e227. the Endless Culture of the Sandman

After “endless” years in development, the impossible has happened. The Sandman TV show is now streaming on Netflix. Of course we watched it! Remarkably, it appears to be a hit. The show is getting critical buzz as well as doing well with the fans. In fact, its arguably the most popular that the property has ever been. That’s saying something. If you’re a comic book fan, or a Neil Gaiman fan, your probably feel like “obviously! Everyone loves Gaiman’s Sandman” However the truth is, The Sandman and its related comics have never really been all THAT popular. They certainly had their place, but it was always a niche property. What made it remarkable was that it was a hard niche to define. It seemed to transcend its obvious demographic, and it had staying power that has now lasted into it’s FIFTH decade. How’d that happen? On this week’s episode, Wayne and Mav are joined by returning guest Cait Coker and new guest Nick Katsiadas to talk all things Sandman, from its graphic novel origins, to the new TV show, why it’s got such staying power, why it is so relevant and why it’s such a remarkable achievement. We talk about the TV show, its comic origins, its spinoffs, and the culture it attracted and inspired. Listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Citations and Links: * This episode’s Call for Comments* “Neil Gaiman Puts to Rest Debate Over The Sandman’s ‘Constantine’ Pronunciation” by Sean Gribbin* “Neil Gaiman Responds to Claim That Netflix Sandman Will Fail for Going ‘Woke’” by Leon Miller* “AMA Bonus: Love and Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman” (Neil Gaiman explaining sexually transmitted comics to Ophira Eisenberg)* “Spiders Seem to Have REM-like Sleep and May Even Dream” by Betsy Mason* The Sandman Book One, Book Two, Book Three, and Book Four by Neil Gaiman* Death: The Deluxe Edition by Neil Gaiman * Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme* Read Nick’s work on Academia.edu* Read Cait’s work on Academia.edu* Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick* Follow Wayne on Instagram: @