| The Sandman | |
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.comiccover.jpg) Cover ofThe Sandman No. 1 (January 1989) byDave McKean | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher |
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| Schedule | Monthly |
| Genre | |
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| No. of issues |
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| Main character | Dream of theEndless |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Neil Gaiman Sam Kieth Mike Dringenberg |
| Written by | Neil Gaiman |
| Penciller | List
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| Inker | List
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| Letterer(s) | Todd Klein John Costanza |
| Colorist | List
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The Sandman is adark fantasycomic bookseries written byNeil Gaiman and published byDC Comics. Its artists includeSam Kieth,Mike Dringenberg,Jill Thompson,Shawn McManus,Marc Hempel,Bryan Talbot, andMichael Zulli, with lettering byTodd Klein and covers byDave McKean. The original series ran for 75 issues from January 1989 to March 1996. Beginning with issue No. 47, it was placed under DC'sVertigoimprint, and following Vertigo's retirement in 2020, reprints have been published under DC'sBlack Label imprint.
The main character ofThe Sandman isDream, also known as Morpheus and other names, who is one of the sevenEndless. The other Endless areDestiny,Death,Desire,Despair,Delirium (formerly Delight), andDestruction (also known as the Prodigal). The series is famous for Gaiman's trademark use ofanthropomorphic personification of various metaphysical entities, while also blending mythology and history in its horror setting within theDC Universe.[2]The Sandman is a story about how Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, is captured and subsequently learns that sometimes change is inevitable.[3]The Sandman was Vertigo's flagship title, and is available as a series of tentrade paperbacks, a recolored five-volumeAbsolute hardcover edition with slipcase, a three-volumeomnibus edition, a black-and-whiteAnnotated edition; it is also available fordigital download.
Critically acclaimed,The Sandman was among the firstgraphic novels to appear onThe New York Times Best Seller list, along withMaus,Watchmen, andThe Dark Knight Returns. It was one of six graphic novels to makeEntertainment Weekly's "100 best reads from 1983 to 2008", ranking at No. 46.[4]Norman Mailer described the series as "a comic strip for intellectuals".[5] The series has exerted considerable influence over the fantasy genre and graphic novel medium since its publication and is often regarded as one of the greatest graphic novels of all time.
Various film and television versions ofSandman have been developed. In 2013,Warner Bros. announced that a film adaptation starringJoseph Gordon-Levitt was in production, but Gordon-Levitt dropped out in 2016. In July 2020, September 2021 and September 2022, three full-cast audio dramas were released exclusively throughAudible starringJames McAvoy, which were narrated by Gaiman and dramatized and directed byDirk Maggs. In August 2022,Netflix released atelevision adaptation starringTom Sturridge.
The Sandman grew out of a proposal by Neil Gaiman to revive DC's 1974–1976 seriesThe Sandman, written byJoe Simon andMichael Fleisher and illustrated byJack Kirby andErnie Chua. Gaiman had considered including characters from the "Dream Stream" (including theKirby Sandman,Brute, Glob, and the brothersCain and Abel) in a scene for the first issue of his 1988 miniseriesBlack Orchid. While the scene did not make it into later drafts becauseRoy Thomas was using the characters inInfinity, Inc., Gaiman soon began constructing a treatment for a new series, and mentioned his treatment in passing to DC editorKaren Berger.[6] He was unsure hisSandman pitch would be accepted, but weeks later, Berger asked Gaiman if he was interested in doing aSandman series. Gaiman recalled, "I said, 'Um ... yes. Yes, definitely. What's the catch?' [Berger said,] 'There's only one. We'd like a new Sandman. Keep the name. But the rest is up to you.'"[6]
Gaiman crafted the new character from an initial image of "a man, young, pale and naked, imprisoned in a tiny cell, waiting until his captors passed away... deathly thin, with long dark hair, and strange eyes". Gaiman patterned the character's black attire on a print of a Japanese kimono as well as his own wardrobe.[3] Gaiman wrote an eight-issue outline and gave it toDave McKean and Leigh Baulch, who drew character sketches. Berger reviewed the sketches (along with some drawn by Gaiman) and suggestedSam Kieth as the series' artist.[3]Mike Dringenberg,Todd Klein, Robbie Busch, and Dave McKean were hired asinker,letterer, colorist, and cover artist, respectively. McKean's approach towards comics covers was unconventional, and he convinced Berger that the series' protagonist did not need to appear on every cover.[7][8]
The first seven issues were inspired and influenced by earlyDC andEC Comics, and authors likeDennis Wheatley,Clive Barker,Ramsey Campbell,Robert Heinlein, andAlan Moore, but with issue eight he says he finally found his own voice.[9]
Gaiman's approach to scripting the series became more difficult as the complex storyline and characters developed. "When I began writingSandman, it would take me a couple of weeks to write a script. As time went by I got slower and slower, until a script was taking me six weeks to a month to write."[10]
The debut issue ofThe Sandman went on sale November 29, 1988[11] and wascover-dated January 1989.[12][13] Gaiman described the early issues as "awkward", since he, as well as Kieth, Dringenberg, and Busch, had never worked on a regular series before. Kieth quit after the fifth issue; he was replaced by Dringenberg as penciler, who was in turn replaced byMalcolm Jones III as inker.[14] Dave McKean was the cover artist for the series through its entire run.[15]
The character then appeared in two of DC's "Suggested for Mature Readers" titles. InSwamp Thing vol. 2 No. 84 (March 1989), Dream and Eve allowMatthew Cable to live in theDreaming because he died there, resurrecting him as a raven.[16] He then meetsJohn Constantine inHellblazer No. 19[17] leading into the latter's guest appearance inSandman No. 3 (March 1989).
Gaiman revisitedHell as depicted byAlan Moore inSwamp Thing, beginning with a guest appearance by Jack Kirby'sEtrigan the Demon in issue No. 4 (April 1989). The story introduces Hell's Hierarchy (as their entry is titled inWho's Who in the DC Universe), headed byLucifer (who would spin off into his own series in 1999),Beelzebub (later adversary toKid Eternity), andAzazel, whom Dream defeated later in the series. Dream visited theJustice League International in the following issue, No. 5 (May 1989). Although multiple mainstream DC characters appeared in the series throughout its run, such asMartian Manhunter andScarecrow, this would not be the norm.[18] Gaiman and artist Mike Dringenberg introducedDeath, the older sister of Dream, in issue No. 8 (August 1989).[19]
Gaiman began incorporating elements of the KirbySandman series in issue No. 11 (December 1989), including the changes implemented by Roy Thomas. Joe Simon, and Michael Fleisher had treated the character, who resembled asuperhero, as the "true"Sandman.[20][21] The Thomas and Gaiman stories revealed that the character's existence was a sham created by two nightmares who had escaped to a pocket of the Dreaming.[22][23]Brute and Glob would later attempt this again onSanderson Hawkins, sidekick toWesley Dodds, theGolden Age Sandman.[24][25] Gaiman gave Jed Walker a surname and made him related to several new characters. The Thomas Sandman wasHector Hall, who married the already-pregnantFury in the Dreaming inInfinity, Inc. No. 51.[23] It was explained that Dr. Garrett Sanford, the 1970s Simon and Kirby version of the Sandman, had gone insane from the loneliness of the Dream Dimension and taken his own life. Brute and Glob put the spirit of Hector Hall, which had been cast out of his own body, into Sanford's body, and it eventually began to resemble Hall's.[22] Fury, in her civilian guise as Lyta Hall, was the only superhero recurring character in the series. Even at that, her powers had come to her via theFuryTisiphone,[26] and the Furies, under the euphemism, "the Kindly Ones", a translation of "Eumenides", a name they earned during the events ofAeschylus'sOresteia trilogy, are major characters in the series.
