# Is "The Sandman #1" by Neil Gaiman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sandman #1 by Neil Gaiman (DC Comics, 1989) is identified by: Single issue The Sandman #1, cover-dated January 1989 (on sale late November 1988), story 'Sleep of the Just' by Neil Gaiman, art by Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg, cover by Dave McKean; first appearance of Dream/Morpheus. True first is single-issue #1 (1989).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Single issue The Sandman #1, cover-dated January 1989 (on sale late November 1988), story 'Sleep of the Just' by Neil Gaiman, art by Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg, cover by Dave McKean; first appearance of Dream/Morpheus
- The first printing carries no later-printing notation on the cover or in the indicia
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Gaiman |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Single issue The Sandman #1, cover-dated January 1989 (on sale late November 1988), story… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Single issue The Sandman #1, cover-dated January 1989 (on sale late November 1988), story 'Sleep of the Just' by Neil Gaiman, art by Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg, cover by Dave McKean; first appearance of Dream/Morpheus. The first printing carries no later-printing notation on the cover or in the indicia.

## Is this the true first?
True first is single-issue #1 (1989). Newsstand and direct-market editions exist; the collected trades are first-thus, not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
#1 had a second printing; check the cover and indicia for printing notation to distinguish it from the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sandman #1* by Neil Gaiman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sandman-1
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.