125-407: Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ m ən / ; born Neil Richard Gaiman on 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic book series The Sandman and the novels Good Omens , Stardust , Anansi Boys , American Gods , Coraline , and The Graveyard Book . He co-created
250-592: A tragic hero . The storylines primarily take place in the Dreaming, Morpheus's realm, and the waking world, with occasional visits to other domains, such as Hell , Faerie , Asgard , and the domains of the other Endless . Many stories take place in the contemporary United States of America and the United Kingdom. The DC Universe was the official setting of the series, but well-known DC characters and places were rarely featured after 1990. A notable exception
375-657: A 'Living Archive' on the Carnegie Medal website with information about each of the winning books and conducted a poll to identify the nation's favourite Carnegie Medal winner, to be named the "Carnegie of Carnegies". The winner, announced on 21 June 2007 at the British Library , was Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (1995). It was the expected winner, garnering 40% of the votes in the UK, and 36% worldwide. 70th Anniversary Top Ten Northern Lights , with 40% of
500-433: A Lafferty pastiche he had written. Lafferty sent Gaiman an encouraging and informative letter back, along with literary advice. Gaiman has named Roger Zelazny as the author who influenced him the most. Gaiman claims that other authors such as Samuel R. Delany and Angela Carter "furnished the inside of my mind and set me to writing". Gaiman takes inspiration from the folk tales tradition, citing Otta F Swire 's book on
625-468: A bi-monthly release schedule, issue 2 was delayed until March 2014, which Gaiman explained was "mostly due to the giant signing tour I was on from June, and me not getting script written on the tour, with knock-on effects". Special editions were released approximately a month after the original editions, which contain interviews with the creative team, alongside rare artwork. Overture also reveals that Night and Time respectively are mother and father to
750-722: A biography of the band Duran Duran , and co-edited Ghastly Beyond Belief , a book of quotations, with Kim Newman . Although Gaiman thought he had done a terrible job, the book's first edition sold out very quickly. When he went to relinquish his rights to the book, he discovered the publisher had gone bankrupt. After this, he was offered a job by Penthouse . He refused the offer. He also wrote interviews and articles for many British magazines, including Knave . During this, he sometimes wrote under pseudonyms, including Gerry Musgrave, Richard Grey, and "a couple of house names". Gaiman has said he ended his journalism career in 1987 because British newspapers regularly publish untruths as fact. In
875-548: A book for children", was established as a companion to the Carnegie Medal. Both awards were established and administered by the Library Association, until it was succeeded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) in 2002. In 2022, the two awards were renamed to the Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Carnegie Medal for Illustration. From 2022 to 2024, the award
1000-560: A chain of grocery stores, changing the family name from Chaiman to Gaiman. His father, David Bernard Gaiman , worked in the same chain of stores; his mother, Sheila Gaiman (née Goldman), was a pharmacist. Neil has two younger sisters, Claire and Lizzy. The Gaimans moved in 1965 to the West Sussex town of East Grinstead , where his parents studied Dianetics at the Scientology centre in the town; one of Gaiman's sisters works for
1125-678: A collection called simply The Sandman . Shortly thereafter, the first three volumes were published and named independently and collected in a boxed set. (Death's debut story, "The Sound of Her Wings" from issue #8, appeared both at the beginning of early editions of The Doll's House and at the end of Preludes and Nocturnes , creating overlap between the first two volumes. ) In 1998, the cover images from The Sandman were released as one compiled volume titled Dustcovers: The Collected Sandman Covers . Dave McKean 's covers use techniques such as painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, and computer manipulation. A total of ten trade paperbacks contain
1250-404: A considerably higher quality and price than the library edition, and include a leather-like cover and a slipcase . Many of the early stories have been extensively retouched or recolored with Gaiman's approval. While initially hesitant about releasing annotated editions, Gaiman eventually changed his mind when he forgot a reference when asked about it by a reader. The task of annotating the series
1375-720: A direct sequel to American Gods but he has revisited the characters. A glimpse at Shadow's travels in Europe is found in a short story which finds him in Scotland, applying the same concepts developed in American Gods to the story of Beowulf . The 2005 novel Anansi Boys deals with Anansi ('Mr. Nancy'), tracing the relationship of his two sons, one semi-divine and the other an unassuming bookkeeper, as they explore their common heritage. It debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list . In 2002, Gaiman entered
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#17327659330051500-477: A director for the adaptation: "I would always give anything to Terry Gilliam, forever, so if Terry Gilliam ever wants to do Sandman then as far as I'm concerned Terry Gilliam should do Sandman." In 2013, DC President Diane Nelson said that a Sandman film would be as rich as the Harry Potter universe . David S. Goyer announced in an interview in early December that he would be producing an adaptation of
1625-444: A film adaptation starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in production, but Gordon-Levitt dropped out in 2016. In July 2020, September 2021 and September 2022, three full-cast audio dramas were released exclusively through Audible starring James McAvoy , which were narrated by Gaiman and dramatized and directed by Dirk Maggs . In August 2022, Netflix released a television adaptation starring Tom Sturridge . The Sandman grew out of
1750-506: A finite run in mind for the series, and it concluded with issue No. 75. Gaiman said in 1996, "Could I do another five issues of Sandman? Well, damn right. And would I be able to look at myself in the mirror happily? No. Is it time to stop because I've reached the end, yes, and I think I'd rather leave while I'm in love." The final issue, No. 75, was dated March 1996. The Sandman has inspired numerous spin-offs. While most of these are not written by Gaiman, he did write two miniseries focusing on
1875-492: A four-part mini-series that provided a tour of the mythological and magical parts of the DC Universe through a frame story about an English teenager who discovers that he is destined to be the world's greatest wizard. The miniseries was popular, and sired an ongoing series written by John Ney Rieber . Gaiman's adaptation of Sweeney Todd , illustrated by Michael Zulli for Stephen R. Bissette 's publication Taboo ,
