The Sandman: A Game of You
Encyclopedia
A Game of You is the fifth collection of issues in the DC Comics
series, The Sandman. Written by Neil Gaiman
, illustrated by Shawn McManus
, Colleen Doran
, Bryan Talbot
, George Pratt
, Stan Woch
and Dick Giordano
, and lettered by Todd Klein
.
The issues in the collection first appeared in 1991 and 1992. The collection first appeared in paperback and hardback in 1993.
Barbie, a minor character from The Doll's House
, has recently divorced and is trying to rediscover her own identity. At the same time, Barbie's rich but childish fantasy world is threatened by a malevolent creature called the Cuckoo. Her hard-pressed imaginary friends reach out into the real world for help, resulting in blood and death in both worlds.
Gaiman often characterises Sandman stories as "male" or "female"; A Game of You, dominated by female characters and points of view, is one of his female stories. Gaiman described A Game of You as "probably" his favorite volume in the series, "because it's most people's least favourite volume, and I love it all the more for that."
This fifth collection continues the story of some of the characters of the second, The Doll's House
, and is closely linked with the ninth, The Kindly Ones
.
Each of the issues in the collection takes its name from a song, including Lullaby of Broadway
(represented as "Lullabies of Broadway"), Bad Moon Rising
, taken from the Creedence Clearwater Revival
song, and "Beginning to See the Light", a Velvet Underground song.
Barbie now lives in an apartment block inhabited by her best friend Wanda, a pre-operative trans woman; the lesbian
couple Hazel and Foxglove; the witch Thessaly; and a quiet man named George. Martin Tenbones, a huge dog-like creature who was seen briefly in The Doll's House, somehow manages to escape into the waking world. He is able to find Barbie and give her the Porpentine, a quartz amulet, but not before being gunned down by the police. Barbie is confronted with the reality of the fantasy land she used to visit in her dreams. Using the Porpentine, she is able to dream her way back to that place, known simply as the Land.
The Land appears to have been based on classic children's fantasy elements—most obviously the Chronicles of Narnia
. It is a realm populated by intelligent talking beasts living in picture-book locales. But the Land now faces a threat from the mysterious villain known as the Cuckoo, whom Princess Barbie is called on to defeat. Upon returning to the Land she is greeted by Wilkinson the shrew, Prinado the monkey, and Luz the dodo—her allies in the quest.
Back in New York, George, a servant of the Cuckoo, magically releases a flock of birds that give nightmares to the other apartment residents. Only Thessaly is immune, and she soon traces the source and kills George. Barbie's friends find her in a coma-like state from which she will not wake.
Thessaly uses George's remains to divine the threat from the Cuckoo. After drawing down the moon, Thessaly, Hazel and Foxglove travel to The Land to help Barbie, leaving Wanda with the unconscious Barbie and George's still-animated head. Thessaly's magic has serious consequences as a freak storm rages through the city, costing Wanda her life.
As the story reaches its climax, Barbie discovers that the Cuckoo resembles herself as a child. The Land turns out to be part of The Dreaming; it is the setting of Barbie's childhood dreams, populated with animated images of her stuffed toys. The Cuckoo causes Barbie to break the Porpentine on a monolith, an act that summons Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams and creator of the Land.
This means the end of the Land. All its hundreds of creatures march in one long procession that vanishes into the folds of Dream's cloak in a manner akin to the end of the Chronicles of Narnia. He then takes up the entire Land in the palm of his hand and lets it crumble into nothingness.
Dream then grants Barbie a single boon. She asks that she and her friends be returned to New York safe and sound. The Cuckoo is able to escape into another plane. Soon after her return, Barbie heads west to attend Wanda's funeral, where she meets Wanda's God-fearing parents, who were never able to accept their "son" as a woman. They have Wanda buried with a headstone bearing the name she was born with, Alvin Mann, dressed in a suit and with her hair cut. Before she leaves, Barbie uses lipstick to cross out "Alvin" and writes "Wanda" on the headstone. She then dreams of Wanda, with the most perfect female body, and Death
, who both wave goodbye to Barbie.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
series, The Sandman. Written by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
, illustrated by Shawn McManus
Shawn McManus
Shawn McManus is an American artist who has worked extensively over three decades for DC Comics and other companies, notably for DC's Vertigo imprint, including the current Fables.-Swamp Thing:...
