As the year winds down here are two more quick notes about graphic novels I read this past week – books 47 and 48 for the year. The first is volume 2 of Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s hilariously inappropriate Sex Criminals, subtitled Two Worlds One Cop. While the story remains consistently funny with few images I can post on this blog (hence the one image above) this second volume deepens the saga of Jon and Suzie, giving us poignant portraits of their characters and their relationship in the midst of this outlandish tale.  Both story and art are excellent and I’m sure I will continue reading this book.

My second read was volume seven of Neil Gaiman’s enthralling Sandman. Entitled Brief Lives this book tells the story of Morpheus/Dream and his sister on a quest to find their missing brother who abandoned the family over 300 years ago. Gaiman weaves a moving story about the ways that Dream and his siblings intersect with mortal lives and how these interactions impact The Endless (Gaiman’s name for the seven siblings in Dream’s family). With gorgeous art by Jill Thompson and Vince Locke this extensive story continues to intrigue me and I expect to read the remaining five volumes as well.