Initially, Gaiman wanted to revive the Joe Simon/Michael Fleisher/Jack Kirby 1974-1976 series The Sandman. The comic followed an immortal hero that traversed the world in search of the nightmare monsters that haunted the dreams of children.
Gaiman pitched the idea to DC editor Karen Berger, who accepted the author’s submission. But rather than reviving Joe Simon’s The Sandman, Berger tasked Gaiman with creating a brand-new story. Although, the name would remain unchanged.
The author responded by creating the Endless, seven representations of metaphysical entities like Death, Despair, Desire, and Delirium. The comic book series threw the spotlight on Dream, also known as Morpheus, the lord, and the personification of dreams and stories.
After a century in captivity, the ageless creature was forced to accept the inevitability of change. And in so doing, Morpheus was pitted against a multitude of threats and obstacles.
Today, The Sandman is counted among the greatest graphic novels of all time, one of a small collection of comics that appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Hollywood took an interest in The Sandman in 1991. At one point, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was expected to produce and star in the movie, working alongside Gaiman and David S. Goyer.
But the property floundered in development until Netflix came along in 2019 and pulled the trigger on a live-action Sandman series. You can watch all 11 episodes on Netflix today.
Wired.com wrote a fascinating article dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of The Sandman tv show. The writer thought the show failed because it was too faithful to the source material. I have never encountered that criticism before. Most critics attack adaptations for diverting from the source material.
As far as I can tell, most reviewers love The Sandman precisely because of its faithfulness to the source material. Mind you, the Netflix adaptation made several changes. For instance, David Thewlis’ John Dee is driven by a desire to create an honest world.
His motivation is born from the many lies that shaped his childhood. But the John Dee of the comics is a psychopath that wants to ‘dismember the world.’ Then there’s Roderick Burgess, who had one son instead of two. More importantly, the mage died of old age in the comics.
I think we all agree that the volatile confrontation in the TV show produced a superior outcome. In fact, most of the changes enhanced the show.
You could argue that Johanna Constantine was unnecessary. In the source material, Morpheus encounters John Constantine. But unless you read the graphic novel, you won’t care.
This is why I discourage viewers from reading the source material before watching the adaptation. The source material will ruin your enjoyment of the adaptation, mostly because the source material is almost always better.
But the adaptation cannot ruin the source material. If you never read The Sandman, you will not care that Johanna replaced John. Reading the original graphic novel now will only elevate your enjoyment because you are more likely to appreciate the changes.
Lord of the Rings is the greatest adaptation of all time; The Sandman can settle for second place. You will be hard-pressed to find a more unique show. The first six episodes are exquisite. Admittedly, it falls off a cliff in the final stretch.
I flat-out hated the vortex arc, but it speaks to the strength of those first six episodes that the last four could not sour my opinion of this show.
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