Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781563893339
ISBN: 1563893339
Label: Vertigo
Manufacturer: Vertigo
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 96
Publication Date: 1997-12-01
Publisher: Vertigo
Release Date: 1997-12-01
Studio: Vertigo

From pages of The Sandman graphic novels, Morpheus' sister, Death, returns for a second solo outing in a haunting tale of music, mortality, friendship and the power of love in the face of death. Fan favourite author Neil Gaiman reintroduces and expands upon the characters introduced in his acclaimed and best-selling graphic novel Death: The High Cost of Living in this all-new collection. This lushly illustrated and thought-provoking volume comes complete with three brand new story pages to flesh out the story's conclusion and a gallery of favourite renderings of Death by the likes of Dave McKean, Bill Sienkiewicz and many others.

Customer Rating:
Summary: A little less serious Death
Comment: This follow up to Gaiman's popular and, in my opinion excellent, take on Death in Death: The High Cost of Living is less focused on Death, and more on two supporting characters from The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You. While the story isn't bad and Gaiman keeps it moving along at an entertaining pace, if you are looking for something that matches the previous Death book, or Gaiman's Sandman series, then you will be a bit disappointed. It is a shame that Gaiman didn't continue working with Death, as the character has a lot of flexibility to be worked into almost any story. I think the greatest flaw with this book is that Death is actually in it a bit too much. Many Sandman stories covered similar territory and Dream, the titular Sandman, would appear in just a single panel.

The art by Chris Bachalo is detailed and easy to look at without being showy. Some of the more fantastic imagery is rendered with a bit too much of the washed-out colors look that the book takes as its style, but overall the art is subtle and effective. Gaiman's books are usually noticed more for their words than their pictures, and Bachalo has a distinctive style but not one that draws attention to itself over Gaiman's wordplay.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Waste of the Time of Your Life
Comment: It's hard to believe that this came from the mind and hands of Neil Gaiman. There is simply nothing here of any interest. It's been said in other reviews here that this simply suffers from comparison with Neil's better offerings, but I think this would fare poorly no matter who the author was. There is little mood, little characterization beyond obvious cliches, no atmosphere, no build up, no pay off. You will not be changed in any way after reading this, other than to have lost some of the time of your life.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Death: "wasn't" The Time of Your Life
Comment: This character from the Sandman series is not anywhere as good as the Sandman series. My advice - stick with the Sandman books.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: a delight for Hazel fans
Comment:
Since Hazel has long been my favorite character in Sandman (yes, even over Death) I was happy to see a book starring her.

Her story arc shows that in her quiet, insecure way, Hazel is still loyal and even noble, and smart about the things which matter most. So I read and re-read my favorite Hazel moments, such as when she points out, to Foxglove's amazement, that they both really know what love is, or when Hazel tells Death (who is listening in a kindly older sister fashion) about protecting the memory of that first romantic moment. (It seems to me that the healing power of Hazel's devotion usually doesn't work as well in real life as it does here, but I do like a good story.)

If you are not a fan of Hazel or the Hazel/Foxglove relationship this is not for you. While I enjoyed it very much I would not give this to anyone not already familiar with Sandman.

I had to deduct a star for the title of this book and its companion: Death, the High Cost of Living and Death, the Time of Your Life, are so interchangeable that there are reviews here on Amazon for the opposite book. A title should help us remember what the story is about, and these only confuse. And I much prefer this one.

So I'll go find it and read it again soon.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic art, average writing
Comment: You see, it's not that this is a mediocre work - it's definitely above average (hence the 3 out of 5 star rating) - it's just that we've been spoiled silly by the brilliant standard of writing, plotting, philosophy and character that Neil Gaiman so generously gave us through the epic run of his, 'Sandman,' series and when we come across a spin-off graphic novel that doesn't quite live up to that standard, of course we're going to be just a wee bit disappointed. With that being said, if you were a fan of the, 'Sandman,' series then you certainly dug the character of Death, and with that of course you have to read this volume as well. While the artwork is brilliant throughout (almost taking on a japanese manga look at times) the writing, sadly, just isn't quite up to snuff. Still, it's a slim enough book to make breezing through quite an effortless and pleasing experience.

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