Like the graphic novel series from which is it adapted, Netflix’s The Sandman delivers a cast of complex characters in a richly developed world that blends elements of dark fantasy, horror, and mythology. Here are a few series, graphic novels, and novels sure to satisfy fans hankering for stories in a similar vein.

TV

Good Omens. Created by Neil Gaiman. Based on Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Prime Video. Rated: 16+ FANTASY

A persnickety angel and a jaded demon join forces to prevent a teenage antichrist from instigating the apocalypse in this quirky adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s first novel, co-written with Terry Pratchett. A second season is expected to be released by the end of 2022.

Lucifer. Created by Tom Kapinos. Based on characters created for DC Comics by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg. Netflix. Rated: TV-14 FANTASY

Gwendoline Christie’s performance as Lucifer Morningstar is a highlight of The Sandman season one. For those interested in a more lighthearted take on the Lord of Hell, this series, loosely based on events occurring deeper into The Sandman graphic novels than where the Netflix adaptation currently ends, finds the titular demon quitting Hell for Los Angeles, where he divides his time between managing a nightclub and helping the LAPD investigate supernatural crimes.

The Umbrella Academy. Created by Steve Blackman. Based on The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. Netflix. Rated: TV-MA FANTASY 

The dysfunctional family dynamics at the core of The Sandman also drive this adaptation of Way and Bá’s hit graphic novel series about a group of super-powered siblings coming to terms with their traumatic upbringing.

Graphic Novels

Kibuishi, Kazu. Amulet Volume 1: The Stonekeeper. Graphix. Jan. 2008. 192p. ISBN 9780439846813. $12.99. FANTASY

When 12-year-old Emily and her younger brother, Navin, discover a powerful artifact, they are propelled into an amazing adventure involving robots, elves, monsters, and anthropomorphic animals. Kibuishi crafts richly imagined worlds inhabited by an enormous cast of wonderfully developed characters. Eight volumes of this beloved Young Adult fantasy graphic novel series have been released thus far, with the final installment due later this year.

Liu, Marjorie (text). Sana Takeda (Illus). Monstress Book One. Image Comics. Jul. 2019. 528p. ISBN 9781534312326. $49.99. FANTASY

Fans of The Sandman’s genre-hopping will find much to love in this ambitious horror/steampunk/epic fantasy saga following a teenage girl with a psychic link to a monster as she searches for vengeance in a world devasted by war in an alternate matriarchal 1900s Asia. Winner of five Eisner awards, four Hugo Awards, and the British Fantasy Award for Best Comic/Graphic Novel in 2017 and 2018.

Smythe, Rachel. Lore Olympus: Volume 1. Random House Worlds. Nov. 2021. 384p. ISBN 9780593160299. $26.99 FANTASY

Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, experiences a sexual and political awakening that changes the way she views herself and her place amongst the Gods of Olympus. The first collection of this bestselling webcomic echoes The Sandman’s interpretation of mythology through a contemporary lens.

Books

Cheng’en, Wu. Monkey King: Journey to the West. Penguin Classics. May 2022. 384p. tr. from Chinese by Julia Lovell. ISBN 9780143136309. pap. $18.00. F

Julia Lovell’s recently released English translation of this 16th-century classic novel about a shapeshifting trickster, a pious monk, and two fallen immortals on a quest to attain enlightenment is a swashbuckling, often very funny adventure that bursts with memorable characters and fantastic ideas.

James, Marlon. Black Leopard, Red Wolf. Riverhead. (Dark Star Trilogy, Bk. 1). Feb. 2020. 640p. ISBN 9780735220188. pap. $18.00. FANTASY

James draws on African history and mythology in this vibrantly imagined story about a group of outsiders on a perilous search for a missing boy. While grittier and more graphic than The Sandman, James shares Gaiman’s interest in protagonists of questionable morality and in exploring the role storytelling plays in shaping experience and defining truth.

Wilson, G. Willow. Alif the Unseen. Grove. Apr. 2013. 448p. ISBN 9780802121226. pap. $16.00. F

Fantasy, cyberpunk, and Islamic mysticism collide as an Arab Indian hacker armed with an ancient book of djinn tales battles the tyrannical government of an unnamed Middle Eastern state. Winner of the 2013 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.