The Sandman Overture

The things about The Sandman that I recall the most fondly aren't what most others think of. In my experience, an overwhelming percentage of readers are quick to talk about the characters, or the strength of writer Neil Gaiman's voice. I definitely can't argue against either of those, but what I really appreciated about The Sandman was Gaiman and his artists' ingeniously subtle tricks with symbolism and structure. The big points were always echoed in some very clever ways that never disrupted the natural flow of the story to point out how ornate the plot actually was. Gaiman and J.H. Williams III have managed to condense pretty much all the major themes of the seventy-five issue run of The Sandman into The Sandman: Overture.

The second issue of Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams III's Vertigo series The Sandman: Overture hit comic shops and digital storefronts this week, despite reports that it would be out in February. The issue was originally slated for December. Now, it appears as though the series' third issue won't be making its scheduled release next month, even though April 30 remains DC Comics' solicited release da

UPDATE (11/12/13]: Sandman: Overture writer Neil Gaiman has accepted the majority of blame for the delay. He wrote on his blog: We’re both really sorry about the delay. It’s unprofessional, and is mostly due to the giant signing tour I was on from June, and me not getting script written on the tour, with knock-on effects. We’re hoping it’ll be the only delay though.   ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES: Fro

Among its many other honors, Vertigo’s The Sandman has the distinction of being the portal through which a huge number of readers got their first look at a theretofore mysterious and unseen artifact: an actual comic book script. Available in numerous editions and formats now but Initially published in 1991 as a supplemental feature in the Dream Country paperback, writer Neil Gaiman’s script for th

Vertigo's The Sandman prequel by Neil Gaiman and JH Williams III is DC Comics' biggest publishing story of the year, so we can expect more and more items like this Entertainment Weekly piece in which one or two tantalizing images are released over a period of months. Normally this would be kind of annoying, but the truth is it is very good news that Gaiman and Williams are revisiting the early San

Vertigo fans may want to sit down. According to The New York Times DC Comics' mature readers imprint has announced six new titles coming this fall, including the finally-titled Sandman prequel announced last summer at San Diego Comic-Con International. On October 30, Gaiman and artist J.H. Williams' The Sandman: Overture #1 will arrive in stores, bringing an end to fans' some 17 year wait for new material.