2000-454: A good read, but also the deeper subconscious satisfaction of having gone through a vicarious, but at the time of reading, a real experience that is retained afterwards." A diversity review in 2018 led to changes in the nomination and judging process to promote better representation of ethnic minority authors and books. Joseph Coelho won the 2024 Carnegie Medal for The Boy Lost in the Maze ,
2125-447: A half thousand years old. But with comics I felt like – I can do stuff nobody has ever done. I can do stuff nobody has ever thought of. And I could and it was enormously fun." Gaiman wrote two series for Marvel Comics . Marvel 1602 was an eight-issue limited series published from November 2003 to June 2004 with art by Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove . The Eternals was a seven-issue limited series drawn by John Romita Jr. , which
2250-510: A new Sandman. Keep the name. But the rest is up to you. ' " Gaiman crafted the new character from an initial image of "a man, young, pale and naked, imprisoned in a tiny cell, waiting until his captors passed away... deathly thin, with long dark hair, and strange eyes". Gaiman patterned the character's black attire on a print of a Japanese kimono as well as his own wardrobe. Gaiman wrote an eight-issue outline and gave it to Dave McKean and Leigh Baulch, who drew character sketches. Berger reviewed
2375-571: A new hardcover version of The Absolute Death in April 2022 , now titled Death: The Deluxe Edition . Like its predecessor, it collects The Sandman #8 and 20, "A Winter's Tale" from Vertigo: Winter's Edge #2, Death: The High Cost of Living #1–3, "The Wheel" from 9–11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember , Death: The Time of Your Life #1–3, and "Death and Venice" from The Sandman: Endless Nights . Extras include "Death Talks About Life", A Death Gallery , and
2500-469: A new introduction by Tori Amos. In 2022, DC Black Label began to reprint the core Sandman series as a series of paperback collections. These collect the 30th anniversary editions of the original series into four paperback volumes. These were followed in 2023 by two more books, collecting the remainder of the 30th anniversary editions, as well as Sandman Midnight Theatre #1 and The Sandman Universe #1. The Sandman No. 19, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", won
2625-402: A prequel mini-series, earned the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story . Hillary Goldstein of IGN praised the comic book, saying that it is truly the cream of the crop when it comes to Vertigo books. Neil Gaiman's work on the series is considered legendary for a reason. This story, in its entirety, is every bit as good as Watchmen and of equal (if not greater) literary merit. Were I to list
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#17327659330052750-519: A proposal by Neil Gaiman to revive DC's 1974–1976 series The Sandman , written by Joe Simon and Michael Fleisher and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Ernie Chua . Gaiman had considered including characters from the "Dream Stream" (including the Kirby Sandman, Brute, Glob, and the brothers Cain and Abel ) in a scene for the first issue of his 1988 miniseries Black Orchid . While the scene did not make it into later drafts because Roy Thomas
2875-531: A public relations official of the Church of Scientology was the cause of the seven-year-old Gaiman being forced to withdraw from Fonthill School and return to the school which he had previously attended. He lived in East Grinstead for many years, from 1965 to 1980 and again from 1984 to 1987. He met his first wife, Mary McGrath, while she was studying Scientology and living in a house in East Grinstead that
3000-412: A regular series before. Kieth quit after the fifth issue; he was replaced by Dringenberg as penciler, who was in turn replaced by Malcolm Jones III as inker. Dave McKean was the cover artist for the series through its entire run. The character then appeared in two of DC's "Suggested for Mature Readers" titles. In Swamp Thing vol. 2 No. 84 (March 1989), Dream and Eve allow Matthew Cable to live in
3125-578: A series concept to cable channel HBO , whilst consulting with Gaiman himself on an unofficial basis, but this proved to be unsuccessful. It was reported in September 2010 that Warner Bros. Television was licensing the rights to produce a TV series, and that Supernatural creator Eric Kripke was their preferred candidate to adapt the saga. In March 2011, it was announced via Neil Gaiman's web blog that while he and DC liked Eric Kripke and his approach, it did not feel quite right. The author hoped to launch
3250-557: A series of graphic novel adaptations based on his short stories "Troll Bridge", "Chivalry", and "Snow, Glass, Apples", Gaiman and the Terry Pratchett estate chose Doran to adapt Good Omens into graphic novel form, and to self publish the work via the Pratchett estate's Dunmanifestin label. It was financed on Kickstarter where it became a record-setter in less than a week as the top fan-supported and top-earning comics project in
3375-423: A series of ten trade paperbacks , a recolored five-volume Absolute hardcover edition with slipcase, a three-volume omnibus edition , a black-and-white Annotated edition; it is also available for digital download . Critically acclaimed, The Sandman was among the first graphic novels to appear on The New York Times Best Seller list , along with Maus , Watchmen , and The Dark Knight Returns . It
3500-402: A standard novel and in an illustrated text edition. This novel was highly influenced by Victorian fairytales and culture. American Gods became one of Gaiman's best-selling and multi-award-winning novels upon its release in 2001. A special 10th Anniversary edition was released, with the "author's preferred text" 12,000 words longer than the original mass-market editions. Gaiman has not written
3625-508: A traditional prose only seen in the imprint. The Sandman was initially published as a monthly serial, in 32-page comic books with some exceptions to this pattern. The stories within were usually 24 pages long, with eight exceptions within the main story arc: issue #1, "Sleep of the Just" (40 pages); issue #14, "Collectors" (38 pages); issue #32, "Slaughter on Fifth Avenue" (25 pages); issue #33, "Lullabies of Broadway" (23 pages); issue #36, "Over
3750-461: A translation of the Japanese script. After his disappointment with the production limitations of Neverwhere , Gaiman asked his agent to pull him out of an (unnamed) UK television series that was to begin production immediately afterwards. "I didn't want to do it unless I had more control than you get as a writer: in fantasy, the tone of voice, the look and feel, the way something is shot and edited
3875-455: A verse novel that uses the legend of the Minotaur in a tale of a teenager searching for his biological father. There were eight books on the 2024 shortlist: As of 2024, 85 Medals have been awarded over 88 years, spanning the period from 1936 to 2024. No eligible book published in 1943, 1945, or 1966 was considered suitable by the judging panel. From 2007 onward, the medals are dated by
