Neil GaimanMy first experience with Neil Gaiman was reading his comic Sandman when in high school (in the early '90s). I later bugged him for his autograph at a Tori Amos concert and even later went to a reading of his at the U of MN campus where I met his daughter. The comic tells the story of Dream, Death, Desire, Despair, Destruction, Delerium (who used to be Delight), and Destiny. They have been there since the beginning, and will be there until the end (that is an incredibly brief overview of the plot of the series...)I have had a great respect for Neil Gaiman ever since.
His writing is excellent, gory, disturbing...it really shakes you up (until you get used to that sort of thing, and then it's just comforting). I'm not really a fan of comics, but I would suggest picking up the Sandman series (available in graphic novel form now for about $20 a book). For a more complete delving into the world of Neil Gaiman, here is a list of more sites dedicated to him and to Sandman characters.
