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New for Patrons: The Definitive Guides to The Sandman Universe

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Today’s new guide Patrons of Crushing Krisis is actually three guides (or maybe four, by the time you read this), which seems like overkill for what is essentially a single title with an obvious ten-volume paperback line. But, it’s really so much more than that…

Sandman Universe – The Definitive Reading Order and Collecting Guide

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Books of Magic – The Definitive Reading Order and Collecting Guide

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Lucifer – The Definitive Reading Order and Collecting Guide

I am fascinated by how Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman (and, in fact, all of the extended Sandman Universe) bridges the gap between comic books and serious literature.

That fascination has lasted for over 25 years – almost as long as Gaiman’s reinvention of the Golden Age character has existed.

Even the most-knowledgable comic fan could be forgiven for not knowing that Morpheus the King of Dreams was merely an iteration on an already-rebooted Golden Age DC hero. The original Sandman, Wesley Dodds, was a minor character who ran for seven years in the Golden Age and then popped back up twenty years later in the Earth 2 Justice Society of America in the Silver Age.

Without Gaiman and Morpheus, Dodds would probably be that one JSA member whose name you could never recall. His Silver Age iteration certainly wouldn’t jog your memory – a Kirby/Simon creation meant to be Mr. Sandman who lasted just six issues and who was later retconned in Wonder Woman to be a professor lost in the world of dreams.

There was no harm in Neil Gaiman revamping such a character to a more adult version early in the Post-Crisis years in 1989. At the time, Gaiman was still a relative unknown, coming off of the slept-on Black Orchid mini-series – a similar act of excavation and reinvention. He was so used to tepid reception to his early work that he expected Sandman to run just eight issues, which is why the first eight form such a satisfying arc despite being a mix of one-shots and continuing stories. He though that would be the whole series!

Instead, The Sandman became the springboard off of which Gaiman launched his multimedia fame in a miraculous three-year run from 1990-93 that saw him release Books of Magic at DC, the novel Good Omens (with Terry Prachett), win a World Fantasy Award in a category where Sandman wasn’t even eligible, essentially give birth to what we know as the modern American graphic novel market with the first two Sandman trade paperbacks, and top it off with the landmark Death: The High Cost of Living (the collection of which would be introduced by his friend and frequent name-checker, Tori Amos). [Read more…] about New for Patrons: The Definitive Guides to The Sandman Universe

The Sandman Universe – The Definitive Collecting Guide and Reading Order

The Sandman and The Dreaming comic books definitive issue-by-issue collecting guide and trade reading order for omnibus, hardcover, and trade paperback collections. Find every issue and appearance! Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated June 2020 with titles scheduled for release through December 2020.

The Sandman is both a somewhat obscure Golden Age hero revived by the Justice Society for modern audiences and one of the most widely-read characters in the history of American comics.

They are not the same character.

The Golden Age Sandman was Wesley Dodds. Dodds was an odd early take on superheroism, dressing in a sharp green three-piece suit and subduing foes with a gun that fired gas that could compel them to tell the truth or put them to sleep.

Dodds was one of many Golden Age Justice Society characters to stay constrained to Earth 2 with no Silver Age (AKA Earth 1) counterpart – although Jack Kirby and Joe Simon did briefly reinvent The Sandman in 1974 with a new character, Garrett Sanford.

In the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC could have easily reinvented either Dodds or Sanford for their new clean slate of continuity. Instead, the handed the character to a barely-known British Journalist – Neil Gaiman.

Gaiman had very little work to his name at that point, including the Mostly Harmless biography of Douglas Adams and a handful of issues of 2000 AD. However, he had successfully pitched DC on a three-issue series called Black Orchid in 1988. The series didn’t sell much, but it was well-liked by editor Karen Berger, and it was on the heels of that he pitched his re-imagination of Sandman.

In fact, Gaiman originally intended to reference the 1970s Sandman in Black Orchid, and so his initial Sandman pitch was for that character. Berger, Vertigo’s founding editor, asked him to re-pitch Sandman as a new character, and in response Gaiman devised Morpheus, one of the seven eternal Endless – immutable forces of the natural world.

They rest, as they say, is history.

Except, Sandman wasn’t an immediate pop culture force… although its first issue was popular and sales began to climb with issue #5 and never looked back. Morpheus appeared in the other proto-Vertigo titles in Swamp Thing #84 and Hellblazer #19. Later, Gaiman began to incorporate the history of the Golden and Bronze age Sandmen into his story.

The title achieved its cultural impact by degrees over the course of the next three years until The Sandman (and Neil Gaiman, along with it) reached a tipping point and broke through into the consciousness of the wider public.

In 1990, Gaiman penned The Books of Magic mini-series for Vertigo. This self-contained low fantasy story, to which Harry Potter bears a more-than-striking similarity, proved to be a massive hit that spawned its own franchise of titles (visit the guide). Shortly before that, Gaiman and Terry Prachett released the novel Good Omens. Prachett was much more famous than the neophyte Gaiman (it was his first novel), and the book was popular.

Books garnered critical attention and Omens nabbed some significant fantasy award nominations in 1991. Perhaps uncoincidentally, so did Sandman. Issue #19, a loose adaption of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, won the World Fantasy Award in 1991 for “Best Short Fiction” (after which comics were outlawed from winning in that category).

