09 October 2012

The Sandman, Vol 4: Season of Mists

This is, by far, my favorite volume of Sandman yet.  Season of Mists is dark and funny.

Morpheus, bullied by his Endless family, must right a wrong: he condemned a former girlfriend, Nada (from the opening story of A Doll's House), who refused to live with him in the Dreaming forever, to Hell, to be tormented for eternity.  Morpheus must visit Hell, to ask Lucifer for her soul - the problem is that the last time Morpheus visited Lucifer (back in Preludes and Nocturnes) things didn't end on a very...friendly...note.

Lucifer, still in a pique, decides to do Morpheus one better: he empties out Hell, setting all the demons and deceased souls loose upon the world, locks it up and gives Morpheus the key. 

What...the...fuck.  I was laughing so hard.

So Morpheus, who now must now dispose of Hell is he wants to find Nada, finds his castle invaded by importunate cultures and religions of all stripes - Faerie, the Demons of Hell (who'd like a little self-governance), Egyptian gods, Norse gods, any and all cultures you can think of - to barter for the ownership of Hell.  Morpheus's sister, Death, is having trouble because people aren't staying dead.  In the end, it's God (yeah, that one) who solves the whole problem.

Such a great, cheeky, creative book.  What have I been missing all these years?

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