The Sandman Universe

Comics line

The Sandman Universe

Publication information
Publisher|

* DC Comics
* DC Vertigo (2018–2019)
* DC Black Label (2019–present)

Genre| Dark fantasy
Publication date| August 2018
Main character(s)|

* Dream
* Lucien
* Matthew Cable
* Lucifer
* Dora
* Timothy Hunter
* Erzulie
* John Constantine
* Ruin
* Corinthian
* Dead Boy Detectives
* Thessaly

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[edit]

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[edit]

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  | August 2018 | One-shot
The Dreaming | #1–20  | Simon Spurrier | Bilquis Evely  | September 2018 – April 2020 | Monthly ongoing
House of Whispers | #1–22  | Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters  | Dominike Stanton  | September 2018 – June 2020 | Monthly ongoing
Lucifer | #1–24[a] | Dan Watters  | Max Fiumara and Sebastian Fiumara  | October 2018 – March 2020 | Monthly ongoing
Books of Magic | #1–23  | Kat Howard, David Barnett | Tom Fowler | October 2018 – September 2020 | Monthly ongoing
Year Two
The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer | #1  | Simon Spurrier | Marcio Takara | October 2019 | One-shot
John Constantine, Hellblazer | #1–12  | Aaron Campbell  | November 2019 – November 2020 | Monthly ongoing
The Dreaming: Waking Hours | #1–12  | G. Willow Wilson | Nick Robles  | May 2020 – August 2021 | Limited series
Year Three
Locke & Key: Hell & Gone[b] | #0–2  | Joe Hill | Gabriel Rodriguez | December 2020 – September 2021 | Limited series
Year Four
Nightmare Country | #1–6  | James Tynion IV | Lisandro Estherren  | April 12, 2022 – September 27, 2022 | Limited Series[6]
Dead Boy Detectives | #1–6  | Pornsak Pichetshote  | Jeff Stokley  | December 27, 2022 – May 24, 2023 | Limited Series
Year Five
Nightmare Country: The Glass House | #1–6  | James Tynion IV | Lisandro Estherren  | April 4, 2023 – December 26, 2023  | Limited Series[7]
The Sandman Universe Special: Thessaly | #1  | James Tynion IV | Maria Llovet, Reiko Murakami  | August 1, 2023  | One-shot
Year Six
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America | #1–8  | Simon Spurrier  | Aaron Campbell  | January 2024 –  | Limited Series

1. ^ Issues #19–24 were published only as a collected edition, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
2. ^ A crossover with Locke & Key by IDW Publishing.

## Collected editions[edit]

Title | Material collected  | Format | Publication date | ISBN

|
|
|
|

The Dreaming
Vol. 1: Pathways and Emanations | The Dreaming #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1  | TP | June 5, 2019 | 978-1401291174
Vol. 2: Empty Shells | The Dreaming #7–12  | January 8, 2020 | 978-1401295639
Vol. 3: One Magical Movement | The Dreaming #13–20  | July 8, 2020 | 978-1779502834
House of Whispers
Vol. 1: The Power Divided | House of Whispers #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1  | TP  | July 24, 2019 | 978-1401291358
Vol. 2: Ananse | House of Whispers #7–12  | February 19, 2020 | 978-1401299170
Vol. 3: Watching the Watchers | House of Whispers #13–22  | October 27, 2020 | 978-1779504319
Lucifer
Vol. 1: The Infernal Comedy | Lucifer #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1  | TP  | June 19, 2019 | 978-1401291334
Vol. 2: The Divine Tragedy | Lucifer #7–13  | January 22, 2020 | 978-1401295721
Vol. 3: The Wild Hunt | Lucifer #14–19  | July 28, 2020 | 978-1779502353
Vol. 4: The Devil at Heart | Lucifer #20–24  | February 2, 2021 | 978-1779507556
Books of Magic
Vol. 1: Moveable Type | Books of Magic #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1  | TP  | July 10, 2019 | 978-1401291341
Vol. 2: Second Quarto | Books of Magic #7–13  | February 5, 2020 | 978-1401299040
Vol. 3: Dwelling in Possibility | Books of Magic #14–23  | February 16, 2021 | 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  | September 29, 2020 | 978-1779502896
Vol. 2: The Best Version of You | John Constantine, Hellblazer #7–12  | March 30, 2021 | 978-1779509536
The Dreaming: Waking Hours
The Dreaming: Waking Hours TP  | The Dreaming: Waking Hours #1–12  | TP  | November 16, 2021 | 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  | April 26, 2022 | 978-1684057856
Nightmare Country
Vol. 1  | Nightmare Country #1–6  | TP  | April 4, 2023 | 978-1779518415[8]
Dead Boy Detectives
Vol. 1  | Dead Boy Detectives #1–6  | TP  | November 7, 2023 | 978-1779523297