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4000-436: Is Lyta Hall, formerly Fury of the 1980s super-team Infinity, Inc. , who figures prominently in the "Kindly Ones" story arc. Most of the storylines take place in modern times, but many short stories are set in the past, taking advantage of the immortal nature of many of the characters, and deal with historical individuals and events, such as in the short story "Men of Good Fortune". The Sandman comic book series falls within
4125-435: Is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognises the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit ". The four writers are David Almond , Aidan Chambers , Geraldine McCaughrean , and Meg Rosoff . Chambers alone has won both for the same book, the 1999 Carnegie and 2003 Printz for the novel Postcards from No Man's Land . In its scope, books for children or young adults,
4250-568: Is conferred upon the author by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), who in 2016 called it "the UK's oldest and most prestigious book award for children's writing". Nominated books must be written in English and first published in the UK during the preceding school year (September to August). Until 1969, the award was limited to books by British authors first published in England. The first non-British medalist
4375-464: Is famous for Gaiman's trademark use of anthropomorphic personification of various metaphysical entities, while also blending mythology and history in its horror setting within the DC Universe . The Sandman is a story about stories and how Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, is captured and subsequently learns that sometimes change is inevitable. The Sandman was Vertigo's flagship title, and is available as
4500-405: Is no trace of it in the primary source he cites, and when asked, Gaiman has stated that he made up the "legend". The novel was later adapted into a four-issue miniseries by P. Craig Russell and released by Vertigo from January 2009 to April 2009. Gaiman and Matt Wagner co-wrote Sandman Midnight Theatre , a 1995 prestige format one-shot in which Dream and Wesley Dodds meet in person after
4625-769: Is published in February. The judging panel comprises 12 children's librarians, all of whom are members of CILIP's Youth Libraries Group (YLG). The shortlist is announced in March and the winner in June. Titles must be English-language works first published in the UK during the preceding year (1 September to 31 August). According to CILIP, "all categories of books, including poetry, non-fiction and graphic novels, in print or ebook format, for children and young people are eligible". Multiple-author anthologies are excluded; however, co-authored single works are eligible. Young people from across
4750-428: Is structured not as a series of unconnected events nor as an incoherent dream, but by having each panel have a specific purpose in the flow of the story. Dreams became the core of every story arc written in the series, and the protagonist's journey became more distinct and deliberate. Many Vertigo books since, such as Transmetropolitan and Y: The Last Man , have adopted this kind of format in their writing, creating
4875-650: Is titled in Who's Who in the DC Universe ), headed by Lucifer (who would spin off into his own series in 1999), Beelzebub (later adversary to Kid Eternity ), and Azazel , whom Dream defeated later in the series. Dream visited the Justice League International in the following issue, No. 5 (May 1989). Although multiple mainstream DC characters appeared in the series throughout its run, such as Martian Manhunter and Scarecrow , this would not be
5000-483: Is vital, and I wanted to be in charge of that." He co-wrote the script for Robert Zemeckis 's Beowulf with Roger Avary , a collaboration that has proved productive for both writers. Gaiman has expressed interest in collaborating on a film adaptation of the Epic of Gilgamesh . He was the only person other than J. Michael Straczynski to write a Babylon 5 script in the series' last three seasons, contributing to
5125-481: The Endless Nights anthology. The stories are set throughout history, but two take place after the final events of the monthly series. It was written by Gaiman and featured a different illustrator for each story. This collection was the first hardcover graphic novel ever to appear on The New York Times Hardcover Best Seller list. Writer/artist Jill Thompson wrote and illustrated several stories featuring
Neil Gaiman - Misplaced Pages Continue
5250-527: The Absolute edition recoloring, feature a leather-like cover in black and red, and have over 1000 pages. A special Silver version of The Sandman Omnibus was released as well. Limited to 500 copies and autographed by Gaiman, the Silver edition includes both volumes with a slipcase, silver-like finish and a numbered page with Gaiman's signature. In 2019, a third omnibus volume was released which includes
5375-534: The Church of Scientology in Los Angeles. His other sister, Lizzy Calcioli, has said, "Most of our social activities were involved with Scientology or our Jewish family. It would get very confusing when people would ask my religion as a kid. I'd say, 'I'm a Jewish Scientologist. ' " Gaiman says that he is not a Scientologist, and that like Judaism, Scientology is his family's religion. About his personal views, Gaiman has stated, "I think we can say that God exists in
5500-712: The Dreaming because he died there, resurrecting him as a raven. He then meets John Constantine in Hellblazer No. 19 leading into the latter's guest appearance in Sandman No. 3 (March 1989). Gaiman revisited Hell as depicted by Alan Moore in Swamp Thing , beginning with a guest appearance by Jack Kirby's Etrigan the Demon in issue No. 4 (April 1989). The story introduces Hell's Hierarchy (as their entry
5625-499: The Monty Python comedy troupe , he owned a copy of Monty Python's Big Red Book as a teenager. During a trip to France when he was 13, Gaiman became fascinated with the visually fantastic world in the stories of Metal Hurlant , even though he could not understand the words. When he was 19 or 20 years old, he contacted his favourite science fiction writer, R. A. Lafferty , requesting advice on becoming an author and including
5750-472: The World Fantasy Award in 1991 for Best Short Fiction. The Sandman and its spin-offs have won more than 26 Eisner Awards , including three for Best Continuing Series , one for Best Short Story, four for Best Writer ( Neil Gaiman ), seven for Best Lettering ( Todd Klein ), and two for Best Penciller/Inker (one each for Charles Vess and P. Craig Russell ). The Sandman: The Dream Hunters
5875-407: The dark fantasy genre, albeit in a more contemporary and modern setting. Critic Marc Buxton described the book as a "masterful tale that created a movement of mature dark fantasy" which was largely unseen in previous fantasy works before it. The comic book also falls into the genres of urban fantasy , epic fantasy , historical drama, and superhero . It is written as a metaphysical examination of
6000-399: The 100 best single comic-book issues I have ever read, three would come from this collection. Whether you have read The Sandman before or are a first timer, this is the one book you need to buy this fall. The stories within are magnificent and the care taken in reproducing Gaiman's work is the same you'd expect for any great work of literature. Throughout the late 1990s, a film adaptation of
