Issue Description

In a stand-alone story spanning centuries, Morpheus grants an ordinary man named Hob Gandling a gift allowing him to cheat death. Over the many years, Morpheus revisits Hob to see how a human would deal with unlimited life—for better or worse. But both Hob and Morpheus learn surprising lessons…

Our story opens in an English tavern in the late 1300’s. The customers grouse about taxes, impending wars, and the other myriad of problems that are affecting their livelihood. in the midst of it all, two pale customers come in and order drinks. They are Oneiros and Teluete, better known to us as Dream and Death, and at the moment, Dream is grumbling about being dragged to the mortal plain. Death reckons, however, that it is good for him to spend time among the humans and see things on their terms for a change.

As they settle in, they hear a brazen young man announcing that he has no intention of dying- that people only die because they choose to. Death and Dream are, to say the least, quite amused by this man’s boast, and as a sort of game, Dream asks his sister if she would entertain this man’s notions. She agrees, and Dream approaches the man and asks, “Did I hear you say you had no intention of ever dying?” “Then let us meet here again, in this tavern, in a hundred years!” The crowd around Hob Gadling erupts into laughter, but he seriously says, “I will see you in the year of our lord 1489, then.”

We move ahead, and it is now 1489, and the look on Hob Gadling’s face is one of disbelieve and caution. Staring at Dream sitting across him at a table in the pub, he asks, “How did you know?…Who ARE you…? Have I unwittingly made a bargain with the Devil?” to which Dream replies, “No…I am merely …interested”.

They go on to talk about the exciting new things that have come up, from chimneys to handkerchiefs, and Hob is excited about venturing into a new thing called printing.

“So you still want to live?’ asks Dream. “Oh, Yes” is the reply. Then they agree to meet again in a hundred years.

It is now 1589. Through the Shipping Trade, Hob has made himself a very rich man. With a huge donation to the king, he has even been knighted. He is no longer Hob, but Sir Robert Gadlen. His business is expanding and expanding, and there’s nowhere to go but up…

A Filthy, starving beggar arrives at the door of the Pub, and becomes belligerent when denied access inside. Upon recognizing the peasant as Hob Gadling, he asks the doorman to let him in. it is now 1689, and times have not been well for the young Hob Gadling. He has lost everything he had in the last century, his family and business, and asks ”Do you know how hungry a man can get when he is starving but doesn’t die?” Dream looks seriously at Hob, believing the game is over, and asks, “Do you not seek the respite of Death?, to which Hob flashes a beaming smile and says “Are you crazy? Death is a mug’s game…I’ve got so much to live for!”

By the time Dream meets up with Hob again in 1789 , he has become a successful Slave Trader, a profession that appalls Dream. Hob excitedly explains how cotton is traded for slaves, and the slaves are traded for tobacco and sugar, and then back again. Suddenly the two are accosted at their table by a woman and her two henchmen. She is Lady Johanna Constantine, and she’s been following the lead on a legend that spoke of The Devil meeting a Wandering Jew every century at a tavern. Dream flatly states “I am no Devil” and Hob offers, “And I’m not a Jew!” , but the team knows what they have , and attempt to abduct them, saying “There’s so much you can teach me. So much I can Learn.” Dram pulls out a bag of dust and says “No. I Think Not”. Lady Johanna is suddenly sobbing in a trance. He has shown her her old ghosts, and she is entranced by them. The two are free to slip out, and as they depart, Dream leaves Hob with something to ponder: “It is a poor thing to enslave another. I would suggest you find yourself a different line of business.”

Forward to 1889. Hob comments to Dream that he’s noticed he’s not the only one who seems to live forever. Over the centuries he’s seen quite a few people that seem to have been around as long as he. Then he turns the subject to the matter of why Dream meets him at the Tavern every 100 years. Really, Why does he do it? He’s seen what happens when someone lives forever, so that can’t be it. And after 500 years, Hob hasn’t changed all that much as a person. No, he concludes, the reason Dream come every century is because he’s lonely. This offends the Dream Lord to no end, that Hob would dare say that he needed friendship from a mortal! As Dream gets up to leave, Hob calls out, “Tell you what, I’LL be here in another 100 years, and if YOU’RE here then, too, it will be because we’re friends. No other reason, right? “Right?’ be asks, unsure of himself as Dream stalks off.

It is now 1989, and we see a very modern Robert Gadling in a blue suit and tie waiting anxiously at his table, while the customers grouse about taxes and impending wars, and all the problems that affect their livelihood. The door opens, and as the figure steps in, Robert stammers, “I…I wasn’t sure you’d be coming”

To which Dream smiles and says “I have always heard it was impolite to keep one’s friends waiting!”

The Sandman (1989)

Publisher

Vertigo

Volume Description

House Ad

The award-winning Sandman follows the return of Dream, the personification of hopes and dreams, to his domain after being trapped and held prisoner for 70 years and his quest to regain the powers he once possessed. It also follows his family, known as the Endless.

