- This arc follows a woman named Barbara and her friends—real and imagined—as a character from her dreams shows up in the real world to give her a present that bring her back to her own dream world.
- Once she has returned to her dream, she’s tasked with saving the world from the Cuckoo who seeks its destruction.
- Barbara’s friends and neighbors anchor the book, with her friend Wanda providing most of its emotional resonance.
- The only possible issue I can see with “A Game of You” is that Wanda’s ultimate fate feels like a trope in 2017.
- Gaiman leaves Morpheus on the sidelines for the majority of this arc, absent from entire issues; it’s an effective way to show the scope, scale, and power of The Dreaming, even without his direct influence.
- Sandman has a reputation for strong art, and this arc is no exception.
Collected in
- Sandman, Vol. 5: A Game of You (#32-37)
- Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2 (#21-39)
- The Annotated Sandman, Vol. 2 (#21-39)
- Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 1 (#1-37)
Credits
Writer: Neil Gaiman | Artists: Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch, Dick Giordano | Letterer: Todd Klein | Colorist: Danny Vozzo | Covers: Dave McKean