THE
SANDMAN VOL. 2, THE DOLL’S HOUSE: A huge prologue of a larger story
The
second volume of the Sandman continues the undertakings of Dream, the lord of,
you guessed it, dreams. The story begins with a rather peculiar prologue about
a people that are obliterated by a giant fireball from the sun. The reason for
this catastrophe, as narrated by a tribesman, is the love affair between Queen
Nada and the Lord of Dreams. Despite being labelled as a prologue in the book,
this portion does not relate to the happenings in the entire volume. The book
jumps into an entirely different story that focuses on Rose Walker, who, as it
turns out, is a dream vortex. Thus, the major conflict of the volume has been
introduced.
What
makes this major conflict interesting is that it explores Neil Gaiman’s
fictional world further. It introduces the reader to new characters and places
that prove to be significant in the overall story of The Sandman. Aside from
this major conflict, there are also minor conflicts in the volume. They tell
the complications of rogue dreams and how they affect the world and its people.
What I like about these minor conflicts is that they are not insignificant.
They are interwoven with the major conflict, meaning that they are not just
random ordeals to make the story longer. In addition, their resolutions are
made rather well. There are enough tensions, which give the impression that
they are not solved prematurely. To top it all off, there are subtle hints in
them that suggest that these plot points are still important further in the
overall story of The Sandman, especially the chapters that suggest Desire’s
cunning and Robert Gadling’s longing for immortality.
This
is enough proof that Neil Gaiman has created a huge storyline that he has
planned out intricately ahead of time. If he has the ability to create a whole
volume that introduces new characters and new conflicts that will be
significant in the grand scheme of things, the readers will discover, without a
doubt, that this series is destined to get only better.
As
for the book’s prose, it is not surprising that it lives up to its predecessor --
Preludes and Nocturnes. It continues to utilize the lyrical writing style that
made the previous volume captivating. However, it is not formal enough to pass
as too poetic and boring. Again, I can only make unprofessional judgment on the
art, for that is not my specialty. Let me just say that I find some of the pencilling
too dirty and too sketch-like for my taste. I think it is plagued with too many
lines.
Overall,
I enjoyed the first volume more than this. But it doesn’t mean that this volume
is not good. I just honestly think that the first volume is too hard to
surpass.
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