Just when you thought that DC had gone all in on the “everything counts” exclusive continuity, just wait. But be warned, major spoilers await you below the cover to “Dark Nights: Metal” #1.
Yes, fans of “The Sandman,” that is the Daniel Hall incarnation of Dream making his debut in the post-‘Rebirth’ DC Universe. While Daniel Hall has made appearances in the mainstream DC Universe before, particularly in #22-24 of Grant Morrison’s “JLA” and occasionally in “JSA,” those stories were published over a decade ago, before “Infinite Crisis,” “Flashpoint” or ‘Rebirth.’
“Dark Nights: Metal” writer Scott Snyder spoke to The Washington Post about bringing “The Sandman” back to the DC Universe, confirming Neil Gaiman gave him his blessing to use the character. Believing Dream would be the perfect guide to the unknown, whose presence would make the story “unforgettable,” Snyder reached out to Gaiman via e-mail, and the two exchanged details on the character’s activities in the story. Ultimately, Gaiman replied, “I love it. Go for it.”
Gaiman has given permission for other creators to use the Endless before, most notably during Paul Cornell’s “Action Comics” run, when his version of Death guest-starred in #894 as Lex Luthor’s guide to the afterlife. In contrast, DC ran afoul of Gaiman when they attempted to introduce a facsimile of his characters, dubbed Doctor Endless, in the now-cancelled “Suicide Squad: The Black Files.” While “The Sandman” in the DCU is nowhere as game-changing as the integration of “Watchmen,” it does mark, for better or worse, an ongoing attempt to merge all of DC Comics into one larger world, where characters as diverse as Shazam, Constantine, Dream, or Dr. Manhattan can co-exist coherently.
