- Dream realizes he has made a grave mistake by damning a former lover and seeks to set things right.
- This leads to Lucifer abdicating the throne of hell, freeing its souls, and giving Dream the key to its gates.
- Hell, it turns out, is primo real estate, and myriad pantheons show up in The Dreaming to petition Morpheus for dominion over the now-vacant inferno.
- Gaiman fills the various characters who show up in this arc with personality—from the Endless to Lucifer to the various gods who seek to rule hell in his place; these characters drive the arc more than twists and turns of plot do.
- The book’s art team maintains the high standard set by its first three volumes; this is a beautiful book.
- Todd Klein deserves special recognition for lettering almost every character who appears in this arc in a distinct style of balloon and font.
Read Sandman. (Duh.)
Collected in
- Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists (#21-28)
- Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2 (#21-39)
- The Annotated Sandman, Vol. 2 (#21-39(
- Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 1 (#1-37, Special #1)
Credits
Writer: Neil Gaiman | Artists: Kelley Jones, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Matt Wagner, Dick Giordano, George Pratt, P. Craig Russell | Letterer: Todd Klein | Colorists: Steve Oliff, Daniel Vozzo | Covers: Dave McKean