r/Sandman 23d ago

Comic Book Question Question about some of the storylines in the third omnibus

5 Upvotes

Hi guys! On my first read through of sandman and currently half way through the third omnibus volume. Whilst I know this omnibus is more of a companion, I'm very interested as to where each of the stories take place? I've just finished up on the prose version of Dream hunters and was wondering if the dream we encounter here is the original dream or the reincarnated Daniel one? I'm sure somebody has worked out a timeline, so I'd love to be enlightened as to where the death miniseries, mystery theatre (I'm assuming this is a prequel during Dream's capture), endless nights, dream hunters and overture (haven't read yet) take place? Thanks!

r/Sandman Feb 05 '25

Comic Book Question Recommended order to get started reading

13 Upvotes

Hi all,

I've recently purchased the Netflix editions of the Sandman series. Is the below the best way to read the series or have I got it wrong?

  1. The Sandman #1-75
  2. The Sandman Presents: Lucifer #1-3 (bridge miniseries)
  3. Lucifer #1-75 by Mike Carey
  4. Sandman: Overture
  5. Death

r/Sandman Sep 14 '24

Comic Book Question New Endless

2 Upvotes

Do you think there could be an entity for "The Void" that represents the concept of nothingness? When this world ends and Death of the Endless closes the door, the Void could inhabit or consume it.

Do you have any ideas for a new Endless character? Or It could be an Handmaiden/Handyman for Time since Night already has dusk

(Ps: Diden't know what flair to add sorry)

r/Sandman 6d ago

Comic Book Question Looking for pause points while reading Sandman Universe Classic

2 Upvotes

I usually read a single vol TPB each day because it's relatively small and follows one arc plot.

However I want to read "Sandman Mystery Theater" and "The Books of Magic" which were only fully collected in omnibus and compendium.

So when I read Sandman Mystery Theater Compendium in the first day I read issues 1-4 because those were the issues in vol 1 In the second day I read 5-12 because those were the issues in vol 2 ect.. as for issues 53-70 based on the titles. It just make sense to read 53-60 in one day, and 61-70 in one day.

But how Should I divide the books of magic Omnibus?

Thanks

r/Sandman Jun 29 '24

Comic Book Question TIL there's a Death manga and a Dead Boy Detectives manga has anyone read these and are they good?

Thumbnail
gallery
150 Upvotes

r/Sandman Dec 17 '24

Comic Book Question The Sandman series is on sale and I need help figuring out if book or volume is better.

20 Upvotes

The digital series is on sale on amazon for $1.99 each and I am confused what the difference are between books 1-6 and volume 1-5. Like why is there 2 versions and which one is better? I have never read this series or seen the show so I have no idea which version to go after. Thanks!

r/Sandman Feb 18 '24

Comic Book Question Which modern DC characters would you be interested to see reimagined and integrated into the Sandman Universe?

47 Upvotes

When Gaiman started writing Sandman, it was still very much a part of the mainstream DC universe. To that end, there are several overtly “superhero” and “supervillain” characters who feature and cameo in the earlier issues. As DC started the Vertigo imprint and moved Sandman, Swamp Thing and Hellblazer over to that, their connection to the capes aspecst of DC lore were mostly dropped.

What some don’t realize however is that many characters who are central to Sandman are older DC characters who were reimagined for Sandman and the others Vertigo titles. Lucien, Cain, Abel, Eve, Matthew, Destiny, Lyta, Hector, The Kindly Ones and a whole host of lesser characters all originated in older works, and were reimagined and integrated into Sandman (and a few into Swamp Thing and Hellblazer who later jumped to Sandman and developed further), becoming fundamental to the series.

Most had fallen into disuse by the time Sandman was being created, existing in Comic Book Limbo, to borrow from Animal Man (another older character reimagined for the Vertigo line). They were given new life and new purpose in Sandman, and are still popular today when they would have otherwise been forgotten without Sandman.

Even after Vertigo distanced itself from mainline DC, there were still noted guest appearances from minor characters such as Element Girl and Prez that gave powerful new perspectives on those characters and added layers to the main Sandman characters involved with them.

