Disclaimer here: I love comic books. I got my first one at age 4
--- Walt Disney's Comics & Stories, published back then by Dell
--- and I still have it. Along with maybe 40,000 more. I have X-Men
and Batman and Preacher, oh my! And thousands of other titles, some
of which disappeared after a couple of issues, and others that have
been published for longer than I have been alive.

If there were a major fire in the house, I would get the wife, the
kids, the dog and maybe both cats, and then I would go for the
comics. Among those that I would be absolutely sure to save would
be issues 1-75 of a disturbing little book named THE SANDMAN. It
doesn't make any difference that these have been very nicely
reprinted, consecutively, in ten bound volumes. Mine are original
first printings, and they go where I go --- because THE SANDMAN is
special. The Sandman, of course, is the Master of Dreams. For 75
glorious issues and several story arcs, a gentleman by the name of
Neil Gaiman turned out some unforgettable stories that would have
been successful in any medium.  

Gaiman let us know fairly early on that it was going to be 75 and
out for his creation, but that he would still be around. He has
been. He has written a couple of excellent, excellent novels,
titled NEVERWHERE and STARDUST; and MR. PUNCH, a disturbingly
wonderful (or maybe wonderfully disturbing) graphic novel. A
collection of his short stories has been published under the title
SMOKE AND MIRRORS: SHORT STORIES AND ILLUSIONS. But no mo' Sandman.
Until now.

THE SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS is a text and illustration
collaboration between Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano. This is neither a
comic book nor graphic novel; it is a novel with many wonderful
illustrations. I know next to nothing about Mr. Amano, which is to
my discredit, for he does with the brush what Mr. Gaiman does with
the keyboard: paints disturbing, disquieting images that linger in
the mind, imprinted in vision long after the eyes are shut and the
lights are out. How Messrs. Gaiman and Amano came to find each
other is an interesting tale, told as an afterword to the novel, so
I will not reveal it here; but I will note that it is as
interesting in some ways as the fictional tale they tell.

The creative genesis of THE DREAM HUNTERS occurred as the result of
Gaiman encountering a Japanese folk tale entitled "The Fox, the
Monk, and the Mikado of All Night's Dreaming," in which he noted
disquieting similarities to his SANDMAN tales. Those familiar with
the tale, and THE SANDMAN, will be thrilled with Gaiman's
adaptation. In THE DREAM HUNTERS, a fox and badger each attempt to
trick a young monk out of his simple, humble temple in order to
usurp it for themselves. They are unsuccessful in their respective
efforts; however, the fox finds that she has fallen in love with
the monk and continues to observe him from a distance. It is while
doing so that she learns of a plot to kill the monk by a diviner,
or onmyoji, who has discovered that by the next moon, either he or
the monk will be dead. The method by which the monk will be
murdered is through his dreams. The method by which the fox thwarts
the murder of this humble and gentle man will bring tears to your
eyes --- as will the actions of the monk when he learns of the
fox's sacrifice, for it is not only the fox who has fallen in love.
As for the diviner --- well, there is a lesson here, and the
diviner has a fitting teacher.

Gaiman's adaptation of this beautiful and timeless tale is painted
with his trademark prose, which is by turns haunting, horrifying
and heartbreaking, often within the turn of a single page. And
Amano's illustrations are worth lingering over, whether within the
context of the novel or on their own. This is a book that will be
treasured by collectors, who will hail it as a classic, and by
lovers of good literature of any genre. It is a story, and a gift,
for all seasons. Highly recommended.