With Netflix's adaptation of The Sandman anticipated to debut in 2022, DC has announced plans to reprint the entire iconic series in four new softcover volumes. Each one will also come with new covers using imagery from the upcoming Netflix streaming series.
They're also reprinting the original first issue of Sandman, complete with all the original ads from the 1988 first printing, as The Sandman #1 Facsimile Edition. That will go on sale on April 5.
Here's the schedule for the Sandman softcover collections, along with the first cover:
- April 5: The Sandman Book One, collecting The Sandman #1 - #20
- April 19: The Sandman Book Two, collecting The Sandman #21 - #337, The Sandman Special #1, and stories from Vertigo: Winter's Edge #1 - #3
- May 3: The Sandman Book Three, collecting The Sandman #38 - #56 and a story from Vertigo Preview #1
- May 17: The Sandman Book Four, collecting The Sandman #57 - #75 and stories from Vertigo Jam and Dust Covers
If you can't wait, these issues are also available in a five-part hardcover series beginning with The Sandman: Deluxe Edition Book One.
"As far as plot goes, this is a simple tale. Dream (aptly named, as he's the Lord of Dreams) becomes imprisoned by an occultist for most of the 20th century. After finally breaking free and indulging in revenge, he seeks three totems of power he lost along the way: his pouch, his helm, and a magic ruby," reads Newsarama's review of the first Sandman story arc. "In his quest to regain his lost trinkets, he travels from Hell to Arkham Asylum, rubbing shoulders with the wider DC Universe and shedding light on a whole new plane of existence as he does so."
Described by Norman Mailer as "a comic book for intellectuals," The Sandman carved a path for not only Neil Gaiman, but also for the Vertigo imprint - DC's first major foray into mature/adult-oriented storytelling. Although the main The Sandman comic ended 25 years ago, it is more relevant than ever.
Get to know the titular Lord of Dreams before the Netflix streaming services with our guide to Sandman.
