Today’s reading order is going to be a little different to usual, as it’s not Marvel-focused, it’s DC-focused instead because the Sandman adaption is coming out on Netflix and I’m sure there are quite a few people out there who want to read the comics but are intimated by such a famous series!

So, if you’re one of those people who want to read The Sandman, but don’t know where to start, or are just confused about the story, then you’ve come to the right place!

An Overview Of The Sandman

The Sandman is a DC comic following Dream, aka Morpheus, who is basically the living embodiment of Dreams. He has been captured by a cult, and when he escapes decades later, he finds that his dream world has been destroyed and sets about fixing it.

While this is a DC comic, you can jump into it without prior knowledge of the DC universe – I did and have faired just fine without knowing how it connects to the larger world.

There are also a lot of spin-offs to the series, but for today I’m just going to focus on the main storyline penned by Neil Gaiman – if you want the spin-off list, just let me know and I’ll get on it!

Sandman Reading Order

Sandman consists of ten volumes, and they can be read in a few ways – I’ll start with the original ten-volume list:

Preludes And Nocturns

The Dolls House

Dream Country

Season Of Mists

A Game Of You

Fables And Reflections

Brief Lives

Worlds End

The Kindly Ones

The Wake

As a warning, you may see that there is a volume called Sandman: Overture, which is a prequel to the series but do not read it first, as it relies heavily on knowing the Sandman universe very well.

Another way to collect and read Sandman is through the 2022 bind up editions.

These are titled Book One, Book Two, Book Three and Book Four, and they collect everything I mentioned above. These editions are probably your cheapest option (except for borrowing them from the library) and will probably be the easiest to get hold of, as they have only just been released.

If Omnibus’ are more your thing, then there is also

The 2013 Omnibus editions. These are just called Volume 1, Volume 2 and Volume 3, and these collect Overture, and several spin-offs set in the universe, including both of Death’s miniseries. These are a more expensive option, but it’s worth it for all the extra content included.

Or, if you prefer audiobooks

Audible has released two volumes of the audiobook adaption so far, which covers up to volume 6, Fables And Reflections. A third volume is on its way, and I’m guessing a fourth will also be done to finish up the series.

The audiobook covers the exact same story, and is entirely accurate to the original comic, to the point where a lot of fans have listened to the audio while reading along with the comics. It also helps that the cast is stacked with actors such as James McAvoy (playing Dream), Riz Ahmed (The Corinthian), Kat Dennings (Death), Taron Egerton (Constantine) and Miriam Margolyes (Despair).

There are many, many, many other versions of The Sandman, but these ones are the most popular options available, if you find any other edition in your local comic book store and you’re not sure if you should get it, please do leave the edition down below and I’ll do my best to help you out. Or, if you have any questions at all about the series, let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them!

With that, I hope this helped, and have fun in The Dreaming!