Editing The Sandman (comic book) (section)

===Absolute editions===
The [[DC Comics Absolute Edition]] series are large 8" by 12" prints of a considerably higher quality and price than the library edition, and include a leather-like cover and a [[slipcase]]. Many of the early stories have been extensively retouched or recolored with Gaiman's approval.<ref name="Absolute1">{{Cite web|url= http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Comics/The+Absolute+Sandman%2C+Vol.+1/|title= Neil's Work: ''The Absolute Sandman'', Vol. 1|publisher= NeilGaiman.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140713005911/http://neilgaiman.com/works/Comics/The+Absolute+Sandman%2C+Vol.+1/|archive-date= July 13, 2014|url-status= live| access-date=December 23, 2008}}</ref>
* '''''The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1''''', collecting ''The Sandman'' #1–20 (''Preludes and Nocturnes'', ''The Doll's House'', and ''Dream Country''). Extras include Gaiman's original series pitch, character designs charting the visual development of Dream, script and pencils for ''The Sandman'' #19 ("A Midsummer Night's Dream"), and Gaiman's prose summary of the first seven issues from ''The Sandman'' #8, which features story beats not in the original comics.<ref name="Absolute1"/> Published November 2006. To promote the volume, DC issued a refurbished edition of the first issue of the series.
* '''''The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2''''', collecting ''The Sandman'' #21–39. Extras include the Desire story "The Flowers of Romance" from ''Vertigo: Winter's Edge'' #1, script and pencils for ''The Sandman'' #23 ("Season of Mists: Chapter Two"), humorous biographies of the contributors, a section on DC's official "Sandman Month", a prose story from the box of the first Sandman statue detailing the statue's (fictional) history, and a complete reproduction of ''A Gallery of Dreams'' (a one-shot of ''Sandman''-inspired art). Published October 2007.
* '''''The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 3''''', collecting ''The Sandman'' #40–56, "Fear of Falling" from ''Vertigo Preview'' #1, and ''Sandman Special'' #1. Extras include the Desire story "How They Met Themselves" from ''Vertigo: Winter's Edge'' #3, script and thumbnails from ''The Sandman'' #50 ("Ramadan"), art galleries from ''The Sandman'' #50 and ''Sandman Special'' #1, a gallery of works inspired by the Endless, a section on Jill Thompson's "Little Endless" series, and a gallery of statues inspired by ''The Sandman'' #50. Published June 2008.
* '''''The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 4''''', collecting ''The Sandman'' #57–75 (including three "lost" pages from ''The Sandman'' #72, originally published in ''The Dreaming'' #8)<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://comicvine.gamespot.com/the-dreaming-8-his-brothers-keeper/4000-116449/ | title=The Dreaming #8 - His Brother's Keeper (Issue)}}</ref> and "The Castle" from ''Vertigo Jam'' #1. Extras include script and developmental art for ''The Sandman'' #57 ("The Kindly Ones: Part One") and #75 ("The Tempest"), a timeline of ''The Sandman''{{'s}} production from Gaiman's initial pitch to the publication of the last issue, and sections on the merchandise inspired by ''The Sandman''. Published November 2008.
* '''''The Absolute Death''''', collecting ''The Sandman'' #8 and #20, ''Death: The High Cost of Living'' #1–3, ''Death: The Time of Your Life'' #1–3, "A Winter's Tale" from ''Vertigo: Winter's Edge'' #2, "The Wheel" from ''9–11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember'', and "Death and Venice" from ''The Sandman: Endless Nights''. Extras include the "Death Talks About Life" AIDS pamphlet, script and pencils for ''The Sandman'' #8 ("The Sound of Her Wings"), a complete reproduction of ''A Death Gallery'' (a one-shot of ''Death''-inspired art), a section on the collectibles inspired by Death, and sketches by Chris Bachalo. Published November 2009.
* '''''The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 5''''', collecting "The Last Sandman Story" from ''Dust Covers: The Collected Sandman Covers'', ''The Sandman: The Dream Hunters'' (both the prose version, written by Gaiman and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano, and the four-issue comics adaptation by P. Craig Russell), ''The Sandman: Endless Nights'', and ''Sandman Midnight Theatre'' #1. Extras include script, designs, and layouts for "The Heart of a Star" from ''Endless Nights'', covers and sketches from the comics adaptation of ''The Dream Hunters'', a gallery of ''Sandman''-inspired posters, and a section on the figures and statues inspired by ''The Sandman''. Published November 2011.
* '''''The Absolute Sandman: Overture''''', collecting ''The Sandman: Overture'' #1–6. Extras include the script for ''The Sandman: Overture'' #1 ("Chapter 1: A flower burns"), sections on Dave Stewart's coloring process, Todd Klein's lettering process, and Dave McKean's cover art process, interviews with the creative team, and art by J.H. Williams. Published July 2018.