The Sandman

An occult ritual traps Dream, one of the Endless, instead of its intended target. After his release he must reckon with what was lost during his absence and with responsibilities that extend far beyond any single human life.

Neil Gaiman’s series began at DC in 1989. Its stories move among fantasy, horror, folklore and intimate human lives, with a changing group of artists across the run.

The Sandman gives serial comics the scope of a long literary cycle while allowing individual issues to stand as distinct stories. Dream’s authority does not spare him from change.

Its many stories return to a common concern: the narratives people use to understand death, desire, obligation and themselves.

This is dark fantasy built from myths and invented cosmology. The realm of dreams affects waking lives, but the most important crossings are often emotional rather than magical.

The series treats stories as forces that can console, imprison or transform their tellers.

Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg establish an uncanny visual world in the opening issues; later artists, including Jill Thompson, shift tone as the narrative requires.

The changing art team suits a work that can turn from nightmare to fable without leaving its larger world.