The Sandman: Brief Lives
The Sandman: Brief Lives | |
---|---|
ISBN 1-85286-577-6 | |
Creative team | |
Writer(s) | Neil Gaiman |
Penciller(s) | Jill Thompson |
Inker(s) | Vince Locke Dick Giordano |
Letterer(s) | Todd Klein |
Colorist(s) | Daniel Vozzo |
Editor(s) | Karen Berger Lisa Aufenanger Alisa Kwitney |
Brief Lives (1994) is the seventh collection of issues in the
The issues in the collection, #41-49, first appeared in 1992 and 1993.[2] The collection first appeared in paperback and hardback in 1994.
It was preceded by Fables & Reflections and followed by Worlds' End.
Synopsis
Delirium of the Endless, miserable and increasingly unstable, resolves to pursue her much-loved brother Destruction, unheard-of by the Endless since he abandoned his role three hundred years ago. She petitions her siblings to help her look; only Dream, morose due to the unhappy ending of a recent love affair, agrees.
Delirium compiles a list of Destruction's acquaintances: "the lawyer, the alder man,
They seek out the "dancing woman": the Mesopotamian love goddess
Concerned about the ramifications of their search, Dream abruptly ends their journey, to Delirium's anger; they both withdraw to their realms. Dream consults Bast, who had previously bargained Destruction's location in exchange for the key to Hell; she advises him to consult an oracle, although Dream states that there are no oracles able to tell of the Endless. Dream and Delirium reconcile and resume their journey.
They appeal to Destiny, who refuses to help; he reminds Dream that there is an oracle of the Endless's blood, additionally warning that his only future meeting with his love will be unsatisfactory for both of them. Dream, deeply unsettled, is persuaded to continue by Delirium.
With great reluctance, Dream finally consults the oracle: his estranged son Orpheus, whom Dream had spurned in anger after a disagreement and denied death after his mauling by the Maenads. Dream is obliged to grant his son a boon in return; Dream and Delirium go to meet Destruction, who is living comfortably on the island across from Orpheus.
Destruction admits that he had erected automatic functions to deter those looking for him, irreversible once he had abandoned his role; these had been responsible for the deaths of Capax, Ruby, and Ishtar. He refuses to return, disappointing Delirium; he reflects that "there is no such thing as a one-sided coin." Destruction then dismantles his gallery and departs Earth.
Dream returns to see Orpheus and they reconcile. With regret, Dream grants him his boon and kills him, thereby violating the rule that the Endless may not shed the blood of family. Satisfied, Delirium returns to her realm. Dream returns to his realm, so transformed by guilt and sadness over Orpheus's death that denizens of The Dreaming struggle to recognize him. Upon discovering that Orpheus has died, his order disbands with Dream's blessing and buries his head.
Issues collected
Issue | Title | Writer | Penciller | Inker | Colorist | Letterer | Ast Editor | Editor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
41 | Brief Lives – Chapter 1 | Neil Gaiman | Jill Thompson | Vince Locke | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
42 | Brief Lives – Chapter 2 | Neil Gaiman | Jill Thompson | Vince Locke | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Lisa Aufenanger | Karen Berger |
43 | Brief Lives – Chapter 3 | Neil Gaiman | Jill Thompson | Vince Locke | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Lisa Aufenanger | Karen Berger |
44 | Brief Lives – Chapter 4 | Neil Gaiman | Jill Thompson | Vince Locke | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Lisa Aufenanger | Karen Berger |
45 | Brief Lives – Chapter 5 | Neil Gaiman | Jill Thompson | Vince Locke | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Lisa Aufenanger | Karen Berger |
46 | Brief Lives – Chapter 6 | Neil Gaiman | Jill Thompson | Vince Locke | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Lisa Aufenanger | Karen Berger |
47 | Brief Lives – Chapter 7 | Neil Gaiman | Jill Thompson | Vince Locke / Dick Giordano | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | n/a | Karen Berger |
48 | Brief Lives – Chapter 8 | Neil Gaiman | Jill Thompson | Vince Locke | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | n/a | Karen Berger |
49 | Brief Lives – Chapter 9 | Neil Gaiman | Jill Thompson | Vince Locke | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | n/a | Karen Berger |
References
- ISBN 1-56389-138-7.
- ISBN 1-56389-138-7.
Further reading
- Bender, Hy (1999), The Sandman Companion, New York: Vertigo DC Comics, ISBN 1-56389-644-3
External links
- The Sandman: Brief Lives (volume 7) Moreno Notes[permanent dead link] at ciñaré.net
- Annotated Sandman Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
- Review of the trade paperback
Preceded by Fables and Reflections
|
The Sandman collected editions |
Succeeded by Worlds' End |