Skip to content
Answering Your Questions About Reactor: Right here.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Everything in one handy email.
When one looks in the box, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the cat.

Reactor

I’ve written about the Absolute Sandman volumes before—their gorgeous heft, the bonus material, and of course the “re-mastered” corrected pages with fresh coloring that brought an excellent story to even brighter life. Their price tag, though, was pretty prohibitive for most casual readers who might want to check out the lovely new pictures.

No longer must those readers pine and suffer!

Vertigo has recently begun re-releasing the trade volumes of Sandman, which isn’t a surprise; comics publishers generally update trade editions on a fairly regular basis when they feel the old covers and versions have been on the market too long. (Transmetropolitan recently got a fresh reissue, also.) Usually there’s nothing new on the inside. This time, though, Vertigo has the right idea.

Sandman volume 2Having held them side by side and compared the differences in the art (there’s a comparison picture here) I can safely say that the new editions are of much higher quality. The colors are vivid, the shading is perfect, and the illustrations come to life with a much greater vivacity than before. The new trades are priced at $19, which will run you (by the end) about $200 for the complete set, assuming you don’t employ coupons at the bookseller of your choice. To compare, buying the four Absolute editions to have the same re-colored and corrected pages will run you $400, which is, obviously, fully double what you would pay for the trades.

Comics are a damned expensive medium, but these re-issues make it slightly more affordable. Plus, the Absolutes only came with McKean slipcovers and leather covers—the new trades have freshly designed Dave McKean covers, swirls of color and strangeness that truly seem to encompass the dream-worlds that are contained between their pages.

Sandman volume 1If you’ve been waiting to buy Sandman, have never read it, or already own the older trades but couldn’t justify shelling out the cash for the Absolutes, now’s your chance. These re-issues will continue well into 2011, so it is with deep regret I inform you that you can’t go buy them all right this minute, but imagine: it’ll be like waiting on Sandman all over again, discovering every month a new chunk of the story in such perfect colors as you’ve never seen it before. (Or am I the only one who finds a book sweeter after a long wait and building anticipation?)

As for a holiday gifts of some sort, the first three volumes are currently available and the fourth, “Season of Mists,” comes out in February. Give the gift of Gaiman (even if it’s just to yourself)!


Lee Mandelo is a multi-fandom geek with a special love for comics and queer literature. She can be found on Twitter and Livejournal.

About the Author

About Author Mobile

Lee Mandelo

Author

Lee Mandelo (he/him) is a writer, scholar, and sometimes-editor whose work focuses on queer and speculative fiction. His recent books include debut novel Summer Sons, a contemporary gay Southern gothic, as well as the novellas Feed Them Silence and The Woods All Black. Mandelo's short fiction, essays, and criticism can be read in publications including Tor.com/Reactor, Post45, Uncanny Magazine, and Capacious; he has also been a past nominee for various awards including the Lambda, Nebula, Goodreads Choice, and Hugo. He currently resides in Louisville and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kentucky. Further information, interviews, and sundry little posts about current media he's enjoying can be found at leemandelo.com or @leemandelo on socials.
Learn More About Lee
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
5 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments