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The Sandman

Cover of The Sandman #1, by Dave McKean (January 1989)
PublisherVertigo
ScheduleMonthly
Publication date1989 - 1996
Number of issues75 issues
Main character(s)Dream of The Endless
Creative team
Writer(s)Neil Gaiman
Artist(s)Dave McKean
Sam Kieth
Mike Dringenberg
Malcolm Jones III
Kelley Jones
Jill Thompson
Marc Hempel
Michael Zulli
Charles Vess
and others
Letterer(s)Todd Klein
Colorist(s)Danny Vozzo
Creator(s)Neil Gaiman
Mike Dringenberg
Sam Kieth

The Sandman is a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published in the United States by the DC Comics imprint Vertigo. David Tench McKean (born 29 December 1963 in Maidenhead, Berkshire) is an English Illustrator, Photographer, Vertigo is an Imprint of the American Comic-book publisher DC Comics. Events January Invasion! crossover event in DC Comics February March April May June Events January the Avengers ( 1963 series #394 - Marvel Comics Captain America Dream is the fictional Protagonist of DC Comics ' Vertigo Comic book series The Sandman, written by Neil The Endless ( Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Despair, Desire and Delirium) are a group of beings who embody Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and David Tench McKean (born 29 December 1963 in Maidenhead, Berkshire) is an English Illustrator, Photographer, Sam Kieth (born January 11, 1963) is an American Comics writer and illustrator and film director best known as the creator of The Mike Dringenberg is a German / American Malcolm Jones III (1970–1996 was an American comic book artist best known as an Inker on The Sandman, where he added his illustrative Kelley Jones (born July 23, 1962 in Sacramento California) is an American comic book artist best known for his runs on Batman Jill Thompson (born November 20, 1966) is an American Comic book writer and Illustrator. Marc Hempel is an American Cartoonist / Comics Artist best known for his work on The Sandman with Neil Gaiman. Michael Zulli is an American Comic book artist best known for his work on The Sandman with writer Neil Gaiman Charles Vess (b June 10, 1951 in Lynchburg Virginia) is an American fantasy artist and comic-book illustrator who has specialized in the illustration Todd Klein (b January 28 1951 is an award-winning American Comic book Letterer, Logo Designer, and occasional writer — primarily for Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and Mike Dringenberg is a German / American Sam Kieth (born January 11, 1963) is an American Comics writer and illustrator and film director best known as the creator of The A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and The United States of America —commonly referred to as the DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Vertigo is an Imprint of the American Comic-book publisher DC Comics. It chronicles the adventures of Dream of The Endless, who rules over the world of dreams, in 75 issues from 1989 until 1996. Dream is the fictional Protagonist of DC Comics ' Vertigo Comic book series The Sandman, written by Neil The Endless ( Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Despair, Desire and Delirium) are a group of beings who embody Events January Invasion! crossover event in DC Comics February March April May June Events January the Avengers ( 1963 series #394 - Marvel Comics Captain America

The Sandman was one of Vertigo's flagship titles, and is available as a series of ten trade paperbacks. In Comics, a trade paperback ( TPB or simply trade) refers to a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format It is also being reprinted in a recolored four-volume Absolute hardcover edition with slipcase. Critically acclaimed, The Sandman was the only comic to ever win the World Fantasy Award,[1] and the only comic book to ever be on the New York Times Bestseller List. The World Fantasy Awards are annual international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of Fantasy. The New York Times Best Seller List is widely considered to be the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. Norman Mailer described the series as "a comic book for intellectuals. Norman Kingsley Mailer ( January 31, 1923 &ndash November 10, 2007) was an American Novelist, Journalist, "[2]

Contents

Summary

The Sandman's main character is Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, who is essentially the anthropomorphic personification of dreams. Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects Dreams are the images sounds thoughts and feelings experienced while Sleeping, particularly strongly associated with Rapid eye movement sleep. At the start of the series, Morpheus is captured by an occult ritual and held prisoner for 70 years. Morpheus escapes in the modern day and sets about rebuilding his kingdom, which has fallen into disrepair in his absence. Gaiman himself has summarized the plot of the series (in the foreword to Endless Nights) as "The Lord of Dreams learns one must change or die and then makes his decision. The Sandman Endless Nights is a Graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman as a follow-up to his Sandman "

The character's initially haughty and often cruel manner begins to soften after his years of imprisonment at the start of the series, but the challenge of undoing past sins and changing old ways is an enormous one for a being who has been set in his ways for billions of years. Later, the series evolves into an elaborate fantasy series, incorporating elements of classical and contemporary mythology, ultimately placing its protagonist in the role of a tragic hero. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" A tragic hero is the main character in a Tragedy who makes an error in his or her actions that leads to his or her downfall