Also in 1990, DC published the Sandman trade paperback – A Doll’s House – which originally collected issues #8 (Death’s debut) through #16. It was a massive success, and DC followed it with Preludes and Nocturnes in 1991 just as Sandman won the World Fantasy Award.

The trade paperbacks were available in traditional bookstores, where it was discovered by audiences that the comic alone would never be able to reach. This, along with Watchman and several of DC’s famous Batman graphic novels, more or less created the modern American trade paperback culture.

And, finally, in the first week of 1992, Tori Amos’s Little Earthquakes was released, with its track “Tear In Your Hand” saying, “If you need me, me and Neil’ll be hanging out with The Dream King.”

Amos’s music garnered a cult following with literally-minded freaks and geeks on the fringes of grunge culture. As her audience devoured the dense mythology of her confessional and sometimes-fantastical lyrics, they stumbled upon Gaiman’s Sandman – as well as his pair of Death mini-series in the early 90s. Amos penned the introduction to the collection of The High Cost of Living.

From that point forward, The Sandman was an unstoppable juggernaut of critical praise and sales … right up until Gaiman stopped it, in March of 1996 with issue #75. It ended while still outselling most of the DC line, including comics from Batman and Superman. Gaiman had long seeded his narrative with hints of Morpheus’s end, though that didn’t necessarily mean that Sandman itself would end along with him.

The end of Sandman lead to a trio of spinoffs – a second Death mini series (The Time of Your Life) a mini-series for Destiny (A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold), and the ongoing comic The Dreaming, depicting the ongoing life of the dreamworld after Morpheus’s demise.

The Dreaming ran for five years, though it was never a hit the size of Sandman itself. Yet, its endurance allowed for the launch of several mini-series – some under the title “The Sandman Presents.” One of those mini-series starred Gaiman’s version of Lucifer as penned by Mike Carey, which spun into its own franchise with a 75-issue series in 2000 and a later 2016 revival (visit the guide).

While the character of Sandman is wholly-owned by DC, they have always shown Gaiman an extraordinary amount of deference in their use of the universe and its characters (as opposed to, say, their treatment of Alan Moore). DC continued to release titles in this extended Sandman Universe through 2014, always with Gaiman’s consent but rarely with him writing, save for Dream Hunters and Endless Nights. That changed in 2013, when Gaiman returned not only to his Sandman Universe, but to Morpheus with The Sandman Overture. Overture was a tale of Morpheus’s journey prior to The Sandman #1 with lush illustrations from JH Williams and Dave Stewart.

After a several years break from any Sandman Universe stories save for Lucifer, Dream made a surprising appearance in the 2017-18 line-wide event Metal as a sort of ephemeral shepherd to Bruce Wayne. While not directly linked to the events of Metal, Dream’s appearance there can be seen as a prelude to the 2018 relaunch of the Sandman Universe as its own self-contained line of Vertigo titles – The Dreaming, House of Whisper, and relaunches of Lucifer and Books of Magic.

Interested in learning about the core of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, including only titles written by or directly supervised by Gaiman? Here’s the abbreviated table of contents for you:

Want to dig in to everything Sandman? It’s all covered in this guide! Click for the extended table of contents, which lists every series every associated with Sandman!

The Sandmen

In order to fully understand this guide, you need to understand the four main Sandmen of the DC Universe, plus the The Endless – Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium.

Golden Age Sandman, Wesley Dodds

Wesley Dodds [CBDB] is a Golden Age detective and inventor who dreams of future crimes who debuted in the pages of Adventure Comics (1939). He is equipped with a gas mask and his “Silicoid Gun,” which emits his sleep gas.

Dodds lived beyond the Golden Age as one of the members of the Earth 2 Justice Society from the Silver Age and forward. Sandman Mystery Theatre, a Vertigo spinoff from Gaiman’s The Sandman, told flashback stories set prior to his Golden Age origin.

He and his full list of appearances in continuity through Crisis on Infinite Earths are detailed below.

Bronze Age Sandman, Garrett Sanford

This second Sandman [CBDB] was introduced as the actual Sandman, he of “Mister Sandman, bring me a dream.” However, that origin was retconned in one of his few further appearances in Wonder Woman (1942) #300. There, we discover he was a professor who became trapped in the dream dimension. His full appearances are detailed below.

While Gaiman would not use him directly, he did make his one-time Justice League foe Dr. Destiny into the first true villain of Sandman in issues #2-7.

Neil Gaiman’s Sandman – Morpheus, Dream of the Endless

Generally, when comic fans refer to “Sandman” they mean Morpheus [CBDB], Neil Gaiman’s signature creation as introduced in The Sandman (1989) #1. He very rarely has been written by anyone other than Gaiman, and always with Gaiman’s approval. He and his full appearances are detailed below.

Daniel Hall, The Dream King

Daniel Hall [CBDB] is the son of the Justice Society’s Fury and her husband Hector Hall (AKA Silver Scarab, Dr. Fate, and briefly as Sandman), DC characters that predate Gaiman’s Sandman. In fact, Lyta Hall can be seen to be pregnant with Daniel in Infinity, Inc. #42 in 1987!

