emotional, they are vain, and their problems are deeply personal. Yet it doesn't make them less of an incomprehensible force, it just makes you understand why human was their creation.

Besides the titular character, which I could write essays and essays about, the amalgamation of supporting characters were all created with love and care, and that was genuinely impressive. Every one of them had a soul, a motive, complex even if we only see a snapshot of them in a few panel. It was incredibly diverse, yet never inauthentic. Every conversation, every character, was inspired by looking at humanity with an empathetic eye and see them as you are, as a person, and not as a character, and that what made it work. It is easy to see why The Sandman was revolutionary when it was first published, and unfortunately, still is to this day in some aspects.

This book is invaluable to readers of The Sandman: where else would you be able to be in conversation with the author, and he laid his brain out for you to look into the process of creating this magnificence of a tale? More than a guide to The Sandman, this book is a guide to the craft of storytelling, and it was truly a gift to anyone who love reading and writing. This book really spoiled me as a reader, and now I would go on to read any other book and wishing for a peek inside the machinery of the author. And it definitely stoked the fire of my love for writing again, itchy to try my hand at spinning the yarn of a tale and let it take me to places I could only dream of (pun intended). A shame it was out of print, because I would buy it and display in with the highest honor in my bookshelf and go back to it every time I want to remember the magic power of stories.

[Robert Pocock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book. It essentially looks at each collection in turn, with Hy Bender describing the story arc and 'Some Things Worth Noticing' and then he lets Neil Gaiman talk about the creative process and points of interest for that section. Neil Gaiman is a really articulate interviewee and gives great value, and its what he talks about that is the main interest in the book. Fortunately there's lots of space for him and its fascinating to read. The only slight disappointment is that the 'Some Things Worth Noticing' section for each collection is normally only a couple of pages long and, while it does give some interesting interpretations, this bit is just too short. It would have been interesting if this bit was expanded for the author to attempt more exploration and critical analysis of subtext, mythology etc. Neil Gaiman does touch on this at times but this feels like a missed opportunity.

For me, the book could have been twice as long as it is so readable and The Sandman is a massive work which fully justifies the attention. This isn't a criticism but rather an expression of how much I enjoyed reading this book. Highly recommended.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason this is not getting 5* is because it doesn't cover 'Sandman: Overture' (honestly, I could have done with somebody explaining that to me like I was still in high school).

Reading the Sandman, I thought I was maybe getting 50-60%(ish) of the rich subtext or, as Hy Bender calls it, the 'metamyth'. Then I read a quote from Harlan Ellison that said he thought he maybe got 30% of the references and I instantly felt very dumb. So 'The Sandman Companion' gets into the nitty-gritty of what Neil Gaiman wanted to say by actually asking Neil Gaiman what he wanted to say. That's the reductionist version of the review. It's probably worth saying that it also contains snippets of interviews from other collaborators and bits of extremely lovely artwork. All of the chapters follow a similar format: a brief synopsis of the plot, 'some things worth noting' (ie. a polite version of saying 'these are all of the things Gaiman is trying to do here and you're probably missing a good 70% of them') and an in-depth interview with Gaiman about the collection. It's funny, witty, charming and very informative.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

One might expect The Sandman Companion by Hy Bender to be a panel-by-panel exercise in annotation of Neil Gaiman's landmark comics series, but one would be wrong. Bender offers a strong synopsis of every trade paperback collection, where he makes some critical points, then a small section on themes and things to look for, but it's not a nerdy dissection. The true value of the Companion is that most of its page count is devoted to insightful interviews with Gaiman himself, which is more annotative, as it were, than any of the synopses. As a Sandman fan from back then, but who has not read much of it since, I was surprised and impressed at how much of the comics came to mind as vivid memories reading the book. It's really as if I'd read the series again, while simultaneously making me want to reread it, or more strongly, the comics from this world NOT covered (the Death minis, The Dreaming, etc.). Feel free to skip the introductory piece on "what is a comic book?" which I can't believe are of value to anyone getting this book (shades of "What is a role-playing game?" in countless RPGs, but once that's done, it gets to the interesting stuff, fast.

