The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes

Dave McKean's haunting painted covers set the tone for The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes, the 1991 Warner Books collection that launched Neil Gaiman's landmark DC Comics series. This single-issue volume gathers the opening story arc, introducing Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, as he escapes a decades-long imprisonment and sets out to reclaim his lost tools of power. It matters as the essential entry point into one of comics' most celebrated and influential dark fantasy epics, establishing the lyrical, mythic voice that would define the entire run.