6125-614: The BBC mini-series Neverwhere was his first solo novel. The novel was released in tandem with the television series, though it presents some notable differences from the television series. Gaiman has since revised the novel twice, the first time for an American audience unfamiliar with the London Underground , the second time because he felt unsatisfied with the originals. In 1999, the first printings of his fantasy novel Stardust were released. The novel has been released both as
6250-574: The British Library Association , to celebrate the centenary of Carnegie's birth, and inaugurated in 1937 with the award to Arthur Ransome for Pigeon Post (1936) and the identification of two "commended" books. This first Medal was dated 1936, but since 2007 the award has been dated by its year of presentation, not year of publication. In 1955, the Kate Greenaway Medal , for "distinguished illustration in
6375-903: The British National Book Awards . It was later adapted into a critically acclaimed stage play at the Royal National Theatre in London. In 2024, it was announced that a number of commercial ventures linked to him would halt production, owing to allegations of sexual assault towards women. Neil Richard Gaiman was born on 10 November 1960 in Portchester , Hampshire. Gaiman's family is of Polish-Jewish and other Ashkenazi origins. His great-grandfather emigrated to England from Antwerp before 1914 and his grandfather settled in Portsmouth and established
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#17327659330056500-660: The Carnegie and Greenaway Medals (2012). Only The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2009) has won both the Carnegie Medal and the equivalent American award, the Newbery Medal . Sharon Creech , who won the Carnegie for Ruby Holler (2002), previously won the Newbery and two U.K. awards for Walk Two Moons (1994). Four writers have won both the Carnegie and the US Michael L. Printz Award . The Printz Award
6625-427: The DC Universe. I would not stand up and beat the drum for the existence of God in this universe. I don't know, I think there's probably a 50/50 chance. It doesn't really matter to me." Gaiman was able to read at the age of four. He said, "I was a reader. I loved reading. Reading things gave me pleasure. I was very good at most subjects in school, not because I had any particular aptitude in them, but because normally on
6750-587: The Dreaming in Infinity, Inc. No. 51. It was explained that Dr. Garrett Sanford, the 1970s Simon and Kirby version of the Sandman, had gone insane from the loneliness of the Dream Dimension and taken his own life. Brute and Glob put the spirit of Hector Hall, which had been cast out of his own body, into Sanford's body, and it eventually began to resemble Hall's. Fury, in her civilian guise as Lyta Hall,
6875-706: The End of the Lane was voted Book of the Year in the British National Book Awards . The novel follows an unnamed man who returns to his hometown for a funeral and remembers events that began forty years earlier. Themes include the search for self-identity and the "disconnect between childhood and adulthood". It was later adapted into a critically acclaimed stage play at the Royal National Theatre in London. In September 2016, Neil Gaiman announced that he had been working for some years on retellings of Norse mythology . Norse Mythology
7000-653: The Gaiman- Roger Avary -penned Beowulf film. Neil Gaiman was featured in the History Channel documentary Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked . Several of Gaiman's original works have been optioned or greenlighted for film adaptation, most notably Stardust , which premiered in August 2007 and stars Charlie Cox , Robert De Niro , Michelle Pfeiffer , Claire Danes and Mark Strong , directed by Matthew Vaughn . A stop-motion version of Coraline
7125-500: The Rings , which he got from his school library. Although they only had the first two of the novel's three volumes, Gaiman consistently checked them out and read them. He later won the school English prize and the school reading prize, enabling him to finally acquire the third volume. For his seventh birthday, Gaiman received C. S. Lewis 's The Chronicles of Narnia . He later recalled that "I admired his use of parenthetical statements to
7250-474: The Sandman characters. These include the manga -style book Death: At Death's Door , one of DC's best-selling books of 2003, set during the events of Season of Mists , and The Little Endless Storybook , a children's book using childlike versions of the Endless. To commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Sandman , Gaiman wrote a new tale involving the battle that had exhausted Morpheus prior to
7375-457: The Sea to Sky" (39 pages); issue #50, "Distant Mirrors—Ramadan" (32 pages); issue #52, "Cluracan's Tale" (25 pages); issue #75, "The Tempest" (38 pages). As the series increased in popularity, DC Comics began to reprint them in hardcover and trade paperback editions, each representing either a complete novel or a collection of related short stories. DC first published " The Doll's House " storyline in
7500-551: The TV series adaptations of Good Omens and The Sandman . Gaiman has won numerous awards, including the Hugo , Nebula , and Bram Stoker awards, as well as the Newbery and Carnegie medals. He is the first author to win both the Newbery and the Carnegie medals for the same work, The Graveyard Book (2008). In 2013, The Ocean at the End of the Lane was voted Book of the Year in
7625-419: The UK take part in shadowing groups organised by secondary schools and public libraries , to read and discuss the shortlisted books. CILIP instructs the judging panel to consider plot, characterisation, and style. Furthermore, it states that "the book that wins the Carnegie Medal should be a book of outstanding literary quality. The whole work should provide pleasure, not merely from the surface enjoyment of
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#17327659330057750-522: The acclaimed miniseries Death: The High Cost of Living and Death: The Time of Your Life , the graphic novels Sandman Midnight Theatre and The Sandman: Endless Nights , the prose and comics versions of The Sandman: The Dream Hunters and the award-winning miniseries The Sandman: Overture , together with the artistic showcases of A Death Gallery , The Sandman: A Gallery of Dreams and The Endless Gallery In 2020 DC started publishing The Sandman in five Deluxe hardcover editions. They also published
7875-401: The beginning of the original story. Written by Gaiman and with art by J. H. Williams III , Overture tells the previously hinted story of Dream's adventure prior to Preludes and Nocturnes , which had exhausted him so much that it made Burgess's actions capable of capturing him. The limited series had six issues. Issue #1 was released on October 30, 2013, and although it was planned to have
8000-470: The character of Death. Death: The High Cost of Living was published from March to May 1993 and was based on the fable that Death takes human form once a century to remain grounded and in touch with humanity. This was followed in 1996 by Death: The Time of Your Life , featuring the characters of Foxglove and Hazel from A Game of You . Other spin-offs include The Dreaming , Lucifer , and Dead Boy Detectives . A set of Sandman trading cards