The series follows a tragic course in which Dream, having learned a great deal from his imprisonment, tries to correct the things he has done wrong in the past. Ultimately, this causes him tomercy kill his own son, which leads to his own death at the hands of the Furies. Dream, having found himself a replacement early on inDaniel Hall, dies in issue No. 69 (July 1995). The remaining issues deal with Dream's funeral,Hob Gadling choosing to remain immortal in spite of Dream's death, and two stories from the past. The series wraps with the story ofWilliam Shakespeare creating his other commission for Dream,The Tempest,[27] his last work not in collaboration with other writers.
The Sandman became a cult success for DC Comics[28] and attracted an audience unlike that of mainstream comics: much of the readership was female, many were in their twenties, and many read no other comics at all.[29] Comics historianLes Daniels called Gaiman's work "astonishing" and noted thatThe Sandman was "a mixture of fantasy, horror, and ironic humor such as comic books had never seen before".[30] DC Comics writer and executivePaul Levitz observed that "The Sandman became the first extraordinary success as a series of graphic novel collections, reaching out and converting new readers to the medium, particularly young women on college campuses, and making Gaiman himself into an iconic cultural figure."[31] Gaiman had a finite run in mind for the series, and it concluded with issue No. 75. Gaiman said in 1996, "Could I do another five issues of Sandman? Well, damn right. And would I be able to look at myself in the mirror happily? No. Is it time to stop because I've reached the end, yes, and I think I'd rather leave while I'm in love."[32] The final issue, No. 75, was dated March 1996.[12]
The Sandman has inspired numerous spin-offs. While most of these are not written by Gaiman, he did write two miniseries focusing on the character of Death.Death: The High Cost of Living was published from March to May 1993 and was based on the fable that Death takes human form once a century to remain grounded and in touch with humanity.[33][34] This was followed in 1996 byDeath: The Time of Your Life,[35] featuring the characters ofFoxglove andHazel fromA Game of You. Other spin-offs includeThe Dreaming,Lucifer, andDead Boy Detectives.
A set ofSandman trading cards was issued in 1994 bySkyBox International.[36]
In 1999, Gaiman wroteThe Sandman: The Dream Hunters, a novella illustrated byYoshitaka Amano. As in many of the single-issue stories throughoutThe Sandman, Morpheus appears inDream Hunters, but only as a supporting character. In Gaiman's afterword to the book, he describes the story as a retelling of an existing Japanese legend. There is no trace of it in the primary source he cites,[37] and when asked, Gaiman has stated that he made up the "legend". The novel was later adapted into a four-issue miniseries byP. Craig Russell and released by Vertigo from January 2009 to April 2009.[38][39]
Gaiman andMatt Wagner co-wroteSandman Midnight Theatre, a 1995 prestige formatone-shot in which Dream and Wesley Dodds meet in person after the events in the storyline, "The Python", which ended with Dodds's lover, Dian Belmont, going to England, which eventually brings both her and Dodds to Roderick Burgess's mansion.[40] In 2001, Dream appeared in a flashback inGreen Arrow vol. 3, No. 9, which takes place at a point during the 70 years of the first issue.[41][42]
Gaiman wrote several new stories about Morpheus and his siblings, one story for each, which were published in 2003 as theEndless Nights anthology. The stories are set throughout history, but two take place after the final events of the monthly series. It was written by Gaiman and featured a different illustrator for each story.[43] This collection was the first hardcover graphic novel ever to appear onThe New York Times Hardcover Best Seller list.[44]
Writer/artistJill Thompson wrote and illustrated several stories featuring the Sandman characters. These include themanga-style bookDeath: At Death's Door, one of DC's best-selling books of 2003,[45] set during the events ofSeason of Mists, andThe Little Endless Storybook, a children's book using childlike versions of the Endless.[46]
To commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary ofThe Sandman, Gaiman wrote a new tale involving the battle that had exhausted Morpheus prior to the beginning of the original story.[47] Written by Gaiman and with art byJ. H. Williams III,Overture tells the previously hinted story of Dream's adventure prior toPreludes and Nocturnes, which had exhausted him so much that it made Burgess's actions capable of capturing him. The limited series had six issues.[48] Issue #1 was released on October 30, 2013,[49] and although it was planned to have a bi-monthly release schedule, issue 2 was delayed until March 2014,[50] which Gaiman explained was "mostly due to the giant signing tour I was on from June, and me not getting script written on the tour, with knock-on effects".[51] Special editions were released approximately a month after the original editions, which contain interviews with the creative team, alongside rare artwork.[52]Overture also reveals thatNight andTime respectively are mother and father to the seven Endless siblings.
