The Sandman (DC Comics Modern Age)

The Sandman was a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics for 75 issues from 1988 until 1996. It became the flagship of DC's Vertigo imprint, and is kept in print as a series of ten graphic novels. It is widely considered one of the most original, sophisticated and artistically ambitious comic book series of the modern age. By the time the series had concluded, it had made significant contributions to the artistic maturity of comic books and had become a pop culture phenomenon in its own right.

Other books and series

Because of the amount of critical acclaim Sandman received and because of its commercial viability (at the time of its conclusion, it was DC?s best-selling series), a number of spin-off volumes have been produced. Fans disagree about the quality and legitimacy of these volumes, and most agree that while a few approach The Sandman in quality, the majority are of a decidedly lesser quality. Here is a list of the more important ones:

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• ' (1993), a three-issue, Gaiman-penned mini-series starring Morpheus? older sister
• ' (1995), in which Wesley Dodds, the Golden Age Sandman, meets Lord Morpheus of The Endless, the Modern Age Sandman.
• ' (1996): another three-issue, Gaiman-penned Death mini-series, also featuring supporting characters from A Game of You.
• The Sandman Book of Dreams (1996), a collection of prose short stories featuring the world of The Sandman in some way. It contains work from some notable contributors, among them Caitlin R. Kiernan, Tad Williams, Gene Wolfe, Tori Amos and Colin Greenland. Publisher DC Comics allegedly imposed restrictive terms on contributing authors, leading to a few authors withdrawing their stories.
• The Dreaming (1996 - 2001), a monthly series set in Morpheus? realm but featuring none of the Endless. It was written and illustrated by a variety of writers and artists; Caitlin R. Kiernan wrote the largest number of scripts for the series.
• The Sandman Presents (1999-2001): a collection of miniseries by various authors and illustrators featuring secondary characters from The Sandman, such as The Corinthian and The Furies.
• ' (1999): a prose novel that incorporates a so-called Japanese folk tale into the Sandman mythos, written by Gaiman and featuring illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano. It is not actually based on any exisiting Japanese folklore, but rather incorporates elements of Chinese and Japanese folklore and mythology into a new myth.
• The Sandman Companion by Hy Bender (2000), a non-fiction work providing extra information about the series. Its first section discusses the ten Sandman collections sequentially, analysing their meaning, explaining some of Gaiman's myriad references and sometimes providing information on the writing of the comics. It also features a lengthy interview about the series with Gaiman himself.
• The Little Endless Storybook (2001), a one-shot comic book which depicts The Endless as toddlers and follows a tiny Delirium as she attempts to find her dog Barnabas, written and illustrated by Jill Thompson
• Lucifer (2001 - present): a monthly series written by Mike Carey continuing the story of Lucifer following his retirement.
• ' (2003): a graphic novel with one story for each of the Endless. They 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.
• ' (2004): a manga-style graphic novel, written and illustrated by Jill Thompson, showcasing Death?s activities during Season of Mists. This may be part of a series of manga novels starring Death.