Allan Heinberg, the showrunner of Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman, claims it was always the plan to condense Neil Gaiman’s 10 graphic novels into two seasons, and not a reaction to the sexual assault allegations against Gaiman. A reveal of the titles for the show’s final 12 episodes demonstrates just how much they’re cramming in, following arcs across multiple books and finishing with the spinoff Death: The High Cost of Living.
Season 2 will be released in three blocks. Volume 1 comes out July 1 and will focus on Lucifer’s (Gwendoline Christie) plots teased at the end of season 1 while also introducing more of the Endless as Dream (Tom Sturridge) accompanies his little sister Delirium (Esmé Creed-Miles) to find their brother Destruction (Barry Sloane), who has abandoned his duties. It’s a journey that forces Dream to come to terms with how he has wronged his own family and set about making things right, despite the immense personal cost.
The fallout from those decisions will be explored in the five episodes releasing July 24. But the series is also taking the time to adapt several special issues, spinoffs and auxiliary stories. “The Song of Orpheus” makes a lot of sense, tying the season 1 bonus episode “Calliope” to the core plot of this season. The Shakespeare-focused “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is in the same book as “Calliope” and the other season 1 bonus episode “A Dream of a Thousand Cats.” It would be easy to skip, but echoes strongly with “The Tempest,” the very last issue of the main Sandman series, which will also be adapted by Netflix.
The biggest surprise is a special bonus episode releasing July 31 that will adapt the 1993 three-issue limited series Death: The High Cost of Living. It follows Dream’s older sister Death (Kirby), who takes mortal form once a century, as she tries to help a suicidal young man. The show’s very faithful adaptation of “The Sound of Her Wings” was a highlight of season 1, so it’s great that Death is getting another episode in the spotlight. She also made a brief appearance in another spinoff from The Sandman, Dead Boy Detectives, which was cancelled after one season.