[Gheorghe Paslariu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelent companion to one of the best fantasy series. I used this on my 4th read-trough of Sandman and found out that there were still tiny details and little hidden messages that I missed.
I recommend using this book on your second or third read-trough. I doesn't have spoilers, but the first time you are too captivated by the story, the second time you realise there were tons of stuff very relevant to the story, inserted in the first issues, but you could not have known that the first time you read it. The third time if you use this, as I said, you find even more hidden gems.
I also enjoyed very much the interviews with Neil Gaiman. Very informative and fun to read.
A must if you enjoyed the series and want a better understanding of it.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I highly recommend reading the series through first and then read it again with the Companion to gain a deeper understanding of the story and the multitudes of characters contained within The Sandman. The reason for this is because there are definitely some spoilers that are unavoidable if you read this during your first go through.

Organized into easy-to-read chapters that adhere to each volume of the ten-part series, this companion book does an excellent job of exploring nuances that are easily missed, explain further details straight from Gaiman's brain, and elucidate upon thoughts that many careful readers may have. This is a highly recommended side-by-side book that I thought gave me an additional amount of depth to the story I would have otherwise missed.

[Nestor B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are going to read one book about The Sandman, you can read this one. It contains thorough summaries of the stories, insightful observations by Hy Bender and good interviews where Bender and Gaiman talk about the comic, what lies behind it, origin stories, the process before and during and so forth. Everything you were wondering about The Sandman but didn't know who to ask, you’ll find it here.

[Natalie Schloss · Rating 3 out of 5]

did have to go back and look at certain bits of the sandman and there were a lot i ignored because i wasn't gonna cross reference everything said here but it was kind of frustrating that even with solid summaries i had to go back and look at what they were talking about. i guess including the panels in this companion would've been too complicated but i think it would've made things a little easier

also seeing hy bender's other works...i wanna know how he got this gig

[Stephanie Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great way to get even deeper into my favorite comics of all time. I suggest reading this as you do a reread of the graphic novels in order to get a full grasp of just how much work goes into them and how many small details sometimes go unnoticed. I have a new found respect for the sandman after 16 years of reading them and rereading them.

[N Dorville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow start but definitely loved it.
I would definitely also recommend (re)reading each volume on its own before each chapter for a deeper appreciation.

Hy is a really good interviewer and researcher, and you learn so much more about writing, ideas and other cool bits of literature when reading this.

[Sergey Selyutin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with Hanging Out with the Dream King this work is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what Sandman is really about. Illuminating and to the point.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Between the lengthy interviews here and his essays in View from the Cheap Seats, I really could just listen to Gaiman talk about anything forever.

But when he talks about Sandman--and right after I just binged the series again--it's even more incredible.

[Hmpf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have sworn I clicked "read" for this, and rated it, many weeks ago. It offers some interesting tidbits on the process of creating the series, some insight on some of the influences and references and allusions, but isn't as in-depth as I would wish.

[Nicole Flowers Frye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Read the Sandman comics first. I enjoy how they went over the comic. Then had interviews that told you why/how or something cool about the comic. It was well written. I liked the pictures too.

[Stavros Kontovas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read the whole Sandman along the way.
It was fascinating to discover so many more details and insights that I totally missed during the first couple of time I read Sandman.
I really enjoyed it and I wish it was a bigger book with even more information.

[themnemovore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amo demasiado todo lo que aprendí de la serie con este libro, mi recomendación es leer cada capitulo asignado junto con el volumen de Sandman, sino muchos detalles se van a perder.
Bonus Points: cada vez que Neil sale siendo la persona más ñoña.

[Stephen Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. This book explains so much (but not all) of both the text and the subtext of the entire Sandman series. Many fascinating insights. I learned a lot.

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing collection of interviews and behind the scenes info about the Sandman comic from the creators themselves. Lots of great art and interviews.

[Rehear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was definitely wonderfoul

[Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a whole new reading experience reading the companion guide and the comics co-occuringly.