I was a freshman in college and this girl I liked handed me a Sandman comic. I had not read this particular comic before. I had not read any comics in many years. I never was much of a comic reader. But I devoured it. I loved everything about it. It was so imaginative, and thoughtful, so beautifully drawn and artful. I didn’t know comics could be like that.

I read every book in the series. I used to read it during my psychology class, sitting at the back with the comic folded into my textbook. I’ve since purchased all of them and reread them a few times.

I was more than excited when Netflix announced they were doing a series based on the comics. I was thrilled when it actually turned out to be good. I’m also always happy when shows and movies that are streaming only come to physical media. I’m happy to make The Sandman: The Complete First Season my Pick of the Week.

Also out this week that looks interesting:

A Haunting in Venice: I wrote about this one in my Friday Night Horror column a couple of weeks ago. It isn’t an amazing movie, but it is a fun one, and I love that they keep making these Poirot adaptations.

Wandavision: The Complete Series: Again, I am really glad streaming series are getting physical releases. This is probably the best Disney+ Marvel series, which isn’t saying that much. The first half is better than the second, but the good stuff really worked for me.

Blackhat: Michael Mann’s techno-thriller just didn’t work for me, which is surprising because I usually love his films. I wrote a review for Cinema Sentries which you can read here. If you are a fan, then Arrow Video is releasing in a pretty fancy set.

Le Combat dans l’île: French noir about a terrorist hiding out after a failed assassination.

Messiah of Evil: Pretty good little horror flick about a woman coming to a seaside town looking for her dad and finding a cult of zombies gets a really nice-looking treatment from Radiance Films. You can read my Friday Night Horror talk on the film here.