The Sandman vol 4 by Neil Gaiman

Vol 4: Seasons of Mist, illustrated by Kelley Jones, Malcolm Jones III, Mike Dringenberg, Matt Wagner, Dick Giordano, George Pratt, P. Craig Russell
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We open up on the Garden of Destiny, who is visited by the Three Fates. He is unsettled by what they reveal, so he calls the rest of his family to a meeting: Despair, Desire, Delirium, Death, and Dream. The family chides Dream for his short temper, particularly in the case of his former lover, Nada, who he condemned to torment in Hell for not agreeing to become his queen. He eventually sees their side, and decides to re-enter Hell to free Nada. This might be the end of him, as Lucifer told him so on their last encounter. He says his goodbyes and readies his kingdom, but when he enters Hell, he finds it eerily empty. Lucifer meets up with him and tells him he’s let all the demons go, he’s released all the tortured, and the dead have gone back to wherever they came from. He gives the Key to Hell to Dream and peaces out, knowing the possession of the key is going to make Dream’s life miserable. Shortly thereafter, hosts of deities show up at Dream’s castle, all with a claim to the Key to Hell.

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This was by far my favorite volume of this series thus far. I honestly didn't believe Lucifer whole time he was closing up Hell, and I thought there was some sort of catch or ambush that he was going to spring up against Dream given how Lucifer threatened him previously. But, the best part was seeing all the deities from all the different pantheons come in and make their case for Hell. It was a little strange seeing Thor, Odin, and Loki, as well as the Egyptian Pantheon, come as I had to constantly remind myself we weren't in the Marvel Universe. I'm still not entirely sure the solution Dream landed on will be free of repercussions, so we'll see where that goes in further volumes. 

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 11-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3

Publisher: Vertigo (DC Comics)
Publication Date: February 1st, 2011
ISBN: 9781401230425 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: High School, Suitability: Adult, Comicbooks, Demons, Horror, Superheroes, DC Comics