A Tale Two Decades in the Making. He is known throughout Creation by countless names. Anywhere that life exists, he and his seven ageless siblings guide the forces that shape it. He is Dream of the Endless. The year is 1915. And the universe is about to end. Collects: Sandman: Overture #1-6. With The Sandman: Overture, New York Times best-selling author and master of modern fantasy Neil Gaiman returns with his first full-length story of the Dream King in nearly 20 years—a stunning prequel to the original SANDMAN saga, illustrated by critically acclaimed artist J.H. Williams III and colorist Dave Stewart. This lavish trade paperback edition collects all six issues of the landmark Vertigo series and includes more than 40 pages of variant covers, special behind-the-scenes features and an extensive sketchbook section from Williams.