Daniel appears in Sandman prior to succeeding Morpheus as Dream, mostly in The Kindly Ones leading to Morpheus’s death. He’s in issues #22, 40, 47, 57, 59, 61, and 65-69.

He makes limited appearances as Dream in The Sandman (1989) #69-72 & 74, The Books of Magic (1994) #13, 21, & 75, The Dreaming (1996) #29, 43, 49, 58-60, & Special #1, JLA (1997) #22-23, JSA (1999) #1, 63, & 80, Planetary (1999) #7, The Sandman Presents: The Furies (2002), Lucifer: Nirvana (2002), The Sandman: Endless Nights (2003), The Sandman: Overture (2013) #2 & 6, and Dark Nights: Metal (2017) #1-2 & 4.

He is the focal point (though not the star) of the revived The Dreaming as part of the relaunched Sandman Universe in 2018.

The Endless

The Endless were introduced by Neil Gaiman in The Sandman. They are a group of seven siblings that are the embodiment of eternal, everlasting aspects of life, the universe, and everything. Morpheus is the third-eldest of the siblings.

Want a primer on each of The Endless, plus a full list of their appearances? Read more

Golden Age Sandman, Wesley Dodds

While Wesley Dodds is no immortal deity, he does have Morpheus’s mask. He starred in his own featured stories in Adventure Comics (1939) until 1946, at which point he disappeared from DC continuity for 20 years. He was also a founding member of the Justice Society of America in All-Star Comics (1940).

Sandman Mystery Theatre (1993) #1-70 & Annual 1 (April 1993 – Feb 1999)
& Sandman Midnight Theatre (August 1995)

This Vertigo series launched by Matt Wagner in 1993 is generally set prior to Wesley Dodds joining the Justice Society of America, which was formed in All-Star Comics (1940) #3.

in a 2016 reprint line…

#1-12: Book 1 (2016 paperback)

#13-24 & Annual 1: Book 2 (2017 paperback)

#25-70: Not collected in this format

as originally collected…

#1-4: Vol. 1: The Tarantula (1995 paperback, ISBN 9781563891953)
A retelling of Wesley Dodd’s first appearance in Adventure Comics (1938) #40.

#5-12: Vol. 2: The Face and The Brute (2004 paperback)

#13-16: Vol. 3: The Vamp

#17-20: Vol. 4: The Scorpion (2006 paperback)

Annual 1: Not collected

#21-28: Vol. 5: Dr. Death and The Night of the Butcher

#29-36: Vol. 6: The Hourman and The Python

Sandman Midnight Theatre OGN (1995)
Also collected in Absolute Sandman, Vol. 5 and The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 3

#37-44: Vol. 7: The Mist and The Phantom of the Fair

#45-52: Vol. 8: The Blackhawk and The Return of the Scarlet Ghost

#53-56: Not collected; “The Crone”

#57-60: Not collected; “The Cannon”

#61-64: Not collected; “The City”

#65-68: Not collected; “The Goblin”

#69-70: Not collected; “The Hero”

Dream States: The Collected Dreaming, Sandman Presents and Overture Covers 1997-2014

Adventure Comics #40-102 (July 1939 – Feb/Mar 1946)
& The New York World’s Fair Comics (1939) #1-2 (1939 – 1940)

Adventure Comics (1939) was an anthology series with multiple stories per issue. At first, Sandman was the only character who lived on to the modern age to appear, although that changed with the introduction of The Hourman in issue #48. Hourman’s stories from #48-52 are collected in JSA Archive volumes. Golden Age Starman first appears in issue #61 and quickly becomes the leading feature in the title until Simon & Kirby take over Sandman with #72.. His stories from #61-102 are collected in Golden Age Starman Archives.

In a weird quirk of Golden Age publishing, Sandman first appeared in The New York World’s Fair Comics (1939) #1 by a matter of weeks, though it is clear that the story in Adventure Comics (1939) #40 was meant to be his debut.

#40-59: The Golden Age Sandman Archives, Vol. 1 (2005 hardcover)
Also collects The New York World’s Fair Comics (1939) #1-2. The World’s Fair issues are also presented in full in The DC Comics Rarities Archives, Volume 1

#60-102: Sandman stories are not collected. A story from #67 is in The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told (1990), but I believe it’s the Starman or Hourman story.

#72-97 & 100-102: The Sandman by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby (2009 hardcover)
Collects Adventure Comics (1938) #72-97 & 100-102, The Sandman (1974) #1, and World’s Finest Comics (1941) #6-7

#82: A DC Universe Christmas (2000 paperback)
Collects the Sandman story, “Santa Fronts for the Mob.”

#98-99: Not collected

In this period, Dodds also appears in Boy Commandos (1942) #1 (in Winter 1942) and a Boy Commandos story in Detective Comics (1937) #76 (in June 1943), both by Kirby. Dodds later appears in Adventure Comics (1939) #461-462, 466, & 498 in the title’s late-70s revival.

All-Star Comics (1940) #1-21 (Summer 1940 – Summer 1944)

Wesley Dodds is one of the already-established heroes to launch All-Star Comics [CBDB] in the summer of 1940 along with Hawkman, Ultra-Man, Flash, Spectre, and Hourman.

