The Sandman, written by Neil Gaiman (American Gods) was first published by DC Comics in January 1989, and ran for 75 issues. It, along with titles such as Hellblazer and Swamp Thing, were instrumental in bringing about the creation of DC's Mature Readers imprint Vertigo, and thusly, it is hugely influential in the proliferation of creator owned comics that have been published in the wake of Vertigo. The Sandman is credited as being one of the first comics to bring literary credibility to comics. It is a series that can be studied in universities and book groups, rich with themes and allegories. One of the first comics to mix the horror, fantasy and humour genre's, The Sandman attracted a readership vastly different from any other comics: many fans were female, in their twenties and might not have read any other comics at all. This was graphic literature, and one of the first comics to break into the New York Times Best Seller list. It's influence can be felt directly in the output of Vertigo, which for many years, was THE place to go in comics to find stunningly interesting stories outside of the superhero genre. Without Sandman, would series' such as Transmetropolitan, The Invisibles, Preacher and Fables have found a home? Who knows. Creators of today will have been heartened when reading a series such as Sandman, safe in the knowledge that their left of centre, odd yet beguiling and compelling stories could find an audience in comics.