Finally, after seemingly sitting in development hell for decades, Neil Gaiman’s comics masterclass The Sandman is coming to television screens. The series has almost come to fruition several times, but after failed adaptations by HBO and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dream, his siblings the Endless, and the world of Sandman are coming to Netflix.

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Arguably the greatest ongoing comic series of all time, there are many reasons to be both excited and hesitant about its adaptation to the screen. While we wait with bated breath, it’s worth considering which of its myriad of stories would be best adapted to the screen.

10 A HOPE IN HELL

This issue isn’t as iconic as some of the greatest hits of Sandman’s 75-issue run, but it is notable for one of the cleverest plot devices in the series: The Oldest Game. As Dream continues on his quest to regain his power after escaping abduction, he sets his sights on Hell, where a demon named Choronzon has taken hold of his helm. Hell is transformed into a swinging club, where the two engage in a battle of theoretical beat poetry, trading blows with ideas rather than fists. Seeing the Oldest Game played on screen would mark an early high point for the Netflix series.

9 COLLECTORS

This issue’s setting alone makes for one of Sandman’s darkest tales: a convention for serial killers. They gather from all over the country for panel discussions, movie screenings, socializing and dancing. Amongst themselves, they behave as if they were just as normal as anyone else, having fleeting conversations about their “scores,” tastes and interests. The convention’s guest of honor? The Corinthian, the perfect nightmare created by Dream, who escaped The Dreaming and made his way to the human world. This issue is one of The Sandman’s most unsettling, and with The Corinthian set to be cast in the Netflix series, it’s almost a lock that the culmination of this part of his story will be adapted to TV.

8 MEN OF GOOD FORTUNE

Sandman Men of Good Fortune Hob Gadling

In the late 1300s, Dream and his sister Death walk among the humans and stumble upon an inn. There, they overhear the ramblings of Hob Gadling, who’s convinced that people only die because it’s “the thing to do.” The two agree to grant him immortality. Dream and Hob agree to meet at the same inn every one hundred years, and as these meetings pass, the world and Hob’s life change dramatically. It demonstrates one of The Sandman’s key themes: that life is a gift, and that you should cherish that gift no matter how dark things get. As an episode of the Netflix series, it’ll allow The Sandman to spread its wings a bit, travelling between time periods and commenting on the nature of how the world keeps turning.

7 BRIEF LIVES: CHAPTER EIGHT

Sandman Brief Lives

After a road trip to find their long-lost brother, Dream and Delirium finally come upon the domain of their brother: Destruction. Destruction had left his position with the Endless three hundred years ago, and none had seen him since. This issue calls for reunions, ruminations on the impermanence of life (Endless or not), changes, and understanding. Long standing grudges and miscommunications are settled, and goodbyes are said once more.

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Dream's other siblings had been given the spotlight much earlier in the series, but Destruction had only been seen in flashback. Meeting this entity for the first time, he’s nothing like what readers may expect, and this soft, quiet night among siblings turns out to be a major turning point for The Sandman.

6 SEASON OF MISTS: CHAPTER TWO

 

The second chapter of the magnificent “Season of Mists” storyline in The Sandman brings us back to Hell for the second time in the series. Lucifer has decided to give up his status as the King of Hell and completely close down the place, in perhaps his most worthy act of defiance. Taking some characterization from Paradise Lost, this version is Lucifer at his most human, and he’d go on to star in a comic series and a TV show of his own. As the issue closes and Lucifer seals the gates of Hell forever, he presents Dream with the key to Hell, enacting a bittersweet revenge that sets the stage for Sandman's next great arc.

5 RAMADAN

“Ramadan” adapts legends from One Thousand and One Nights to fit the world that Gaiman created. The great Caliph Harun Al-Rashid rules over the city of Baghdad, a city of pleasures, wisdom and wonders, yet grows increasingly sad, knowing that his marvelous city may someday fade away.

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He bargains with Dream, entrusting the city to him in exchange for its permanent place in The Dreaming. “Ramadan” takes readers on a journey to a place so foreign, so wonderful, so beyond what they’ve seen so far, and takes it all away in the blink of an eye. What a marvel it would be to see the Baghdad of dreams in vibrant, beautiful color on the screen.

4 A SONG OF ORPHEUS

Sandman The Song of Orpheus Epilogue

“The Song of Orpheus” takes the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and intertwines it with the stories of Dream and his siblings, with Orpheus starring as Dream’s son in this version. From a joyful wedding, to Orpheus’ confusion at Death’s modern looking domain, to the tears in the underworld ferryman’s eyes as Orpheus plays his lyre, to the heartbreaking conclusion where Dream disowns his son, “The Song of Orpheus” is Gaiman at his best. As one of the series’ most iconic one-shots, it’s ripe to be one of the Netflix series’ most effective bottle episodes, with consequences to be seen only as the show progresses.

3 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

William Shakespeare owes Dream a debt: two plays, one a comedy and one a tragedy. The first of these is A Midsummer Night's Dream. However, this is no ordinary performance; as their surrogates perform tales half-true on the stage, Oberon, Titania, Puck, Peaseblossom and a multitude of faerie creatures enjoy the show from the crowd. The ongoing themes of the reality of one’s dreams and the importance and longevity of the stories we tell are displayed at their best in “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.” As the only comic book to win the World Fantasy Award, adapting this story to the screen would not only provide viewers with the most unique portrayal of the play they’ve seen yet, but a defining moment in The Sandman.

2 24 HOURS

Sandman 24 Hours Dr. Destiny

Dr. Destiny has escaped from Arkham Asylum, stolen Dream’s powerful ruby, and arrived upon a diner filled with patrons. Over the course of the next 24 hours, Destiny toys with the customers and staff as if they were puppets. Every hour a new experience, from sex to playacting to gruesome murder.

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“24 Hours” is the issue of Sandman that first showed the breadth of storytelling styles that Gaiman had at his command, and how he could balance them all with the grace of a circus performer. “24 Hours” exhibits the range of Gaiman’s writing and his dominance of the form, using the space between panels to convey to passage of time. Adapting this issue to the screen will give viewers their first glimpse into just how dark and pensive the series can get.

1 THE SOUND OF HER WINGS

The Sandman. Dream and Death. "The Sound of Her Wings."

There may not be a more powerful single comic book issue in the history of the medium. Serving as the final chapter of Preludes & Nocturnes, “The Sound of Her Wings” introduces Morpheus’ sister: Death. With her 90s goth girl aesthetic, a sensitivity the series had yet to express at that point, and a commanding presence, Death of the Endless immediately established herself as a comics icon.

From Death’s berating of her brother for his selfishness, to her tender moments with the recently deceased, and Dream’s meditations on humans’ perspectives of life, death and dreams, “The Sound of Her Wings” hits so deeply to the heart that it’s hard not to cry tears of joy by the end. It’s the adaptation of this issue that will define Netflix’s The Sandman, and could end the first season with the beating of mighty wings.

NEXT: Netflix's Sandman: 5 Things From The Comics That The Show Should Have (& 5 That It Can Leave Out)