The Sandman character The Corinthian will be the focus of a new ongoing series from writer James Tynion IV and artist Lisandro Estherren (Redneck). The DC Black Label series is titled The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country, and follows the serial killer known as The Corinthian. In a way, this marks Tynion’s return to DC after the former Batman writer announced he was leaving the company to focus on his creator-owned comics and a new Substack deal. While Tynion has concluded his runs on Batman and The Joker, he still has the creator-owned A Nice House on the Lake miniseries at DC.
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The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country also recruits a guest artist for each issue to illustrate a nightmare dream sequence. Yanick Paquette will draw this sequence in the first issue, which is slated to debut on April 12th.
“I spent my teenage years reading and rereading the volumes of The Sandman, trying to absorb all of their secrets,” Tynion told The Hollywood Reporter. “The series taught me that anything and everything was possible in the comic book medium, and set me on the inexorable path of becoming a comic book writer.”
Tynion also addressed how he was talked into returning to DC even after he said he would put all of his work into creator-owned projects. “To be perfectly honest, I thought I had said everything I wanted to say with other people’s characters, but the moment that (DC editor) Chris Conroy asked me if I was interested in crafting a new story in The Sandman Universe, I knew I couldn’t say no,” he said. “The Dreaming has lived in my head for half of my life. It’s a canvas on which so many stories are possible, and I am humbled to have the chance to make my own mark on it.”
Two new characters will be introduced in Nightmare Country: Mr. Agony and Mr. Ecstasy. They are described as “a deadly duo of killers slipping along after the Corinthian’s quarry, killing anyone in their path, including, if they can, the Corinthian himself.”
The ongoing series lets Corinthian loose on the world to capture an even more dangerous nightmare that isn’t created by the Lord of Dreams. This leads to a cat and mouse game between the two, crossing terrifying corners of America like white supremacist militia groups.
Are you excited to dive back into the world of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman Universe? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
