Sandman: Overture

This book is a small miracle in disguise. Every inch of it screams attention to detail. Undoubtedly meant for someone familiar with the whole series to begin with, Overture acts as a rosetta stone to, if not "solving" many of the hidden mysteries of the entire work taken as a whole, then certainly straightening some doubts out, while making others even more tantalizing. For instance, the famous rivalry between Dream and Desire is introduced spectacularly, and something I've always suspected as having been the cause of said rivalry is proven to be fact. Dream and Desire are very similar, but of course, never the same: to desire is to be selfishly besotted with something or someone, even if you cannot acknowledge it. To dream of something has something a bit more unreal about it, but at the same time it is achievable, but not in the cut and thrust fashion in which you "acquire" what you desire. Ultimately, the paradox is that Dream himself is selfish, and yet he finds it in himself to loosen, unlike Desire who is stuck in their mold. Overture acts as a key to understanding the flawed creature that Dream is. It is a masterwork of fantastic literature.