From: lf7z@ellis.uchicago.edu (Farmer in the Glenn)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: Gaiman's Overratedness
Date: 23 Jan 93 05:41:31 GMT
Reply-To: lf7z@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago

In article <Jym.19Jan1993.0924@naughty-peahen> Jym Dyer <jym@mica.berkeley.edu> writes:

>=+= Funny, I think one of his greatest weaknesses is sustaining
>a story.  His one-shot short stories are the only parts of
>_Sandman_ I really enjoy reading.

This I tend to agree with a bit, but only with the two arcs prior to
Brief Lives.

>=+= As for feelings and profundity, well, I think his other
>great weakness is an inability to create characters that are
>worth caring about.  To me, Dream is yet another Superbeing
>....
>=+= And then there are the little people, our fellow mere
>mortals, whose character development doesn't seem to go much
>further than the stilted dialogue in their word balloons.

These last two really last mystify me, there are plenty of
well-developed (character-wise) little people.  They do seem to be all
female, for some reason.  And at least half the Endless are not
supposed to be sympathetic, they're cold & aloof on purpose.  There's
no more compelling argument for this than the look on Death's face
when asking if what's his face knows her family.  That's not a writing
flaw, it's a matter of taste.  I personally find the other half
(Death, Delirium, and Destruction) to very likable characters that I
care about.

>=+= And let us not forget that Gaiman started his comix career
>by aping Moore.  _Sandman_ started off as Moore Lite.  Gaiman's
>found his own voice now, but the Moore influence is notable.

This is true, but the influence only lasted about 4 issues.  I've
never understood comparing Moore to Gaiman.  Gaiman has since spun
tales that owe nothing to Moore except opportunity, which he
frequently acknowledges.  But to me it's just as silly as comparing it
to Chadwick.  The only styles I can come up with are even remotely
similar are Messner-Loebs Epicurus or parts of Wagner's Grendel, and
even that's stretching it.  Having said this, I think the first half
of the Sandman is much stronger than what has followed, except for
Brief Lives, which I consider a great improvement, the latest issue is
one of his best yet.

>> . . . and manages to create moments stronger in impact than
>> anything Paul Chadwick has done.
>
>=+= Sounds like apples & oranges to me.  Chadwick's work has
>a deep, quiet power, as if it were itself encased in concrete.
>I don't see a basis of comparison to the best of Gaiman's work.

Agreed.  But Chadwick's style is totally different, and that's why
they shouldn't be compared.  Again, a matter of taste.  I tried very
hard to get into Concrete and failed miserably, but I'm not going to
denigrate his writing skill just because of that.  The Emotional
Impact (tm) of a story or writer is extremely personal, IMNSHO.

............................................................
"Holy Wednesday...the when the Passion according to Saint Luke
   is read.  This proved impossible, though, when it was
   discovered that Grendel had planted a homing beacon in
   St. Elvis Cathedral that attracted the Tower's entire
   pigeon population to roost there overnight"
     --- Matt Wagner
g-carnagey@uchicago.edu, if you must know
............................................................
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc