15 DC Comics Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die
10. The Sandman Collection
Very few writers are as distinctive as Grant Morrison, and Neil Gaiman is one of them.
The Sandman was created as part of DC's more adult Vertigo imprint (as was Animal Man) and stands as a shining example of the sheer creativity that can be brought to comics. The series stars Morpheus a.k.a. Dream of the Endless, the personification of dreams and the lord of the Dreaming, who must rebuild his kingdom after being held prisoner on Earth for decades.
The series is a dark fantasy, delving heavily into elements of horror (like the return of obscure Justice League villain Dr Destiny as a nightmarish psychopath) while weaving a rich mythology involving the other personifications of concepts like Delirium and Death (a delightfully perky goth girl).
It also includes numerous stand-alone stories set all across history and incorporating many different myths. Highlights include a cult of cats trying to convince catkind to believe in a time where they once hunted humans and Morpheus' involvement in the creation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
For further reading, The Sandman also helped launch a number of spin-off series for Vertigo, including Lucifer (which narrowly missed out on making this list), the adventures of the Devil after he abdicates from Hell opens up a club in Los Angeles.