Photo: Netflix.

In January 1989, the publication of a series of comics began under the seal of DC Comics and the authorship of the practically unknown Neil Gaiman.

Under the title "The Sandman", the legendary publisher sought two objectives with its launch: to attract an adult audience that loves the most gothic and fantastic horror, and to revitalize the figure of the superhero that emerged in the late 1930s. Gaiman, a former journalist turned comic book writer after reading “Swamp Thing”, he came with fresh ideas for the air saturated with muscles in tights.

He not only transformed the character from a righteous gray to a vulnerable god (or rather, Eternal), but also gave the graphic novels a lyricism little explored in this manifestation until now.

The plot of the 75 issues that saw the light for seven years revolves around Morpheus, representation of the god of dreams and his relationship with both his immortal brothers and with humans who threaten his stability but constitute the support of the kingdom he has created. .

Due to the multiple channels of its history, the oneiric-time journeys, the poetic style and the diversity of its characters, for a long time the comic rightly earned the label of "unadaptable".

It took 30 years for Gaiman himself, along with renowned screenwriters David S. Goyer (“Dark Knight”, “Constantine”, “Foundation”) and Allan Heinberg (“Wonder Woman”) to decide to bring the world of dreams to the of the cameras.

With the format of ten chapters that is usually the usual in Netflix series (plus an eleventh added later), "The Sandman" is fundamentally based on two collections: "Preludes and Nocturnes", which contains the first eight numbers, and "The doll's house", with the following eight.

In summary, they tell the events around the capture of Morpheus by Roderick Burgess, his imprisonment for a century (in the cartoon it is only 70 years), the liberation and then the search for his instruments of power that were taken from him.

But it also deals with the encounters of the Lord of Dreams with the other immortal beings and the consequences of his captivity for all humanity.

If anything stands out in Gaiman's novel it's the diversity of its characters, so it wasn't really surprising to find a female version of John Constantine in the series.

Frame.

This is another of the distinctions of Gaiman's work, the incredible diversity that he gives to his secondary characters, making them so fascinating that several times they take over plots in which the protagonist does not appear.

Killers and victims, demons, allies and enemies.

"The Sandman" was one of the first graphic novels published by DC Comics to introduce a non-binary character (Desire), also contain countless references to historical figures and have appearances by other superheroes belonging to the same publisher.

Luckily, the television series ignored the latter and focused only on capturing the wealth of the cast.

So, unlike other adaptations in which the changes seem forced, here only the author's effort to represent the difference is followed.

The cast combines very young actors with others of some recognition plus veterans who once again prove the value of their experience.

Jenna Coleman (Johanna Constantine), Boyd Holbrook (the Corinthian), Joely Richardson (Ethel Cripps), Mason Alexander Park (Wish), Charles Dance (Roderick Burgess) and Gwendoline Christie (Lucifer Morningstar) get their performances right, but they are David Thewliss (John Dee), Stephen Fry (Gilbert) and Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Death) who steal every second of the screen.

Patton Oswalt puts the voice of the friendly crow Mathew, permeating the few permissible doses of humor and at the same time as the guide for those who have not read the comic and need to connect some dots.

Tom Sturridge in the role of Morpheus was perhaps the biggest disappointment due to the imposing presence of his counterpart in the comics.

In the series he only refers to being the best possible in the anthropomorphic shell of the character.

Some argue that so much use of CGI could have been intended to better contribute to the ethereal image of the protagonist.

But it is clear that for the creators it was more important to prioritize the parliaments and make him seem like one more human, which is the ultimate goal of the long road he undertakes to meet again after his imprisonment.

Characters who often philosophize about life and their dreams, impressive visual effects, beautifully crafted costumes, a soundtrack that mixes classical with electronic to suit different realms, impeccable cinematography, horror in contained brushstrokes.

Every detail of the series was thought to recreate as faithfully as possible the gothic and gloomy atmosphere of the comic.