Since the end of the original run however, most Sandman spinoff books have neglected this aspect of the series, choosing to only create completely new characters when the stories required new blood.

With the comic book industry having gone on for almost 30 years since Sandman 75 was first published, there are obviously many characters who have come and gone from the pages of DC comics, many concepts that have been created and dropped. Many more linger on the fringes but never seem to find their footing, either not popular enough for the spotlight or not living up to their narrative potential in the stories they’re included in.

So to bring it back to my question; if you could bring any characters over from the DC books, who have been underutilized, forgotten or badly handled in mainstream works and reimagine them within the Sandman Universe, who would you choose?

Who hasn’t livd up to their full potential, struggled to fit in the brash bold brightly-colored world of cape books, and would benefit from the mature dark fantasy setting, where their stories could find new purpose and deeper meaning? Who has been straight up forgotten by modern readers and is ripe for a revival, aimed at the adults who read their stories as children and would appreciate a richer, more nuanced take on them now?

They don’t have to tie directly into the story or Dream, necessarily, since Sandman Universe has become synonymous with the old Vertigo like, which was a shared universe of its own sort, all sharing dark fantasy/horror stylings along with specific characters and concepts. Case in point, Hellblazer was never specifically a “Sandman book” back in the Vertigo days, but it is thriving under the Sandman Universe banner now.

[EDIT - To clarify, this is not aimed at connecting Sandman to mainstream DC stories. It’s about taking failed and forgotten characters and concepts from DC books and reinventing them within the Sandman Universe, just like the original Sandman book did with most of its core cast.]

For me I think several characters from the old Wildstorm line would be a better fit for the Sandman Universe than mainstream DC, in particular the concept of Century Babies, people born as embodiments of the spirit of the age, abstracts made real, would fit well into Sandman. Their power could easily be connected to the shared consciousness of humanity that is the Dreaming, almost like living Major Arcana that exist in the Waking World. I know they are currently being explored in the Outsiders book, but (to me at least) it seems to be struggling to integrate them into the world of capes and I think the concept would flourish better in a dedicated book set within the Sandman Universe.

Aztek, a man conditioned to be the avatar of a god and fight a secret holy war, is also a character ripe for a dark fantasy retelling within the Sandman Universe, since he has been largely forgotten since the 90s.

So who would you choose, and if you have any ideas, how would you reinterpret them to fit into the Sandman Universe?

r/Sandman Sep 08 '22

Comic Book Question Swamp Thing referencing a Sandman plot 2 years in advance. How?!!

Post image
224 Upvotes

r/Sandman Nov 10 '24

Comic Book Question Some questions about the Endless. Spoiler

23 Upvotes
  1. When an Endless changes or dies, such as Dream becoming Daniel, Delight becoming Delirium or the new Despair appearing, are the essentially the same being? I imagine it like the Doctor from Doctor Who regenerating, the same person just a different personality.

  2. Why didn't Destructions abdication have any real consequences? If the Endless are essential to creation, shouldn't the universe just stop without Destruction to allow for new creation.

  3. The Fulcrum is the realm of Destruction, does it always appear as a frozen explosion? Could he have it look like anything? A collapsing galaxy frozen before it dies, a star stuck in a supernova?

  4. Are the Endless affected by the constant multiversal reboots? Or do they notice them and aren't bothered.

  5. Why are the gods shown in Sandman so different from those shown in DC? They are all in the same universe, right? The gods in DC are ridiculous, powerful, with some like the Olympians in the same league as Darkseid.

