Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman" Returns in "Overture"

 

Cover art by Dave McKean

 

In late 1988, I went to my local (or rather distant) comic book shop to pick up a week's worth of new titles. I had a pull list, so many of the comics I wanted were already waiting for me to collect them. As usual, I looked around a bit and examined the other new comics, including The Sandman #1 by Neil Gaiman. I do not know if I can properly express the impact that the first issue and the next 70 plus had on me, especially as a teenager and young man. The writing, artwork, mature themes and outstanding characters all conspired to make The Sandman the best comic book ever, in my humble opinion. In addition, Sandman, or Morpheus/Dream (of the Endless), became my all-time favorite comic book character - in just 75 issues and assorted other publications. Yes, I revere him even more than Spider-Man or Batman. Since I started PopCultureGuy, I have wanted to publish a series of posts based on the Sandman series and I will be doing just that later this year in honor of the 25th anniversary of its debut.

This fall, in honor of the milestone anniversary, Neil Gaiman will once again tackle his peerless creation in a prequel, The Sandman: Overture, which will be published by Vertigo, an imprint of DC Comics. The bi-monthly series will examine how Morpheus became weakened and was then held prisoner for many years, before escaping and unleashing serious revenge on his captor at the beginning of the original series. I am beyond pleased to once again have the opportunity to re-enter the world of Morpheus, courtesy of best selling author (and genius) Neil Gaiman.