Vertigo announces Sandman Universe artists

Vertigo is bringing some top talent to the upcoming Sandman Universe, and today the publisher announced the artists who will help bring the Sandman Universe to life.

Here are the creative teams behind these new series:

· THE DREAMING—written by Si Spurrier with art by Bilquis Evely
· HOUSE OF WHISPERS—written by Nalo Hopkinson with art by Dominike “Domo” Stanton
· LUCIFER—written by Dan Watters with art by Max Fiumara and Sebastian Fiumara
· BOOKS OF MAGIC—written by Kat Howard with art by Tom Fowler

Everything kicks off in The Sandman Universe #1 that is scheduled to arrive on August 8, 2018.

The Sandman Universe #1
With story by Neil Gaiman
Written by Si Spurrier, Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters, Kat Howard Art by Bilquis Evely
Cover art by Jae Lee
Synopsis:
Daniel, the lord of Dreams, has gone missing and it causes chaos in the kingdom of dreams…
A rift between worlds has opened, revealing a space beyond the Dreaming. Meanwhile, a book from Lucien’s library of all the unwritten books ever dreamed is discovered by a group of children in the waking world.
Simultaneously, a new House appears—the House of Whispers—joining the Houses of Secret and Mystery in the Dreaming. Its proprietor is a fortune teller called Erzulie, whom the inhabitants of the Dreaming suspect may be responsible for all the strange goings-on.

Elsewhere, Lucifer has fallen again, only this time he might be in a Hell of his own design.
And in London, a young boy named Timothy Hunter sleeps, in his dreams, he becomes the world’s most powerful magician, but in his nightmares, he becomes the world’s worst villain, which future will become reality?

From the mind of Neil Gaiman, a new world filled with dreams and nightmares, all of his wonderful characters living together in a shared universe for a story, unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

“I found Vertigo at a time when I was bored with comics, then I read SANDMAN and my head exploded,” said Executive Editor Mark Doyle.  “Suddenly I saw all these endless storytelling possibilities. I knew I had to get into comics and I had to get into Vertigo. To return to the imprint and work with Neil Gaiman to expand the Sandman Universe—it’s honestly a dream come true.”

Here is a breakdown of each of the books in the series:

The Dreaming
From writer Si Spurrier Promo art by Yanick Paquette

Synopsis:
There is a place where gods are born and stories are spun. But twenty-three years after he was anointed as its master, Dream of the Endless has inexplicably abandoned the dreaming. His absence triggers a series of crimes and calamities which consume the lives of those already tangled in his fate, among them Lucien the librarian, Nuala of Faerie, and Dora, a monstress without memories. But while they struggle to restore the King to his throne, they face from intrigues within and conquest from without. As usurpers circle the defenceless domain and an impossible shadow awaits its own birth beside a rip in reality, the denizens of the dreaming play out their stories of loss and love, resignation and resistance.

House of Whispers
From writer Nalo Hopkinson Promo art by Sean Andrew Murray

Synopsis:
Latoya is in a coma. Her girlfriend enlists the help of Latoya’s two younger sisters. Using the Book of Whispers, they mistakenly steal the essence of Erzulie, a deity of voodoo mythology. The psychic blowback of the spell causes her house to crash into the Dreaming, beside the Houses of Secrets and Mystery and their custodians, Cain and Abel.
In the real world, the awakened young woman suffers a mystical form of Cotard’s Delusion —she believes she is already dead, and she’s transmitting her beliefs to others, causing them to become guardians of the Gap that has appeared in the Dreaming.

Lucifer
From writer Dan Watters Promo art by Goñi Montes

Synopsis:
A few years ago, the devil vanished. Some people say he died or simply ran away, while others believe he never existed at all. But we aren’t some people. No. This is the one true story of what happened to the Prince of Lies, the Bringer of Light—Lucifer, the blind, destitute old man, who lives in a small boarding house in a quiet little town, where nothing is quite what it seems and no one can leave. he’s trapped, you see? Trapped n a bizarre prison with no memory of how he got there or why. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, a policeman who may have brain cancer is tasked with a mission of divine importance: find and kill Lucifer.

Books of Magic
From writer Kat Howard Promo art by Kai Carpenter

Synopsis:
Timothy Hunter is destined to become the most powerful magician in the universe, but that doesn’t mean he gets to cut class, skip exams, or is impervious to bullying by his mundane peers. After all, he’s still a London teenager and having magical abilities complicates things more than it helps. And while Tim’s trying to study and attract the cute girl in his class, there are cultists who want to kill him, believing his power will eventually corrupt him, turning him into a merciless mage. Luckily, the new substitute teacher for his school wants to mentor him and educate him in the magical arts so that he can discover the master behind the Books of Magic…

About Bilquis Evely:
BILQUIS EVELY is an artist based in Brazil who debuted in comics with Dynamite’s Doc Savage and Shaft. Her latest works include SUGAR & SPIKE, 2016 BATMAN ANNUAL #1, WONDER WOMAN and Lazarus X+66 (published by Image). Evely works with traditional media and brush, with her backgrounds and references based on the classics.

About Dominike “Domo” Stanton:
DOMINIKE “DOMO” STANTON is a recent graduate of DC Comics’ Artists Workshop. His published work includes DC SHOWCASE, Starbrand & Nightmask, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, The Big Con Job and Darryl Makes Comics’ DMC.

About Max & Sebastian Fiumara:
MAX FIUMARA and SEBASTIAN FIUMARA are brothers and artists from Argentina. The two often collaborate on projects including Dark Horse’s Abe Sapien. Individually, Max’s work includes The Amazing Spider-Man and most recently the Black Hammer spinoff series Doctor Star & the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows. Sebastian’s work includes Loki and ALL-STAR BATMAN.

About Tom Fowler:
TOM FOWLER is a cartoonist and illustrator who has worked in comics, advertising, film and game design. His best-known comics include the MAD Magazine feature “Monroe,” Venom, Hulk Season One, Quantum & Woody, Rick and Morty and the critically acclaimed Mysterius the Unfathomable. He currently is an inker for DC’s Young Animal’s DOOM PATROL

This is a huge move forward for fans of Sandman.  What book or books are you most looking forward to the most?

via Vertigo