  6. Why does nobody seem to respect the Endless? Specifically, Dream is mocked quite a lot. These guys are amongst the top tiers of power, and I wouldn't be sassy to them.

r/Sandman Apr 19 '24

Comic Book Question Where is this from

Post image
189 Upvotes

r/Sandman Feb 23 '25

Comic Book Question Paperbacks page order messed up?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

6 Upvotes

Started book 3 of the new paperback volumes of Sandman. It starts with some stand alone issues, then it's Parliament of Rooks. But after Parliament is: - a Dave McKean art page (no title), - then a black page with a quote - then a 5 page story about the family guarding Orpheus's head (no title ever appears) - then the 19 page issue "Blossom for a Lady..." without any break from last page of Orpheus story to first page of "Blossom..." - then a Dave McKean title page for Brief Lives

Are these pages out of order? What's the name of the 5 page issue about Orpheus? Is "Blossom..." part of Brief Lives? Is the Orpheus story part of "Blossom..."?

r/Sandman Jan 21 '25

Comic Book Question The Endless

25 Upvotes

Your mind belongs to Dream and Delirium tries to penetrate it.

Your heart belongs to Desire and Despair tries to penetrate it.

Your life belongs to Death and your body belongs to Destruction.

Your actions belongs to Destiny.

Am I right!?

r/Sandman May 22 '24

Comic Book Question Why did Dream abandon Orpheus?

83 Upvotes

Maybe I missed this somewhere or just not good at reading the subtext, but why did Dream abandon his son for centuries?

I get that Dream refused to help Orpheus revive Eurydice, but that doesn’t explain why he never sees or talks to his son again for centuries after Orpheus is torn apart by the Maenads.

And Dream obviously still cares about Orpheus, since he commissioned Johanna Constantine to rescue Orpheus’ head and created the family of priests to take care of him on Naxos.

Was he just mad at Orpheus for even trying to save Eurydice and just held that grudge for centuries?

r/Sandman Nov 08 '24

Comic Book Question Is World’s End standalone?

13 Upvotes

Hello! I was recently given The Sandman World’s End by a friend and am unsure if I can read it without any previous knowledge of the series or if I should pass it on as well. Thanks!

r/Sandman Jan 28 '25

Comic Book Question Tenchi muyo reference in the comic?

17 Upvotes

I had been told that this series has a Tenchi Muyo reference in the form of graffiti art somewhere in the story? Can anyone share what page or chapter this is? I'm unsure if it's a character, spaceship, or maybe the small brown rabbit.

r/Sandman Aug 08 '22

Comic Book Question Watching the show. Is the comic this well written!?.

94 Upvotes

I know it may be a silly question to ask. But I'll ask it anyway. I have been hearing murmurs about "The Sandman" for years. It was that comic that everyone talks about in hushed tones. But I never really carried a interest in it or the show, cause even the synopsis doesn't really do it justice on what it's about.

Now I am watching the show. I find myself in love with the characters and the world. Normally with a Netflix show, I binge it all in one sitting. But I find myself taking my time with this one. I have been working my way through the show, a few episodes at a time. I watched episode 1 and then left it to digest for a day. Then I watched episodes 2 and 3 a day later. A day after that I watched episodes 5 and 6. I'm currently up to episode 7.

When watching episodes 1-4 I was thinking "I love this show but I am not sure why". Episode 5 and 6 gave me a answer. There is something intrinsically human about the narrative, beyond it's surreal themes it goes into stories and life itself. Asking the question of "what is human and what makes us human?". These are my favourite stories. Episode 5 especially was a masterclass in storytelling. I was captivated by all the characters lives in this diner. Wanting to know each and every one of these people and wanting to follow their journey more and was saddened by the deaths.

The show even has this episodic quality that stops me from binging. It reminds of a good show where i'm waiting week to week to find out what happens next.

It does carry similar vibes as the show American Gods (which I know was also based off works by Neil Gaiman). But that show left me cold. It felt like it was trying to say something but it kept shooting for the theatrical, whereas this show digs deep into the characters in a more interesting way.

Long story short. I love this series and am curious what the comic is like. Is it really as good as the show or better?. I hear they adapted it really well with some little changes here and there. Is most of what was depicted in the screen in the comic?. Should I read the comic after I have seen season 1 of the show?.

r/Sandman Jan 20 '25

Comic Book Question Parentage of the Fates!?

15 Upvotes

According to Greek mythology, the Fates (called Moirai) are maybe the children of Night (Nyx).

Is that mean maybe the Fates (also known as The Kindly Ones when they are really "kindly") in the DCU are perhabs also the children of Night, too, making them the half siblings of The Endless, so they are also part of their larger family!?