The story-lines primarily take place in the Dreaming, Morpheus's realm, and the waking world, with occasional visits to other domains, such as Hell, Faerie, Asgard, and the domains of the other Endless. The Dreaming is a Fictional place, the domain of Dream of the Endless in Neil Gaiman 's The Sandman Comic book Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair This article is about the realm of Norse Mythology For other uses of the names Asgard, Asgaard and Asgård, see Asgard (disambiguation Many used the contemporary United States of America and the United Kingdom as a backdrop. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The DC Universe was the official setting of the series, but well-known DC characters and places were rarely featured after 1990, with one exception: Lyta Hall, formerly Fury of the 1980s super-team Infinity Inc., figures prominently in the "Kindly Ones" story arc. The DC Universe ( DCU) is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place Fury is the codename shared by three DC Comics Superheroes two of whom are mother and daughter and the third who is an altogether different character Infinity Inc is a team of Comic book Superheroes in the DC Comics universe, mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice Most of the storylines take place in modern times, but many short stories are set in the past, taking advantage of the immortal nature of many of the characters, and deal with historical individuals and events.

Publication history

The Sandman grew out of a proposal by Neil Gaiman to revive the 1970s Sandman series illustrated by Jack Kirby. Sandman is the name of seven Fictional characters Superheroes appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics. Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1994) was an American Comic book Gaiman had considered including characters from DC Comics' "Dream Stream" (including the Kirby Sandman, Brute, Glob, and the brothers Cain and Abel) in a scene for the first issue of his 1988 miniseries Black Orchid. Black Orchid is the name of three Fictional Superheroines published by DC Comics. While the scene did not make it into later drafts, Gaiman soon began constructing a treatment for a new series. Gaiman mentioned his treatment in passing to DC editor Karen Berger. Karen Berger (born February 26, 1958) is an American Comic book editor While months later Berger offered Gaiman a comic title to work on, he was unsure his Sandman pitch would be accepted. However, weeks later Berger asked Gaiman if he was interested in doing a Sandman series. Gaiman recalled, "I said, 'Um. . . yes. Yes, definitely. What's the catch?' [Berger said] 'There's only one. We'd like a new Sandman. Keep the name. But the rest is up to you. '"[3]

Gaiman crafted the new character from an initial image of "a man, young, pale and naked, imprisoned in a tiny cell, waiting until his captors passed away [. . . ] deathly thin, with long dark hair, and strange eyes. " Gaiman patterned the character's black attire on a print of a Japanese kimono as well as his own wardrobe. Gaiman wrote an eight-issue outline and gave it to Dave McKean and Leigh Baulch, who drew character sketches. David Tench McKean (born 29 December 1963 in Maidenhead, Berkshire) is an English Illustrator, Photographer, Berger reviewed the sketches (along with some drawn by Gaiman) and suggested Sam Kieth as the series' artist. Sam Kieth (born January 11, 1963) is an American Comics writer and illustrator and film director best known as the creator of The [4] Mike Dringenberg, Todd Klein, Robbie Busch, and Dave McKean were hired as inker, letterer, colorist, and cover artist, respectively. Mike Dringenberg is a German / American Todd Klein (b January 28 1951 is an award-winning American Comic book Letterer, Logo Designer, and occasional writer — primarily for The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional Comic book, or Graphic novel. A letterer is a member of a team of Comic book creators responsible for drawing the Comic book 's text McKean's approach towards comics covers was unconventional, for he convinced Berger that the series' protagonist did not need to appear on every cover. [5]

The debut issue of The Sandman was cover-dated January 1989. Gaiman described the early issues as "awkward", for he, as well as Kieth, Dringenberg and Busch, had never worked on a regular series before. Kieth quit while working on the third issue; he was replaced by Dringenberg as penciler, who was in turn replaced by Malcolm Jones III as inker. Malcolm Jones III (1970–1996 was an American comic book artist best known as an Inker on The Sandman, where he added his illustrative [4]

The Sandman became a cult success for DC Comics and attracted an audience unlike that of mainstream comics: half the readership was female, many were in their twenties, and many read no other comics at all. By the time the series concluded in 1996, it was outselling the titles of DC's flagship character Superman. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Gaiman had a finite run in mind for the series, and it concluded with issue 75. Gaiman said in 1996, "Could I do another five issues of Sandman? Well, damn right. And would I be able to look at myself in the mirror happily? No. Is it time to stop because I've reached the end, yes, and I think I'd rather leave while I'm in love. "[6]


Collections

The Sandman was initially published as a monthly serial, in 32-page comic books (with some exceptions to this pattern). As the series quickly increased in popularity, DC Comics began to reprint them in hardcover and paperback editions, each representing either a complete novel or a collection of related short stories.

