Updated: Guide to The Sandman Universe

Gearing up for this week’s debut of Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman? I’ve updated my Definitive Guide to The Sandman Universe with all of the newest collected formats of Gaiman’s landmark 75-issue series, plus its continuation in the 2018 Sandman Universe!

If you’re looking to pick up the entire original run of Sandman for a binge-read after your binge-watch, you currently have five different physical format choices – all summarized below! For full collection information for each book and plenty of additional information, see the full guide.

Absolute Editions – These are deluxe, super-oversized slipcased hardcovers wrapped in intricate faux-leather covers.

• The Absolute Sandman, Volume One
• The Absolute Sandman, Volume Two
• The Absolute Sandman, Volume Three
• The Absolute Sandman, Volume Four

Various supporting Sandman short story releases from 1995 to 2009 (all by Gaiman) are collected in The Absolute Sandman, Volume Five

Omnibus Editions – Oversize hardcover tomes with handsome leatherette spines and durable binding.

• The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 1
• The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 2

Then, The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 3 collects various supporting Sandman releases by Gaiman from 1995 to 2009, as well as the award-winning pair of Death mini-series by Gaiman and his 2013 return to the universe with The Sandman: Overture.

Deluxe Hardcover Editions – The same dimensions as the omnibus line, but in slimmer, easier-to-handle volumes. Note that this set incorporates the 1995-2009 material into its final volume alongside the final issues of the original Sandman series, so don’t skip it!

• The Sandman: The Deluxe Edition Book One (2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1401299323 / digital)
• The Sandman: The Deluxe Edition Book Two (2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1779508119 / digital)
• The Sandman: The Deluxe Edition Book Three (2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1779510273 / digital)
• The Sandman: The Deluxe Edition Book Four (2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1779513281 / digital)
• The Sandman: The Deluxe Edition Book Five (2022 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1779514929 / digital)

Paperback re-collections – A 2022 line of paperbacks that closely mirror the omnibus material. While the fifth volume isn’t out yet, you don’t have to worry about that – all of the 75-issue series is contained in the first four books.

• The Sandman Book One (2022 paperback, ISBN 978-1779515179 / digital)
• The Sandman Book Two (2022 paperback, ISBN 978-1779516435 / digital)
• The Sandman Book Three (2022 paperback, ISBN 978-1779516442 / digital)
• The Sandman Book Four (2022 paperback, ISBN 978-1779517104 / digital)
• The Sandman Book Five (2023 paperback, ISBN 978-1779521514)

30th Anniversary Paperbacks by story arc – The 10 volumes of the core 75 issues of Sandman have collecting been in print for nearly 30 years, which means there are many printings and editions of them! Note that Volume 6 collects several issues from both before and after Volume 5.

• Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes (2018 30th Anniversary paperback)
• Vol. 2: The Doll’s House (2018 30th Anniversary paperback)
• Vol. 3: Dream Country (2018 30th Anniversary paperback)
• Vol. 4: Season of Mists (2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
• Vol. 5: A Game of You (2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
• Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections (2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
• Vol. 7: Brief Lives (2018 30th Anniversary paperback)
• Vol. 8: Worlds’ End (2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
• Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones (2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
• Vol. 10: The Wake (2019 30th Anniversary paperback)

If you want the bonus stories contained in the fifth books of the editions from above, you’ll also want to pick up:

• The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
• The Sandman Endless Nights OGN (2019 30th Anniversary paperback)