In 2018, DC announcedThe Sandman Universe, a new line of comics exploringThe Sandman's part of the DC Universe. It started in August 2018.[53][54]
Dream of The Endless makes an appearance inDark Nights: Metal, as Daniel.
The Sandman's main character isDream, the eponymousSandman, who is theanthropomorphic personification ofdreams. At the start of the series, Morpheus is captured by an occult ritual that was trying to capture his siblingDeath and is held prisoner by its caster for 70 years. Morpheus escapes in the modern day and, after avenging himself upon his captors, sets about rebuilding his kingdom which has fallen into disrepair in his absence while reclaiming his gear and hunting down the escaped dreams and nightmares like Corinthian, Brute and Glob, and Fiddler's Green.[55]
The character's initial haughty and often cruel manner begins to soften after his years of imprisonment at the start of the series, but the challenge of undoing past sins and changing old ways is an enormous one for a being who has been set in his ways for billions of years.[56] In its beginnings, the series is a very dark horror comic. Later, the series evolves into an elaboratefantasy series, incorporating elements ofclassical and contemporary mythology, ultimately placing its protagonist in the role of atragic hero.
The storylines primarily take place in the Dreaming, Morpheus's realm, and the waking world, with occasional visits to other domains, such asHell,Faerie,Asgard, and the domains of the otherEndless. Many stories take place in the contemporary United States of America and the United Kingdom. TheDC Universe was the official setting of the series, but well-known DC characters and places were rarely featured after 1990. A notable exception is Lyta Hall, formerlyFury of the 1980s super-teamInfinity, Inc., who figures prominently in the "Kindly Ones" story arc. Most of the storylines take place in modern times, but many short stories are set in the past, taking advantage of the immortal nature of many of the characters, and deal with historical individuals and events, such as in the short story "Men of Good Fortune".[55]
The Sandman comic book series falls within thedark fantasy genre, albeit in a more contemporary and modern setting. Critic Marc Buxton described the book as a "masterful tale that created a movement of mature dark fantasy" which was largely unseen in previousfantasy works before it.[57] The comic book also falls into the genres ofurban fantasy,epic fantasy, historical drama, andsuperhero. It is written as a metaphysical examination of the elements of fiction,[58] which Neil Gaiman accomplished through the artistic use of uniqueanthropomorphic personifications, mythology, legends, historical figures andoccult culture, making up most of the major and minor characters as well as the plot device and even the settings of the story.[58] In its earliest story arcs, theSandman mythos existed primarily in theDC Universe, and as such numerous DC characters made some appearances or were mentioned. Later, the series would reference the DCU less often, while continuing to exist in the same universe.[59]
Critic Hilary Goldstein described the comic book as "about the concept of dreams more so than the act of dreaming".[59] In the early issues, responsibility and rebirth were the primary themes of the story.[60] As Dream finally liberates himself from his occultist captors, he returns to his kingdom which had fallen on hard times due to his absence, while also facing his other siblings, who each have their own reaction to his return. The story is structured not as a series of unconnected events nor as an incoherent dream, but by having each panel have a specific purpose in the flow of the story.[59] Dreams became the core of every story arc written in the series, and the protagonist's journey became more distinct and deliberate. Many Vertigo books since, such asTransmetropolitan andY: The Last Man, have adopted this kind of format in their writing, creating a traditional prose only seen in the imprint.[59]
The Sandman was initially published as a monthly serial, in 32-page comic books with some exceptions to this pattern. The stories within were usually 24 pages long, with eight exceptions within the main story arc: issue #1, "Sleep of the Just" (40 pages); issue #14, "Collectors" (38 pages); issue #32, "Slaughter on Fifth Avenue" (25 pages); issue #33, "Lullabies of Broadway" (23 pages); issue #36, "Over the Sea to Sky" (39 pages); issue #50, "Distant Mirrors—Ramadan" (32 pages); issue #52, "Cluracan's Tale" (25 pages); issue #75, "The Tempest" (38 pages).[61] As the series increased in popularity, DC Comics began to reprint them in hardcover and trade paperback editions, each representing either a complete novel or a collection of related short stories.
