Buying Sandman

[Letum Fol]

I'm a huge Neil Gaiman fan and have finally decided to buy the entire Sandman series. The problem now is how to buy it, whether to go with the standard trades or the Absolute editions. My main incentive for buying the Absolutes is the recoloring. I've seen comparisons for vol 1 and the new colors look amazing, so i'm almost definitely buying that. But are the changes as extensive for the volumes 2,3 and 4. i've heard that the art got a lot better as the series progressed. What are your thoughts?

Oh and any comparison pictures from later issues would really help.

[bjmorga]

If you have the dough, I would say that the Absolute editions are the way to go. If money is an issue, try sifting through Amazon and eBay for used copies of the trades. Generally, you can get the trades for at least half-price. For my own tastes and financial situation, I never pay full price for trades.

[drinkblatzbeer]

i second the notion if you have the money, go absolute...i've got the first two and ended up selling most of my sandman run from those on ebay...
they're big but easy to store and just with the bigger size make reading as well as just gawking easier and more enjoyable...

[Mr Omnis]

I own the 10 main trades (as well as Endless Nights) but I'm saving up for the Absolute editions. So, I have to go with the others on this. If you can afford them, go for those.

[another_version]

i have all 11 trades, plus all spin-offs, but instead of buying the absolutes, I am trying to get the series in singles, and read it that way. Because I have a couple issues in floppies, and it is a completely different reading experience.

[Letum Fol]

Yeah, money is another big issue. Sweet thing is that Amazon is offering all the absolutes for $62 each, which means the whole set is around $250. I have a $50, which brings it down to $200. That's basically my upper limit at the moment (a little higher, to be honest, but I can live with it). On the other hand, if i get one or two of the absolutes, and the rest in trades I can also pick up some Fables or Lucifer trades, both of which i'd also love to read. Which is why i want to know whether the later volumes are worth it.

[drinkblatzbeer]

if buying the absolutes leaves no money for fables or other trades, then go the trade route...

nothing wrong with that, either...

for one absolute, you get 4 trades, basically...
16 trades or 4 absolutes, in your case, go with the trades...

have you read preacher yet?
that's another book i'd think you might really enjoy and the trades are all back in print right now...

...hmmm...also, maybe take a look at the swamp thing hardcover kicking off moore's run...absolutely solid...

[bjmorga]

Just for full disclosure; I bought all the Sandman trades years ago when I was in college in the late 1990s. I just can't bring myself to buy the Absolutes because of that fact, but they look gorgeous. If I didn't already have the trades, I'd buy them in a heartbeat.

[Letum Fol]

I just finished reading Preacher last night and it was amazing. Also recently read Y:the Last man (which i felt was a little overrated, to be honest) and Transmetropolitan (pure awesome). Also going through Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, which is already filled with wierd shit. Sandman was going to be my first Vertigo title (obviously didn't work out) but it's definitely next. I think I'm going to go with Absolute 1 and 2 and then the rest of it in trades. I mean, having all 4 absolute volumes on my shelf would look cool, but it is really the story i'm after.

In fact if I could just derail this thread for a minute into a more general recommendation thread - what would you recommend for me next? I'm kinda a fantasy buff, and as i mentioned am looking at Fables and Lucifer. Any other series (from any imprint)?

Edit: I've always wanted to read Alan Moore's Swamp Thing but I feel like I've heard so much about it that i've kinda ruined it for myself. I know all the main plot points just from conversation and don't know whether i can enjoy the series that much.

[bjmorga]

I really enjoyed (and would recommend) the following titles;

- Both Midnight, Mass. miniseries
- Lucifer
- We3
- The Filth
- American Century

[jboncha]

If you wanna find out about just about all of Vertigo's titles I found that the Vertigo Encyclopedia was very helpful.
It introduced me to a lot of Vertigo books that I never would have heard of without it.