There are some characters that connect so strongly with readers that they take on a life of their own, becoming more than just ink on a page. Like modern fables and folklore, comics create strange and exciting worlds and landscapes for readers to visit and experience, and they populate these worlds with characters so well-defined, it’s as if we’d known them forever.
Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN is one such work. An epic, 75-issue opus that was both genre-bending and trend-setting during its original release and to this day, it, like WATCHMEN and a number of series, is what many point to when discussing comics as high art. It’s not a stretch to call it a masterpiece.
But why are we talking about SANDMAN on the DCU blog, you ask?
For those unfamiliar with the character at the center of the cover – and shame on you if you don’t know who that is – that’s Death, sister to Dream of the Endless and one of the most enduring characters introduced during Gaiman’s 75-issue SANDMAN series. Beautifully presented by ACTION COMICS cover artist David Finch, the cover begs the question – what is Death doing in ACTION COMICS?
Though the worlds of the Sandman and the DC superheroes have bled into one another from time to time, ACTION COMICS #894 marks a unique moment for not only Death, but the star of ACTION – Lex Luthor. Luthor, as fans of the series know, is in the midst of a storyline that takes him on a winding and dangerous quest for power – a quest that will bring the megalomaniacal villain into close proximity with characters in and beyond the far reaches of the DC Universe.
We touched base with writer Paul Cornell who, along with artist Pete Woods, are the team entrusted with the task of chronicling this special issue. Take it away, Paul:
“Death appearing in Action Comics was my own mad idea, the extreme case of putting Luthor up against characters he's not used to dealing with.
“I'm very pleased that, after I ran the idea by him, Neil Gaiman approved me using Death in this issue. He's been very supportive. It's so interesting to see her back in the DC Universe. Though Vertigo readers can rest assured that the character, and the way she's used, will be true to the spirit of what has gone before.”
ACTION COMICS #894 hits in October.