8125-467: The character's existence was a sham created by two nightmares who had escaped to a pocket of the Dreaming. Brute and Glob would later attempt this again on Sanderson Hawkins , sidekick to Wesley Dodds , the Golden Age Sandman. Gaiman gave Jed Walker a surname and made him related to several new characters. The Thomas Sandman was Hector Hall , who married the already-pregnant Fury in
8250-472: The comic was periodically planned by Warner Bros. , parent company of DC Comics. Roger Avary was originally attached to direct after the success of Pulp Fiction , collaborating with Pirates of the Caribbean screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio in 1996 on a revision of their first script draft, which merged the "Preludes and Nocturnes" storyline with that of "The Doll's House". Avary intended
8375-781: The creator of the characters, he was not involved in writing any of the above-mentioned books. Gaiman wrote a semi-autobiographical story about a boy's fascination with Michael Moorcock 's anti-hero Elric of Melniboné for Ed Kramer 's anthology Tales of the White Wolf. In 1996, Gaiman and Ed Kramer co-edited The Sandman: Book of Dreams . Nominated for the British Fantasy Award , the original fiction anthology featured stories and contributions by Tori Amos , Clive Barker , Gene Wolfe , Caitlín R. Kiernan , Tad Williams , and others. Asked why he likes comics more than other forms of storytelling, Gaiman said: "One of
8500-538: The eighth issue of The Sandman , Gaiman and artist Mike Dringenberg introduced Death , the older sister of Dream, who became as popular as the series' title character. The limited series Death: The High Cost of Living launched DC's Vertigo line in 1993. Comics historian Les Daniels called Gaiman's work "astonishing" and noted that The Sandman was "a mixture of fantasy, horror, and ironic humor such as comic books had never seen before". DC Comics writer and executive Paul Levitz observed that " The Sandman became
8625-527: The elements of fiction, which Neil Gaiman accomplished through the artistic use of unique anthropomorphic personifications, mythology, legends, historical figures and occult culture, making up most of the major and minor characters as well as the plot device and even the settings of the story. In its earliest story arcs, the Sandman mythos existed primarily in the DC Universe , and as such numerous DC characters made some appearances or were mentioned. Later,
8750-503: The events in the storyline, "The Python", which ended with Dodds's lover, Dian Belmont, going to England, which eventually brings both her and Dodds to Roderick Burgess's mansion. In 2001, Dream appeared in a flashback in Green Arrow vol. 3, No. 9, which takes place at a point during the 70 years of the first issue. Gaiman wrote several new stories about Morpheus and his siblings, one story for each, which were published in 2003 as
8875-538: The film to be in part visually inspired by animator Jan Švankmajer 's work. Avary was fired after disagreements over the creative direction with executive producer Jon Peters , best known for the 1989 film Batman and the abandoned project Superman Lives . It was due to their meeting on the Sandman film project that Avary and Gaiman collaborated one year later on the script for Beowulf . The project carried on through several more writers and scripts. A later draft by William Farmer, reviewed at Ain't It Cool News ,
9000-455: The film was to be distributed by New Line Cinema . In October 2015, Goyer revealed that a new screenwriter was being brought on board to revise the script by Jack Thorne and stated that he believed the film would go into production the following year. In March 2016, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Eric Heisserer was hired to rewrite the film's script. The next day, Gordon-Levitt announced that he had dropped out due to disagreements with
9125-410: The first day of school, they'd hand out schoolbooks, and I'd read them—which would mean that I'd know what was coming up because I'd read it." When he was about ten years old, he read his way through the works of Dennis Wheatley ; The Ka of Gifford Hillary and The Haunting of Toby Jugg made a special impact on him. Another work that made a particular impression was J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord of
9250-510: The first extraordinary success as a series of graphic novel collections, reaching out and converting new readers to the medium, particularly young women on college campuses, and making Gaiman himself into an iconic cultural figure." Gaiman and Jamie Delano were to become co-writers of the Swamp Thing series following Rick Veitch . An editorial decision by DC to censor Veitch's final storyline caused both Gaiman and Delano to withdraw from
9375-417: The following year. Beginning in 2003, commendations were not presented, only short and longlists; only the shortlists are presented below. Eight authors have won two Carnegie Medals, which was prohibited for many years. Additionally, several authors have been shortlisted and/or commended multiple times. The table below provides a list of authors who have been honoured, sorted first by number of honors and
9500-586: The full run of the series and have all been kept in print. In 2010, Vertigo began releasing a new edition of Sandman books, featuring the new coloring from the Absolute Editions . In 2018 DC republished the previous ten trade paperbacks in a new 30th anniversary edition, along with Endless Nights , now numbered as Volume 11, both prose and comic versions of The Dream Hunters as separate unnumbered volumes and Overture as Volume ∞. The DC Comics Absolute Edition series are large 8" by 12" prints of
9625-501: The graphic novel, alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Neil Gaiman. Jack Thorne was hired to write the script. On October 16, 2014, Gaiman clarified that while the film was not announced with the DC slate by Warner Bros., it would instead be distributed by Vertigo and announced with those slate of films. Goyer told Deadline Hollywood in an interview that the studio was very happy with the film's script. According to Deadline Hollywood ,
9750-506: The history of the platform. In a collaboration with author Terry Pratchett , best known for his series of Discworld novels, Gaiman's first novel Good Omens was published in 1990. In 2011, Pratchett said that while the entire novel was a collaborative effort and most of the ideas could be credited to both of them, Pratchett did a larger portion of writing and editing if for no other reason than Gaiman's scheduled involvement with Sandman . The 1996 novelisation of Gaiman's teleplay for
9875-657: The joys of comics has always been the knowledge that it was, in many ways, untouched ground. It was virgin territory. When I was working on Sandman , I felt a lot of the time that I was actually picking up a machete and heading out into the jungle. I got to write in places and do things that nobody had ever done before. When I'm writing novels I'm painfully aware that I'm working in a medium that people have been writing absolutely jaw-droppingly brilliant things for, you know, three-four thousand years now. You know, you can go back. We have things like The Golden Ass . And you go, well, I don't know that I'm as good as that and that's two and
