The Sandman FAQ contains a delightful synopsis of what actually happens in the 75-issue series. I stumbled onto an older version of the faq and it has the tale told until issue 58. A single-line decription of what happens in each issue….I can’t wait to read all of them. The comics, I mean – not the descriptions….
The Sandman
List of Issues, Artists and Brief Plot Synopses.
WARNING: While the synopses are usually brief and bland, they do contain
some spoilers. Continue at your own risk.
“More than Rubies” Issues 1-8.
Sandman #1: “Sleep of the Just” by Gaiman, Kieth, and Dringenberg
[Dream is caught accidentally by men who are attempting to capture Death.
Only after seven decades of captivity does he finally escape.]
Sandman #2: “Imperfect Hosts” by Gaiman, Kieth, and Dringenberg
[Dream returns to his realm to find it in disarray. He consults the Three
Witches on where to find his items of power: the Pouch, the Helm and
the Ruby.]
Sandman #3: “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by Gaiman, Kieth, and Dringenberg
[Dream goes to London where John Constantine helps him recover the Pouch
from one of John’s former lovers.]
Sandman #4: “A Hope in Hell” by Gaiman, Kieth and Dringenberg
[Dream goes to Hell to retrieve his helmet. He must first beat Choronzon,
a duke of Hell, at the game of reality.]
Sandman #5: “Passengers” by Gaiman, Kieth, and M. Jones III
[John Dee (Dr Destiny) and Dream both journey to retrieve the ruby of
power from storage in a Justice League warehouse.]
Sandman #6: “24 Hours” by Gaiman, Dringenberg, and M. Jones III
[John Dee uses the power of the dreamstone to manipulate the patrons of
a diner while he waits for Dream to arrive.]
Sandman #7: “Sound and Fury” by Gaiman, Dringenberg, and M. Jones III
[Dee follows Dream to the Dreaming where they fight for control of the
Ruby.]
Sandman #8: “The Sound of Her Wings” by Gaiman, Dringenberg, and M. Jones III
[Dream follows Death as she goes about her daily rounds.]
“The Doll’s House” Issues 9-16
Sandman #9: “Tales in the Sand” by Gaiman, Dringenberg, and M. Jones III
[A young man hears the story of Dream’s love for the mortal Nada and his
reaction to her rejection of his love.]
Sandman #10: “The Doll’s House” by Gaiman, Dringenberg, and M. Jones III
[Desire tells Despair of a scheme. Lucien takes inventory. Dream finds a
vortex. Rose and Miranda Walker meet a long lost relative.]
Sandman #11: “Moving In” by Gaiman, Dringenberg, and M. Jones III
[Rose Walker goes to Florida to find her missing brother, Jed. She rooms
in a house with unusual tenants. Matthew the Raven keeps an eye on Rose.
Rose and Gilbert drive to Georgia to find Jed.]
Sandman #12: “Playing House” by Gaiman, Bachalo, M. Jones III
[Dream tracks the missing Brute and Glob to the mind of Jed Walker. There
he also meets Hector and Lyta Hall, trapped in Jed’s dreams by Brute
and Glob.]
Sandman #13: “Men of Good Fortune” by Gaiman, Zulli, Parkhouse
[In 1389, Hob Gadling decides not to die. Every 100 years he and Dream
meet to discuss the past century and to see if Hob has changed his mind.]
Sandman #14: “Collectors” by Gaiman, Dringenberg, and M. Jones III
[Rose and Gilbert find themselves in a convention of serial killers,
including one of the missing major aracana, The Corinthian.]
Sandman #15: “Into the Night” by Gaiman, Dringenberg, and M. Jones III
[Rose returns to the boarding house where she experiences the dreams
of the others.]
Sandman #16: “Lost Hearts” by Gaiman, Dringenberg, and M. Jones III
[Dream must destroy the vortex before it damages the Dreaming. He
later discovers Desire’s scheme.]
“Dream Country” Issues 17-20
Sandman #17: “Calliope” by Gaiman, K. Jones, and M. Jones III
[Richard Madoc gets his own personal muse, Calliope. After years of
imprisonment, Calliope finally receives help from her old love, Dream.]
Sandman #18: “Dream of a Thousand Cats” by Gaiman, K. Jones and M. Jones III
[A cat tells how once cats ruled the Earth, how the dreams of men changed
reality and how the dreams of cats might restore things to the way they
once were.]
Sandman #19: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Gaiman and Vess
[William Shakespeare and his troupe of actors stage “A Midsummer Night’s
Dream” for his patron and the fairy folk upon whom the play is based.]
Sandman #20: “Facade” by Gaiman, Doran, M. Jones III
[Urania Blackwell/Element Girl finds the life of a retired superhero
can be very lonely. Only with the help of an unexpected visitor does she
find release from her lonely existence.]
“Season of Mists” Issues 21-28
Sandman #21: “Season of Mists: A Prologue” by Gaiman, Dringenberg,
M. Jones III
[Six of the seven Endless gather at the invitation of Destiny. Dream
decides to free Nada, who he sent to Hell long ago.]
