The Sandman Universe
The Sandman Universe | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
Genre | Dark fantasy |
Publication date | August 2018 |
Main character(s) | Dream Lucien Matthew Cable Lucifer |
The Sandman Universe is an upcoming line of American comic books published by DC Comics under its Vertigo imprint. The line will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (1989—1996) and Vertigo's 25th anniversary. The Sandman Universe will feature a titular one-shot and four new ongoing series—House of Whispers, Lucifer, The Books of Magic, and The Dreaming. Each comic will be overseen by Gaiman but written by new creative teams. The line will launch on August 8, 2018.
Conception and development
The Sandman Universe will celebrate the 30th anniversary of DC Comics' The Sandman[1] and the 25th anniversary of the launch of DC's Vertigo imprint. The line was conceived and will be overseen by the series' creator, Neil Gaiman, but will be produced by new creative teams. The Sandman Universe will expand The Sandman's part of the DC Universe[2] using new characters and concepts.[3] The line was announced by Entertainment Weekly on March 1, 2018 and was accompanied by a trailer featuring Gaiman. It will launch 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 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. Deciding writers also involved choosing 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]
Overview
The Sandman Universe
- Writers: Nalo Hopkinson, Kat Howard, Si Spurrier, and Dan Watters
- Illustrator: Bilquis Evely
- Cover artist: Jae Lee
The Sandman Universe is a one-shot plotted by Neil Gaiman and set after the conclusion of The Sandman. In The Sandman Universe, the titular Dream has disappeared since the original series, leading to chaos in his homeland of the Dreaming. Each ongoing series part of the line will follow a storyline from the one-shot.[1][3][2]
House of Whispers
- Writer: Nalo Hopkinson
The Houses of Mystery and Secrets are joined by the House of Whispers, after a woman named Latoya's girlfriend and sisters accidentally conjure the voodoo deity Erzulie, steal its essence, and cause their home to crash into the Dreaming.[1]
The Books of Magic
- Writer: Dan Watters
The Books of Magic is a sequel to the 1990 limited series. Timothy Hunter is torn between using his magic skills for good or evil. Magic gets in his way at school, but a substitute teacher offers to teach Tim how to master his powers.[1]
The Dreaming
- Writer: Si Spurrier
The Dreaming focuses on supporting characters from The Sandman, such as Lucien the librarian, Matthew the Raven, and Nuala of Faerie. In the series, these characters try to search for Dream as his kingdom falls into darkness.[3]
Lucifer
- Writer: Dan Watters
Lucifer Morningstar—blind, suffering from amnesia, stuck inside the body of an old man, and living in poverty—is trapped in a town where no one can leave. However, a policeman suffering from brain cancer in Los Angeles has made it his top priority to find Lucifer and kill him.[3][1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Bishop, Bryan (March 1, 2018). "Neil Gaiman is turning The Sandman into an expanded comics universe". The Verge. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- ^ a b Polo, Susana (March 1, 2018). "The Sandman Universe is Neil Gaiman's next comics project". Polygon. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Holub, Christian (March 1, 2018). "Neil Gaiman announces new Sandman Universe line of comics — exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
Further reading
- 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 1, 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
- Official press release from DC Comics