Starting from issue #3 this was the home title of the Justice Society of America. Unlike modern team books, frequently the model of this anthology series was to present a brief team meeting or adventure followed by the simultaneous solo adventures of the various team members.

All_Star_Comics_1940-003

#1-2: All Star Comics – Archives, Vol. 0 (2006, ISBN 978-1401207915)
Collects both issues in full. A later-published Volume 1 began collecting from issue #3 because it was the first appearance of the Justice Society of America, of which Wesley Dodds is a founding member.

#1-2: All Star Comics – Archives, Vol. 0 (2006, ISBN 978-1401207915)
#2 Justice Society of America: A Celebration of 75 Years (2015) – HC

#3-6: All Star Comics – Archives, Vol. 1 (1997, ISBN 978-1563890192)
#4 Justice Society of America: A Celebration of 75 Years (2015) – HC

#7-10: All Star Comics – Archives, Vol. 2 (1997, ISBN 978-0930289126)
Issue #8 is the first appearance of Wonder Woman, and has been widely-collected. See Wonder Woman for more information.

#11-14: All Star Comics – Archives, Vol. 3 (1997, ISBN 978-1563893704)

#15-18:All Star Comics – Archives, Vol. 4 (1998, ISBN 978-1563894336)

#19-23: All Star Comics – Archives, Vol. 5 (1999, ISBN 978-1563894978)

Dodds later appears in issue #74 during the title’s revival in 1978.

World’s Finest Comics (1941) #3-7 (Fall 1941 – Fall 1942)

Wesley Dodds briefly receives a feature in this anthology title co-headlined by stories from Batman and Superman.

#3-5: Not collected. Note that Batman and Superman stories from these issues are collected separately, but not the entire issues.

#6-7: The Sandman by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby (2009 hardcover)
Collects Adventure Comics (1938) #72-97 & 100-102, The Sandman (1974) #1, and World’s Finest Comics (1941) #6-7

Much later, issue #226 reprints Adventure Comics (1939) #87 and #265 features Dodds as part of the Justice Society.

Wesley Dodds, The Sandman
in Earth 2 Justice Society of America and All-Star Squadron

Wesley Dodds returns to continuity in Justice League of America (1960) #46. This is “Crisis Between Earth-One and Earth-Two,” the fourth Silver Age story that revived the Golden Age Justice Society characters to fight alongside the Silver Age Justice League. From there on , Dodds would consistently appear in Justice Society revivals.

Click to expand a list of post-Golden Age appearances.

Further Post-Crisis appearances with the JSA or All-Star Squadron are not tracked by this guide.

Sandman Mystery Theatre: Sleep of Reason (2007) #1-5 (Feb – June 2007)

This Vertigo series told a pair of parallel stories – one of a new, modern-day Sandman superhero, and one depicting the final adventure of the JSA version of Dodds prior to his death in JSA Secret Files [and Origins] (1999) #1.

#1-5: Sandman Mystery Theatre: Sleep of Reason (2007 paperback)

Jack Kirby’s Bronze Age Sandman, Garrett Sanford

The Sandman (1974) #1-6 (Winter 1974 – Dec/Jan 1976)

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby revived The Sandman as an all-new character in the Bronze Age in a short-lived series.

#1-6: The Jack Kirby Omnibus, Vol. 2 (2011 hardcover)
Issue #1 also collected in The Sandman by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby

Cancelled Comic Cavalcade (1978) #2: The Kamandi Challenge Special (2017)
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade printed the story intended for issue #7; another version of this appears in The Best of DC (1979) #22.

Garrett Sanford makes further appearances in Wonder Woman (1942) #295 & 300, Justice League of America (1960) Annual 1, Last Days of the Justice Society Special (1986) Special, Swamp Thing (1985) #62, Infinity, Inc. (1984) #50, The Sandman Presents: The Thessaliad (2002) #2, Ambush Bug: Year None (2008) #1, and Bug! The Adventures of Forager (2017) #1-4

Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Morpheus of the Endless

The Sandman (1989)

Despite being one of DC’s most famous modern creations, Sandman remains relatively unexposed to the rest of the DC universe. The Sandman universe is continued in two other titles first The Dreaming and, later, Lucifer.

A word on Sandman collections and “recoloring.” The earliest issues of Sandman have been significantly digitally recolored in a manner more in keeping with modern colors – less explosive and impressionistic blues, greens, and purples, and more realistic colors and muddy shadows. The bad news is, all 2010 and later collected editions reflect these colors. The good news is, it’s only on the earliest issues, and the style of the colors still matches the original period – just not the choices.

Absolute Editions

The Absolute Editions are deluxe, super-oversized hardcovers in slipcases. They are the most complete version of Sandman as of this writing. There are no significant Morpheus-as-Sandman stories that are not collected here but are collected elsewhere.

The Absolute Sandman, Volume One
Collects #1-20 and original script for #19.

The Absolute Sandman, Volume Two
Collects #21-39, The Sandman: A Gallery Of Dreams (1994) #1, and material from Vertigo: Winter’s Edge (1998) #1 – plus original script for #23.

