©2022 Michael Raven
Of all the things I found myself liking about Sandman, the Netflix series, I didn’t realize that I missed the house the most.
Having been an early fan of the graphic novel series, well before the name Neil Gaiman had become a household name, I watched the series with some trepidation. How bad are they going to ruin it? That was the primary concern rattling around my head.
As a fan, I’m pretty easygoing. I don’t expect much from these translations from one media to the other, so I was pleasantly surprised that the adaptation was firmly in the not-bad camp, maybe even good.
But this isn’t a review of the show. I’m not even going to really explain myself.
As the season rounded out and the credits rolled, I realized that I really fricking missed that house that Rose Walker stayed in. Hal, Barbie and Ken, Gilbert, Lyta, Rose and… Zelda and Chantal.
While Matthew (The Raven) has always been my favorite character after Death, that household brought back memories of similar people and places from when I was younger and I found myself pining a bit for those people and places as I watched.
I wanted to go back, even as only a tourist, to the late 80s and early 90s — so I could connect again with such things. I wanted to watch Hal perform onstage (Zar would have been his name in my world) and follow it up with a long chat about a dark and stormy night with Zelda and Chantal. Or, at least, with Chantal unless Zelda had a bout with extroversion for the night.
That’s it. I miss that kind of community in that kind of household, much like a few I used to know. Nothing terribly profound.
sceadugenga 
I know the feeling yo described, wanting to relieve the same moment. I have a a few shows that take me back to the 80’s and 90’s.
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My daughter was watching with me and said: I don’t think I’d trust anyone there. She hasn’t read the stories.
I looked at her and said: Back then, those are some of the first people I would trust if I didn’t know them.
I lived in an era where the outcasts watched each other’s backs and there were some unspoken understandings.
Now? Well I won’t go on… It’ll just make me look more like some guy shaking his cane at miscreants.
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LOL!!! Not the cane!!!
Yes the outkast were the realest people.
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I haven’t watched it yet. I’m a huge fan of the graphic novels and I think I’ve been hesitant to absorb the story in another format. I will eventually watch it though, but I want to be in the right headspace to accept it and not be constantly comparing (something I do too much).
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I think you’ll find, in spite of some of the minor differences, that it is true to the series as graphic novel. While I have my quibbles, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality.
I don’t agree with some of the casting choices, but that was my main disagreement.
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