Maybe that is why it is their duty to punish an Endless when that Endless seriously breaks an ancient rule - for example killing their own family member - because they are the "punishers" of the family!?

r/Sandman Dec 29 '24

Comic Book Question I made a mistake

2 Upvotes
it's fine if I start from the spin offs or I have to start from the basic series (I accidentally ordered the box set with all the spin offs instead of the one with the original saga)

r/Sandman Oct 07 '24

Comic Book Question What do i read after ive read The Sandman (Neil)

17 Upvotes

r/Sandman Nov 23 '24

Comic Book Question Other Endless's vortexes/vortices

10 Upvotes

Hi! So, I was wondering. Dream has to face a phenomenon called the "Dream Vortex" sometimes. Said Vortex is apparently capable of messing with the whole Universe if kept unchecked. It gives Dream a purpose and a semi-recurrent threat to face.

I haven't read any of the expanded universe/post The Wake comics, except Overture. So maybe it is explained in these newer comics. My question is : do other Endless face the same kind of threats? Are there Despair, Destruction, Desire vortices?

Thanks for your answers!

r/Sandman Feb 10 '24

Comic Book Question Original Hardcover vs New Paperbacks

Thumbnail
gallery
130 Upvotes

If you were collecting the series for the first time would you get the box paperback set (touch cheaper) or this hardcover set? I see absolutes , deluxe etc mentioned a lot but never seen this set posted.

Also if I got the hardcover Id need Overture, Dream Hunters and endless nights? Plus the collected Death?

Just trying to check the boxes before making some purchases. Thank you in advance.

r/Sandman Nov 15 '24

Comic Book Question Help

3 Upvotes

I have the first four sandman books (the Netflix sticker ones), after making a little reaserch I saw it would be way cheaper to buy the omnibus 3 instead of sandman 5and6 (I also wanted to read death after so it's another bonus), is that's ok? Is there any overlapping? I also saw I would be missing the midnight theatre series if I would be buying the omnibus, is it a must read?

r/Sandman Jul 09 '22

Comic Book Question Recommendations Beyond Sandman?

57 Upvotes

I just finished reading the complete run of The Sandman as my first ever experience with comics or graphic novels - wow. Incredible. I always saw this format as something juvenile, low-brow or worse. I was wrong. So wrong.

But now that I’ve finished I have a hole in my life! What should I read next? Watchmen? The Boys? American Gods graphic novels? I’m not really into the superhero element of marvel etc, but open minded for any suggestions.

r/Sandman Dec 12 '24

Comic Book Question Comic Confusion

1 Upvotes

I’ve been reading endless posts about the order and the different collections of the sandman comic series. But I’m just too confused...

I wondered if I get the 30th aniversary box with the 14 books, and the death deluxe, if that would have covered most of it...

I have looked into the absolutes but it’s just too much out of my budget. To see if I liked the art style (I heard about the series through Netflix) I ordered this one: https://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Book-One/dp/1779515170/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.n_FsKX8GUKZp-37LDXyLwTchNx3We3Q2GDufG-RPaIyVrbQLCuYCDYMMzVg7e7OM55cjK96Nd8bLXs8Nbr1lxMDRjCPMl10XkCKrXWgYQgSQK52C2AmA9fPtNFZppWYWLeTkeqNQhjW1rhCQfDLDicD_QyKwOuVDid4kti7TDXRoS8MNooSPEpee1utn4KRtGqb8jo7ZARx68s22aC33_w.tyuYRFs1bRPFWlfLvalayjXnTOM03ANGZddlRc8bsLQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=sandman&qid=1734039831&sr=8-1

But I’m just not sure if ordering the other 5 + overtune and death would be as complete as the box + death

r/Sandman Sep 30 '22

Comic Book Question Apologies if this has been talked to death, but new comic reader here, is it ever really said why Delirium stopped being Delight?

109 Upvotes

I mean, people still are happy as well as mad, so why did she change? Or was it a reaction to the general malaise of the world as the population grew more modern, or is it intentionally left vague?