The Absolute Sandman, Volume Three
Collects #40-56 & Special, The Endless Gallery (1995) #1, material from Vertigo: Winter’s Edge (1998) #3, and material from Vertigo Preview (1992) #1 (and expanded pages from that story from the original collection of Fables and Reflections)

The Absolute Sandman, Volume Four
Collects #57-75, additional pages of #72 from The Dreaming (1996) #8, and material from Vertigo Jam (1993) #1

The various supporting Sandman short story releases from 1995 to 2009 are collected in a fifth Absolute volume.

The Absolute Sandman, Volume Five
Collects (in order of release) Sandman Midnight Theatre (1995) OGN, “The Last Sandman Story” prose story from Dust Covers: The Collected Sandman Covers, 1989-1997, The Sandman: The Dream Hunters OGN (1999), The Sandman: Endless Nights OGN (2003), and The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (2009) #1-4

The series is accompanied by two supporting Absolute volumes, which are listed here but also repeated below along with their respective series.

The Absolute Death (2020 reprint)
Collects The Sandman (1989) #8 & 20, Death: The High Cost of Living (1993) #1-3, A Death Gallery (1994) #1, Death Talks About Life (1994) #1, Death: The Time of Your Life (1996) #1-3 (and material from the HC collection), The Sandman: Endless Nights OGN (2003), and material from “A Winter’s Tale” from Vertigo: Winter’s Edge (1998) #2 and “The Wheel” from 9-11 (2002) OGN Vol. 2

The Absolute Sandman: Overture
Collects The Sandman: Overture (2013) #1-6 in both color and black and white

Omnibus Editions

The Sandman Omnibuses are oversize hardcover tomes with handsome leatherette spins and durable binding. They are smaller in size than Absolute editions. If you buy Omnibuses Vol. 1-2, you will have the equivalent of Absolutes Vol. 1-4 minus The Endless Gallery (1995) #1 and potentially some script and bonus material. Omnibus Vol. 3 is a mixture of the material in Absolute Vol. 5, Absolute Death, and Absolute Sandman: Overture (to my knowledge, only omitting “The Last Sandman Story” and the B&W version of Overture).

The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 1
Collects #1-37 & Special

The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 2
Collects #38-75, additional pages of #72 from The Dreaming (1996) #8, “The Last Sandman Story” from Dust Covers: The Collected Sandman Covers, 1989-1997, and material from material from Vertigo: Winter’s Edge (1998) #1 & 3, Vertigo Jam (1993) #1, and material Vertigo Preview (1992) #1 (including expanded pages from that story from the original collection of Fables and Reflections)

The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 3
Note that the solicited contents of this volume are incomplete! Collects (in order of release) Death: The High Cost of Living (1993) #1-3, A Death Gallery (1994) #1, Death Talks About Life (1994) #1, The Sandman: A Gallery Of Dreams (1994) #1, Sandman Midnight Theatre (1995) OGN, The Endless Gallery (1995) #1, Death: The Time of Your Life (1996) #1-3, The Sandman: The Dream Hunters OGN (1999), The Sandman: Endless Nights OGN (2003), The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (2009) #1-4, The Sandman: Overture (2013) #1-6, and material from “A Winter’s Tale” from Vertigo: Winter’s Edge (1998) #2 and “The Wheel” from 9-11 (2002) OGN Vol. 2.

Annotated Editions (and other academically-oriented collections)

These annotated editions are not well-reviewed by fans. They include grayscale artwork that is pushed all the way to the margins with small, white-on-black margins on the outside page edges. From what I have heard from other collectors, the annotations are not especially enlightening.

The Annotated Sandman, Vol. 1
Annotates issues #1-20

The Annotated Sandman, Vol. 2
Annotates issues #21-39

The Annotated Sandman, Vol. 3
Annotates issues #40-56 & Special and the short story from Vertigo: Winter’s Edge #3.

The Annotated Sandman, Vol. 4
Annotates issues #57-75

The Sandman Companion (1999 hardcover / 2000 paperback)
An issue-by-issue annotation of Sandman, though this does not collect any of the actual issues of the title.

Hanging Out With the Dream King: Interviews with Neil Gaiman and His Collaborators (2005 paperback)

Sandman Papers An Exploration of the Sandman Mythology (2006 paperback)
A collection of 12 essays discussing Sandman stories and themes.

Hardcover & Paperback Editions

The 10 volumes of Sandman have collecting been in print for nearly 30 years, which means there are many printings and editions of them! Generally, there is no reason you would want anything but the newest version unless you are seeking the original coloring of the first 18 issues – which you can see in versions prior to the 2010 “New Editions” of the first three volumes. While all of Sandman has been “remastered” at this point, it’s issues #1-18 where the coloring is distinctly different.

The Sandman Slipcase Set (2012 paperback)
A 2012 box set of the recolored paperbacks, below. Despite some listings as “hardcover,” this 2012 edition definitely collects paperbacks!

The Sandman 30th Anniversary Box Set (2020 paperback)
This revised box set contains the initial 10 volumes plus the other volumes that received 30th Anniversary editions – Endless Nights, both versions of Dream Hunters, and Overture.

Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
(original 1991 paperback, ISBN 978-0446393638 / 1993 Vertigo paperback, ISBN 978-1563890116 / 1995 hardcover, ISBN 978-0329408725 /  1998 hardcover, ISBN 978-1563892271 / 2010 “New Edition” paperback, ISBN 978-1401225759 / 2018 30th Anniversary paperback)
Collects #1-8

Vol. 2: The Doll’s House
(1990 paperback / 1991 paperback, ISBN 978-0930289591 / 1995 hardcover /  1999 hardcover /  2010 “New Edition” paperback / 2018 30th Anniversary paperback)
Collects #9-16. Collections from prior to 1999 may also include issue #8

Vol. 3: Dream Country
(1991 Vertigo paperback, ISBN 978-1563890161 / 1995 hardcover /  1999 hardcover /  2010 “New Edition” paperback / 2018 30th Anniversary paperback)
Collects #17-20

Vol. 4: Season of Mists
(original 1992 paperback, ISBN 978-1852864477 / 1992 hardcover /  1999 hardcover, ISBN 978-1563890352 /  2011 “New Edition” paperback / 2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
Collects #21-28

Vol. 5: A Game of You
(original 1993 paperback / 1993 hardcover, ISBN 978-1563890932 /  1999 hardcover, ISBN 978-1563890932 /  2011 “New Edition” paperback, ISBN 978-1401230432/ 2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
Collects #32-37 (yes, it skipped #29-31)

Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections
(original 1994 paperback / 1993 hardcover, ISBN 978-1563891069 /  1999 hardcover reprint /  2011 “New Edition” paperback, ISBN 978-1401231231 / 2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
Collects #29-31, 38-40, 50, Special, and material from Vertigo Preview (1992) #1 (and expanded pages from that story from the original collection of Fables and Reflections)

Vol. 7: Brief Lives
(original 1994 paperback / 1994 hardcover /  1999 hardcover, ISBN 978-1563891373 /  2011 “New Edition” paperback, ISBN 978-1401232634 / 2018 30th Anniversary paperback)
Collects #41-49

Vol. 8: Worlds’ End
(original 1995 paperback / 1995 hardcover /  1999 “Book VIII” hardcover, ISBN 978-1563891700 /  2010 “New Edition” paperback / 2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
Collects #51-56

Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
(original 1996 paperback, ISBN 978-1563892059 /  1996 hardcover, ISBN 978-1563892042 / 1999 “Book IX” hardcover /  2012 “New Edition” paperback,  ISBN 978-1401235451 / 2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
Collects #57-69 and material from Vertigo Jam (1993) #1

Vol. 10: The Wake
(original 1997 paperback, ISBN 978-1563892790 / 1997 hardcover /  1999 “Book X” hardcover, ISBN 978-1563892875 /  2012 “New Edition” paperback, IBSN 978-1401237547 / 2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
Collects #70-75 and additional pages of #72 from The Dreaming (1996) #8

Sandman Midnight Theatre OGN (1995)
Though this happens long the past (during Morpheus’s imprisonment), in terms of story placement it should be read between #71-72

Other Collections & Appearances

The Sandman Gallery Edition (2015)
Collects reproductions of the original full-size pencil and ink illustrations from The Sandman (1989) #1, The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (2009) #1-4, Vertigo: Winter’s Edge (1998) #2

Dustcovers: The Collected Sandman Covers 1989-1997 (1997 hardcover / 1998 paperback)
Includes “The Last Sandman Story” prose story

Prior to his series in Sandman Mystery Theatre (1993) #1, 12, 22, 25-26 67-68, & 70

Around the start of Sandman in Swamp Thing (1985) #84 and Hellblazer (1988) #19

During his series in Amazing Heroes Swimsuit Special (1990) #1-3, Books of Magic (1990) #3, Swamp Thing (1985) #118, Ambush Bug Nothing Special (1992) #1, Vertigo Rave (1994) #1, and Vertigo Visions: Prez (1995) #1

After the end of Sandman, Dream appears (in flashback or memory) in The Dreaming (1996) #8, 12, 25, 35, 39, The Girl Who Would Be Death (1998) #1, Neil Gaiman’s Midnight Days (1999), The Sandman Presents: Love Street (1999) #3, The Little Endless Storybook (2001) OGN SC, Mystic (2000) #15, Green Arrow (2001) #9, The Sandman Presents: The Furies (2002) OGN HC, Lucifer (2000) #21, 31, & 75, Death: At Death’s Door (2003) OGN, The Vault of Michael Allred (2006) #1-4, Delirium’s Party: A Little Endless Storybook (2011) OGN, Dark Night: A True Batman Story (2016) OGN, and Doctor Fate (2015) #18

The Sandman: Book of Dreams (1996)

A anthology of short stories edited by Neil Gaiman

The Sandman: Book of Dreams (1996 hardcover / 1997 paperback / 2002 paperback)

The Sandman: The Dream Hunters OGN (1999)
& The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (2009) #1-4 (Jan 2009 – April 2009)

A prose novella written by Gaiman to resemble Japanese folklore and illustrated by Final Fantasy concept illustrator Yoshitaka Amano. This was released as a “eleventh volume” of Sandman, but in story order it occurs (if it “occurs” as such) prior to Overture.

The Sandman: The Dream Hunters OGN (1999 hardcover / 2000 paperback / 2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
Also collected in The Absolute Sandman, Volume Five and The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 3

Later, the same story was adapted to comic form by P. Craig Russell.

