| Genre: | Dark fantasy |
| Startmo: | August |
| Startyr: | 2018 |
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.
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 Sandmans part of the DC Universe[2] using new characters and concepts. 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]
The Sandman Universe began with a titular one-shot released in August 2018. It picks up after the events of DC's 2017–2018 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 |
| Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters | Bilquis Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike Stanton, Max Fiumara, Sebastian Fiumara | One-shot | ||
| The Dreaming |
| Simon Spurrier | Bilquis Evely | – | Monthly ongoing | |
| House of Whispers |
| Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters | Dominike Stanton | – | Monthly ongoing | |
| Lucifer |
| Dan Watters | Max Fiumara and Sebastian Fiumara | – | Monthly ongoing | |
| Books of Magic |
| Kat Howard, David Barnett | Tom Fowler | – | Monthly ongoing | |
| Year Two | ||||||
| The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer |
| Simon Spurrier | Marcio Takara | One-shot | ||
| John Constantine, Hellblazer |
| Aaron Campbell | – | Monthly ongoing | ||
| Year Three | ||||||
| The Dreaming: Waking Hours |
| G. Willow Wilson | Nick Robles | – | Limited series | |
| Locke & Key: Hell & Gone |
| Joe Hill | Gabriel Rodriguez | – | Limited series | |
| Year Four | ||||||
| Nightmare Country |
| James Tynion IV | Lisandro Estherren | – | Limited Series[5] | |
| Dead Boy Detectives |
| Pornsak Pichetshote | Jeff Stokley | – | Limited Series | |
| Year Five | ||||||
| Nightmare Country: The Glass House |
| James Tynion IV | Lisandro Estherren | – December 26, 2023 | Limited Series[6] | |
| The Sandman Universe Special: Thessaly |
| Maria Llovet, Reiko Murakami | August 1, 2023 | One-shot | ||
| Year Six | ||||||
| John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America |
| Simon Spurrier | Aaron Campbell | – | Limited Series | |
| Title | Material collected | Format | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dreaming | ||||
| Vol. 1: Pathways and Emanations | The Dreaming #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1 | TP | ||
| Vol. 2: Empty Shells | The Dreaming #7–12 | |||
| Vol. 3: One Magical Movement | The Dreaming #13–20 | |||
| House of Whispers | ||||
| Vol. 1: The Power Divided | House of Whispers #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1 | TP | ||
| Vol. 2: Ananse | House of Whispers #7–12 | |||
| Vol. 3: Watching the Watchers | House of Whispers #13–22 | |||
| Lucifer | ||||
| Vol. 1: The Infernal Comedy | Lucifer #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1 | TP | ||
| Vol. 2: The Divine Tragedy | Lucifer #7–13 | |||
| Vol. 3: The Wild Hunt | Lucifer #14–19 | |||
| Vol. 4: The Devil at Heart | Lucifer #20–24 | |||
| Books of Magic | ||||
| Vol. 1: Moveable Type | Books of Magic #1–6; The Sandman Universe #1 | TP | ||
| Vol. 2: Second Quarto | Books of Magic #7–13 | |||
| Vol. 3: Dwelling in Possibility | Books of Magic #14–23 | |||
| John Constantine, Hellblazer | ||||
| Vol. 1: Marks of Woe | The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer #1; John Constantine, Hellblazer #1–6; Books of Magic #14 | TP | ||
| Vol. 2: The Best Version of You | John Constantine, Hellblazer #7–12 | |||
| The Dreaming: Waking Hours | ||||
| The Dreaming: Waking Hours TP | The Dreaming: Waking Hours #1–12 | TP | ||
| 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 | ||
| Nightmare Country | ||||
| Vol. 1 | Nightmare Country #1–6 | TP | [7] | |
| Dead Boy Detectives | ||||
| Vol. 1 | Dead Boy Detectives #1–6 | TP | ||
According to the review aggregator Comic Book Roundup, the line has an average rating of 8.9/10 based on 20 reviews.[8]