News about the Best Monthly Comic Book Series Ever

I knew that I read Phantsmaphile for a reason! I didn't get a chance to follow the goings-on at Comic-Con as much as I wanted to, but thankfully there's phantsmaphile to keep me informed. Phansmaphile reports on the next Sandman book coming out and reminds readers of an interview it conducted last year with the artist for this up-coming project, JH Williams III. (Neil Gaiman's--Sandman's creator--is writing it.)

I started collecting Sandman comics as a hyperactive fourteen-year-old at the recommendation of my friend Chris Wieman--best recommendation ever. Drawing on a wide range of knowledge about literature, and themes religious, spiritual, and mythic, Gaiman created complex characters and stories--every month--for years. I tried to buy every issue the day it came out. My young brain didn't always understand the complexities in each issue on the first read, but I knew enough to respect a comic book I had to read two or three times to understand. It influenced the way I wrote--the way I constructed stories and poems.

Truth be told, I purchased a lot of comic books every month in my teenage years, and as a young man when I needed some funds, I decided to sell that comic-book collection. Sold the whole thing. Except for Sandman. The title is a milestone in comic history, lauded by those who read comics regularly--and those who don't.

The monthly series ended years over fifteen years ago, but it remains in publication as graphic novel volumes that span story arcs. I came into Sandman at issue 21, the beginning of the "Season of Mists" eight-issue story-line. You can purchase it at amazon.com (Sandman Volume 4). After "Season of Mists," I started working my way backward and forward through the series. With this prequel to the series coming out next year, it seems Gaiman is too.