, Colleen Doran
Colleen Doran
Colleen Doran is an American writer/artist, film conceptual artist, and cartoonist. She has illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, and dozens of stories and articles, including works written by Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, J...
, Bryan Talbot
Bryan Talbot
Bryan Talbot is a British comic book artist and writer, born in Wigan, Lancashire, in 1952. He is best known as the creator of The Adventures of Luther Arkwright and its sequel Heart of Empire.-Career:...
, George Pratt
George Pratt (artist)
George Pratt is an American painter and illustrator known for his work in the comic book field.-Biography:...
, Stan Woch
Stan Woch
Stan Woch is an American artist who has worked in the comics industry. His early career includes work as an assistant to Gray Morrow on the Barbara Cartland Romances and Buck Rogers comic strips...
and Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano
Richard Joseph "Dick" Giordano was an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes, and serving as executive editor of then–industry leader DC Comics...
, and lettered by Todd Klein
Todd Klein
Todd Klein is an American comic book letterer, logo designer, and occasional writer, primarily for DC Comics.- Early career:Todd Klein broke into comics in the summer of 1977, hired by DC Comics as a staff production worker...
.
The issues in the collection first appeared in 1991 and 1992. The collection first appeared in paperback and hardback in 1993.
Barbie, a minor character from The Doll's House
The Sandman: The Doll's House
The Doll's House is the second trade paperback collection of the comic book series The Sandman, published by DC Comics. It collects issues #9-16. It is written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli and Steve Parkhouse, coloured by Robbie...
, has recently divorced and is trying to rediscover her own identity. At the same time, Barbie's rich but childish fantasy world is threatened by a malevolent creature called the Cuckoo. Her hard-pressed imaginary friends reach out into the real world for help, resulting in blood and death in both worlds.
Gaiman often characterises Sandman stories as "male" or "female"; A Game of You, dominated by female characters and points of view, is one of his female stories. Gaiman described A Game of You as "probably" his favorite volume in the series, "because it's most people's least favourite volume, and I love it all the more for that."
This fifth collection continues the story of some of the characters of the second, The Doll's House
The Sandman: The Doll's House
The Doll's House is the second trade paperback collection of the comic book series The Sandman, published by DC Comics. It collects issues #9-16. It is written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli and Steve Parkhouse, coloured by Robbie...
, and is closely linked with the ninth, The Kindly Ones
The Sandman: The Kindly Ones
The Kindly Ones is the ninth collection of issues in the DC Comics series, The Sandman. Written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Marc Hempel, Richard Case, D'Israeli, Teddy Kristiansen, Glyn Dillon, Charles Vess, Dean Ormston and Kevin Nowlan, coloured by Danny Vozzo, and lettered by Todd Klein.The...
.
Each of the issues in the collection takes its name from a song, including Lullaby of Broadway
Lullaby of Broadway
Lullaby of Broadway can refer to:*"Lullaby of Broadway" , a popular song with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin, published in 1935*Lullaby of Broadway , a 1951 movie with Doris Day, in which she sings the song...
(represented as "Lullabies of Broadway"), Bad Moon Rising
Bad Moon Rising
Bad Moon Rising may refer to:* "Bad Moon Rising" , by Creedence Clearwater Revival* Bad Moon Rising: The Best of Creedence Clearwater Revival, a compilation album* Bad Moon Rising , by Sonic Youth...
, taken from the Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
song, and "Beginning to See the Light", a Velvet Underground song.
Plot
The central character of A Game of You is Barbie, who was originally introduced a resident of the house where Rose Walker stayed during the events of The Doll's House. In that earlier storyline, Barbie was seen having a vivid dream in which she was a princess in a fantasy realm. But as A Game of You opens, we find a drastically changed Barbie who no longer dreams.Barbie now lives in an apartment block inhabited by her best friend Wanda, a pre-operative trans woman; the lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
couple Hazel and Foxglove; the witch Thessaly; and a quiet man named George. Martin Tenbones, a huge dog-like creature who was seen briefly in The Doll's House, somehow manages to escape into the waking world. He is able to find Barbie and give her the Porpentine, a quartz amulet, but not before being gunned down by the police. Barbie is confronted with the reality of the fantasy land she used to visit in her dreams. Using the Porpentine, she is able to dream her way back to that place, known simply as the Land.
The Land appears to have been based on classic children's fantasy elements—most obviously the Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages...
