Fans have been waiting for this news forever: Neil Gaiman is returning to his most famous comic book work. That's right, Sandman is coming back to Vertigo in 2013.

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The project was announced at the Vertigo panel at San Diego Comic-Con by Neil Gaiman himself via video, which you can watch below:Paired with artist J.H. Williams III, the new mini-series will mark the writer's return to the series for the first time in over ten years."When I finished writing The Sandman , there was one tale still untold. The story of what had happened to Morpheus to allow him to be so easily captured in The Sandman #1, and why he was returned from far away, exhausted beyond imagining, and dressed for war. It was a story that we discussed telling for Sandman's 20th anniversary... but the time got away from us. And now, with Sandman's 25th anniversary year coming up, I'm delighted, and nervous, that that story is finally going to be told," said Gaiman."There's nothing like a Neil Gaiman story," said Vertigo Executive Editor Karen Berger, "and there's nothing like having Neil back home on The Sandman, his dark, soulful, literary epic that transformed comics and continues to captivate countless new readers year after year. Working with him again, and with JH Williams, the extraordinary and groundbreaking artist, is truly the stuff dreams are made of.""As accomplished as Neil Gaiman is in other media—whether it be novels, film and even music—he still has an incredible passion and love for comics. It’s exciting to have him back," said Jim Lee and Dan Didio in a joint statement. "J.H. Williams will be the perfect complement to Neil’s writing. He has a history of creating art that pushes the boundaries of the medium."Williams also showed off a first look at the artwork for the series on his blog The official title of the project hasn't been announced yet, but it will release in 2013 with same-day digital releases.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter , or find him on IGN . He will love Star Wars until the end of his days.