Sandman #22: “Season of Mists: Episode 1” by Gaiman, K. Jones, M. Jones III
[Dream prepares for his trip to Hell. Lucifer also makes preparations
for Dream’s arrival.]
Sandman #23: “Season of Mists: Episode 2” by Gaiman, K. Jones, M. Jones III
[Dream arrives in Hell to find it nearly empty and Lucifer closing up
shop. As a last act, Lucifer gives Dream the key to Hell.]
Sandman #24: “Season of Mists: Episode 3” by Gaiman, K. Jones, Russell
[Dream discovers that Hell, despite its reputation, is a very desirable
piece of property, with many parties interested in obtaining control
of it.]
Sandman #25: “Season of Mists: Episode 4” by Gaiman, Wagner, M. Jones III
[A school boy must deal with some of the former inhabitants of Hell who
once again walk the Earth.]
Sandman #26: “Season of Mists: Episode 5” by Gaiman, K. Jones, Pratt
[Several of the interested parties attempt to influence Dream’s decision
of who will gain control of Hell.]
Sandman #27: “Season of Mists: Episode 6” by Gaiman, K. Jones, Giordano
[The decision of who gains control of Hell is taken out of Dream’s
hands. The angels Remiel and Duma are assigned control of the realm.
Dream must fight the demon lord Azazel over a matter of hospitality.]
Sandman #28: “Season of Mists: Episode oo” by Gaiman, Dringenberg, Pratt
[The guests leave. Dream gets a new resident of the Dreaming and a promise
from Loki. Nada returns to Earth. Lucifer enjoys a sunset. The angels
take over Hell for better and worse.]
“Distant Mirrors” Issues 29-31, 50
Sandman #29: “Thermidor” by Gaiman, Woch, Giordano
[Dream sends Lady Johanna Constantine to France to rescue his son from
destruction.]
Sandman #30: “August” by Gaiman, Talbot, Woch
[By spending a day in the market, disguised as a beggar, Augustus Caesar
hides his thoughts and plans from the gods.]
Sandman #31: “Three Septembers and a January” by Gaiman, McManus
[Dream gives Joshua Norton a dream of importance and by doing so is able
to keep Norton from the realms of Despair, Desire and Delirium.]
“A Game of You” Issues 32-37
Sandman #32: “Slaughter on Fifth Avenue” by Gaiman, McManus
[Barbie and Wanda go window shopping only to see Martin Tenbones, a
creature from Barbie’s dreams, shot by the police. Before dying,
Martin tells Barbie The Land needs her help and gives her the
Porpentine.]
Sandman #33: “Lullabies of Broadway” by Gaiman, McManus
[Hazel tells Barbie that she may be pregnant. The strange birds released
by George cause the building’s tenants to have nightmares. Barbie finds
herself dreaming that she’s back in the Land, the setting for a contin-
uing dream from her past. There she learns she must defeat a mysterious
figure known as the Cuckoo.]
Sandman #34: “Bad Moon Rising” by Gaiman, Doran, Pratt, Giordano
[With Barbie in a coma-like sleep, Thessaly uses the remains of George to
learn of the threat from the Cuckoo. After drawing down the moon,
Thessaly, Hazel and Foxglove travel to the Land to save Barbie, leaving
Wanda with the unconscious Barbie and the still active remains of George.]
Sandman #35: “Beginning to See the Light” by Gaiman, McManus
[Barbie and her companions journey through the Land. Betrayed by one
companion and with the other two dead, Barbie is taken to the Citadel
of the Cuckoo.]
Sandman #36: “Over the Sea to Sky” by Gaiman, McManus, Talbot and Woch
[Barbie meets the Cuckoo. Storms lash New York. Dream is summoned to
close a compact and uncreate the Land.]
Sandman #37: “I Woke Up and One of Us was Crying” by Gaiman, McManus
[Barbie remembers the final events in the Land and what she discovered
when she awoke as she travels to attend Wanda’s funeral.]
“Convergence” Issues 38-40
Sandman #38: “The Hunt” by Gaiman, Eagleson, Locke
[Vassily tells his granddaughter a story from the Old Country.]
Sandman #39: “Soft Places” by Gaiman, Watkiss
[Lost in the desert, Marco Polo finds he has entered a “soft place”
where he meets others from different times and different realms.]
Sandman #40: “The Parliament of Rooks” by Gaiman, Thompson, Locke
[Daniel Hall ventures into the Dreaming where he hears tales from Cain,
Abel and Eve.]
“Brief Lives” Issues 41-49
Sandman #41: “Blossom for a Lady…” by Gaiman, Thompson, Locke
[Delirium decides she needs to find her missing brother. Neither Desire
or Despair will help.]
Sandman #42: “It Always Rains on the Unloved…” by Gaiman, Thompson, Locke
[Delirium enters the Dreaming to ask Dream to help find their missing
brother. Dream agrees, thinking the trip will serve as a diversion from
a recent failed romance.]
