Neil Gaiman's Sandman is a book that changed my perceptions.
Back when I was young and foolish(er) I thought that art was more important than story. I didn't really care if a comic's story was garbage, as long as I enjoyed the artwork. A plot was just an excuse to string together images of women with next to nothing on, being saved by/fighting against/alongside roided up dudes with scowls frozen on their faces.
Enter the Sandman.
From the day I started to take in the story, my eyes opened. I realised what I had been missing. I couldn't believe how superbly it was written. How immense the story was. How unique it was. I didn't even understand all of it. I'd sit there knowing that I was missing the true depth of this amazing book. But what I could understand blew me away.
I stopped collecting half of the books I had been up to that point. They didn't measure up. It was that simple. Suddenly I became more discerning, and art became less important.
I'm no literary genius. My writing is nothing to cross the street for. I have said- and will always say- I'm an artist. I'll never call myself a writer. Not really anyway. So my stories are usually an excuse for me to draw cool stuff. I enjoy it. But when it comes to stuff I choose to read. The bar is higher now that I've read Gaiman's epic.
I'm currently re-reading the whole thing. I'm finally understanding it. I'm being blown away all over again. "The Sound of Her Wings" is an incredible chapter. It's one of the parts that I didn't understand before, and I honestly feel richer now that I have a grasp on it.
If you haven't read this series then do yourself the favour. It's not 'just a comic'. It's a series that anyone can enjoy.
In regard to the picture. I'm not satisfied with it. I like it better in pencils. I just can't get the background happening and it's been driving me mad. I put up the colour version because I poured hours into it. Ah well.
By the way, the girl is Dream's sister Death. She's cool.
