Today, a great geek, literary and comic book icon celebrates a birthday. There is not much that cannot be told about Neil Gaiman that you can't find on his brooding website or his Wikipedia entry. There is a lot to be told within his great body of work however. At only 49 years young, Gaiman has plenty of years left to amaze us with his writing and artistry.
From his amazing work on the Sandman comics to his collaboration with Terry Pratchett on possibly one of the most entertaining novels of the last 20 years, *Good Omens
- Gaiman has never ceased to inspire and delight readers of all ages and temperaments. His fantasy is ever reaching, ranging from the struggle of the everyday soul caught in a less than ordinary underworld (Neverwhere
) to the plights of put upon gods losing their faithful (American Gods
.)
My first interactions with Gaiman's work came in the form of his comics, but not Sandman as you'd expect. I had picked up The Books of Magic which was a mini series that looked at the magical portions of the DC Universe. A huge DC fan, I really enjoyed seeing a different side of the DC world.
It was that kind of magical and mystical fantasy that drew me into Gaiman's writing. When he started to release solo novels, I was more than eager to pick them up. Gaiman weaves worlds that provide an ample escape from the real world, but by creating other seemingly real worlds. It's those other worlds you get lost in, and keep you reading.
If you are looking for Neil's latest work, check out issue #686 of Batman and issue #853 of Detective Comics for his "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader" story arc. They came out back in February & April respectively. He's also working on a couple new projects, which can be found on his website.
So here's to you Neil, and here's to the mystical and fantastical worlds you've created for us to enjoy - and the ones you haven't yet. Happy birthday from all of us here at GeekDad.