DC first published "The Doll's House" storyline in a collection called simplyThe Sandman.[55] Shortly thereafter, the first three volumes were published and named independently and collected in a boxed set. (Death's debut story, "The Sound of Her Wings" from issue #8, appeared both at the beginning of early editions ofThe Doll's House and at the end ofPreludes and Nocturnes, creating overlap between the first two volumes.[55]) In 1998, the cover images fromThe Sandman were released as one compiled volume titledDustcovers: The Collected Sandman Covers.[62]Dave McKean's covers use techniques such as painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, and computer manipulation.
A total of tentrade paperbacks contain the full run of the series and have all been kept in print. In 2010, Vertigo began releasing a new edition ofSandman books, featuring the new coloring from theAbsolute Editions.[63]
In 2018 DC republished the previous ten trade paperbacks in a new 30th anniversary edition,[65] along withEndless Nights, now numbered as Volume 11, both prose and comic versions ofThe Dream Hunters as separate unnumbered volumes, andOverture as Volume ∞.
TheDC Comics Absolute Edition series are large 8" by 12" prints of a considerably higher quality and price than the library edition, and include a leather-like cover and aslipcase. Many of the early stories have been extensively retouched or recolored with Gaiman's approval.[66]
While initially hesitant about releasing annotated editions, Gaiman eventually changed his mind when he forgot a reference when asked about it by a reader. The task of annotating the series was undertaken by Gaiman's friendLeslie S. Klinger ofThe New Annotated Sherlock Holmes who worked from the original scripts given to him by Gaiman.[68]
The first volume ofThe Annotated Sandman was published by DC Comics in January 2012 as a large 12" by 12" black-and-white book with an introduction by Gaiman and included issues #1–20. The annotations are presented on a page-by-page, panel-by-panel basis, with quoted sections from Gaiman's scripts and insight into the various historical, mythological andDC Universe references included in the comic. The second volume annotating issues #21–39 was released in November 2012.[69] The third volume covering issues #40–56,The Sandman Special No. 1 and the story "How They Met Themselves" fromVertigo: Winter's Edge #3 was released in October 2014.[70] The fourth volume including issues #57–75 and the story "The Castle" fromVertigo Jam #1 was released in December 2015.[71]
The first volume was nominated for the 2012Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction.[72]
The Sandman Omnibus, a massive two-volume hardcover edition, was released in 2013 to commemorate the 25th anniversary ofThe Sandman.Volume 1 collects issues #1–37 andThe Sandman Special No. 1 withVolume 2 collecting issues #38–75 with stories fromVertigo Jam No. 1 andVertigo: Winter's Edge. Both volumes are printed with theAbsolute edition recoloring, feature a leather-like cover in black and red, and have over 1000 pages.[73]
A special Silver version ofThe Sandman Omnibus was released as well. Limited to 500 copies and autographed by Gaiman, theSilver edition includes both volumes with a slipcase, silver-like finish and a numbered page with Gaiman's signature.[74]
In 2019, a thirdomnibus volume was released which includes the acclaimed miniseriesDeath: The High Cost of Living andDeath: The Time of Your Life, the graphic novelsSandman Midnight Theatre andThe Sandman: Endless Nights, the prose and comics versions ofThe Sandman: The Dream Hunters and the award-winning miniseriesThe Sandman: Overture, together with the artistic showcases ofA Death Gallery,The Sandman: A Gallery of Dreams andThe Endless Gallery[75]
In 2020 DC started publishingThe Sandman in five Deluxe hardcover editions.