DC first published "The Doll's House" storyline in a collection called simply The Sandman. Shortly thereafter, the first three volumes were published and named independently and also collected in an eponymous boxed set. (Death's debut story, "The Sound of Her Wings" from issue #8, appeared both at the beginning of early editions of The Doll's House and at the end of Preludes and Nocturnes, creating overlap between the first two volumes. This overlap isn't present in newer editions. ) Further collections would then be released shortly after their completion in serial form.

The Sandman Library

A total of ten collections contain the full run of the series and have all been kept in print. They are as follows:

In addition, the cover images from The Sandman have been compiled into one volume:

In 1999, some years after Gaiman completed The Sandman, he wrote a lavishly illustrated Sandman novel, Sandman: The Dream Hunters with art by Yoshitaka Amano. " The Sandman The Dream Hunters " is a Novella by English author Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano of Final Fantasy fame (born July 28 1952) is a Japanese Artist known for his illustrations for Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs image illustrations Like many of the single-issue stories throughout The Sandman, Morpheus appears in Dream Hunters, but is a supporting character at best. In Gaiman's afterword to the book, it is claimed that the story was a retelling of an existing Japanese legend. However, there is no trace of it in the primary source he cites [7], and when asked Gaiman has stated that he made up the "legend" out of whole cloth.

The Absolute Sandman, #1 slipcover.
The Absolute Sandman, #1 slipcover. A slipcover (also called loose cover) is a fitted protective cover that may be slipped off and on a piece of upholstered furniture

As the 10th anniversary arrived, Gaiman wrote several new stories about Morpheus and his siblings, one story for each, which were published in 2003 as the Endless Nights anthology. The Sandman Endless Nights is a Graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman as a follow-up to his Sandman

Neil Gaiman, on his blog, announced plans for an Absolute Sandman, a new set of oversized editions with slipcases which would compile all 10 volumes. A slipcase is a four or five-sided box usually made of high-quality cardboard into which binders Books or book sets are slipped for protection [8] In October 2006, the first of four volumes of the Absolute Edition Sandman was published; it collected the first 20 issues (that is, Preludes and Nocturnes, The Doll's House, and Dream Country). DC Comics Absolute Edition is a series of archival quality printings of graphic novels published by DC Comics and its imprints Wildstorm Productions and Vertigo The issues in the first volume of Absolute Sandman have been recolored with reference to the original prints. The volume also features a copy of the original series outline and other bonus features, such as a new introduction by the president of DC Comics, a new afterword, and a reproduction of the original comic draft and notes for A Midsummer Night's Dream. Dream Country is the third trade paperback collection of the Comic book series The Sandman, published by DC Comics. [9] In celebration of this reissuing DC also issued a refurbished edition of the first issue of the series. Volume 2 of The Absolute Sandman was officially released October 31, 2007[2].

Spinoffs

Because of the amount of critical acclaim Sandman received and because of its commercial viability (at the time of its conclusion, it was DC’s best-selling series), a number of spin-off volumes have been produced. The DC Comic book series The Sandman may have concluded with Issue 75 but numerous comics novels and spin-offs continue to make use of its characters Subsidiary works include:

  1. Lucifer (1999) (3 issues)
  2. Love Street (1999) (3 issues)
  3. Petrefax (2000) (4 issues)
  4. Merv Pumpkinhead, Agent of Dream (2000) (1 issue)
  5. Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Dreams. . . But Were Afraid To Ask (2001) (1 issue)
  6. The Dead Boy Detectives (2001) (4 issues)
  7. The Corinthian (2001-2002) (3 issues)
  8. The Thessaliad (2002) (4 issues)
  9. The Furies (2002) (2 issues)
  10. Bast (2003) (3 issues)
  11. Taller Tales (2003) (1 issue)
  12. Thessaly: Witch for Hire (2004) (4 issues)
  13. Marquee Moon (written in 1997, published online in 2007)

Awards and recognition

The Sandman issue #19 "A Midsummer Night's Dream" won the World Fantasy Award in 1991 for Best Short Fiction. The World Fantasy Awards are annual international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of Fantasy. The following morning, the rules of the award were changed to ensure no other comics could get that award. Also, Sandman and its spin-offs have won eighteen Eisner Awards, including three for Best Continuing Series, one for Best Short Story, four for Best Writer (Neil Gaiman), seven for Best Lettering (Todd Klein) and one for Best Graphic Album:Reprint. The Will Eisner Comic Industry Award is a prize given for creative achievement in American Comic books It is named in honor of the pioneering writer and artist Will Eisner Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and Todd Klein (b January 28 1951 is an award-winning American Comic book Letterer, Logo Designer, and occasional writer — primarily for The Sandman: The Dream Hunters was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Related Book in 2000. The Hugo Awards are given annually by members of the World Science Fiction Convention for the best science fiction or fantasy works Both Endless Nights and The Dream Hunters won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Illustrated Narrative, in 2004 and 2000 respectively. Nominees are listed below the winner(s for each year 1998: (no award Sergio Aragones' Dia de las Muertos (Day of the Dead by Sergio Also in 2004, Season of Mists won the Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Scenario. This Prize for Scenario is awarded to comics authors at the Angoulême International Comics Festival.

