Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman is a British-American author who has produced a wide range of work ranging from comic books and graphic novels to audio theatre and films. 

Throughout his career, spanning over fifty years, the author has produced award winning work like the Sandman series, American Gods, Coraline and Stardust. He was the first person to win both the John Newberry Medal and the Carnegie Medal for the same work, The Graveyard Book. 

Born on November 10, 1960 in Portchester, Hampshire in England to Scientologists, Gaiman attended several different schools because of his family’s cult beliefs and then went on to work as a journalist early in his career. He published his first short story in “Featherquest” in 1984. 

A few of Gaiman’s books and comics have been adapted in recent years. Most recently, under the guidance of the author himself, Netflix developed the The Sandman television series from 2019 to 2021 and premiered on August 5, 2022. The show has received mixed responses from critics with some saying that the show has managed to recreate the magic of the comic books while others criticized it for its lack of pacing and the anthology style of storytelling. 

Also Read: Every upcoming DC movie and TV show

In 1989, Gaiman was hired by DC comics to write The Sandman. The comic series propelled the author to mainstream fame as he redefined  storytelling in comic books. While the character was an old DC Comics character, under Gaiman’s influence the series became one of the company’s top selling titles, beating even Batman and Superman. Such was the popularity that throughout the run of the comic book from 1989 to 1996, the series was nominated for numerous fantasy and fiction awards. The series and some of its spinoffs have won 26 Eisner awards, which are given to comic books for significant creative achievements.