They also published a new hardcover version ofThe Absolute Death in April 2022, now titledDeath: The Deluxe Edition. Like its predecessor, it collectsThe Sandman #8 and 20, "A Winter's Tale" fromVertigo: Winter's Edge #2,Death: The High Cost of Living #1–3, "The Wheel" from9–11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember,Death: The Time of Your Life #1–3, and "Death and Venice" fromThe Sandman: Endless Nights. Extras include "Death Talks About Life",A Death Gallery, and a new introduction by Tori Amos.
In 2022, DC Black Label began to reprint the core Sandman series as a series of paperback collections. These collect the 30th anniversary editions of the original series into four paperback volumes.[76] These were followed in 2023 by two more books, collecting the remainder of the 30th anniversary editions, as well asSandman Midnight Theatre #1 andThe Sandman Universe #1.
The Sandman No. 19, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", won theWorld Fantasy Award in 1991 for Best Short Fiction.[79][80][81]The Sandman and its spin-offs have won more than 26Eisner Awards,[82] including three forBest Continuing Series, one for Best Short Story, four for Best Writer (Neil Gaiman), seven for Best Lettering (Todd Klein), and two for Best Penciller/Inker (one each forCharles Vess andP. Craig Russell).The Sandman: The Dream Hunters was nominated for theHugo Award for Best Related Book in 2000.[83]The Dream Hunters andEndless Nights won theBram Stoker Award for Best Illustrated Narrative in 1999 and 2003, respectively.[84][85] That same year,Season of Mists won theAngoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Scenario.[86] In 2005,IGN declaredThe Sandman as the best Vertigo comic ever.[87][88]The Sandman: Overture, a prequel mini-series, earned the 2016Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.
Hillary Goldstein of IGN praised the comic book, saying that it
is truly the cream of the crop when it comes to Vertigo books. Neil Gaiman's work on the series is considered legendary for a reason. This story, in its entirety, is every bit as good asWatchmen and of equal (if not greater) literary merit. Were I to list the 100 best single comic-book issues I have ever read, three would come from this collection. Whether you have readThe Sandman before or are a first timer, this is the one book you need to buy this fall. The stories within are magnificent and the care taken in reproducing Gaiman's work is the same you'd expect for any great work of literature.[59]
Throughout the late 1990s, a film adaptation of the comic was periodically planned byWarner Bros., parent company of DC Comics.Roger Avary was originally attached to direct after the success ofPulp Fiction, collaborating withPirates of the Caribbean screenwritersTed Elliott andTerry Rossio in 1996 on a revision of their first script draft, which merged the "Preludes and Nocturnes" storyline with that of "The Doll's House". Avary intended the film to be in part visually inspired by animatorJan Švankmajer's work. Avary was fired after disagreements over the creative direction with executive producerJon Peters, best known for the 1989 filmBatman and the abandoned projectSuperman Lives. It was due to their meeting on theSandman film project that Avary and Gaiman collaborated one year later on the script forBeowulf. The project carried on through several more writers and scripts. A later draft by William Farmer, reviewed atAin't It Cool News,[89] was met with scorn from fans. Gaiman called the last screenplay that Warner Bros. would send him "not only the worstSandman script I've ever seen, but quite easily the worst script I've ever read".[90] Gaiman has said that his dissatisfaction with how his characters were being treated had dissuaded him from writing any more stories involving the Endless, although he has since writtenEndless Nights andSandman Overture.
