{"id":13900,"date":"2010-01-26T03:16:07","date_gmt":"2010-01-26T09:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/comicattack.net\/?p=13900"},"modified":"2010-01-26T03:16:07","modified_gmt":"2010-01-26T09:16:07","slug":"camr-sandman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/comicattack.net\/camr-sandman\/","title":{"rendered":"Comics Are My Religion: Sandman & Hell"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to<\/strong><\/em> Comics Are My Religion<\/strong>, a look at theology through the lens of comic books.<\/strong> <\/strong>There are some basic ground rules about engaging in respectful dialogue about religion in this column.<\/strong><\/a><\/em> Be warned, if you haven’t read the series discussed below, you might want to go read it and come back, as this column may contain spoilers!<\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

“I think Hell’s something you carry around with you. Not somewhere you go…They’re doing the same things they always did. They’re doing it to themselves. That’s Hell.” -Charles Rowland, <\/em>Sandman #25<\/p>\n

One of the most religiously-themed comics in the last 30 years has been Neil Gaiman’s <\/span>Sandman <\/em>from DC Comics’ Vertigo line. Gaiman’s innovative fantasy tome has been hailed as one of the best runs on a comic- ever. I have to agree. It’s one of the most unique books and has some of the best fantasy storytelling\u00a0I’ve ever read. The other thing about <\/span>Sandman is that it’s truly timeless. To think that this was written in the late ’80s is amazing because some of the things that Gaiman does would be innovative in <\/span>today’s comic culture.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"In a nutshell, Sandman<\/em> is about Morpheus, the King of Dreams, who in the beginning of the story is captured by mortals, escapes, and reclaims his throne. Many of the stories in Sandman<\/em> are one-issue stories, depicting Morpheus’s interactions with mortals in the world of dreams. They are all very creative, some are scary, some are heart-wrenching. Morpheus is but one of a pantheon of beings who are in control of different realms dealing with the human condition–despair, desire, destiny, and even death. This creates an unlimited number of imaginative stories that deal in fantasy, hopes, and fears, as Morpheus and his brothers and sisters interact with the human world.<\/p>\n

This month, I want to focus on one story arc, although there are many that I would like to discuss in future columns, Sandman<\/em> #21-28<\/em> entitled Season of Mists, <\/em>as featured in The Absolute Sandman Volume 2<\/em> collection published by DC.<\/p>\n

\"\"Season of Mists begins with Morpheus gathering with his brothers and sisters and coming to the realization that he needs to rescue a mortal from Hell (a mortal he fell in love with in a previous story, and then banished after an altercation). When he arrives in Hell, he finds that Lucifer, the fallen angel and Lord of the realm, has decided to abandon Hell. He exiles all the souls from Hell, and gives Morpheus the key.<\/p>\n

This sets up an interesting dilemma for Morpheus. What should he do with Hell? Leave it closed up? Grant the dead and the demons who once existed there to come back? Morpheus struggles with what he should do, when he is visited by numerous parties who want to lay claim to Hell. Among the interested parties are Odin, Thor, and Loki of the Norse pantheon; Duma and Remiel, two angels of Heaven, who are there to observe the discussion; Azazel, a deposed lord of Hell, who thinks he is the rightful heir; Anubis and the Egyptian pantheon; Susano-O-No-Mikoto of the Japanese pantheon; a contingent from the Faerie world; and Lord Kilderkin and Shivering Jemmy, which are opposing manifestations of Order and Chaos, respectfully. All of these representatives (except the angels) vie for possession of Hell, and Morpheus must make the decision. I won’t spoil what happens, but it’s a very satisfying ending.