Movie

Throughout the late 1990s, a movie adaptation of the comic was periodically planned by Warner Brothers, parent company of DC Comics. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Roger Avary was originally attached to direct after the success of Pulp Fiction, collaborating with Pirates of the Caribbean screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio in 1996 on a revision of their first script draft, which merged the Preludes and Nocturnes storyline with that of The Doll's House. Roger Roberts Avary (born August 23, 1965) is a Canadian -born motion picture director, producer and Oscar -winning Screenwriter Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a theme park ride a series of films Ted Elliott is an American screenwriter Along with his writing partner Terry Rossio, Elliott has written some of the most successful American films of the past 15 years including Terry Rossio was born in Kalamazoo Michigan. After graduating from Saddleback High School in Santa Ana California, he went on to study at California Avary intended the film to be in part visually inspired by animator Jan Švankmajer's work. Jan Švankmajer (born 4 September 1934 in Prague) is a Czech surrealist artist Avary was fired after disagreements over the creative direction with executive producer Jon Peters, best known for Batman (1989) and Superman Lives. For other uses see John Peters. Jon Pagano Peters (born on 2 June 1945 in Van Nuys California to Jack Peters Batman is a 1989 Superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The Superman Film series consists of five Superhero films based on the DC Comics character of the same name It was due to their meeting on the Sandman movie project that Avary and Gaiman collaborated one year later on the script for Beowulf. Beowulf is a 2007 Performance capture Action film based on the Old English epic poem of the same name. The project carried on through several more writers and scripts. A later draft by William Farmer, reviewed on the Internet at Ain't It Cool News[11], was met with scorn from fans. Ain't It Cool News (AICN is a Website founded and run by Harry Knowles dedicated to rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing Films and Gaiman called the last screenplay that Warner Brothers would send him ". . . not only the worst Sandman script I've ever seen, but quite easily the worst script I've ever read. "[12] Gaiman also has said that his dissatisfaction with how his characters were being treated had dissuaded him from writing any more stories involving the Endless, although he has since written Endless Nights. By 2001 the project had become stranded in development hell. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. "Development hell" is media-industry Jargon for a Film, Television Screenplay, Computer program, Concept, or In a Q&A panel at Comic-Con 2007, Gaiman remarked: "I'd rather see no Sandman movie made than a bad Sandman movie. But I feel like the time for a Sandman movie is coming soon. We need someone who has the same obsession with the source material as Peter Jackson had with Lord of the Rings or Sam Raimi had with Spider-Man. "[13]

Gaiman is currently working on a movie adaptation of The High Cost of Living. Death The High Cost of Living is an American Comic book Miniseries, written by Neil Gaiman with art by Chris Bachalo and

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ "1991 World Fantasy Award Winners and Nominees" - The World Fantasy Conventions awards A Midsummer Night’s Dream its World Fantasy Award (retrieved January 27, 2006)
  2. ^ Anderson, Porter (July 30, 2001). The World Fantasy Awards are annual international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of Fantasy. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1419 - First Defenestration of Prague. 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Neil Gaiman: 'I enjoy not being famous'. CNN. com. Retrieved on October 09, 2007. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
  3. ^ Gaiman, Neil. "The Origin of the Comic You Are Now Holding (What It Is and How It Came to Be. " The Sandman #4. DC Comics, April 1989.
  4. ^ a b Gaiman, Neil. "Afterword. " The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes. DC Comics, 1995. ISBN 1-56389-011-9
  5. ^ Berger, Karen. "Introduction. " The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes. DC Comics, 1995. ISBN 1-56389-011-9
  6. ^ Hasted, Nick. "Bring Me A Dream. " The Independent. September 5, 1996. Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar)
  7. ^ "Japanese Fairy Tales" by YT Ozaki [1]
  8. ^ Neil Gaiman - Neil Gaiman's Journal: Absolute Sandman Request
  9. ^ Neil Gaiman - Neil's Work > comic > absolutesandman_vol1
  10. ^ Parkin, JK (2007-07-28). Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. SDCC '07: The Neil Gaiman Panel. Retrieved on 2007-08-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman
  11. ^ Moriarty takes a look at what Jon Peters has done with Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN property!!! - Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news
  12. ^ Comics2Film: Sandman
  13. ^ Gaiman on 'Stardust', 'Beowulf' and 'Sandman' - Story @ Comics2Film.com

External links

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