Vertigo Heroes & The Sandman Universe Omnibus Mapping for the Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus 1st Annual Poll

It’s time to explore the darker side of DC – Vertigo heroes and the Sandman Universe omnibuses! I’ll be loosely mapping missing and most-wanted DC omnibus volumes every day until May 19th! Then, on the 19th, I’ll be joining with Near Mint Condition to launch the first annual Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus Annual Poll! This post covers omnibuses missing from DC’s in-continuity Vertigo titles – and not creator-owned Vertigo work.

This post explains potential Vertigo heroes and Sandman Universe Omnibus Mapping for votes on the Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus 1st Annual Secret Ballot. I’m posting all of these maps before the poll begins to give people the time to consider their favorites, correct our mapping mistakes, and catch books I might have missed.

What characters am I including in this broad category? Any Vertigo character who originated in DC continuity or later returned to it. That includes Animal Man, Hellblazer, Shade The Changing Man, Swamp Thing, and the extended Sandman Universe (including Black Orchid, Books of Magic, The Dreaming, Lucifer, & Sandman Mystery Theatre).

If you don’t know DC well enough to know what to vote for, stick around for my explanations! Learn why the team behind the poll decided on these books and titles – including giving us feedback if we missed the mark.

If voting is now open, you can use this as your crib sheet! Or… just find some great comics to read!

Remember: These mappings are just my suggestion of how DC could assemble these books. They are meant to help you decide on your votes and build your personal reading list, but your vote on the poll is NOT an endorsement of my specific map. It’s a vote in favor of DC creating a book with that title or covering that period.

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Animal Man Omnibus Mapping

We already have an omnibus of Grant Morrison’s historic Animal Man run as well as Jeff Lemire’s terrifically creepy New 52 run. What’s left to collect from Animal Man? Just another five years of his original Vertigo series! In case you were wondering, there’s barely enough Pre-Crisis Animal Man material for a single trade – as covered by my Guide to Animal Man.

Animal Man: The Vertigo Years Vol. 2 by Milligan & Veitch (1990 – 1992)

This volume would directly follow the Grant Morrison omnibus. In this period, Animal Man is slightly more-adjacent to the main DC Universe than he was in Morrison’s run, even directly tying in to the War of the Gods event.

This would collect Animal Man (1988) #27-50 and material from War of the Gods (1991) #3.

Animal Man: The Vertigo Years Vol. 3 by Delano & Prosser (1992 – 1995)

This final Animal Man volume would mostly collect a run by Jamie Delano from issues #51-79 & Annual 1, as well as a brief concluding run by Jerry Prosser from issues #80-89.

This would collect Animal Man (1988) #51-89 & Annual 1, and material from The Children’s Crusade (1993) #1, Vertigo Rave (1994) #1, and a pin-up in The Vertigo Gallery: Dreams and Nightmares (1995) #1.

John Constantine, Hellblazer Omnibus Mapping

John Constantine has just two omnibuses to his name, and one of them leaves us with a bit of a conundrum. This year, DC is collecting the initial run on this title by Jamie Delano in omnibus – a massive book announced to be nearly 1600 pages owing to picking up an introductory arc of Swamp Thing.

However, the problem comes with the other Hellblazer Omnibus – a Garth Ennis book that could have simply been “Volume 3” but that skips issues to collect only the Ennis material. Would DC simply recollect this book as a straight-through Volume 3, or collect around it?

While we generally avoided mapping entire series on this poll due to the variability in where omnibus volumes could break, with Hellblazer things are a bit more cut-and-dried – because his 300-issue title has been well-defined by distinct creator runs and its mapping in a comprehensive series of trade paperbacks. Even if DC wouldn’t use these exact mappings, we feel confident that it’s safe to have people vote on a per-creator basis to indicate demance.

See my Guide to Hellblazer – John Constantine for details on all of those existing collections!

Hellblazer: John Constantine, Vol. 2 (AKA by Jamie Delano) (1989 – 1991)

This would directly follow the Hellblazer by Jamie Delano Vol. 1 omnibus out later this year to collect Hellblazer (1988) #23-40 & 51 (skipped by the Ennis omni), 84 (also by Delano), and #85-88 (purely because this is short and they’d easily fit.

It could also add The Horrorist (1995) #1-2 and Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer (2000) #1 (though it came much later than these issues), which were in the paperback line. I also think it would include Hellblazer Special: Bad Blood (2000) #1-4, also by Delano, which is included in the final volume of the paperback line because it is a future story.

