The Magic Aspect of ‘The Sandman’: The Netflix Series Versus Neil Gaiman’s Oeuvre

In his insistence on bringing some of the most important graphic novels of all time to the small screen and in carving out a space in the market led by Marvel, DC Comics and ‘The Boys’, Netflix has decided to adapt ‘The man of sand’, Neil Gaiman’s masterpiece, but does it have enough magic to justify its existence?

The story of the Netflix adaptation will take place many years later, when Morpheus, Sueño or Dream (however you know him) originally do so in the novel. Changes that justify a modern world, and different from the work of Neil Gaiman, however, the series of ‘The Sandman’ has changed his imagination, and worries me.

Of course we will have to give him the benefit of the doubt, but this case reminds me of what Tim Soret, a video game developer, said about Timothée Chalamet’s first image in ‘Dune’, about its “static, empty and clinical” aspect, as previously Denis Villeneuve and Roger Deakins did with the photograph of “Blade Runner 2049”.

He compared “Blade Runner 2049” to Ridley Scott’s science fiction film of 1982, arguing that in the original film the world seemed “organic”, capable and visually “chaotic”. And while he recognizes that the cinematography of “Dune” and “2049” are acknowledged masterpieces, he does have some flaws.

Netflix’s “The Sandman” lacks soul

In the adaptation of ‘The man of sand’ from netflix I see those same atmospheric and aesthetic flaws, which I repeat, the final product will be able to justify those shortcomings in the script, or the plot has a narrative sense. However, as far as the visual section is concerned, the series cannot resist the work of Neil Gaiman.

‘The man of sand’ was a comic series written by Neil Gaimanand illustrated by various artists, with Dave McKean on the cover, as well as collaborations with Colleen Doran, Yoshitaka Amano, Jill Thompson, among many others, and which was published by DC Comics, then moved on to Vertigo, where the most darker and older.

The first trailer of the series “The Sandman”, which contained the release date, was revealed a few weeks ago and in it you could see a bit of the construction of this world, in which Neil Gaiman is involved as a producer. executive, with Allan Heinberg as showrunner, tasked with writing things like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Wonder Woman” with Gal Gadot.

In the little that can be seen of the advance of “The Sandman” it can be seen that the visual section is not as innovative or proactive as the work of Neil Gaiman and his illustrators, with those impossible, dreamlike and fantastic worlds for which Morpheus he travels and instead his world is real, dark and sometimes empty.

Of that fantastic atmosphere, little remains, where creatures drawn from the same dreams appear and disappear throughout the plot. And beware, in the novel of ‘The Sandman’ there are also realistic passages, of everyday conversations, but with the pen of different artists you get a deep atmosphere.

It is true that it would be practically impossible to match the imagery of ‘The Sandman’, even with a huge budget like that of Marvel or DC productions. However, the special effects of the Netflix series try to be as simple as possible and, in the process, lose the soul of the original work.

“The Sandman” will be released on August 5, 2022 and I hope that when you see the full product, there will at least be moments where there will be room to contemplate his world, fantastic landscapes and impossible places as impressive as Neil Gaiman’s work.