(2009) #1-4: The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (2009 hardcover / 2010 paperback / 2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
Also collected in The Absolute Sandman, Volume Five and The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 3

The Sandman: Endless Nights OGN (2003)

An original graphic novel anthology of seven stories of the seven Endless, all written by Neil Gaiman. While some of the tales are set far in the past, Destruction and Delirium’s are both set after the conclusion of Sandman.

The Sandman Endless Nights OGN (2003 hardcover / 2004 paperback /  2013 paperback / 2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
Also collected in The Absolute Sandman, Volume Five and The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 3

The Sandman: Overture (2013) #1-6 (Dec 2013 – Nov 2015)

This 2013 25th anniversary series acts as a prelude to Sandman, explaining how Morpheus wound up in captivity for nearly a century at the start of the series. While it is set before the series, I wouldn’t suggest reading it first if you have never read Sandman before! However, it makes for a good prologue on re-read, after you already know the character.

The Absolute Sandman: Overture
Collects The Sandman: Overture (2013) #1-6 in both color and black and white.

#1-6: The Sandman: Overture (2015 deluxe oversize hardcover / 2016 paperback / 2019 30th Anniversary paperback)
Also collected in The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 3

Dream States: The Collected Dreaming, Sandman Presents and Overture Covers 1997-2014

Neil Gaiman’s Death of the Endless

Death: The High Cost of Living (1993) #1-3 (Mar – May 1993)
& Death Talks About Life (1994)

Death’s first mini-series began the same month as Sandman (1989) #47 and told the story of the one day of the century where she walked among mortals.

“Death Talks about Life” was a brief safe(r) sex awareness story originally ran in full in each of Hellblazer (1988) #62, The Sandman (1989) #46, and Shade, the Changing Man (1990) #32. It is routinely collected along with her 1993 mini-series.

The Absolute Death (2020 reprint)
Collects The Sandman (1989) #8 & 20, Death: The High Cost of Living (1993) #1-3, A Death Gallery (1994) #1, Death Talks About Life (1994) #1, Death: The Time of Your Life (1996) #1-3 (and material from the HC collection), The Sandman: Endless Nights (2003) OGN, and material from Vertigo: Winter’s Edge (1998) #2 and 9-11 (2002) OGN Vol. 2

Death: The Deluxe Edition (2012) (2012 oversize hardcover / 2014 paperback)

Death: The High Cost of Living (1993 hardcover / 1994 paperback)
Also, issue The High Cost of Living #1 is collected in Vertigo: First Taste (2005). Also collected in The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 3.

Death: The Time of Your Life (1996) #1-3 (April – July 1996)

The Absolute Death (2020 reprint)
Collects The Sandman (1989) #8 & 20, Death: The High Cost of Living (1993) #1-3, A Death Gallery (1994) #1, Death Talks About Life (1994) #1, Death: The Time of Your Life (1996) #1-3 (and material from the HC collection), The Sandman: Endless Nights (2003) OGN, and material from Vertigo: Winter’s Edge (1998) #2 and 9-11 (2002) OGN Vol. 2

Death: The Deluxe Edition (2012) (2012 oversize hardcover / 2014 paperback)

Death: The Time of Your Life (1996 hardcover / 1997 paperback)
Also collected in The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 3.

The Girl Who Would Be Death (1998) #1-4 (Dec 1998 – March 1999)

This series does not actually star Death, but focuses on a girl who finds herself in possession of Death’s lost Ankh necklace.

#1-4: Not collected

Death: At Death’s Door OGN (Sept 2003)

A graphic novel by Jill Thompson set during the events of “Season of Mists.”

Death: At Death’s Door OGN (2003)
This has not since been recollected

The Extended Sandman Universe, 1988 – 2017

The extended world of Sandman has a large crossover with the supporting cast of Hellblazer, and some of these series could be thought of as Hellblazer supporting series as well. See Guide to Hellblazer for more details.

By order of release:

Black Orchid (1988) #1-3 (Nov 1988 – Jan 1989)

While Neil Gaiman’s original series for DC is not explicitly tied to Sandman, it is the prototype of him reinventing a Bronze Age hero for an adult audience. Also, the subsequent volume connects to “The Children’s Crusade,” which is a part of Books of Magic, which is part of the extended Sandman Universe!

#1-3: Black Orchid (1993 paperback / deluxe oversize hardcover 2012 / 2013 deluxe paperback)

Black Orchid (1993) #1-22 & Annual 1 (Sept 1993 – June 1995)

#1-4: Not collected

#5: Not collected; “The Mind Fields,” crossover to Swamp Thing (1985) #139

#6-16: Not collected

#17-22: Not collected; “A Twisted Season”

Annual 1: Not collected; part of “Children’s Crusade”

WitchCraft (1994)

A story of The Furies from James Robinson.

#1-4: Witchcraft (1994 paperback)

Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold (1996)

#1-3: Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold

The Dreaming (1996) #1-60 (June 1996 – May 2001)
& The Dreaming: Trial and Error Special

Moreso than any other book in the extended Sandman Universe, this series is the direct continuation of Gaiman’s The Sandman. It extends the story of his kingdom of dreams and its oddball cast, like Cain, Abel, Muriel, Brian, Merv, Eve, and more. Note that issue #8 contains additional story pages for Sandman (1989) #72, and is collected thoroughly along with that story, above.

