The Endless Sisters and the Sandman Series

As of this weekend, I have set out to conquer Neil Gaiman's epic Sandman series. Daunting? Never -- I live for this sort of creative mythology. And I like my abstract concepts anthropomorphized.

Quite.

Our local library managed to win some serious cool points after expanding their collection with the ENTIRE 75-issue run of Sandman (1989-1996). Yeah, I know. A suburban library system is investing in comics, graphic novels, and manga? Unheard of. Yet, I am thrilled by this development and I applaud them for their acceptance of illustrated literature.

I've just started in on the second collection, The Doll's House. There are eight more ahead of me and I look forward to uncovering Gaiman's startling, surreal universe of the Endless and beyond. First, we'll take a brief glimpse at the Endless sisters and, hopefully, I will bait a few of you to check out a volume or two of this breathtaking series:

Death

In the Sandman's realm, Death is both the end of life and the being that escorts the deceased to their new existence. Unlike other depictions of death, Gaiman's character also visits people at their birth, an encounter only she recalls. One of the most compelling traits around this incarnation of Death is her nurturing relationship with her younger brother, Dream. She is pleasant, strong, and treats the living with great respect. Despite the fact that mortals often fear the great unknown of dying, Death herself is one to celebrate in this universe. I would even argue she is someone most people would be grateful to meet at the end of their life.

Her vast popularity in the Sandman series led to the creation of two solo limited series by Gaiman titled Death: The High Cost of Living (1993) and Death: The Time of Your Life (1996) in addition to other later depictions produced by other writers. I can understand why Death ranks quite high on numerous lists for Sexiest Comic Book Character Ever. I would have to concur.

Delirium (formerly Delight)

Delirium is the youngest of the Endless siblings and her realm is one of chaos, defined by the constant shifting of colour, an ever-changing personal style, and a blinding mix of strange objects and shapes. Her first incarnation was Delight, though the reasons for her transformation are unknown even by the Endless. She is scattered, non-linear, and her mind tends to wander without limitation. To control her thoughts and attempt eloquence takes great effort on her part and is often a painful process. She is a beautiful mess and is the foundation of the most inventive sequences throughout the Sandman series.

Based on the descriptions I have uncovered for this character, it appears as though she is a complex one -- there are hints throughout the series that she might even know more than her brother, Destiny, at times and that her disorder and her perceived insanity is a result of the truth she understands.

Despair

Despair is the twin sister of Desire and she is often depicted as a silent sibling who resides in her own sense of personal squalor. She wears a hooked ring on her left hand which she uses to carve her flesh and to snare the living, dragging them into their own downward spirals. Her realm in defined as a negative space filled with white fog and mirrors, all of which are connected to the human world so she might look on those who are caught in their own despair. She sometimes acts with Desire when she/he challenges the elder Endless, but Despair is ultimately portrayed as one who feels a hidden sympathy for her brother, Dream. It is revealed that there were two Despairs, the first being covered in red tattoos and decidedly more talkative versus the second Despair. The second appears to be another individual who stands in for the first after the first's death.

Desire

Desire is a fickle character defined by its attractiveness and its compelling aura. Desire is a figure whose gender is mutable -- it can inhabit the world as a man, as a woman, or as both, depending on the situation. It is the twin of Despair and is often referred to as the "sister-brother" by the Endless siblings. I quite enjoy the fact that Desire resides in "the heart of a massive flesh-and-blood statue of itself." I mean, it would appear that Desire knows no modesty, and, I admit, I like the swagger to that sentiment. It is a cruel being and is obsessed with complicating the lives of its older siblings. As a result, Desire often finds itself estranged from the Endless clan. Desire is not bound by the consequences of its actions and often disregards the needs of its sisters and brothers. Desire and Dream have bad blood between each other, a point that is driven home on more than one occasion.

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I'm impressed -- the act of writing these descriptions out has stoked my need to read this series at a faster pace. I've consciously limited myself, though. I vow to take two volumes out at a time so that I don't just speed through it all. We shall see if I can stick to it.

So yes, I would recommend the Sandman series to readers who want to wade through a dense, creative, compelling world inhabited by a lush collection of established and invented mythologies. I find this is the material I crave as the nights get longer and the winter evenings are just barely breathing through the windows...