This article, “does the Netflix series stay true to the comics,” contains spoilers regarding The Sandman season 1.
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As said by the creative team behind The Sandman, the Sandman Comic Book Series was the biggest series that had not yet been adapted; and despite being over 30 years since the comic books were first published, the team thought that now was the right time for an adaptation to be made.
But as the original comic book series had 75 issues, it wasn’t so much a question of what to include. But rather what they didn’t include. When the series is all said and done, one question remains; does The Sandman stay true to the comic book series?
In some ways, let’s hope so. Resident Evil was recently adapted onto a tv series for Netflix, and that was met with absolute outrage over not staying loyal to the games. So will The Sandman suffer a similar fate?
The Sandman season 1 – does the Netflix series stay true to the comics?
Rather than try and cram all of the 75 issues into one mini-series, the creative team, which includes; Allan Heinberg, David S. Goyer, and Neil Gaiman; decided to use the first two graphic novels; Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll’s House; for inspiration during the making of The Season season one.
But seeing as the comic book series was published between 1989 and 1996, some natural changes had to be made to ensure The Sandman would fit with the standards of 2022. And some of these changes included casting women and actors of colour in roles different to those in the comics. I.E., the gender-flipped version of Lucien and Gwendoline Christie playing a female version of Lucifer Morningstar. Additionally, The Sandman switches John Constantine to Johanna Constantine, a role played superbly by Jenna Coleman, and also expands the nature of The Corinthian.
Overall, the team has said that they hope that long-term fans of The Sandman are impressed with how they’ve made the television version so faithful to the comic book series.
What do you think of The Sandman season 1? Do you believe that it stayed true to the comic book series? Comment below!
