The Sandman Universe celebrates the 30th anniversary ofDC Comics'The Sandman[1] and the 25th anniversary of the launch of theDC Vertigo imprint. The line was conceived and is overseen by the series' creator,Neil Gaiman, but produced by new creative teams.The Sandman Universe expandsThe Sandman's part of theDC Universe[2] using new characters and concepts.[3] The line was announced byEntertainment Weekly in March 2018 and was accompanied by a trailer featuring Gaiman. It launched with theone-shotThe Sandman Universe #1 on August 8, 2018, with the other series following on later dates.[3]
When asked why he returned toThe Sandman, Gaiman said he began to feel guilty that almost no one had been able to return to the series since its conclusion and liked the idea of reviving it, as well as letting new writers play with his "toys". Gaiman assembled the writing team for the line with the Vertigo editorial team. Both parties suggested writers who they thought would be good for newSandman stories. Samples by writers were then read by Gaiman, who decided whether or not they were proficient. Choosing writers also involved deciding which comic suited which writer best. Gaiman citedNalo Hopkinson'sscience fiction work as an influence for assigning her toHouse of Whispers. Gaiman choseKat Howard, who he has worked with for several years, to rebootThe Books of Magic because of her handling of magic in her stories, andDan Watters to writeLucifer because he was up to the challenge of recreating the character.[3]
The Sandman Universe began with a titularone-shot released in August 2018. It picks up after the events of DC's 2017–2018Dark Nights: Metalcrossover event.Dream has disappeared since the conclusion ofMetal,[4] leading to chaos in his homeland of theDreaming. EachSandman Universe series follows a story thread introduced in the one-shot.[1][3][2]