## Reception[edit]

According to the review aggregator Comic Book Roundup, the line has an average rating of 8.9/10 based on 20 reviews.[9]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Bishop, Bryan (March 1, 2018). "Neil Gaiman is turning The Sandman into an expanded comics universe". The Verge.
2. ^ a b Polo, Susana (March 1, 2018). "The Sandman Universe is Neil Gaiman's next comics project". Polygon.
3. ^ a b c d Holub, Christian (March 1, 2018). "Neil Gaiman announces new Sandman Universe line of comics — exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
4. ^ Shiach, Kieran (August 10, 2018). "How Doomsday Clock & Dark Nights: Metal Affect The New Sandman Universe". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
5. ^ Dominguez, Noah (30 May 2020). "DC Cancels Lucifer, Will Release Final Issues as Collected Edition". CBR.com.
6. ^ Kit, Borys (January 18, 2022). "New Sandman Universe Comic to Be Written by James Tynion IV (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
7. ^ Puc, Samantha (November 10, 2022). "The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country returns next year with The Glass House". Newsarama. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
8. ^ "The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country (2023)". Comicscored.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
9. ^ "The Sandman Universe Comic Series Reviews". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved August 10, 2018.

## Further reading[edit]

* Lu, Alexander (March 1, 2018). "Your crash course guide to DC's new SANDMAN UNIVERSE line". Comics Beat. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
* Burlingame, Russ (March 3, 2018). "Everything We Know About Neil Gaiman's Sandman Universe So Far". ComicBook.com. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
* Marnell, Blair (March 1, 2018). "Neil Gaiman and DC Will Launch a SANDMAN UNIVERSE Line of Comics". Nerdist News. Retrieved April 29, 2018.

## External links[edit]

* Official press release from DC Comics

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DC Comics

* DC Entertainment
* Warner Bros. Discovery

Key People|

* Jim Lee (CCO)
* Amit Desai (EVP, Creative director)
* Anne Leung DePies (Senior VP & GM)
* Whitney Ellsworth
* Irwin Donenfeld
* Carmine Infantino
* Jenette Kahn
* Paul Levitz
* Bob Harras
* Marie Javins

Publications|

* Comics (A–B)
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Universe|

* DC Universe
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* Alien races
* Locations
* DC Index
* Who's Who

Lines and imprints|

| Current|

* Black Label
* DC's Young Animal
* WildStorm
* Hill House Comics
* The Sandman Universe
* Murphyverse
* DC Graphic Novels for Kids
* DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults
* Earth One
* Mad
* Milestone
* Wonder Comics
* Young Animal
* DC Universe Infinite
* MAD

|

Defunct|

* All-Star
* Amalgam
* CMX
* DC Ink
* DC Zoom
* Focus
* Elseworlds
* Hanna-Barbera Beyond
* Helix
* Impact
* Johnny
* Just Imagine...
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* Piranha
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* WildStorm
* America's Best Comics
* Cliffhanger
* Homage
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Reprints|

* DC Archive Editions
* list
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* DC Comics Absolute Editions
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* DC Omnibus
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* list
* List of DC Comics reprint collections
* List of DC imprint reprint collections

Predecessors|

* All-American Publications
* National Comics Publications
* Acquired companies
* E. C. Publications
* WildStorm Productions
* Acquired characters
* Charlton Comics
* Fawcett Comics
* Quality Comics

General|

* List of DC Comics imprints (publications)

Adaptations|

* DC Characters
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* Arrowverse
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* DC Universe (franchise)
* Novels
* DC Games
* Rocksteady Studios
* Batman
* Superman
* Unproduced
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Related|

* DC Comics rating system
* DC FanDome
* DC Implosion
* Detective v. Bruns
* National v. Fawcett
* Warner v. ABC
* DC Universe (streaming service)
* Warner Bros.
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* Category

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The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