10000-566: The late 1980s, he wrote Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion in what he calls a "classic English humour" style. Following this, he wrote the opening of what became his collaboration with Terry Pratchett on the comic novel Good Omens , about the impending apocalypse. After forming a friendship with Alan Moore , who taught him how to write comic scripts, Gaiman started writing comic books and picked up Miracleman after Moore finished his run on
10125-623: The legends of the Isle of Skye as his inspiration for The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains . In the early 1980s, Gaiman pursued journalism, conducting interviews and writing book reviews, as a means to learn about the world and to make connections that he hoped would later assist him in getting published. He wrote and reviewed extensively for the British Fantasy Society. His first professional short story publication
10250-526: The limited series Black Orchid . Karen Berger , who later became head of DC Comics 's Vertigo , read Black Orchid and offered Gaiman a job: to re-write an old character, The Sandman, but to put his own spin on him. The Sandman tells the tale of the ageless , anthropomorphic personification of Dream that is known by many names, including Morpheus . The series began in January 1989 and concluded in March 1996. The various artists who contributed to
10375-714: The most important literary award there ever was" and "if you can make yourself aged seven happy, you're really doing well – it's like writing a letter to yourself aged seven." Lewis Carroll 's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was another childhood favourite, and "a favourite forever. Alice was default reading to the point where I knew it by heart." He also enjoyed Batman comics. Gaiman was educated at several Church of England schools, including Fonthill School in East Grinstead, Ardingly College (1970–1974), and Whitgift School in Croydon (1974–1977). His father's position as
10500-494: The norm. Gaiman and artist Mike Dringenberg introduced Death , the older sister of Dream, in issue No. 8 (August 1989). Gaiman began incorporating elements of the Kirby Sandman series in issue No. 11 (December 1989), including the changes implemented by Roy Thomas. Joe Simon and Michael Fleisher had treated the character, who resembled a superhero , as the "true" Sandman . The Thomas and Gaiman stories revealed that
10625-482: The project had become stranded in development hell . In a Q&A panel at San Diego Comic-Con in 2007, Gaiman remarked, "I'd rather see no Sandman movie made than a bad Sandman movie. But I feel like the time for a Sandman movie is coming soon. We need someone who has the same obsession with the source material as Peter Jackson had with Lord of the Rings or Sam Raimi had with Spider-Man ." That same year, he stated that he could imagine Terry Gilliam as
10750-445: The public vote, was followed by 16% for Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce and 8% for Skellig by David Almond. As those three books had won the 70-year-old Medal in its year 60, year 23, and year 63, some commentary observed that Tom's Midnight Garden had passed a test of time that the others had not yet faced. Prior to 2007, the award year matched books' year of publication with selection announced and medals presented early
10875-552: The rank of the honor (e.g., win is higher than commendation), then by the authors' last name. For the sake of ease, shortlists are considered of equal rank to commendations, though lower than high commendations. The table was last updated in March 2024. Six books have won both the Carnegie Medal and the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize , which was inaugurated 1967.(Dates are years of U.K. publication, and Carnegie award dates before 2006.) Only A Monster Calls , written by Patrick Ness and illustrated by Jim Kay , has won both
11000-478: The reader, where he would just talk to you ... I'd think, 'Oh, my gosh, that is so cool! I want to do that! When I become an author, I want to be able to do things in parentheses.' I liked the power of putting things in brackets." Narnia also introduced him to literary awards, specifically the Carnegie Medal , won by the concluding volume in 1956. When Gaiman won the 2010 Medal himself, he said "it had to be
11125-506: The season five episode " Day of the Dead ". The series also features a recurring alien race called the Gaim, who resemble the character of Dream and are named after Gaiman. Gaiman has also written at least three drafts of a screenplay adaptation of Nicholson Baker 's novel The Fermata for director Robert Zemeckis , although the project was stalled while Zemeckis made The Polar Express and
11250-498: The series became more difficult as the complex storyline and characters developed. "When I began writing Sandman , it would take me a couple of weeks to write a script. As time went by I got slower and slower, until a script was taking me six weeks to a month to write." The debut issue of The Sandman went on sale November 29, 1988 and was cover-dated January 1989. Gaiman described the early issues as "awkward", since he, as well as Kieth, Dringenberg, and Busch, had never worked on
11375-489: The series in another form but plans for a television adaptation are on hold as production moves forward on the film. As the film adaptation of Morpheus's story was being planned, DC and Fox discussed a possible TV series based on the Sandman character Lucifer. Carnegie Medal (literary award) The Carnegie Medal for Writing , established in 1936 as the Carnegie Medal , is an annual British literary award for English-language books for children or young adults . It
11500-478: The series include Sam Kieth , Mike Dringenberg, Jill Thompson , Shawn McManus , Marc Hempel , and Michael Zulli , with lettering by Todd Klein , colours by Daniel Vozzo, and covers by Dave McKean . The series became one of DC's top selling titles, eclipsing even Batman and Superman . The 75 issues of the regular series, along with an illustrated prose text and a special containing seven short stories, have been collected into 12 volumes that remain in print. In
11625-586: The series would reference the DCU less often, while continuing to exist in the same universe. Critic Hilary Goldstein described the comic book as "about the concept of dreams more so than the act of dreaming". In the early issues, responsibility and rebirth were the primary themes of the story. As Dream finally liberates himself from his occultist captors, he returns to his kingdom which had fallen on hard times due to his absence, while also facing his other siblings, who each have their own reaction to his return. The story
11750-752: The series. He continued his professional relationship with Moore by contributing quotations for the supplemental materials in the Watchmen comic book series. Gaiman and artist Mark Buckingham collaborated on several issues of the series before its publisher, Eclipse Comics , collapsed, leaving the series unfinished. His first published comic strips were four short Future Shocks for 2000 AD in 1986–87. He wrote three graphic novels with his favourite collaborator and long-time friend Dave McKean : Violent Cases , Signal to Noise , and The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch . Impressed with his work, DC Comics hired him in February 1987, and he wrote