By 2001, the project had become stranded indevelopment hell. In a Q&A panel atSan Diego Comic-Con in 2007, Gaiman remarked, "I'd rather see noSandman movie made than a badSandman movie. But I feel like the time for aSandman movie is coming soon. We need someone who has the same obsession with the source material asPeter Jackson had withLord of the Rings orSam Raimi had withSpider-Man."[91] That same year, he stated that he could imagineTerry Gilliam as a director for the adaptation: "I would always give anything to Terry Gilliam, forever, so if Terry Gilliam ever wants to doSandman then as far as I'm concerned Terry Gilliam should do Sandman."[92] In 2013, DC PresidentDiane Nelson said that aSandman film would be as rich as theHarry Potter universe.[93]David S. Goyer announced in an interview in early December that he would be producing an adaptation of the graphic novel, alongsideJoseph Gordon-Levitt and Neil Gaiman.Jack Thorne was hired to write the script.[94] On October 16, 2014, Gaiman clarified that while the film was not announced with the DC slate by Warner Bros., it would instead be distributed byVertigo and announced with those slate of films.[95] Goyer toldDeadline Hollywood in an interview that the studio was very happy with the film's script.[96] According toDeadline Hollywood, the film was to be distributed byNew Line Cinema.[97] In October 2015, Goyer revealed that a new screenwriter was being brought on board to revise the script by Jack Thorne and stated that he believed the film would go into production the following year.[98] In March 2016,The Hollywood Reporter revealed thatEric Heisserer was hired to rewrite the film's script.[99] The next day, Gordon-Levitt announced that he had dropped out due to disagreements with the studio over the creative direction of the film.[100] On November 9, 2016, i09 reported that Heisserer had turned in his draft of the script but left the film, stating that the film should be anHBO series instead.[101]
Due to the prolonged development period of the film, in 2010,DC Entertainment shifted focus onto developing a television series adaptation. Film directorJames Mangold pitched a series concept to cable channelHBO, whilst consulting with Gaiman himself on an unofficial basis, but this proved to be unsuccessful. It was reported in September 2010 thatWarner Bros. Television was licensing the rights to produce a TV series, and thatSupernatural creatorEric Kripke was their preferred candidate to adapt the saga. In March 2011, it was announced via Neil Gaiman's web blog that while he and DC liked Eric Kripke and his approach, it did not feel quite right. The author hoped to launch the series in another form but plans for a television adaptation are on hold as production moves forward on the film.[102] As the film adaptation of Morpheus's story was being planned, DC andFox discussed a possible TV series based on theSandman character Lucifer.[103]
Netflix announced in June 2019 that it had completed a deal with Warner Bros. to developSandman into a live-action television series run byAllan Heinberg, with Gaiman and Goyer serving as executive producers.[104] The cast, includingTom Sturridge as the title character, was announced in January and May 2021.[105][106]
The first season premiered on August 5, 2022, and adaptsPreludes & Nocturnes,The Doll's House, andDream Country.[107] A second season was confirmed in November 2022;[108] it was announced in January 2025 that the season would be the series' final.[109] The second and final season was released in two parts,[110][111] across July 3 and 24, 2025, concluding with a bonus episode on July 31.[111][112]
On September 16, 2014,Deadline reported that DC and Fox were developing a television series based on theSandman characterLucifer created by Neil Gaiman.[113] On February 19, 2015, the official pilot order was given.[114] According to the premise reported byThe Hollywood Reporter, the potential series would greatly differ from the comic book version of the character featured inThe Sandman and his own solo comic book series. Lucifer was featured in aCSI-like orElementary style television show with supernatural elements.[115] The show began airing on January 25, 2016, and concluded on September 10, 2021
