1602 was terrible. Still makes my head hurt to think about it...
I thought Eternals was quite good though. Maybe it was just the man-love I feel for John Romita Jr...Although I wish they hadn't tried to tie it into Civil War...
Anansi Boys was OK. Not his best novel (American Gods), but certainly not his worst (Neverwhere. Took me forever to get through that one...brrr...)
I just think that a Gaimen penned Sandman story would be a good thing, for fans and the industry. I just don't understand how you think it could do more bad than good. Would it cause DC Comics to go out of business? Or maybe cause them to shut down the Vertigo line? Cause them to say we should never publish a new book again? I'm not trying to be a smart-ass here, but can you explain this for me?
I've heard people say before that publishing a sequel to what is considered a classic work that doesn't measure up to the original damages it, but I don't understand this either. Publishing a sub-par sequel may color the way we judge the original, but it certainly doesn't change it. The Dark Knight Strikes Back sucked, but my copy of Dark Knight Returns is still exactly the same (except now it has a personalized sketch from Frank Miller in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Did it really harm the original? Naw...but do I sometimes look back now and say "I wish he had just left it alone and not tried to go further?" Of course. So you know what I do? I IGNORE IT! That simple. The Dark Knight Returns still stands as one of my favorite comic books ever and I still re-read it every few years, and it's sequel sits in a box in my basement, untouched since the first time I've read it. That simple.
Would a mini-series sequel to Sandman be as good as the original? Probably not. Would it be cool? Probably. Would it bring in lots and lots of people who've read the entire series over the past twenty years, but don't read anything else? You bet your ass it would. Would that subsidize the Vertigo line for the next several years? Damn straight. I'm surprised DC didn't do whatever they could to get this book off the ground...