#1-8: Vol. 1: Beyond the Shores of Night

#9-12: Not collected; “Weird Romance”

#13-14: Not collected; “Coyote’s Kiss”

#15-19 & 22-25: Vol 2: Through the Gates of Horn and Ivory (1999 paperback)

#20-21: Not collected; “Tears for a Dark Rose”

#26, Special, & 27-34: Not collected; “Many Mansions.” The Special was released between #25-26, but fits between #26-27.

#35: Not collected

#36-38: Not collected; “The Gyres”

#39: Not collected

#40-43: Not collected; “Fox and Hounds”

#44-49: Not collected; “Trinket”

#50-51: Not collected

#52-54: Not collected; “Exiles”

#55: Collected in both Bad Doings and Big Ideas: A Bill Willingham Deluxe Edition (2011 hardcover) and The Sandman Presents: Taller Tales (2003 paperback)

#56: Not collected; “The Further Adventures of…”

#57-60: Not collected; “Rise”

Dream States: The Collected Dreaming, Sandman Presents and Overture Covers 1997-2014

WitchCraft: La Terreur (1998)

A story of The Furies from James Robinson and Michael Zulli.

#1-3: Not collected

The Sandman Presents: Love Street (1999) #1-3 (July – Sept 1999)

#1-3: Not collected

Merv Pumpkinhead, Agent of D.R.E.A.M. OGN (2000)

Merv Pumpkinhead, Agent of D.R.E.A.M. OGN (2000)
Recollected in both Bad Doings and Big Ideas: A Bill Willingham Deluxe Edition (2011 hardcover) and The Sandman Presents: Taller Tales (2003 paperback)

The Sandman Presents: Petrefax (2000) #1-4 (Mar – June (2000)

Written by Lucifer‘s Mike Carey.

#1-4: Vertigo Resurrected: The Sandman Presents – Petrefax (2011)

The Sandman Presents: Everything You Always Wanted to
Know About Dreams… But Were Afraid to Ask (July 2001)

Written by Bill Willingham of Fables.

#1: in both Bad Doings and Big Ideas: A Bill Willingham Deluxe Edition (2011 hardcover) and The Sandman Presents: Taller Tales (2003 paperback)

The Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives (2001) #1-4 (Aug – Nov 2001)

Written by Ed Brubaker.

#1-4: The Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives (2008 paperback)

The Little Endless Storybook (2001)
& Delirium’s Party: A Little Endless Storybook (2011)

A children’s book of The Endless from Jill Thompson.

The Little Endless Storybook (2001 paperback / 2004 hardcover)

A second “Little Endless Storybook” from Jill Thompson.

Delirium’s Party: A Little Endless Storybook (2011 hardcover)

The Sandman Presents: The Corinthian (2001) #1-3 (Dec 2001 – Feb 2002)

Writer Darko Macan expands the story of The Corinthian from “The Kindly Ones,” as set in the 1920s.

#1-3: Not collected

The Sandman Presents: The Furies OGN (2002)

Written by Lucifer’s Mike Carey.

The Sandman Presents: The Furies OGN (2002 hardcover / 2003 paperback)

The Sandman Presents: The Thessaliad (2002) #1-4 (March – June 2002)

Written by Bill Willingham of Fables.

#1-4: in both Bad Doings and Big Ideas: A Bill Willingham Deluxe Edition (2011 hardcover) and The Sandman Presents: Taller Tales (2003 paperback)

The Sandman Presents: Bast (2003) #1-3 (March – May 2003)

#1-3: Not collected

The Witching (2004) #1-10 (Aug 2004 – May 2005)

Lucifer appears in three issues of this series written by Jonathan Vankin.

#1-10: Not collected

The Sandman Presents:
Thessaly – Witch for Hire (2004) #1-4 (April – July 2004)

Written by Bill Willingham of Fables.

#1-4: The Sandman Presents: Thessaly, Witch for Hire

The Dead Boy Detectives OGN (2005)

An OGN by Jill Thompson.

The Dead Boy Detectives OGN

Dead Boy Detectives (2014) #1-12 (Feb 2014 – Feb 2015)

Co-written and pencilled by Mark Buckingham.

#1-6: Vol. 1: School Boy Terrors
Also collects a three-part Dead Boy Detectives story from anthology titles Ghosts (2012) #1, Time Warp (2013) #1, and The Witching Hour (2013) #1.

#7-12: Vol. 2: Ghost Snow

The Sandman Universe (2018 – present)

The Sandman Universe - The Dreaming (2018) #1

After over a decade of absence, Daniel Hall turned up (with Neil Gaiman’s blessing) in Dark Nights: Metal (2017) #1-2 & 4 as a guiding spirit for Batman on his quest.

Then, in August of 2018, a one-shot – The Sandman Universe – launched a quartet of additional series – The Dreaming, House of Whispers, a resurrection of Books of Magic, and a new volume of Lucifer.

The Dreaming (2018)

#1-6: Vol. 1: Pathways and Emanations (2019 paperback)
Also collects Sandman Universe #1

#7-12: Vol. 2: Empty Shells (2020 paperback, ISBN 978-1401295639)

#13-20: Vol. 3: One Magical Movement (2020 paperback, ISBN 978-1779502834)

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