Sebastian Croft andTy Tennant portrayed Payne and Rowland in the third season of theDoom Patrol TV series. The series also features their medium companion Crystal Palace, portrayed by Madalyn Horcher.[116]
HBO Max has ordered a pilot for a potentialDead Boy Detectives series in September 2021. The pilot was written bySteve Yockey, also acting as an executive producer alongsideJeremy Carver. The pilot also featuresGreg Berlanti,Sarah Schechter, andDavid Madden as executive producers underBerlanti Productions. The main cast for the pilot, as announced in November 2021, includes Jayden Revri as Edwin Payne, George Rexstrew as Charles Rowland, andKassius Nelson as Crystal Palace. The series was picked up by HBO Max for an eight-episode first season in April 2022, but transferred to Netflix in February 2023. Additional cast members includeBriana Cuoco as Jenny the Butcher, Yuyu Kitamura as Niko,Jenn Lyon as Esther, andRuth Connell reprising herDoom Patrol role of Night Nurse.[117]
On July 15, 2020,Audible released an adaptation of the comic book series as a multi-part audio drama directed byDirk Maggs with music byJames Hannigan, adaptingPreludes & Nocturnes,The Doll's House, andDream Country.[118][119] The voice cast included Gaiman as the Narrator,James McAvoy asDream,Kat Dennings asDeath,Taron Egerton asJohn Constantine,Michael Sheen asLucifer,Riz Ahmed as theCorinthian,Andy Serkis asMatthew the Raven,Samantha Morton asUrania Blackwell,Bebe Neuwirth as the Siamese Cat,Arthur Darvill asWilliam Shakespeare,Justin Vivian Bond asDesire, andMiriam Margolyes asDespair.
The Sandman: Act II was released on September 22, 2021, and featured most of the original cast, adaptingSeason of Mists,A Game of You, and seven stories ofFables & Reflections. New additions to the cast included:Regé-Jean Page asOrpheus,Jeffrey Wright asDestiny,Brian Cox as Augustus,Emma Corrin as Thessaly,John Lithgow asJoshua Norton,David Tennant asLoki,Bill Nighy asOdin,Kristen Schaal asDelirium,Kevin Smith asMerv Pumpkinhead, andNiamh Walsh as Nuala. Neuwirth also returned, but portrayedBast.[120]
The Sandman: Act III was released on September 28, 2022, without a prior announcement, and featured most of the cast from the first two acts, adaptingBrief Lives, andWorlds' End. New additions to the cast included:David Harewood as Destruction,Wil Wheaton as Brant Tucker, andK.J. Apa as Prez.[121]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)In arguably one of the greatest achievements in serialized modern comic books, writer Neil Gaiman crafted the seventy-five-issue ongoing seriesThe Sandman, introducing its readers to a complex world of horror and fantasy.
He was an instant hit, both with critics and with the general comics-buying public.
Gaiman, 33, says, 'Superhero comics are the most perfectly evolved art form for preadolescent male power fantasies, and I don't see that as a bad thing. I want to reach other sorts of people, too. I'm proud thatThe Sandman has more of a female readership, and an older readership, than DC Comics has ever had.'
This set is an oversized format, 2-1/2" by 4-1/2".
Certainly the biggest and most historic comics event of the year was the debut of Neil Gaiman'sThe Sandman: Endless Nights (DC/Vertigo) at number 20 onThe New York Times extended bestseller list in early October. This is the first time a hardcover graphic novel by a comics publisher has ever landed on theNew York Times bestseller list.
Fantasy author Neil Gaiman made headlines around the world last week when he announced a return to the belovedSandman series for the comic's 25th anniversary. It will be the first newSandman story in a decade.
The choice for No. 1 was not even close. There isSandman and then there is everything else.
Jack Thorne has been set to scriptSandman at Warner Bros based on the pitch that David Goyer made for his treatment for the Neil Gaiman comic book classic. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is producing with Goyer and the hope is for him to star and possibly direct.
The show stars Tom Ellis (Rush) as Lucifer, the bored and unhappy Lord of Hell who decides to resign his throne for the beauty of Los Angeles. He gets his kicks helping the LAPD punish criminals.
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