Gaiman's stylistic intention in the first arc was to pay homage to a different subgenre of horror in each issue, from Victorian horror to splatterpunk.New York Times best-selling author Neil Gaiman's transcendent series SANDMAN is often hailed as the definitive Vertigo title and one of the finest achievements in graphic storytelling.

Thus, Gaiman wrote an eight-episode arc with the initial plan to end the run with a series of one-shot stories.

When the comic was first developed, the standard practice at DC was to give new series a year-long test run and notify authors after 8 months whether it would be prolonged.

Malcolm Jones III w/ special thanks to Don Carola She talks Dream out of his brief depression and persuades him to explore the world and see what he missed during his seven decades in prison. Reflecting on his recent incarceration, Dream is visited by his sister Death.

Considering Dee at least partially responsible for his victory, Dream shows mercy and returns Dee to Arkham Asylum. Thinking it will kill Dream, Dee shatters the ruby, inadvertently returning its power to Dream. Dream arrives and attempts to take the ruby, only to be overpowered by Dee.

Dee escapes from Arkham Asylum before going to a diner, where he distorts reality for those inside it, using them as toys until they all ultimately murder each other or commit suicide. The ruby is in the possession of John Dee, a.k.a. Lucifer is angered by his loss and swears vengeance on Dream. Dream explains one of the demons in Hell has his Helm, and it is returned to him following a battle of wits, which Dream wins. He is guided by the demon Etrigan to Lucifer Morningstar. While in Hell he stumbles upon his lover Nada (who knows Morpheus as 'Lord Kai'ckul'), but states he has not forgiven her and shall not free her. After retrieving the pouch from a former girlfriend of John Constantine, Dream travels to hell seeking his helm. Lucien, the librarian, fills Dream in on the goings-on since his incarceration.ĭream begins a quest to recover his totems of power (a pouch of sand, a helm, and a ruby), which were dispersed following his capture. Once they have nursed Dream back to health, Dream returns to his home and is shocked to see it has fallen into ruin. He is found by Gregory, a gargoyle belonging to Cain and Abel. Dream punishes Alex by cursing him to eternal waking.ĭream (also known as Morpheus) is weakened after his captivity, and attempts to return to his realm. In 1988, after Burgess has died and his son Alex has been charged with watching Dream, Dream is able to escape. Fearing retribution, Burgess keeps Dream imprisoned. Mistakenly, he binds Death's brother Dream instead. In 1916, the magician Roderick Burgess attempts to attain immortality by capturing the embodiment of Death.

The sandman vol 1 preludes & nocturnes