I know I should probably be reading Japanese manga by now, and I have a few on my desk already, but so far have not really tried to dig into them. Instead, I got myself the first volume of a much celebrated American comics series, The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. Eight episodes (much different from each other in style, I suppose the series will become more consistent in its tone in later volumes) tell the story of how Morpheus, the Sandman, Master of Dreams, gets entrapped by a group of magicians in 1916, and how, after escaping seventies years later, has to reclaim his kingdom and restore order to the World of Dreams, a quest that leads him through the mortal world, the Dream World, and Hell.

The series is suggested for mature readers, and I have to admit I found some parts uncomfortably morbid (especially 24 Hours, wherein an escaped madmen who stole Morpheus' Dreamstone artefact pushes the world into chaos by inducing nightmares). I am also not particularly fond of the artwork (the covers are cool, though). But of course, I know next to nothing about comics, and even in a graphic novel the main thing is the story, which is intriguing. Neil Gaiman, by the way, is the writer, and seven other people collaborated as artists, letterers, and colourists. I liked the last episode most. The Sound of Her Wings is an epilogue: Nothing much happens, but we meet The Sandman's sister (Death), and the two contemplate their role in the universe.