Hellblazer: John Constantine, Vol. 4 (AKA by Paul Jenkins) (1995 – 1998)

This would follow the Ennis omnibus (and the few post-Ennis issues that are in the Delano volume, above) to collect Hellblazer (1998) #89-133.

Hellblazer: John Constantine, Vol. 5 (AKA by Ellis & Azzarello) (1998 – 2002)

This would follow the Jenkins run to collect Hellblazer (1988) #134-169, plus Vertigo Resurrected (2010) #1, Vertigo: Winter’s Edge (1998) #1-3, and Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer (2000) #1.

Hellblazer: John Constantine, Vol. 6 (AKA by Mikey Carey) (2002 – 2006)

This would follow the Ellis/Azzarello run to collect Hellblazer (1988) #175-215 and material from issue #229. We’d add John Constantine Hellblazer: All His Engines (2005) OGN – collected later in the paperback line, but written by Carey.

That’s already 40+ issues, so we probably wouldn’t want to go bigger. However, Denise Mina writes from issues #216-228 – which would add 13 issues but also make the inclusion of #229 and the OGN more of a natural fit in this book. You can vote for this regardless of whether you think it would include those issues.

Hellblazer: John Constantine, Vol. 7 (AKA by Diggle & Milligan) (2006 – 2009)
Hellblazer: John Constantine, Vol. 8 (AKA by Milligan) (2009 – 2013)

This final pair of volumes would need to cover a total of 85 issues plus associated mini-series and one-shots, which means they’ll be big! It’s tempting to split them into three books, but DC have repeatedly showed they are willing to collect massive Vertigo omnibus volumes – including the first Hellblazer by Jamie Delano volume!

First, we have Hellblazer (1988) #216-228 by Denise Mina and #229 by Carey, which could be reasonably merged into the prior volume.

Then, Andy Diggle writes from Hellblazer (1988) #230-249. The paperback line adds to that John Constantine Hellblazer: All His Engines (2005) OGN (almost surely in the prior Carey volume) and Hellblazer Special: Lady Constantine (2003) #1-4.

Regardless of whether we began with the Denise Mina material, I think we’d also want to press onward to include the beginning of Peter Milligan’s run from Hellblazer (1988) #250-260: Hellblazer Special: Chas [- The Knowledge] (2008) #1-5.

Then, the final volume in this series would be entirely Peter Milligan material from Hellblazer (1988) #261-300, Hellblazer Special: Papa Midnite #1-5 , Hellblazer: Pandemonium (2010) OGN, John Constantine: Hellblazer: City of Demons (2010) #1-5, and “Exposed” from DC’s 9/11 anthology (and maybe Dark Entries (2009) OGN, which was not in the paperback line).

Hellblazer: Constantine, The New 52 Omnibus (2013 – 2016)

John Constantine often flirted with being included in DC’s main continuity, but his New 52 series made it official as he tied in closely with Justice League Dark (2011).

This would include Constantine (2013) #1-23 & Future’s End (2014) #1, excerpted Trinity War crossover material (since Constantine only had a single issue in the crossover), Swamp Thing (2011) #22-23, the “Blight” crossover since he was in every issue (Constantine (2013) #9-12, Justice League Dark (2011) #24-29, Trinity of Sin: Pandora (2013) #6-9, Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger (2013) #14-17), material from The New 52: Futures End FCBD Special Edition (2014) #0, Secret Origins (2014) #11, DC Sneak Peek: Constantine: The Hellblazer (2015), and Constantine: The Hellblazer #1-13.

That’s 38 primary Hellblazer issues, 13 issues from Blight, plus another three issues of Swamp Thing and Secret Origins for a 54 issue omnibus!

Hellblazer, The Rebirth Omnibus (2016 – 2018)

This would collect Constantine’s initial Rebirth series in full – The Hellblazer (2016) Rebirth & #1-24.

Hellblazer by Spurrier, Campbell, & Bellaire (2019 – 2024)

Two years into DC Rebirth, DC relaunched a new line of Sandman Universe titles to celebrate Sandman’s 30th anniversary. Though Constantine wasn’t included in the initial launch, he was later pulled into the Universe and got his own high-acclaimed title in 2019. That book was somewhat abruptly cancelled – leading author Simon Spurrier to defect back to Marvel Comics!

Luckily, DC rebuilt that bridge and had Spurrier and the entire creative team back to continue their run in 2024. That book was originally planned as a mini-series, but in the last few weeks it has been extended to 11 issues!

This would collect Books of Magic (2018) #14, The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer (2019) #1, John Constantine, Hellblazer (2019) #1-12, and John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America (2024) #1-11.