Publications|

| Collections|

* Preludes & Nocturnes
* The Doll's House
* Dream Country
* Season of Mists
* A Game of You
* Fables & Reflections
* Brief Lives
* Worlds' End
* The Kindly Ones
* The Wake

|

* The Dream Hunters
* Endless Nights
* Overture

Characters|

| The Endless|

* Death
* Dream

|

Dreams|

* Matthew Cable
* Cain and Abel
* Corinthian
* The Fashion Thing
* Goldie
* Mervyn Pumpkinhead

Mortals|

* John Constantine
* Dr. John Dee
* Wesley Dodds
* Element Girl
* Foxglove
* Hob Gadling
* Hector Hall
* Prez
* Lyta Trevor-Hall
* Rose Walker

Angels & Demons|

* Lucifer
* Mazikeen

Faire Folk|

* Auberon
* Nuala
* Titania

Spin-offs|

* Death: The High Cost of Living
* Book of Dreams
* Death: The Time of Your Life
* Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold
* The Little Endless Storybook
* Death: At Death's Door
* The Sandman Companion
* The Dreaming
* Sandman Midnight Theatre
* Lucifer
* House of Mystery
* Dead Boy Detectives
* Petrefax
* The Sandman Universe

Adaptations|

* Sandman: 24 Hour Diner
* Lucifer (TV series)
* Crisis on Infinite Earths
* Lucifer Morningstar
* John Constantine
* The Sandman (TV series)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

DC Comics crossover event publication history

1980s|

* "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (April 1985)
* "Legends" (November 1986)
* "Millennium" (January 1988)
* "Invasion!" (January 1989)
* "The Janus Directive" (May 1989)

1990s|

* "Armageddon 2001" (May 1991)
* "War of the Gods" (September 1991)
* "Eclipso: The Darkness Within" (July 1992)
* "The Death of Superman" (October 1992)
* "Bloodlines" (1993)
* "The Children's Crusade" (December 1993)
* "Worlds Collide" (July 1994)
* "End of an Era" (August 1994)
* "Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!" (September 1994)
* "Underworld Unleashed" (November 1995)
* "DC vs. Marvel" (April 1996)
* "The Final Night" (November 1996)
* "Genesis" (October 1997)
* "DC One Million" (November 1998)
* "Day of Judgment" (November 1999)
* "JLApe: Gorilla Warfare!" (1999)

2000s|

* "Our Worlds at War" (August 2001)
* "Joker: Last Laugh" (December 2001)
* "Identity Crisis" (June 2004)
* "Infinite Crisis" (December 2005)
* "Amazons Attack!" (March 2007)
* "Sinestro Corps War" (August 2007)
* "Final Crisis" (July 2008)
* "Blackest Night" (June 2009)

2010s|

* "Brightest Day" (May 2010)
* "Reign of Doomsday" (January 2011)
* "Flashpoint" (May 2011)
* "The Culling" (November 2011)
* "Batman: Night of the Owls" (April 2012)
* "Death of the Family" (October 2012)
* "H'El on Earth" (October 2012)
* "Throne of Atlantis" (November 2012)
* "Wrath of the First Lantern (February 2013)
* "Batman: Zero Year" (June 2013)
* "Trinity War" (July 2013)
* "Forever Evil" (September 2013)
* "Forever Evil: Blight" (October 2013)
* "The New 52: Futures End" (September 2014)
* "Convergence" (April 2015)
* "Darkseid War" (June 2015)
* "Dark Nights: Metal" (June 2017)
* "The Lazarus Contract" (July 2017)
* "Doomsday Clock" (November 2017)
* "Milk Wars" (March 2018)
* "Heroes in Crisis" (September 2018)
* "The Terminus Agenda" (March 2019)
* "Year of the Villain" (May 2019)

2020s|

* "Dark Nights: Death Metal" (June 2020)
* "Joker War" (September 2020)
* "Generations" (September 2020)
* "Endless Winter" (December 2020)
* "Future State" (January 2021)
* "Infinite Frontier" (June 2021)
* "Fear State" (August 2021)
* "War for Earth-3" (March 2022)
* "Shadow War" (April 2022)
* "Dark Crisis" (May 2022)
* "The New Golden Age" (November 2022)
* "Lazarus Planet" (January 2023)
* "Worlds Collide" (February 2023)
* "Knight Terrors" (July 2023)
* "Gotham War" (August 2023)
* "Titans: Beast World" (November 2023)

Launch lines|

* DC Implosion
* The New 52
* DC Rebirth
* The New Age of DC Heroes
* New Justice
* The Sandman Universe
* Milestone Returns
* Infinite Frontier
* Murphyverse
* The New Golden Age
* Dawn of DC

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