The Sandman: Overture #3 (Vertigo)

writer: Neil Gaiman
artist: J.H. Williams III

via IGN

It sucks, because I never know if I'm missing something that directly references prior Sandman material.  I know, for instance, that we have a secret origin for Dream's helm, which was famously recovered in the original series' opening arc.  But then again, maybe this is something that fans have seen before?  

It seems as if the romance around that moment is first-run material, but then what do I know?  And should I even be worrying about this?  The third volume of The Annotated Sandman is being released in October.  I hope to get both that one and the second volume and read them either by the end of the year or earlier in 2015.  By that point I'll have caught up with the bulk of the mythology, and maybe will be less confused about these matters.

But then again, maybe I really shouldn't be worrying so much about these matters.  This issue is probably the most enjoyable, for me anyway, of Overture so far.  There appear to be direct references to Dream's ultimate fate, so that this is a prequel for all I understand.  Regardless, Dream is on a quest.  There are multiple versions of him running around.  In fact, he's at the moment hanging out with a cat version of himself.  This leads to an amusing moment when they pick up a tagalong, who suggests when she doesn't walk by herself, "I could ride your cat."  To which Dream responds:

"My cat is Dream of the Endless.  He does not give rides."

Classic.  Gaiman is a master storyteller, and is a better writer, generally, than pretty much anyone else.  Regardless of how lost I sometimes feel, he's always in control.  Reading Overture for me is a little like what reading Grant Morrison must be like for all those people who don't get him.  

And as always, J.H. Williams III is stunning on art.  The way he composes his layouts can sometimes be challenging to follow even for veteran comics readers, but it's always a welcome challenge.