Sandman Universe Omnibus Mapping: Sandman Mystery Theatre, The Dreaming, Books of Magic, Lucifer, and more!

The Sandman weaves in, out, and around DC’s continuity. Neil Gaiman’s famous 1988 creation is inexorably tied to DC continuity as a deliberate adaptation of an existing Golden Age hero. Many people who don’t know Sandman well don’t realize this, but several DC main continuity characters appear throughout Gaiman’s series!

That means that by extension all of the Sandman Universe has at least a tenuous connection to the heroic realm of DC, even if some of the books and characters seem to exist in a world totally without superheroes and their powers.

See Guide to Sandman Universe, Guide to Books of Magic, Guide to Lucifer, and Guide to Houses & Horrors of DC for details on how all of this material is already collected.

Sandman, Wesley Dodds – The Golden Age Omnibus (1938 & on)

Of course, the original Golden Age Sandman wasn’t a Vertigo character – he was just a regular Golden Age superhero! This would begin to collect Wesley Dodds’s original Golden Age material from Adventure Comics (1938) #40-102, World’s Finest Comics (1941) #3-7, plus material from The New York World’s Fair Comics (1939) #1-2.

Sandman Mystery Theatre Vol. 1 (of 2) (1993 – 1995)
Sandman Mystery Theatre Vol. 2 (of 2) (1995 – 1999)

This would collect the entirety of the cult favorite series of retcon Wesley Dodd’s adventures, largely written by Matt Wagner. These adventures are generally set prior to Wesley Dodds joining the Justice Society of America. DC has stalled out on collecting this several times over, but seems to finally have the right idea by collecting it into a massive paperback Compendium. Next up: omnibus!

These two volumes would split Sandman Mystery Theatre (1993) #1-70 & Annual 1, Sandman Midnight Theatre (1995) OGN, and Sandman Mystery Theatre: Sleep of Reason (2006) #1-5.

Sandman Universe: Black Orchid (1998 – 1995)

Black Orchid was actually Neil Gaiman’s first Vertigo title, slightly predating Sandman. While it isn’t a direct tie-in to Sandman, it fits a similar mold – with Gaiman remagining a Golden Age hero for the modern day with horrific undertones.

This would collect Black Orchid (1988) #1-3 and Black Orchid (1993) #1-22 & Annual 1 (as well as other Children’s Crusade material, as needed).

Sandman Universe Companion (AKA Sandman Presents) (1994 – 2004)

DC has been aggressive in collecting Sandman itself, plus Books of Magic, Lucifer, and now Dead Boy Detectives in omnibus – but, there’s a lot more Sandman-adjacent material would could collect! In fact, there’s a perfectly-sized omnibus of it.

This would collect Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold (1996) #1-3, WitchCraft: La Terreur (1998) #1-3, The Sandman Presents: Love Street (1999) #1-3, The Sandman Presents: Petrefax (2000) #1-4, The Sandman Presents: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dreams…But Were Afraid to Ask (2001) #1, The Sandman Presents: The Corinthian (2001) #1-3, The Sandman Presents: The Furies (2002) OGN, The Sandman Presents: The Thessaliad (2002) #1-4, The Sandman Presents: Bast (2003) #1-3, The Witching (2004) #1-10, The Sandman Presents: Thessaly: Witch for Hire (2004) #1-4, and perhaps also The Little Endless Storybook (2001) OGN and Delirium’s Party: A Little Endless Storybook (2011) OGN.

Sandman Universe: The Dreaming Vol. 1 (of 2) (1996 – 1998)
Sandman Universe: The Dreaming Vol. 2 (of 2) (1998 – 2001)

I’m surprised that DC has left this series uncollected! It’s truly the one main continuity piece of Sandman that they have never made available in the book market. Perhaps we’ll finally see it collected with the debut of Season 2 of the Netflix series!

These two volumes would split The Dreaming (1996) #1-60 (June 1996 – May 2001) & The Dreaming: Trial and Error Special, Merv Pumpkinhead, Agent of D.R.E.A.M. (2000) OGN.

Sandman Universe: Lucifer by Holly Black (2016 – 2017)

This is a Rebirth-era Lucifer series, which was not part of main DC continuity. It would collect Lucifer (2016) #1-19.

Sandman Universe: Books of Magic by Barnett, Howard, & Fowler (2018 – 2020)

This was part of the 2018 relaunch of the Sandman Universe. It gently reimagined Timothy Hunter, slightly rolling back his age and magical status quo. This would collect Books of Magic (2018) #1-23 and material from The Sandman Universe (2018) #1.

