The first season of “Sandman” tells the story of the first two of the 10 arcs developed by Neil Gaiman in his comic book (Photo: Netflix / Disclosure)
One of the most important comic books of all time has finally been adapted for the screen: Directly from the world of dreams, the longawaited series “Sandman” started last Friday (May 8) in its first season on Netflix, based on the DC Comics comic of the same name.
It’s not possible to talk about the series without talking about the original work created by renowned British author Neil Gaiman (author of the books that produced Coraline, American Gods and Beautiful Curses) between the written between 1989 and 1996. Divided into 10 arcs, it tells the story of Morpheus, the lord of dreams, and the mythical inhabitants of his kingdom.
In 1916, Morpheus (Tom Sturridge) is imprisoned by an occult wizard (played by Charles Dance, Lord Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones) and his cult who are trying to capture Death (Kirby HowellBaptiste). The Sandman spends the next century trapped in a glass dome protected by spells, with dire consequences for both the dream world and the real world.
Eventually breaking free, he discovers in the present that his kingdom has collapsed in his absence and many of his creations, daydreams and nightmares have escaped into the real world. Morpheus begins a quest to regain his powers and repair his domains.
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The plot may seem complicated to those not used to comics. Gaiman created complex characters and plots, basing his work on hundreds of his favorite references. The author, an avid consumer of fairy tales, mythology and the works of William Shakespeare, blends classic texts and pop culture across the magazine’s 75 issues.
Victory for comic fans: “Sandman” is a faithful adaptation of Gaiman’s work, with a few changes. In 10 episodes, the series tells the first two storylines of the comics “Preldios e Nocturnes” and “A Dollhouse” and leaves most of the characters and the story intact.
To understand what the plot is about, we must first know who the protagonist is: Sandman, better known as Morpheus, based on the Greek legend of the same name, and the folkloric character of Joo Pestana, the creature that spreads his magic sand people’s eyes and put them to sleep. Neither man nor god, but the anthropomorphic manifestation of the world of dreams, i.e. dreams in human form.
In the series, Tom Sturridge does an excellent job embodying the tragic and dark character portrayed by Morpheus in the comics. The actor even manages to render the guttural voice with whispering tones that the black bubbles of the protagonist’s lines suggest to the readers of the magazines.
Even her look like Robert Smith from The Cure remains completely faithful to the original work. The exception is his eyes: in the comics, the Sandman’s stark black, irisless eyes give him a ghostly, otherworldly appearance, which has been replaced by Sturridge’s bluegray eyes.
As complex as Morpheus is his family: the Lord of Dreams has six brothers who are also anthropomorphic manifestations of aspects of life. In the first season, Morpheus’ older and wiser sister Death, played by Kirby HowellBaptiste, stands out.
The character and her relationship with her younger brother take center stage in one of the most beautiful episodes Netflix has ever produced. Without wanting to give away spoilers, the screenplay is an amalgamation of issues #8 (“The sound of your wings”) and #13 (“Men of lucky”), which subtly and sensitively deal with the evanescence of life and passage in the future that comes after death.
With “Sandman” Gaiman let his imagination run wild. We’re talking about dreams where literally anything is possible, and Gaiman has tapped into every aspect of that premise. In the seven years that he wrote the comics, the author created countless characters, each more complex than the last.
The world of dreams
The Netflix series features Morpheus’ celebrated companions and denizens of the dream world: Matthew the Crow (Patton Oswalt), emissary of the Sandman; and the librarian Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong), the female version of the comic book character Lucien.
Among the antagonists, season one highlights include David Thewlis (Harry Potter’s Remus Lupin) as John Dee, a man who inherits a ruby capable of realizing his dreams; Boyd Holbrook (“Narcos”) as Corntio, a terrifying nightmare who escapes from the dream world when Morpheus is imprisoned; and Gwendoline Christie (Lady Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones) as Lucifer, Lord of Hell.
Sandman is a turning point: along with Alan Moore’s Watchmen, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight and Art Spiegelman’s Mouse, it is considered one of the most important works in comics history, responsible for the revival and maturation of the genre .
All this complexity and creativity made it extremely difficult to adapt the original work. Since the mid1990s, Warner Bros. (which owns the DC Comics film and television rights) has been attempting to bring “Sandman” to the big screen, further increasing fan expectations.
Despite Gaiman’s direct involvement in the production, the series lacks the subtlety and poetics of the original text. Exploring the comics is really like stepping into the world of dreams. The series, produced for a wide and conventional audience, literally and without many secrets.
More than a few plot changes, what might disappoint fans is the lack of personality and uniqueness Gaiman brought to one of his masterpieces. The row does not reach the height of the original text. Still a great trip.
“SANDMAN”
(US, 2022). Series in 10 episodes, available on Netflix. Starring Tom Sturridge, Kirby HowellBaptiste, David Thewlis, Boyd Holbrook and Gwendoline Christie.
*Internship under the direction of editor Silvana Arantes