Sandman: Fables and Reflections

Neil Gaiman's fiction is dark and disturbing, but it can never really be called misanthropic. Though precious few of his stories lack murderers, rapists, liars, thieves and cheats, all of them depict a core belief in goodness. This sets Gaiman's work above most other alternative comics, which tend to have a relentlessly bleak worldview. The sixth collection of Sandman comics, "Fables and Reflections", has a generally positive outlook on the virtues of humanity, even if its subject matter is downtrodden.

Almost all of the stories in "Fables and Reflections" concern themselves with powerful people. Each are one-shot comics that more or less avoid the central arc of Sandman, though it would be a mistake to call them inessential. The series as a whole is about power and responsibility, all wrapped up in a meditation on the nature of storytelling. Each of these stand-alone comics feature well-known stories that have become part of a globe-spanning mythology. Though Dream himself isn't the central character of any of them, they provide a deeper understanding of the role he's played throughout history as well as his complex sense of right and wrong.

The gem of the collection is "Three Septembers and a January", a Sandman-ized retelling of the late life of Joshua Abraham Norton, self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States and beloved resident of San Francisco. Emperor Norton was an eccentric and quite likely insane transplant from South Africa who lost his mind shortly after losing his fortune to an ill-advised rice business. He maintained a very modest room in 19th century San Francisco, issued his own currency and grew to be a local fixture in what would one day be one of America's most colorful cities. The Sandman version elevates Norton to the subject of a bet between Dream, Desire and Despair. They each wager that they can claim Norton as an unwitting devotee to their auspice. Ultimately, Dream wins. Gaiman doesn't exactly depict Norton as a great man and he doesn't shy away from the would-be emperor's obvious insanity, but Gaiman does use the story to appreciate the ironic nobility of Norton's character. He doesn't cave to personal anguish or use his imaginary power for selfish ends. In fact, he even has one very good idea-- The construction of a bridge across San Francisco Bay.

Ultimately, Emperor Norton's life turns out a lot better than most of the other central characters in "Fables and Reflections". One of them, the actual monarch Harun al-Rashid, is so afraid of losing his great city (Baghdad at its height) that he ends up giving up its greatness early. The Roman emperor Augustus in "August" looks on his nation with such disgust that he more or less plots its downfall, while the self-appointed leaders of the French Revolution in "Thermidor" pay for their arrogance with their lives. In the Sandman universe, it usually ends up being better to have a kingly state of mind than an actual crown. This is what makes Dream such a strong protagonist. In all things he believes in responsibility, propriety and domain. Of all the Endless, he's the only one who really acts like a ruler.