11875-468: The seven Endless siblings. In 2018, DC announced The Sandman Universe , a new line of comics exploring The Sandman ' s part of the DC Universe. It started in August 2018. Dream of The Endless makes an appearance in Dark Nights: Metal , as Daniel. The Sandman ' s main character is Dream , the eponymous Sandman , who is the anthropomorphic personification of dreams . At
12000-678: The sketches (along with some drawn by Gaiman) and suggested Sam Kieth as the series' artist. Mike Dringenberg , Todd Klein , Robbie Busch, and Dave McKean were hired as inker , letterer , colorist, and cover artist, respectively. McKean's approach towards comics covers was unconventional, and he convinced Berger that the series' protagonist did not need to appear on every cover. The first seven issues were inspired and influenced by early DC and EC Comics , and authors like Dennis Wheatley , Clive Barker , Ramsey Campbell , Robert Heinlein and Alan Moore , but with issue eight he says he finally found his own voice. Gaiman's approach to scripting
12125-565: The start of the series, Morpheus is captured by an occult ritual that was trying to capture his sibling Death and is held prisoner by its caster for 70 years. Morpheus escapes in the modern day and, after avenging himself upon his captors, sets about rebuilding his kingdom which has fallen into disrepair in his absence while reclaiming his gear and hunting down the escaped dreams and nightmares like Corinthian, Brute and Glob, and Fiddler's Green. The character's initial haughty and often cruel manner begins to soften after his years of imprisonment at
12250-406: The start of the series, but the challenge of undoing past sins and changing old ways is an enormous one for a being who has been set in his ways for billions of years. In its beginnings, the series is a very dark horror comic. Later, the series evolves into an elaborate fantasy series, incorporating elements of classical and contemporary mythology, ultimately placing its protagonist in the role of
12375-458: The story of William Shakespeare creating his other commission for Dream, The Tempest , his last work not in collaboration with other writers. The Sandman became a cult success for DC Comics and attracted an audience unlike that of mainstream comics: much of the readership was female, many were in their twenties, and many read no other comics at all. Comics historian Les Daniels called Gaiman's work "astonishing" and noted that The Sandman
12500-409: The studio over the creative direction of the film. On November 9, 2016, i09 reported that Heisserer had turned in his draft of the script but left the film, stating that the film should be an HBO series instead. Death Due to the prolonged development period of the film, in 2010, DC Entertainment shifted focus onto developing a television series adaptation. Film director James Mangold pitched
12625-540: The things he has done wrong in the past. Ultimately, this causes him to mercy kill his own son, which leads to his own death at the hands of the Furies. Dream, having found himself a replacement early on in Daniel Hall , dies in issue No. 69 (July 1995). The remaining issues deal with Dream's funeral, Hob Gadling choosing to remain immortal in spite of Dream's death, and two stories from the past. The series wraps with
12750-520: The title. Gaiman produced two stories for DC's Secret Origins series in 1989. A Poison Ivy tale drawn by Mark Buckingham and a Riddler story illustrated by Bernie Mireault and Matt Wagner . A story that Gaiman originally wrote for Action Comics Weekly in 1989 was shelved due to editorial concerns but it was finally published in 2000 as Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame . In 1990, Gaiman wrote The Books of Magic ,
12875-538: The various historical, mythological and DC Universe references included in the comic. The second volume annotating issues #21–39 was released in November 2012. The third volume covering issues #40–56, The Sandman Special No. 1 and the story "How They Met Themselves" from Vertigo: Winter's Edge #3 was released in October 2014. The fourth volume including issues #57–75 and the story "The Castle" from Vertigo Jam #1
13000-605: The winner's chosen library. In addition, since 2016 the winner has received a £5,000 cash prize from the Colin Mears bequest. The Medal is named after the Scottish-born American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), who founded more than 2,800 libraries in the English-speaking world, including at least one in more than half of British library authorities. It was established in 1936 by
13125-461: The world of children's books with the dark fairy tale Coraline . In 2008 he released another children's book, The Graveyard Book . It follows the adventures of a boy named Bod after his family is murdered and he is left to be brought up by a graveyard. It is heavily influenced by Rudyard Kipling 's The Jungle Book . As of late January 2009, it had been on The New York Times Bestseller children's list for fifteen weeks. In 2013, The Ocean at
13250-403: The year of presentation. Prior to this, they were dated by the calendar year of their British publication. Forty-one winning books were illustrated in their first editions, including every one during the first three decades. Six from 1936 to 1953 were illustrated or co-illustrated by their authors; none since then. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Carnegie Medal in 2007, CILIP created
13375-606: Was "Featherquest", a fantasy story, in Imagine Magazine in May 1984. While waiting for a train at London's Victoria Station in 1984, Gaiman noticed a copy of Swamp Thing by Alan Moore , and read it. Moore's approach to comics had such an impact on Gaiman that he later wrote "that was the final straw, what was left of my resistance crumbled. I proceeded to make regular and frequent visits to London's Forbidden Planet shop to buy comics". In 1984, he wrote his first book,
13500-423: Was "a mixture of fantasy, horror, and ironic humor such as comic books had never seen before". DC Comics writer and executive Paul Levitz observed that " The Sandman became the first extraordinary success as a series of graphic novel collections, reaching out and converting new readers to the medium, particularly young women on college campuses, and making Gaiman himself into an iconic cultural figure." Gaiman had
13625-463: Was Australian author Ivan Southall for Josh (1972). The original rules also prohibited winning authors from future consideration. The first author to win a second Carnegie Medal was Peter Dickinson in 1981, who won consecutively for Tulku and City of Gold . As of 2024, eight authors had received the Medal more than once. The winner is awarded a gold medal and £500 worth of books donated to
