Veteran genre scribe Neil Gaiman was not in attendance at the Vertigo panel at this year’s Comic-Con.
Nevertheless, DC streamed a video of Gaiman officially announcing the upcoming prequel book for Sandman.
The Sandman was a well-received comics line all around for its entire run, and stands out as an example of how a super hero comic can be both literary and engaging. As expected, the crowd at the panel was reportedly stunned into silence by Gaiman’s halting and slightly awkward announcement of the new mini-series, which he is clearly pretty excited about himself.
Artist for the series, JH Williams III (he’s been working on the great Batwoman title, lately) was on hand to greet the audience.
It’s been ten years since Gaiman has worked in the comics industry, as he’s been spending his time on novels and films.
“When I finished writing The Sandman, there was one tale still untold,” Gaiman explained. “The story of what had happened to Morpheus to allow him to be so easily captured in The Sandman #1, and why he was returned from far away, exhausted beyond imagining, and dressed for war. It was a story that we discussed telling for Sandman’s 20th anniversary… but the time got away from us. And now, with Sandman’s 25th anniversary year coming up, I’m delighted, and nervous, that that story is finally going to be told.”
“There’s nothing like a Neil Gaiman story,” said Karen Berger, Executive Editor of Vertigo, a DC imprint, “and there’s nothing like having Neil back home on The Sandman, his dark, soulful, literary epic that transformed comics and continues to captivate countless new readers year after year. Working with him again, and with JH Williams, the extraordinary and groundbreaking artist, is truly the stuff dreams are made of.”
The promotional art from the DC blog is by Williams, and gives a taste of what the book will look like.
The as-yet untitled The Sandman prequel will kick off sometime in 2013.