Sandman #43: “The People Who Remember Atlantis…” by Gaiman, Thompson, Locke
[Dream and Delirium consult an expert to arrange their travel. Meanwhile,
something is trying to kill those who may know where the missing Endless
is now living.]
Sandman #44: “The Other Side of the Sky…” by Gaiman, Thompson, Locke
[Dream and Delirium continue on their search, but a hotel fire kills their
driver.]
Sandman #45: “The Things We Do To Be Loved…” by Gaiman, Thompson, Locke
[Delirium gets to drive. Dream, Delirium and Matthew the Raven visit a
strip club where Ishtar, who once loved their brother, now dances.]
Sandman #46: “Life Isn’t Pleasant, Petrified…” by Gaiman, Thompson, Locke
[After the destruction of the strip club, Dream ends the search and
returns to the Dreaming. Checking with Bast and Lucien, he finds no
further clue to Destruction’s whereabouts. When Delirium closes off her
realm, Dream agrees to continue the search in earnest.]
Sandman #47: “Cooking Considered as One of the Fine Arts…”
by Gaiman,Thompson, Locke, Giordano
[With no remaining contacts, Dream and Delirium consult Destiny on how to
proceed with the search. Finally, Dream must ask his son Orpheus where
Destruction can be found.]
Sandman #48: “Journey’s End…” by Gaiman, Thompson, Locke
[Dream, Destruction and Delirium talk about the Endless and their duties
and characteristics. Destruction decides to leave Earth.]
Sandman #49: Farewells…” by Gaiman, Thompson, Locke
[Dream grants Orpheus’ boon and returns to the Dreaming.]
Sandman #50: “Ramadan” by Gaiman and Russell
[The Caliph of Bagdhad makes a bargain with Dream to save the beauty of
his city.]
“Worlds’ End” Issues #51-56.
Sandman #51: “Worlds’ End” by Gaiman, Talbot, Stevens and Buckingham
[Two travelers have an accident during a snowstorm in June. Seeking
shelter in an inn, they meet the inn’s strange patrons and hear the
story of dreaming cities.]
Sandman #52: [No title] by Gaiman, Watkiss, Talbot and Buckingham
[Cluracan tells how he carried out a diplomatic mission for Titania,
Queen of Faerie with some help from Dream.]
Sandman #53: “Hob’s Leviathan” by Gaiman, Zulli, Giordano, Talbot and
Buckingham
[Jim tells of her life at sea and her voyage with the mysterious Robert
Gadling.]
Sandman #54: “The Golden Boy” by Gaiman, Allred, Talbot and Buckingham
[Lost in the Worlds’ End, Brant hears the story of Prez Rickard, the
first teenager to become president of America.]
Sandman #55: “Cerements” by Gaiman, Pensa, Locke, Talbot and Buckingham
[Apprentice Petrefax tells of the Necropolis Litharge and some of the
stories told there.]
Sandman #56: “Worlds’ End” by Gaiman, Talbot, Buckingham, Amaro, Giordano,
Harris, Leialoha
[The inn’s visitors hear explanations of the reality storm, witness a
funeral and depart.]
“The Kindly Ones” Issues #57-
Sandman #57: “The Kindly Ones: 1” by Gaiman and Hempel
[The Fates have tea, Matthew talks with other members of the Dreaming,
Morpheus remakes the Corinthian, Lucifer refuses to play “Memories” and
Daniel Hall is abducted.]
Sandman #58: “The Kindly Ones: 2” by Gaiman, Hempel and D’Israeli
[The police are called in to investigate the kidnapping of Daniel Hall.
Claracan comes to take Nuala back to Faerie. Lyta meets The Kindly Ones.]
Sandman Special: “The Song of Orpheus” by Gaiman, Talbot, Buckingham
[The legend of Orpheus and Eurydice is retold within the Sandman mythos.]
Vertigo Preview: “Fear of Falling” by Gaiman, Williams
[In his dreams, a man meets Dream and confronts his fears.]
Vertigo Jam: “The Castle” by Gaiman, Nowlan
[A dreamer gets a guided tour of the Dreaming from Lucien and the rest.]
Death: The High Cost of Living #1: “The Spirit of the Stairway”
by Gaiman, Bachalo, Buckingham
[Sexton Furnival meets DiDi, a young woman who claims to be Death.]
Death: The High Cost of Living #2: “A Night to Remember”
by Gaiman, Bachalo, Buckingham
[Sexton and DiDi spend a night in New York. The evening ends when they
are lured into a trap set by the Eremite.]
Death: The High Cost of Living #3: “The High Cost of Living”
by Gaiman, Bachalo, Buckingham
[DiDi and Sexton’s adventure continues into the day.]
Notes:
1. Each episode of _Season of Mists_ has a longer descriptive summary that
may be treated as a title.
2. The titles used for part of _Brief Lives_ represents only the first phrase
of longer titles.