Legendary creator Neil Gaiman has announced a Sandman special to launch a brand new Sandman Universe. The event is planned to coincide with the 30th anniversary of his original Sandman series, with four spin-off comics under his guidance to follow. This will also coincide with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Vertigo Comics - DC Comics’ mature readers imprint, and what may be the first sign of the ‘Rebirth’ success being expanded to Vertigo, as well.
2018 is proving quite the busy year for Gaiman, with this new series of Sandman Universe comics marking another high-interest project. Gaiman is currently at work overseeing the development of a TV series based on Good Omens - a comedic novel about Armageddon, described as “Monty Python remakes The Omen” - which Gaiman co-wrote with Discworld creator Terry Pratchett. Gaiman is also taking on a more direct role in Season Two of American Gods, which is based on one of his novels. This is on-top of his busy schedule as a novelist and the on-going efforts to develop a movie based on The Sandman.
The announcement comes with comments and an official introduction video from the legendary writer regarding the new Sandman Universe project. Whether an old or new fan of the original series and subsequent tie-ins, Gaiman’s hopes and designs for the special, the spin-offs, and the four writers he has recruited to assist him in redeveloping The Dreaming will surely get Vertigo fans talking.
After The Sandman Universe #1, which Gaiman is plotting with his all-star writing team handling the actual script, four new series will detail the adventures of the classic characters and new additions to the world of The Sandman. Si Spurrier (Labyrinth: Coronation and Motherlands) will write The Dreaming, which will focus on Lucien the librarian, Matthew the Raven and an amnesiac monster named Dora - as they go on a quest to find the missing Dream. Nalo Hopkinson (Brown Girl in the Ring, Midnight Robber) will write House of Whispers, which will introduce a companion house to stand alongside The House Of Mysteries and House Of Secrets that are overseen by Cain and Abel. Dan Watters (Limbo and the Assassin’s Creed comics) will writer Lucifer, centering upon the fallen angel who abandoned his position as The King of Hell. Finally, Kat Howard (Roses and Rot, An Unkindness of Magicians) will produce a new Books Of Magic series, based on Gaiman’s Tim Hunter - a young wizard who is destined to determine the fate of magic in the world, for good or ill.
While fans might wish for Gaiman to be writing more of this new Sandman content himself , he seems to have assembled an impressive team to assist him. Spurrier is an experienced comic writer with a long record of working with other established properties. Hopkinson is one of the most critically acclaimed science-fiction and fantasy authors of her generation. Watters and Howard, while relatively inexperienced in comparison, both have impressive bodies of work, with Watters having written for a number of franchise-based comic series and Howard having worked with Gaiman directly before.
The Sandman Universe #1 is scheduled for release on August 8, 2018.
More: How American Gods Creator & Neil Gaiman Would Approach Sandman TV Show
Source: DC Comics
