cover image Delirium's Party: A Little Endless Storybook

Delirium's Party: A Little Endless Storybook

Jill Thompson. DC/Vertigo, $14.99 trade paper (64p) ISBN 978-1-4012-2477-6

The Endless%E2%80%94six quasi-mythological figures created by Neil Gaiman in the pages of the Sandman comics%E2%80%94return in their child-size versions in this whimsical tale of sibling dynamics by acclaimed artist Thompson (Scary Godmother). Delirium, accompanied by her loyal dog Barnabas, is hell-bent on throwing her dour sister, Despair, the most wonderful birthday party ever. The little girl stays true to her name, and Thompson's illustrations capture the manic energy Delirium pours into party planning. When the rest of the family arrives%E2%80%94brothers Destiny, Dream, Destruction and sisters Despair, Death, and Desire%E2%80%94Delirium promises a party they won't soon forgot. But nothing cracks Despair's grim facade (even presents) or move her to utter anything other than "..." It isn't until Delirium puts aside her own assumptions about what makes the perfect party and sees the event through her sister's eyes that she realizes what's missing. Thompson's watercolors bring this eccentric family to life, from the frenetic Technicolor whirlwind of Delirium doing everything in her power to coax a smile out of her sister to her cloaked and hooded siblings presenting Despair with increasingly elaborate birthday presents. (May)