There’s to be a Sandman
prequel! Huzzah, and triple orgasms all round!
I know full well that I’m in a minority regarding The
Sandman; I was quite impressed with the
first year or so, but it was obvious that as soon as it became a
top-selling title, the story started to be stretched out beyond its natural
length. In fact, in the first issue there was a text piece stating that it was
planned to be forty issues long. I can understand that sometimes a character
demands more space than was originally planned, but nearly doubling the length
of the run was, you have to admit, pushing it a bit. And be honest, a few of
those six-parters could have been done in one, two issues tops.
Add to that the spin-offs, the various mini-series, the
merchandising, and you’ve got something that couldn’t be the work of literature
it’s claimed to be. What you’ve got is a brand. No different from Harry
Potter or Fifty Shades Of Grey or even Police Academy or Scary Movie.
Regardless of my opinion, the prequel’s to be published. I
believe it’s as despicable a publishing decision as some claim Before
Watchmen is, as it’s an unnecessary adjunct
to a work that is supposedly sufficient unto itself. The argument in favour of
it is that the original creator is to write the new series, but I don’t see why
that makes a difference; if the new story is such an important part of the
overall work, it doesn’t matter who writes it, it should have been part of the
work from the very beginning. Adding extra sections now is like pouring Bisto
gravy all over your main course at The Fat Duck.
Except that in this case, the chef’s standing by your chair,
taking a deep sniff of the gravy aroma and letting out a long, contented
‘Ahhhh…’
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