The Sandman Universe
More actions
Property "Has publisher" (as page type) with input value "</br>* DC Comics</br>**DC Vertigo (2018–2019; 2024–present)</br>**DC Black Label (2019–2024)</br>" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process. The Sandman Universe is a line of American comic books published by DC Comics under its imprints DC Vertigo and DC Black Label. The line launched to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (1989–1996) and Vertigo's 25th anniversary. The Sandman Universe began in August 2018, with a titular one-shot, which was followed by four ongoing series—House of Whispers, Lucifer, Books of Magic, and The Dreaming. Each comic is overseen by Gaiman but written by new creative teams.
Conception and development
The Sandman Universe celebrates the 30th anniversary of DC Comics' The Sandman[1] and the 25th anniversary of the launch of the DC Vertigo imprint. The line was conceived and is overseen by the series' creator, Neil Gaiman, but produced by new creative teams. The Sandman Universe expands The Sandman's part of the DC Universe[2] using new characters and concepts.[3] The line was announced by Entertainment Weekly in March 2018 and was accompanied by a trailer featuring Gaiman. It launched with the one-shot The Sandman Universe #1 on August 8, 2018, with the other series following on later dates.[3]
When asked why he returned to The 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 new Sandman 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 cited Nalo Hopkinson's science fiction work as an influence for assigning her to House of Whispers. Gaiman chose Kat Howard, who he has worked with for several years, to reboot The Books of Magic because of her handling of magic in her stories, and Dan Watters to write Lucifer because he was up to the challenge of recreating the character.[3]
Titles
The Sandman Universe began with a titular one-shot released in August 2018. It picks up after the events of DC's 2017–2018 Dark Nights: Metal crossover event. Dream has disappeared since the conclusion of Metal,[4] leading to chaos in his homeland of the Dreaming. Each Sandman Universe series follows a story thread introduced in the one-shot.[1][3][2]
| Title | Issues | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Publication date | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year One | |||||
| The Sandman Universe | #1 | Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters | Bilquis Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike Stanton, Max Fiumara, Sebastian Fiumara | Template:DTS | One-shot |
| The Dreaming | #1–20 | Simon Spurrier | Bilquis Evely | Template:DTS – Template:DTS | Monthly ongoing |
| House of Whispers | #1–22 | Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters | Dominike Stanton | Template:DTS – Template:DTS | Monthly ongoing |
| Lucifer | #1–24[lower-alpha 1] | Dan Watters | Max Fiumara and Sebastian Fiumara | Template:DTS – Template:DTS | Monthly ongoing |
| Books of Magic | #1–23 | Kat Howard, David Barnett | Tom Fowler | Template:DTS – Template:DTS | Monthly ongoing |
| Year Two | |||||
| The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer | #1 | Simon Spurrier | Marcio Takara | Template:DTS | One-shot |
| John Constantine, Hellblazer | #1–12 | Aaron Campbell | Template:DTS – Template:DTS | Monthly ongoing | |
| Year Three | |||||
| The Dreaming: Waking Hours | #1–12 | G. Willow Wilson | Nick Robles | Template:DTS – Template:DTS | Limited series |
| Locke & Key: Hell & Gone[lower-alpha 2] | #0–2 | Joe Hill | Gabriel Rodriguez | Template:DTS – Template:DTS | Limited series |
| Year Four | |||||
| Nightmare Country | #1–6 | James Tynion IV | Lisandro Estherren | Template:DTS – Template:DTS | Limited Series[6] |
| Dead Boy Detectives | #1–6 | Pornsak Pichetshote | Jeff Stokley | Template:DTS – Template:DTS | Limited Series |
| Year Five | |||||
| Nightmare Country: The Glass House | #1–6 | James Tynion IV | Lisandro Estherren | Template:DTS – December 26, 2023 | Limited Series[7] |
| The Sandman Universe Special: Thessaly | #1 | Maria Llovet, Reiko Murakami | August 1, 2023 | One-shot | |
| Year Six | |||||
| John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America | #1–11 | Simon Spurrier | Aaron Campbell | Template:DTS – | Limited Series |
- ↑ Issues #19–24 were published only as a collected edition, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
- ↑ A crossover with Locke & Key by IDW Publishing.