13750-513: Was introduced into the Marvel Universe in the last issue of the Age of Ultron miniseries in 2013. Gaiman oversaw The Sandman Universe , a line of comic books published by Vertigo. The four series — House of Whispers , Lucifer , The Books of Magic , and The Dreaming — were written by new creative teams. The line launched on 8 August 2018. After teaming with Colleen Doran for
13875-461: Was issued in 1994 by SkyBox International . In 1999, Gaiman wrote The Sandman: The Dream Hunters , a novella illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano . As in many of the single-issue stories throughout The Sandman , Morpheus appears in Dream Hunters , but only as a supporting character. In Gaiman's afterword to the book, he describes the story as a retelling of an existing Japanese legend. There
14000-438: Was met with scorn from fans. Gaiman called the last screenplay that Warner Bros. would send him "not only the worst Sandman script I've ever seen, but quite easily the worst script I've ever read". Gaiman has said that his dissatisfaction with how his characters were being treated had dissuaded him from writing any more stories involving the Endless, although he has since written Endless Nights and Sandman Overture . By 2001,
14125-631: Was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Related Book in 2000. The Dream Hunters and Endless Nights won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Illustrated Narrative in 1999 and 2003, respectively. That same year, Season of Mists won the Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Scenario . In 2005, IGN declared The Sandman as the best Vertigo comic ever. The Sandman: Overture ,
14250-503: Was one of six graphic novels to make Entertainment Weekly ' s "100 best reads from 1983 to 2008", ranking at No. 46. Norman Mailer described the series as "a comic strip for intellectuals". The series has exerted considerable influence over the fantasy genre and graphic novel medium since its publication and is often regarded as one of the greatest graphic novels of all time. Various film and television versions of Sandman have been developed. In 2013, Warner Bros. announced that
14375-423: Was owned by his father. The couple were married in 1985 after having their first child. Gaiman has mentioned several writers who have influenced his work, including Mary Shelley , Rudyard Kipling , Edgar Allan Poe , Michael Moorcock , Dave Sim , Alan Moore , Steve Ditko , Will Eisner , Ursula K. Le Guin , Harlan Ellison , John Crowley , Lord Dunsany , G. K. Chesterton and Gene Wolfe . A lifetime fan of
14500-439: Was placed under DC's Vertigo imprint , and following Vertigo's retirement in 2020, reprints have been published under DC's Black Label imprint. The titular main character of The Sandman is Dream , also known as Morpheus and other names, who is one of the seven Endless . The other Endless are Destiny , Death , Desire , Despair , Delirium (formerly Delight), and Destruction (also known as 'The Prodigal'). The series
14625-773: Was published from August 2006 to March 2007. In 2009, Gaiman wrote a two-part Batman story for DC Comics to follow Batman R.I.P. titled " Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? " a play-off of the classic Superman story " Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? " by Alan Moore. He contributed a twelve-part Metamorpho serial drawn by Mike Allred for Wednesday Comics , a weekly newspaper-style series. Gaiman and Paul Cornell co-wrote Action Comics #894 (December 2010), which featured an appearance by Death. In October 2013, DC Comics released The Sandman: Overture with art by J. H. Williams III . Gaiman's Angela character
14750-520: Was released in December 2015. The first volume was nominated for the 2012 Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction . The Sandman Omnibus , a massive two-volume hardcover edition, was released in 2013 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of The Sandman . Volume 1 collects issues #1–37 and The Sandman Special No. 1 with Volume 2 collecting issues #38–75 with stories from Vertigo Jam No. 1 and Vertigo: Winter's Edge . Both volumes are printed with
14875-438: Was released in February 2017. Several of his novels have been published as paperbacks with retro covers by artist Robert McGinnis . Gaiman wrote the 1996 BBC dark fantasy television series Neverwhere . He co-wrote the screenplay for the movie MirrorMask with his old friend Dave McKean for McKean to direct. In addition, he wrote the localised English language script for the anime movie Princess Mononoke , based on
15000-551: Was released on 6 February 2009, directed by Henry Selick and starring the voices of Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher . The Sandman (comic book) The Sandman is a comic book written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics . Its artists include Sam Kieth , Mike Dringenberg , Jill Thompson , Shawn McManus , Marc Hempel , Bryan Talbot , and Michael Zulli , with lettering by Todd Klein and covers by Dave McKean . The original series ran for 75 issues from January 1989 to March 1996. Beginning with issue No. 47, it
15125-529: Was sponsored by the audio technology company Yoto and was called the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing. As of 2025 the awards are sponsored by Scholastic and the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS). CILIP members may nominate books each September and October, with the full list of valid nominations published in November. The longlist, chosen by the judges from the nominated books,
15250-476: Was stopped when the anthology itself was discontinued. In the mid-1990s, he also created a number of new characters and a setting that was to be featured in a title published by Tekno Comix . The concepts were then altered and split between three titles set in the same continuity: Lady Justice , Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man , and Teknophage , and tie-ins. Although Gaiman's name appeared prominently as
15375-571: Was the only superhero recurring character in the series. Even at that, her powers had come to her via the Fury Tisiphone , and the Furies, under the euphemism, "the Kindly Ones", a translation of " Eumenides ", a name they earned during the events of Aeschylus 's Oresteia trilogy, are major characters in the series. The series follows a tragic course in which Dream, having learned a great deal from his imprisonment, tries to correct
15500-477: Was undertaken by Gaiman's friend Leslie S. Klinger of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes who worked from the original scripts given to him by Gaiman. The first volume of The Annotated Sandman was published by DC Comics in January 2012 as a large 12" by 12" black-and-white book with an introduction by Gaiman and included issues #1–20. The annotations are presented on a page-by-page, panel-by-panel basis, with quoted sections from Gaiman's scripts and insight into
15625-495: Was using the characters in Infinity, Inc. , Gaiman soon began constructing a treatment for a new series, and mentioned his treatment in passing to DC editor Karen Berger . He was unsure his Sandman pitch would be accepted, but weeks later, Berger asked Gaiman if he was interested in doing a Sandman series. Gaiman recalled, "I said, 'Um ... yes. Yes, definitely. What's the catch?' [Berger said,] 'There's only one. We'd like
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