Sandman Universe: House of Whispers by Nalo Hopkinson & Dan Watters (2018 – 2020)

This was part of the 2018 relaunch of the Sandman Universe. It would collect House of Whispers (2018) #1-23 & material from Watching The Watchers trade (issues #21-22) and material from The Sandman Universe (2018) #1.

Sandman Universe: Lucifer by Dan Watters (2018 – 2021)

This was part of the 2018 relaunch of the Sandman Universe. It would collect Lucifer (2018) #1-19 & material from The Devil At Heart trade (issues #20-24), and material from Sandman Universe Special (2018) #1

Sandman Universe: The Dreaming by Spurrier & Wilson (2018 – 2021)

The Dreaming was the main title of the relaunched Sandman Universe. It focused on the broad supporting cast of The Dreaming, with only sparse appearances from Sandman himself.

This would collect The Dreaming (2018) #1-20, The Dreaming: Waking Hours (2020) #1-12, and material from The Sandman Universe (2018) #1.

Shade, The Changing Man Omnibus Mapping

Shade, The Changing Man was originally created for DC Comics by Steve Ditko in 1977, running for a scant eight issued prior to cancellation. He was canonized into being a part of the DC Universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths and was later reimagined for Vertigo by Peter Milligan in 1991.

Shade, The Changing Man by Peter Milligan Vol 1 (of 2) (1991 – 1993)
Shade, The Changing Man by Peter Milligan Vol 2 (of 2) (1993 – 1996)

These volumes would split collecting Shade, The Changing Man (1990) #1-70 (likely breaking after issue #32) and material from Vertigo X Anniversary (2003). Plus: CK reader Stephen pointed out we could include Flashpoint: Secret Seven (2011) #1-3, which is effectively an epilogue to this series.

Swamp Thing Omnibus Mapping

While Swamp Thing has four omnibuses to his name (including a Mark Miller omni out in early 2025!), it’s amazing to see the pedigree of what hasn’t been collect in a missing five omnibuses – including work by Alan Moore, Rick Veitch, Brian K. Vaughan, & Ram V! See Guide to Swamp Thing for existing omnibuses and how all of this material is collected.

Swamp Thing by Alan Moore (1984 – 1987)

Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing material has been collected many times over, including in Absolute edition, but never in omnibus format!

This would collect the entirety of Alan Moore’s historic run from The Saga of the Swamp Thing (1982) #20-38 (Jan 1984 – Jul 1985), Swamp Thing (1985) #39-41 & Annual 2 (Aug – Oct 1985), The Saga of Swamp Thing (1982) #42-45 (Nov 1985 – Feb 1986), and Swamp Thing (1985) #46-64.

Swamp Thing by Rick Veitch & Doug Wheeler (1987 – 1991)

Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing was immediately followed by a run by author Rick Veitch on Swamp Thing (1985) #65-87 & Annuals 3-5, followed by a run by Doug Wheeler on issues #88-109. From there, we lead directly into Nancy Collins’s Swamp Thing omnibus.

This would collect Swamp Thing (1985) #65-87 & Annuals 3-5 by Rick Veitch (plus Hellblazer (1988) #4-5 and material from Secret Origins (1986) #23 and Infinity, Inc. (1984) #4.) and Swamp Thing (1985) #88-109 by Doug Wheeler (plus Firestorm, The Nuclear Man (1986) #90-93).

Swamp Thing by Brian K. Vaughan (2000 – 2001)

Brian K. Vaughan revived Swamp Thing relatively early in his comics career – before his breakout hit with Y: The Last Man. This series stars both Alec and Tefé Holland.

This would collect Swamp Thing (2000) #1-20 (May 2000 – Dec 2001) and supporting material from Vertigo Secret Files and Origins: Swamp Thing (2000) #1 and Vertigo: Winter’s Edge (1998) #3, to which we could add the abandoned Swamp Thing: Roots (1998) OGN.

Swamp Thing by Diggle & Dysart (2004 – 2006)

This volume was launched by Andy Diggle, though the majority of it (from #9 to the end) is written by Joshua Dysart. It stars both Alec and Tefé Holland.

This would collect Swamp Thing (2004) #1-29 (May 2004 – Sept 2006)

Swamp Thing by Ram V & Mike Perkins (2021 – 2022)

This would collect The Swamp Thing (2021) #1-16 and Future State: Swamp Thing (2021) #1-2, which Ram V wrote after concluding his run on Justice League Dark.