–but I’ve never seen girls who dress up as Wonder Woman for their yearbook photos. I’ve seen batches of them do it as Death.

Not everyone was a Sandman fan. That doesn’t make it any less of a quality series.

I bet none of them know what issue she first appeared in though

Well, of course they won’t! I was talking about non-comics readers. But they would recognise Wonder Woman. Death, or even Sandman himself? Doubtful.

Non-comics readers probably won’t know anything about Paradise Island, or Steve Trevor, or even of the secret identity of ‘Diana Prince’, but put up an image of the character herself, and it’s instant recognition.

Sandman fans know issue eight.

And Wonder Woman fans know All-Star Comics #8. Knowing all kinds of weird trivia is what makes you a fan. There are Superman fans out there who can tell you all the metals used to make Jimmy Olsen’s signal watch.

Or baseball fans who can recite all of Ted Williams’ statistics — and then compare them, year by year, with DiMaggio’s. Williams’ career began just as the Golden Age of comics too was taking off, and I would guess there are comics fans with memories as retentive as sports fans.

And a decade ago, everyone was a Sandman fan.

“Everyone”?

Now, if you were arguing that everyone should have been a Sandman fan, I might have agreed…

The fact is that she has become a cultural icon, someone easily recognised by non-comic readers.

I bet none of them know what issue she first appeared in though.

Sandman fans know issue eight.
And a decade ago, everyone was a Sandman fan.

I’Did it really become a big deal in the US?

Big enough that Gloria Steinem led a campaign to restore Wonder Woman’s powers. (She also placed the super-powered Diana on the cover of the first issue of Ms. magazine.)

Also, scholarly types still write papers nobody reads about Sandman.

The New York Times is hardly an academic journal. Yet it interviewed Gail Simone in November 2007 when she took over as the regular writer on Wonder Woman. You can understand Picoult being a feature because she is a best-selling author with few links, if any, to comics, but Simone?

And earlier this year when the fashion pages had an article on how “cartoons” were inspiring designers the headline read ‘In Wonder Woman’s Phone Booth’. The fact is that she has become a cultural icon, someone easily recognised by non-comic readers.

I’m a caught a bit off guard by the comments here – I had no idea Sandman and Death had slipped so far off of peoples radars.

It’s been a dozen years since Sandman ended, and DC has respected Gaiman’s wishes that his characters be left well alone. That may have saved Sandman from lesser writers but it also denied him exposure.

Plus, the story where she gave up her powers from the 60s or 70s became a big deal in the US, with many major feminists weighing in on the storyline itself.

Did it really become a big deal in the US?
Also, scholarly types still write papers nobody reads about Sandman.

The Perez and Rucka runs, for exanmple, were generally we received, and the Perez run carried a lot of good will beyond the initial reboot hype.

Two generally well-received runs isn’t that much, and I think Perez is the only time in the books history that it had any sort of ‘Must read’ buzz about it.

I think it got the pick because Sandman as a series was considered a great series, and not on the strength of this issue’s notability.

It’s the first appearance of the character Death, who is a big deal to anyone who has read or heard about the series, and also the first issue in the series that really felt like The Sandman – many consider it the issue where Gaiman found his voice.

I’m a caught a bit off guard by the comments here – I had no idea Sandman and Death had slipped so far off of peoples radars.

But she has had good, quality runs for longer than that. The Perez and Rucka runs, for exanmple, were generally we received, and the Perez run carried a lot of good will beyond the initial reboot hype. They may not have been to your liking, but they were well received.

“As it is, Wonder Woman is known as a Also, more non-comic readers have read Sandman than most other American comic series, with the possible exceptions of Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Maus, Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns.more iconic character, but only through the Super-Friends cartoon, the Lynda Carter TV series, and various pop culture appearances and references (The O.C. comes to mind, and is but a paltry example).”

We could argue the same for many characters as well. More people probably know about Batman from the 60s TV show and the movies from the comics themselves. Plus, the story where she gave up her powers from the 60s or 70s became a big deal in the US, with many major feminists weighing in on the storyline itself.

I think you got this one wrong. Ask anyone to name a female superhero. Even as a huge comic book geek you are gonna say Wonder Woman first. Ask any non comic fan about Sandman and get the “WTF” look.

Well firstly, Death isn’t a superhero, so that’s a bit flawed.

Also, more non-comic readers have read Sandman than most other American comic series, with the possible exceptions of Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Maus, Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns.

Ask the average person, almost anywhere in the world, who they actually know, Wonder Woman or anything about or from Sandman, and more often than not, they would pick WW.

That’s because of her TV show in the 70′s, or other tv (cartoon) appearances more than her comics.

I agree with Brian in that she may be a more notable character, but that Sandman #8 is a more famous number, than WW’s first appearance.
Also, I only made the points about Sandman because you said WW as a character is more important than ANYTHING in Sandman, and I think that’s quite untrue.
In fact, I’d say comics as a whole would be almost exactly the same with or without Wonder Woman, but I don’t know if they would be without The Sandman.

That’s the argument, at least.

But Wonder Woman I’ve heard of. So has a lot of people. How can you have the first appearance of Wonder MAN and not Wonder Woman. She’s only well known for the TV show and Super Friends? Say “Batman” to someone and they say “Holy “something” Batman!” and then launch into the old TV theme. Most people never read the comic.

When Wonder Woman’s series starts being good, and can actually build up hype beyond DC’s creative team shakeups every six issues (sometimes less!), then I’ll consider All-Whatever Comics 8 to be an important issue.

As it is, Wonder Woman is known as a more iconic character, but only through the Super-Friends cartoon, the Lynda Carter TV series, and various pop culture appearances and references (The O.C. comes to mind, and is but a paltry example).

Sandman 8 is more well-known. Heck, I’d put Crisis 8 and Secret Wars 8 both above WW’s first appearance.

Also, this was the comic book that shifted me from “kid who randomly reads comics” to “lifelong comic book fan.” Sad, I know, but that’s what early 90s X-Men comics did to eleven year olds

And maybe it’s just because I’m anal-retentive about things like this, but if someone asked me “what’s the first appearance of Wonder Woman” I’d say “All Star Comics #8″ without hesitation, because at one time I made a point of knowing exactly in which book all the key comic book characters first appeared, and I wasn’t going to fall for the Sensation Comics ruse.

Before reading this post, if you had asked me when Gaiman’s Death first appeared I’d say “I dunno, exactly…in one of the earlier trades, I guess. Not issue 1, but somewhere around there.”

But then again, I’m in the minority that appreciates Sandman without ever having gone ga-ga over it.

That’s the argument, at least.