Collected editions
| Title | Material collected | Format | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dreaming | ||||
| Vol. 1: Pathways and Emanations | The Dreaming #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1 | TP | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1401291174 |
| Vol. 2: Empty Shells | The Dreaming #7–12 | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1401295639 | |
| Vol. 3: One Magical Movement | The Dreaming #13–20 | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1779502834 | |
| House of Whispers | ||||
| Vol. 1: The Power Divided | House of Whispers #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1 | TP | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1401291358 |
| Vol. 2: Ananse | House of Whispers #7–12 | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1401299170 | |
| Vol. 3: Watching the Watchers | House of Whispers #13–22 | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1779504319 | |
| Lucifer | ||||
| Vol. 1: The Infernal Comedy | Lucifer #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1 | TP | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1401291334 |
| Vol. 2: The Divine Tragedy | Lucifer #7–13 | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1401295721 | |
| Vol. 3: The Wild Hunt | Lucifer #14–19 | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1779502353 | |
| Vol. 4: The Devil at Heart | Lucifer #20–24 | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1779507556 | |
| Books of Magic | ||||
| Vol. 1: Moveable Type | Books of Magic #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1 | TP | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1401291341 |
| Vol. 2: Second Quarto | Books of Magic #7–13 | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1401299040 | |
| Vol. 3: Dwelling in Possibility | Books of Magic #14–23 | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1779503008 | |
| John Constantine, Hellblazer | ||||
| Vol. 1: Marks of Woe | The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer #1; John Constantine, Hellblazer #1–6; Books of Magic #14 | TP | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1779502896 |
| Vol. 2: The Best Version of You | John Constantine, Hellblazer #7–12 | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1779509536 | |
| The Dreaming: Waking Hours | ||||
| The Dreaming: Waking Hours TP | The Dreaming: Waking Hours #1–12 | TP | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1779512734 |
| Locke & Key: Hell & Gone | ||||
| Locke & Key: The Golden Age | Small World #1; Guide to the Know Keys #1; "Face the Music"; ...In Pale Battalions Go... #1–3; Hell & Gone #1–2 | HC | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1684057856 |
| Nightmare Country | ||||
| Vol. 1 | Nightmare Country #1–6 | TP | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1779518415[8] |
| Dead Boy Detectives | ||||
| Vol. 1 | Dead Boy Detectives #1–6 | TP | Template:DTS | ISBN 978-1779523297 |
Reception
According to the review aggregator Comic Book Roundup, the line has an average rating of 8.9/10 based on 20 reviews.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bishop, Bryan(March 1, 2018)."Neil Gaiman is turning The Sandman into an expanded comics universe."The Verge.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Polo, Susana(March 1, 2018)."The Sandman Universe is Neil Gaiman's next comics project."Polygon.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Holub, Christian(March 1, 2018)."Neil Gaiman announces new Sandman Universe line of comics — exclusive".Entertainment Weekly.Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- ↑ Shiach, Kieran(August 10, 2018)."How Doomsday Clock & Dark Nights: Metal Affect The New Sandman Universe."Comic Book Resources.Retrieved August 10, 2018.
- ↑ Dominguez, Noah(30 May 2020)."DC Cancels Lucifer, Will Release Final Issues as Collected Edition."CBR.com.
- ↑ Kit, Borys(January 18, 2022)."New Sandman Universe Comic to Be Written by James Tynion IV (Exclusive)."The Hollywood Reporter.(en).Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ↑ Puc, Samantha(November 10, 2022)."The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country returns next year with The Glass House."Newsarama.(en).Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ↑ "The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country (2023)."Comicscored.com.Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ↑ "The Sandman Universe Comic Series Reviews."Comic Book Roundup.Retrieved August 10, 2018.
Further reading
- (March 1, 2018)."Your crash course guide to DC's new SANDMAN UNIVERSE line."Comics Beat.Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- (March 3, 2018)."Everything We Know About Neil Gaiman's Sandman Universe So Far."ComicBook.com.Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- (March 1, 2018)."Neil Gaiman and DC Will Launch a SANDMAN UNIVERSE Line of Comics."Nerdist News.Retrieved April 29, 2018.