All Greek to Me! Gaiman's Crafted Sandman!
DC Comics' Vertigo label was a mature readers-only label. Since the Comics Code was no longer a viable option, comic companies began to tailor their production to certain audiences, much as cable television and the Motion Picture Association of America does with their ratings systems.
Clearly marked "suggested for mature audiences", DC Comics was one forward-thinking company that shrugged off the stigma of "comics are just for kids" and presented great adult entertainment in graphic form.
The Sandman was one such comic. A quick glance through the Overstreet Price Guide shows a lot of Sandman specials and events with the Vertigo label.
One such special is "Orpheus"! (Sorry for the long intro, fans).
Neil Gaiman, noted author of books such as American Gods, and scriptwriter for Coraline ,among other great works & graphic novels, penned an adaptation of Orpheus; a man whose wife dies, his journey to the underworld to plead her case and wins an audience with the underworld gods.
Sure, your dead wife will be resurrected and leave the underworld on one condition: don't turn around or else she'll drop back to Hell! Well, you can guess the rest. Things don't go well for Orpheus!
The writing is done in typical 20th century style, complete with slang and other anachronistic wordings, but that's fine, makes the story acceptable to modern readers. The art Mark Buckingham and penciled by Bryan Talbot is quite detailed and is pleasurable to see.
The demons and cannibals tearing him apart is tinted, moody and bloody!
Neil's protagonist is not the nicest guy. We feel sorry for Orpheus losing his wife, but the way he goes about it is a bit off-putting. Check it out!
Written in 1991, has a cool painted cover, and you can even feel the paint on the cover! Funky covers was the "in" thing for 1990s comics, and it glows in the dark!
Price Guides at $5.00, originally cover priced at $3.50, so no collector's item here.
Recommended for Gaiman fans!
