Sandman

With Neil Gaiman’s American Gods coming to television soon, what better time to explore his work? While his writing career is extensive, including short stories, novels, movies, kids' books, and more, we’re going to focus on his work in the field of comics. Gaiman is considered to be part of the British Invasion, a group a British writers of American comics who rose to prominence in the late 1980s. They tended to move away from traditional superhero tales or, like Gaiman, repurposed old comic characters to tell new stories. Since then, Gaiman has been sharing his delightfully dreamy but creepy sensibility with comic readers, for which we are very grateful.

When it comes to Marvel Legends, Spider-Man is about as bankable a hero you can find. As the centerpiece for numerous lines in a given year, Spider-Man's action figure waves have been among the most diverse and impressive in Hasbro's Marvel Legends catalog. The latest Spider-Man series, which features the Sandman as a build-a-figure, is a prime example of everything Hasbro has gotten right with Legends, even if it also includes a few figures that fail to impress.

I first met Mazikeen as a teenager reading Sandman. She’s a demon in the form of a beautiful dark-haired woman, but with half a face; the daughter of Lilith and lover of Lucifer Morningstar. The left side looks to have rotted away, leaving bone and teeth and an empty eye socket. And she's my favorite monster.

Caitlin R. Kiernan is, according to Neil Gaiman, “the poet and bard of the wasted and lost.” She’s one of the most respected, and amazing, writers of dark fiction out there, but she's nowhere near as well known as she deserves to be. In an effort to correct that oversight, we've put together an introduction to the works of one of the most unique talents in fiction.

Spider-Man has one of the most colorful rogues’ galleries --- partially due to the fact that he’s been around for so long --- but the creators behind Spidey have always just supplied him with variety from the get-go. Whether it’s any one of them alone or teaming up in groups like the Sinister Six to take down the high-flying webslinger, Spidey’s baddies come from all walks of life and create awesome threats for our hero and his friends to overcome. These are the best Spider-Man villain cosplays.

It wouldn't be a comic convention without Hasbro coming to town to show off its latest and greatest in the Marvel Legends line. It wouldn't be a comic convention without Hasbro coming to town to show off its latest and greatest in the Marvel Legends line. Though you would think the Marvel Legends team wouldn't have much left to show after the deluge of reveals from San Diego Comic-Con, the smattering of new figures unveiled at New York Comic-Con somehow managed to rival the awe of those other newcomers despite the smaller roster. We caught up with Marvel Legends senior design manager Dwight Stall to talk about the announcements, and where the line was headed in 2017 and beyond.

On this day in 1913, one of the most influential creators in the history of the comic book industry was born. Joe Simon --- best known as the co-creator of Captain America alongside Jack Kirby --- helped establish superhero comics as one of the most exciting and dynamic storytelling forms of the 20th century, and created a host of iconic characters alongside Cap.

Everyone loves comic book trivia, but with decades of comics behind, there’s always some new obscure fact to learn. That’s why ComicsAlliance is going deep into the minutiae of your favorite names in comics in our continuing video series. You think you know comics? Well, here’s a few things you might not know! This week we're taking a look at The Sandman, DC/Vertigo's best-selling literary fantasy series.

Karen Berger came to DC comics at the cusp of the 1980s as editor for titles including Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld and House of Mystery. As executive editor of Vertigo, Berger made stars of writers and artists who have gone on to dominate the industry, and the imprint became synonymous with an experimental, stylistic approach which gave it an added edge over every other publisher. In 2012, Berger resigned from Vertigo. She has been largely absent from comics since, but at Image Expo earlier this year she announced a new series from writer Sara Kenney and artist John Watkiss called Surgeon X, with herself as editor. ComicsAlliance spoke to Berger to look back at her extraordinary career, and her continued dedication to bringing new and experimental ideas to the medium.

Welcome to Cast Party, the feature that imagines a world with even more live action comic book adaptations than we currently have, and comes up with arguably the best casting suggestions you’re ever going to find for the movies and shows we wish could exist. This week we’re returning to the subject of a previous column, Neil Gaiman‘s Sandman.