The Sandman Books In Order

Publication Order of Sandman Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Sandman Non-Fiction Books

The Sandman is a series of graphic novels written by famed author Neil Gaiman. Published by DC Comics, Neil Gaiman has worked alongside artists like Marc Hempel, Jill Thompson and Mike Dringenberg to bring the Sandman story to life. The first volume of the series was published by DC comics in 1989; though at some point the series made the switch to Vertigo Imprint.

Over the years the popularity of the story has waxed and waned, this impacting the release of The Sandman volumes.

The Story

The Sandman series revolves around the character of Dream, the so called sandman. Known by various names such as the shaper, Morpheus, Oneiros, Dream King and Lord of the Dreaming, the sandman is essentially the personification of dreams.

At the story’s start, Morpheus is captured by an occult ritual and imprisoned for seven decades. Upon escaping to the modern day, he seeks vengeance upon his captors and works to reconstruct his kingdom, which had fallen to darkness following his absence.

While initially haughty and somewhat cruel, the Sandman slowly but surely begins to undergo a change. However altering his past sins and righting old wrongs proves to be quite the challenge, especially for one that has lived for several billion years.

Neil Gaiman initially wrote the series as a dark comic with elements of horror; over times, it took on a fantastical nature, utilizing many elements of classical mythology, with the Sandman eventually playing the role of tragic hero.

The primary setting of the series is the ‘Dreaming’, Morpheus’ world, with events bleeding into the waking world. Other dimensions like Hell and Asgard eventually come into play, with the United States and the UK acting as a backdrop for events in the waking world.

In the beginning, The Sandman series was set in the DC universe; however after 1990, characters and even settings from the DC world became a rarity in Neil Gaimain’s stories.

Many of the plots utilize the past and the present, taking advantage of the immortality of the series’ characters.

There have been rumors of a movie adaptation of the Sandman series ever since the 1990s; however the various conflicts and wrangles behind the scenes between potential writers, directors and Warner Bros has since stranded the idea in development hell. Neil Gaiman has continued to champion the idea of a Sandman movie, somewhat content with the current pace of the adaption’s jump from book to screen and saying on several occasions that he would rather see no sandman movie than a bad sandman movie. While even a television adaptation of the sandman story has failed to get off the ground, talk of utilizing the Sandman character, Lucifer, is gaining momentum.

The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes

In 1916, Edwardian Magician Roderick Burgess attempts to achieve mortality by binding death, and fails; his actions result in the encasement of Dream in a glass globe. Dream waits for Burgess to finally die, only for Alexander, his son, to become his new captor. It isn’t until 1988 that Dream’s moment finally arrives. Alex’s guards grow careless, fall asleep in his presence, allowing dream to extract the sands of their dreams and utilize them for his benefit. Upon escaping from his seal, Dream punishes Alex, cursing him to an endless world of nightmares.

Once satisfied, Dream begins his quest to recover his totems of power, now scattered all over the world, these including the pouch, the helm, the ruby and, along the way, contends against the various entities that control these items, such a Dee, Lucifer and John Constantine’s former girlfriend.

Anyone new to Neil Gaiman is going to find his work dark and weird, which would be an accurate description of the first volume in the sandman series. Utilizing mythological elements and horror, you need to look deeper to take notice of all the though provoking content.

And dream is worth every penny you would have to spend acquiring his particular volume; as cool as he is intriguing, Dream drives the volume, his story of sin and redemption making every plot a worthwhile read.

Admittedly the art might turn some readers off, those people with a preference for sketchy and rough work likely to take issue with the unnecessarily detailed components of the volume. That being said Neil Gaiman’s story grows on you relatively quickly, so much so that any miniscule failings seize to matter.

The Sandman: The Doll’s House

Morpheus has existed since the universe begun; and he has ruled over the realm of dreams. It has been decades since the Sandman fell under Burgess’ imprisonment, escaping to find that some dreams and nightmares are now walking in reality. Dream travels to the waking world, his intention being to recapture his possessions. Upon stepping onto the mortal realm, he learns of the existence of Rose Walker, a dream vortex that who could rip his realm apart. Dream will have to contend against Rose walker with all his might, murdering her lest he lose his kingdom.

Few other series have done as much to raise the importance of graphic novels like Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, his story providing many an individual an insight into the entertainment value of graphic novels.

And the second volume in the series is a perfect stepping stone into the world of dreams and nightmares. Within its confines Morpheus continues his efforts to reclaim his kingdom. The second volume in the series expands upon the world Neil created in the first volume, introducing the Endless and the mythology that surrounds their existence.

A number of standalone stories also emerge, alongside a longer arc during which new characters are introduced and events that will impact the future of the sandman universe occur. There have been complaints about the slow pacing of the volume, specifically the first few stories. However things pick up relatively quickly, Neil Gaiman raising the stakes, injecting more action and turning what might have been a quaint little volume into something more monstrous and noteworthy.

Some people have said that it is not necessary to read the stories in order, though for sanity’s sake, the overarching plot might make more sense if one approaches it from the perspective within which Neil Gaiman presented the volume.

For a sequel, the volume lives up to the hype, building upon the momentum of its predecessor.