DC to reprint the entire Sandman run ahead of Netflix streaming series

The Sandman still (Image credit: Netflix)

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:

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The Sandman Book One cover (Image credit: DC)

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.

The Sandman poster (Image credit: Netflix)

"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.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)