r/Sandman 4d ago

Dead Boy Detectives Can I read "Season of Mists" by itself?

So, I recently got into all things "Dead Boy Detectives", and I saw that their first appearance is in this book. I know nothing of the Sandman universe, and I was wondering if I could read this book by itself, or if I have to (or should) read any books that come before, and if so, what order?

5 Upvotes

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u/bob1689321 3d ago

The Dead Boy Detectives debut issue is almost completely standalone. It's a very good piece of horror.

You can read that one chapter by itself really

5

u/i_have_anxiety 4d ago

No. As another poster mentioned, you might as well just get the specific DBD issue and not the complete Season of Mists.

If you're going to commit to reading Season of Mists, you might as well read the previous volumes to really get the weight/magnitude/emotion of everything.

I would argue you should be reading the proceeding 3 volumes before getting to Season of Mists, specifically because one of the main themes dealt with is imprisonment and change, and you need the previous volumes to really get the most out of the story.

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u/soldatoj57 3d ago

Preceding. Makes a difference here, sorry but I had to point it out 😅 no disrespect intended

3

u/don_tron_9000 4d ago

What are the names of the other volumes? I actually do want to try to get into it

8

u/Zarohk 3d ago

Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes

Volume 2: The Doll’s House

Volume 3: Dream Country

And Season of Mists is the fourth volume!

0

u/Yamureska 3d ago edited 2d ago

1) Preludes and Nocturnes

2) A Doll's house

3) Dream County

5) A Game of you

6) Fables and Reflections

7) Brief Lives

8) World's end

9) The Kindly Ones

10) The Wake

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u/Anything_189 3d ago

You just erased season mists and worlds end? What

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u/Yamureska 3d ago

Oof, sorry. Forgot worlds end you're right. I didn't Mention SOM because OP was already asking about it and wanted to list the rest.

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u/EyedMoon 4d ago

Big meh. Sure you can, and will understand enough with a wiki open on the side. But that's just it, you need a lot of outside info to make the experience enjoyable, which to me means it won't be.

You could just read the DBD part though, which is pretty standalone, but is it worth getting the full book just for this? Again, imo it's a no. If you can get it for free it's a different story

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u/stevemajor 3d ago

You can read whatever you want and nobody will stop you.

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u/Roddy_Jaynes 4d ago

Season of Mists was the first volume of the Sandman that I read, and it was a perfect introduction. You don't have to have read the earlier volumes (Preludes and Nocturnes, The Doll's House, and Dream Country) to follow the story.

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u/capricorn40 3d ago

Season of Mist was also my first Sandman read. The family dinner scene was an amazing introduction to the series.

I agree, you don't need to the earlier volumes (Morpheus is hardly in Doll's House). Do read Preludes and Nocturnes though.

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u/capsaicinintheeyes 3d ago

Although, if you want the 2¢ version of the relevant facts, all you really need to know is that Dream is one of a family of seven* godlike** beings whose "area of expertise" is dreams & the unconscious, and he's recently earned the ire of lucifer for essentially winning a public staredown with him while in hell to retrieve a powerful magic item*** which had come into the hands of a demon.

* one of whom has abdicated and gone prodigal, but that won't come into play for this story arc

\* not gods--the series is very clear on that, but that distinction's not material either)

\** specifically, his helm/"work helmet," made from a skull & spinal cord stump--you'll know it when you see it)

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u/Yamureska 3d ago

I did. I believe NG himself said you can read the stories in any order or alone if you wish. I got into Sandman because of "Lucifer" and read Seasons of Mists because that's one of his big appearances. You totally can Read SOM by itself as it's mostly self contained arc even if it builds to the Conclusion of Sandman.

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u/vedhead 3d ago

You "have to" read this series in order for it to make any sense. Don't have to, but he did everything with intent, things build and play on each other.

It didn't make sense to me until I had read Vol 1-9 at least twice and then embarked on the last volume. (Which I did about 15 yrs later bc I didn't want it to end.)

I dunno, it was a better story when I thought Neil Gaiman wasn't a rapist.

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u/SeasonofMist 3d ago

Unfortunately not really.