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Sandman--should I or shouldn't I?

Like ValkyrieRaven88, I'd decided to try the series. But the first one was out of print for a while in the UK and I really did want to start right at the beginning.

I've read the first three now and the fourth and fifth are waiting on the shelf.

They're fascinating, with a genuine depth to them. Superior graphic novels/comics without a doubt.
 
I'm in the minority on this series. One day, I borrowed the first two volumes in the series -- I think it was "Preludes and Nocturnes" and something-I-forgot-the-title -- and took them to lunch at Pizza Hut for a buffet meal. I was enjoying my pizza, to the extent that one can enjoy Pizza Hut pizza, while reading the first volume. I read it all the way through the first volume (I was at Pizza Hut for a long time!). After reading it, I thought to myself, "Maaaaan, I don't get it! THIS was what all the Sandman fuss was about?"

I started on the second volume and got bored.

Having said that, I'm not sure one can judge an entire series based on one volume. But for me, that one volume was enough to kill the motivation to read further. I'm not a patient reader, I have to confess. When the first one or two chapters don't do it for me, I lose all interest and stop reading. I know...it's a character flaw.
 
SeoulMan, if you didn't like the first two volumes then you were wise to stop there; I guess the series wasn't for you.
 
sparkchaser said:
SeoulMan, if you didn't like the first two volumes then you were wise to stop there; I guess the series wasn't for you.
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Probably.

As I said, I have no patience. I get bored reading some books after the first two chapters. I may return to them at some point in the future when my mind is more "willing" and "open", so to speak. I have done this before. When I first read "The Watchmen" (I use this example to stay in the spirit of comics/graphic novels), I couldn't quite get into the rhythm and art (which I thought was bad...LOL!) of the first few pages. A couple years later, I returned to it and liked it a lot. I don't love it, but I liked it a lot!

So, I'll see you "Sandman" ...in about five years.
 
sparkchaser said:
SeoulMan, if you didn't like the first two volumes then you were wise to stop there.
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This is a horrible advice and you shouldn't pay attention to it, SeoulMan :D

Every reader of The Sandman knows that the first two volumes in the series aren't a good start for a beginner; in fact Gaiman was still finding his voice in the first 7 seven issues. You should start with the volumes collecting stand-alone stories, like Fables and Reflections or Dream Country, which show Gaiman's ability to weave fantasy, mythology, history and reality with honesty and emotion.
 
Well, The Sandman was 75 issues, so Gaiman should be forgiven for struggling in the first ones. He gets progressively, with the third volume showing his knack for short stories and the fourth, the long Season of Mists storyline, being one of the high points of the series.
 
SeoulMan said:
Seven whole issues!?!?!?! That's a lot of issues!
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Playboy recommended that if you decide not to start from the beginning, to just start at Vol. 7: Brief Lives. That's where it really gets good & going. If you give up now, you'll be missing out on something fantastic.
 
Libra6Poe said:
Playboy recommended that if you decide not to start from the beginning, to just start at Vol. 7: Brief Lives. That's where it really gets good & going. If you give up now, you'll be missing out on something fantastic.
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I'll give it a go after I'm done with this month's Book of the Month.

Thanks!
 
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