The concept of The Sandman emerged from Neil Gaiman's idea to revive Jack Kirby's 1970's Sandman series after his Black Orchid mini series at DC Editor Karen Berger suggested he keep the Sandman name but create the rest of the series entirely from scratch. Using ideas he had of a character that lived in dreams, Gaiman created the character of Morpheus, a literal take on the folklore concept of the Sandman and a personification of dreaming itself. With this, Gaiman revived several dormant DC horror and mystery characters and populated his world of The Dreaming with them. The series soon evolved beyond its DC Universe horror origins and became one of the most critically acclaimed fantasy comic series of all time, regularly outselling its superhero counterparts toward its end and introducing comics to whole new audiences outside of the comics mainstream. The collected editions have been reprinted numerous times and remain best sellers for DC/Vertigo.

The series was originally a DC book, but was one of the original titles moved onto the new Vertigo label with issue #47. Gaiman ended the series at 75 issues, but the run also included The Sandman Special (1991).

Spin-Offs

The series proved so popular that numerous spin-off titles were written, both by Gaiman and those that emerged after Gaiman's initial series ended. They include:

The Dead Boy Detectives (Original Graphic Novel)Dead Boy Detectives (Ongoing Series)Death: The Time of Your Life (Mini-Series)Death: The High Cost of Living (Mini-Series)Death: At Death's Door (Original Graphic Novel)Delirium's Party: A Little Endless Storybook (Original Graphic Novel)Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold (Mini-Series)The Dreaming (Ongoing Series) The Dreaming Special (One Shot)The Girl Who Would Be Death (Mini-Series)God Save the Queen (Original Graphic Novel)House of Mystery (Ongoing Series) House of Mystery Halloween Annual (Annual)Mythos: The Final Tour (mini-series)Little Endless Storybook (Original Graphic Novel)Lucifer (Ongoing Series)Sandman: Book of Dreams (Prose Anthology)The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (Illustrated Novella)The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (Mini-Series)The Sandman: Endless Nights (Original Graphic Novel)Sandman Midnight Theater (One-Shot )The Sandman: Overture (Prequel Mini-Series)The Sandman Presents: Bast (Mini-Series)The Corinthian: Death in Venice (Mini-Series)The Dead Boy Detectives (Mini-Series)Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dreams but Were Afraid to Ask (One-Shot)The Furies (Original Graphic Novel)Lucifer (Mini-Series)Love Street (Mini-Series)Merv Pumpkinhead, Agent of DREAM (One-Shot)Petrefax (Mini-Series)The Thessaliad (Mini-Series)Thessaly: Witch for Hire (Mini-Series)WitchCraft (Mini-Series)WitchCraft: La Terreur (Mini-Series)

*ongoing series are in bold

Trade Paperbacks/Hardcovers

The entirety of the Sandman series collected, albeit out of chronological order, in both soft and hardcover formats. The most recent printings have had their interior art recolored. (This recoloring originally premiered in the Absolute Editions years earlier and was approved by Gaiman.)

Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes (#01-08)Vol. 2: The Doll's House (#09-16)Vol. 3: Dream Country (#17-20)Vol. 4: Season of Mists (#21-28)Vol. 5: A Game of You (#32-37)Vol. 6: Fables & Reflections (#29-31, 38-40, 50, Sandman Special #1, and "Fear of Falling" from Vertigo Preview #1)Vol. 7: Brief Lives (#41-49)Vol. 8: World's End (#51-56)Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones (#57-69 and "The Castle" from Vertigo Jam #1)Vol. 10: The Wake (#70-75)Absolute Editions

Oversized hardcover re-releases that re-colored and collected the entire series chronologically for the first time. Comes packaged in a special slipcase.

Absolute Sandman Vol. 1 (#01-20)Absolute Sandman Vol. 2 (#21-39)Absolute Sandman Vol. 3 (#40-56, Sandman Special #1 and "Fear of Falling" from Vertigo Preview #1)Absolute Sandman Vol. 4 (#57-75 and "The Castle" from Vertigo Jam #1)Absolute Sandman Vol. 5 (The Sandman: Endless Nights, The Sandman: Dream Hunters (Illustrated Novella), The Sandman: Dream Hunters (Comic Adaptation), Sandman Midnight Theatre)Annotated Editions

The original series collected and accompanied by page-by-page annotations by Leslie S. Klinger.

The Annotated Sandman Vol. 1 (#01-20)The Annotated Sandman Vol. 2 (#21-39)The Annotated Sandman Vol. 3 (#40-56, Sandman Special #1 and "How They Met Themselves" from Vertigo: Winter's Edge #3)Omnibuses

Massive oversized collections of the original series.

Vol. 1 (#1-37 and The Sandman Special #1Vol. 2 (#38-75 and stories from Vertigo Jam #1 and Vertigo: Winter’s Edge #3

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