SANDMAN MIDNIGHT THEATRE
Wagner, Gaiman and Kristiansen team up for a very special one-off.

Writers: Matt Wagner, Neil Gaiman
Artist: Teddy Kristiansen
Letterer: Todd Klein
Single issue
Published by DC Vertigo 1995

Reviewed by Maria Sabatowski

Perhaps it was inevitable: a meeting between the "old" and "new" Sandmen. This one-shot is an odd thing; by necessity, it is set in pre-World War II England, because this is primarily a tale of the "old" Sandman, Wesley Dodds from SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE. After all, Morpheus (the "new" Sandman) is practically eternal; he could turn up anywhere. The snag, of course, is that during the Dodds's lifetime, Morpheus is incarcerated in a magus's basement.

"It's forced, shoehorned in, and generally shouldn't work. But it does."

This story is, consequently, nothing if not contrived; the only way to get them together is for Dodds to travel, not only to England but specifically to the home of Roderick Burgess, Morpheus's captor. It's forced, shoehorned in, and generally shouldn't work.

But it does. And that's what makes it so good.

Considering how the story was written, it's doubly impressive; after Wagner and Gaiman hammered out the overall story between them, Wagner plotted, giving Kristiansen page breakdowns. Kristiansen then painted the pages, and Gaiman was sent these to script over. A pretty tortuous process.

Unfortunately, this process is also what leads to the story's one sticking point; occasionally, it just doesn't flow. Gaiman's obviously done the best he can, but the lack of full control which he's used to forces him to use uncharacteristically overlong exposition, stilted captions and what would, in one of his normal comics, be seen as unnecessarily "on the nose" speech patterns, all to maintain continuity and story flow.

Which is where Teddy Kristiansen's art comes in.

Quite simply, this comic is beautiful. When called for, Kristiansen's art is moody and expressive, even distorted. But he is equally at home in the land of reality, with an exquisite palette and natural brushwork. And it's this which makes the story, especially to a Kristiansen fan, a must-see item. This is some of his best work, given full reign to capture an uncertain atmosphere, at which he excels.

"This is some of Kristiansen's best work, given full reign to capture an uncertain atmosphere."

This story hinges on atmosphere; without its sense of mystery it could be lost, relegated to a fair plot and some nice English jokes from Gaiman. And in the hands of a lesser (or at least less painstakingly committed) artist, it surely would. But Kristiansen's art draws the eye, pulling the reader in with texture, depth and enigma. Which is, of course, what both versions of the Sandman have been about.

Though perfectly understandable why it happened, it's a shame this story had to be a collaboration between the writers; if either one of them were given full control over both breakdown and script, it would have been much more cohesive. But, mainly thanks to the fine painting, it still holds up as a worthy addition to the mythos of both characters.

Recommended (with reservations: Sandman-lovers and Kristiansen fans will love it. Everyone else will wonder what the fuss is about)

Maria Sabatowski is a regular contributor to PopImage.

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