. It is a realm populated by intelligent talking beasts living in picture-book locales. But the Land now faces a threat from the mysterious villain known as the Cuckoo, whom Princess Barbie is called on to defeat. Upon returning to the Land she is greeted by Wilkinson the shrew, Prinado the monkey, and Luz the dodo—her allies in the quest.
Back in New York, George, a servant of the Cuckoo, magically releases a flock of birds that give nightmares to the other apartment residents. Only Thessaly is immune, and she soon traces the source and kills George. Barbie's friends find her in a coma-like state from which she will not wake.
Thessaly uses George's remains to divine the threat from the Cuckoo. After drawing down the moon, Thessaly, Hazel and Foxglove travel to The Land to help Barbie, leaving Wanda with the unconscious Barbie and George's still-animated head. Thessaly's magic has serious consequences as a freak storm rages through the city, costing Wanda her life.
As the story reaches its climax, Barbie discovers that the Cuckoo resembles herself as a child. The Land turns out to be part of The Dreaming; it is the setting of Barbie's childhood dreams, populated with animated images of her stuffed toys. The Cuckoo causes Barbie to break the Porpentine on a monolith, an act that summons Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams and creator of the Land.
This means the end of the Land. All its hundreds of creatures march in one long procession that vanishes into the folds of Dream's cloak in a manner akin to the end of the Chronicles of Narnia. He then takes up the entire Land in the palm of his hand and lets it crumble into nothingness.
Dream then grants Barbie a single boon. She asks that she and her friends be returned to New York safe and sound. The Cuckoo is able to escape into another plane. Soon after her return, Barbie heads west to attend Wanda's funeral, where she meets Wanda's God-fearing parents, who were never able to accept their "son" as a woman. They have Wanda buried with a headstone bearing the name she was born with, Alvin Mann, dressed in a suit and with her hair cut. Before she leaves, Barbie uses lipstick to cross out "Alvin" and writes "Wanda" on the headstone. She then dreams of Wanda, with the most perfect female body, and Death
Death (DC Comics)
Death is a fictional character from the DC comic book series, The Sandman . The character first appeared in The Sandman vol. 2, #8 , and was created by Neil Gaiman and Mike Dringenberg....
, who both wave goodbye to Barbie.
Issues collected
| Issue | Title | Writer | Penciller | Inker | Colorist | Letterer | Ast Editor | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Slaughter on Fifth Avenue | Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book... |
Shawn McManus Shawn McManus Shawn McManus is an American artist who has worked extensively over three decades for DC Comics and other companies, notably for DC's Vertigo imprint, including the current Fables.-Swamp Thing:... |
Shawn McManus | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein Todd Klein Todd Klein is an American comic book letterer, logo designer, and occasional writer, primarily for DC Comics.- Early career:Todd Klein broke into comics in the summer of 1977, hired by DC Comics as a staff production worker... |
Alisa Kwitney Alisa Kwitney Alisa Kwitney is an American author.Kwitney was born in New York City. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and from Columbia University's Master of Fine Arts Fiction Writing Program. Kwitney was also an editor for Vertigo, the mature/dark fantasy branch of DC... |
Karen Berger Karen Berger Karen Berger is an American comic book editor. She is best known as the Executive Editor of DC Comics' Vertigo imprint.-Biography:... |
| 33 | Lullabies of Broadway | Neil Gaiman | Shawn McManus | Shawn McManus | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
| 34 | Bad Moon Rising | Neil Gaiman | Colleen Doran | George Pratt George Pratt (artist) George Pratt is an American painter and illustrator known for his work in the comic book field.-Biography:... & Dick Giordano Dick Giordano Richard Joseph "Dick" Giordano was an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes, and serving as executive editor of then–industry leader DC Comics... |
Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
| 35 | Beginning to See the Light | Neil Gaiman | Shawn McManus | Shawn McManus | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
| 36 | Over the Sea to Sky | Neil Gaiman | Shawn McManus & Bryan Talbot Bryan Talbot Bryan Talbot is a British comic book artist and writer, born in Wigan, Lancashire, in 1952. He is best known as the creator of The Adventures of Luther Arkwright and its sequel Heart of Empire.-Career:... |
Shawn McManus & Stan Woch | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
| 37 | I Woke Up and One of Us Was Crying | Neil Gaiman | Shawn McManus | Shawn McManus | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |