Sandman? Absolutely!

OK, raise your hand if you love Sandman. This is the Neil Gaiman series, co-created by the always brilliant Sam Kieth, that changed comics, contemporary literature, and arguably the world. It has served for many as a jumping-off point into the wonderful world of comics (myself included). You see, Sandman transcends the bounds of what we once thought of as a "comic book". The story is brilliant, beautifully written, witty and sometimes heartbreaking. Not to mention the beautiful artwork by such artists as Colleen Doran, Jill Thompson, and Marc Hempel. Sandman opened the doors for countless series written for grown-ups that weren't about guys in tights that didn't have a place in the comics world before it was published.

Of course, not everyone is a fan of the series (hi, Dan), but love it or hate it, Sandman is one of the most important series in recent comics history. Which is why DC is publishing the Absolute Sandman. This will be a very nice set for anyone's bookshelf, and will ultimately consist of four volumes that will be released "over a couple of years", according to Gaiman's blog. The first is slated for release in November, and of course we will have lots of copies.

A few interesting notes about Absolute Sandman:

According to Gaiman, none of the story or text will be changed, but there will be some color fixes, and possibly re-lettering by Todd Klein. There will also be some cool never-released special extras.

The books will publish the comics chronologically by publication, rather than following the order in which the trades were published. The biggest change for those readers used to the current order of the books will be that the issues from Fables and Reflections will not be all lumped together.

Volume one will contain issues 1-20 of the series, currently published as the first three trades, Preludes and Nocturnes, A Doll's House, and Dream Country.

Uh, can you tell I'm totally psyched?

-Elizabeth