Sandman Of Your Dreams!

The Sandman Special #1 from DC is the best yet of this month-long celebration of Jack "King" Kirby's creations. Under a Paul Pope cover, what you have are two stories, two different takes on another Sandman tale. Now this is the Sandman created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, their last tandem effort.

The first story by Dan Jurgens and artist Jon Bogdanove is my favorite so far in these specials. It's a sprawling adventure of Sandman and his two colleagues Brute and Glob as they rush to save a very special young boy who is being overcome by his dreams fired by his unquenchable imagination. The creatures in this dream might ring some bells and the story might seem a bit overly sentimental, but I fully enjoyed it.  Bogdanove does a great job with the art and even treats us to a Kirby-inspired collage.

The second story by Steve Orlando and drawn by Rick Leonardi is less effective, but still quite decent. In this one the dream trio attempt to help out the dreamer Jed who has become a man but who is encumbered with some real guilt about how life has turned out.

Also in this issue are a battery of fun tiny two-page "Tales of the D.N.A. Project" from the pages of Jimmy Olsen.  These little frolics were great fun back when and are still so today and a delightful glimpse into the playful imagination of Jack Kirby.

This one is a hoot and gets my highest recommendation.

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