In January I mentioned that I had received The Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman and began reading them. I finished making my way through them two weeks ago.
For those that don’t read comic formats, you really are missing out on some of the best story telling out there at times. This and The Watchmen aren’t just comics, they are stories that leverage all of the tools of a novel while providing additional levels of depth through the graphic part. And it’s not about the art or the pictures, it’s about the full impact. Just like a movie or novel or video game or any other type of art you could name.
So why do I mention it? Because it has left an impact on how I view the world. Completing the epic that is The Sandman has given me a perspective that I didn’t have before reading it. I’m not sure exactly how to express this (hence why I’m writing with seeming aimlessness) but it seems like it needs to be expressed.
All I can really say at the end is that the Journey has made me feel like everything comes together better. I now understand what a story is in ways that I didn’t when I began reading. Stories are everything. Everything we do and everything we are is the story of us. It’s the stories we tell at the watercooler. It’s the stories we tell at night after a few beers. It’s the stories we tell when we don’t say anything and simply sit in the back of the room absorbing.