There are few titles in the world of comics bigger than The Sandman. Neil Gaiman’s chronicle of the adventures of ‘Dream’/Morpheus, published from 1988 through to 1996, has become a modern fantasy classic, even making the New York Times bestseller list. Since then, Gaiman has continued his writing career with a string of other notable successes, such as his acclaimed American Gods. But today, [not] at SDCC, Gaiman made the announcement (via video) that he would be returning to series in order to explore some of the backstory that was neglected during the original series:
The new instalments are due to begin publication in November 2013, exactly 25 years after the initial release of the Sandman series.
While I’m eagerly looking forward to these upcoming releases, this latest announcement certainly puts an exclamation mark on the criticism, from some, that production companies in film and publishing are sticking to tried and tested formulas rather than trying new things. This Sandman reboot comes on the heels of the controversial Before Watchmen series, and the recent release of the Alien ‘prequel’ Prometheus. Hey, hang on a second – looking at Dream’s iconic mask, I think I know the storyline of the new Sandman Series already. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…Promorpheus!
If I really wanted to start connecting dots, I might point out that J. H. Williams – the artist who will be working with Gaiman on the new series – is well-known for his work on Alan Moore’s Promethea series. But I wouldn’t do that…