From the impeccable cinematography to the horror elements in small doses, they come together to simulate the gothic and gloomy atmosphere of the comic.

Apart from the aspects added to modernize the plot, it is impressive how the supreme objective of respecting the original work led to chapters where dialogue for dialogue of the comic is practically repeated.

Such are the cases of “A hope in hell” or “The sound of their wings”.

The care and devotion to bring "The Sandman" to television more than makes up for previous failed attempts to recreate Gaiman's work ("American Gods," "Good Omens"), with the exception of "Coraline."

However, although most of the fans of the comic are satisfied, others cannot avoid the argument that extreme fidelity entails the absence of risk and imagination to create new content, an aspect in which the graphic novel was a pioneer.

Another aspect to highlight is that, although it is not necessary to read the comic to understand the series, the diversity of the stories arranged in an apparently random way can confuse more than one novice on the subject.

I do not agree with the opinion that the character of Sueño was underdeveloped compared to the others.

This was never Gaiman's goal.

"The Sandman" has been characterized as the story about ordinary people, their aspirations, dreams and nightmares.

By the time it started coming out, DC Comics had given Gaiman carte blanche to deliver something totally different.

For this reason, the protagonist of his work is as distant as possible from a vigilante and does not have great concerns for humanity.

Despite departing from the entire superhero dynamic, the novel won more than 26 Eisner Awards and twice the Bram Stoker Award for Best Illustrated Narrative.

Hence the enormous effort of the creators to emulate the original writing.

But in the attempt to adjust the poetic and philosophical parliaments to the demands of the audiovisual, much is lost along the way.

The bombastic settings and special effects by the handful bury the mystery, the active reception of concepts and thoughts.

And if the television adaptation is a faithful copy but with certain disadvantages, then I still recommend those who are approaching it for the first time to read the comic better.

The series shows an impressive fidelity to the comic, as in the chapter "The sound of their wings".

Not for nothing the peak chapter in my opinion is called "The sound of their wings", where dialogues and reflections on the meaning of life and death prevail.

I have always been a loner, but here, on the nocturnal shores of sleep, loneliness bathes me with its waves, which kiss and drag my spirit

[1]

.

This is how Morpheus reflects before entering hell.

He analyzes himself and reflects on the purpose of his existence, but from his thoughts only a handful of sand will reach the screen.

Even so, the effort deserves the palms for trying to adapt one of the best graphic novels of all time.

If the expected narrative tensions, the easy plots and visual effects that are so expensive for any blockbuster are ignored, “The Sandman” could be Gaiman's most finished work filmed in live action to date.

True, it is also proof that every dream come true does not mean that it is perfect.

But considering the complexity of the original and the burden of numerous well-known references, ranging from an ETA Hoffman short story to a Metallica song, we may have found this year's oasis in the endless desert that Netflix tends to become. .

[1] A hope in hell.

The Sandman.

Number 4. April 1989.

Data sheet

🎬 

Title

:

The Sandman


⭐️ 

Rating

: 7.0/10 (3500 votes)


📅 

Year

: 2022


⏳ 

Duration

: 45 min.


🗺 

Country

: United States


👤 

Direction

: Neil Gaiman 

(Creator)

, David S. Goyer 

(Creator)

, Allan Heinberg 

(Creator)


✍️ 

Screenplay

: David S. Goyer, Allan Heinberg, Vanessa Benton, Neil Gaiman


🎵 

Music

: David Buckley


📷 

Photography

: Will Baldy, George Steel, Sam Heasman


👥 

Cast

:Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Amid Chaudry, Charles Dance, Boyd Holbrook, Vivienne Acheampong, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Jenna Coleman, Niamh Walsh


🏢 

Producer

:Warner Bros. Television, Netflix, DC Comics, DC Entertainment, Phantom Four Films, The Blank Corporation.

 Distributor:

Netflix


Genre

: Fantasy.

Terror.

Intrigue.

Drama |

Comic

in Pictish