Two years ago, Bleeding Cool expected DC Comics to announce a line of new Sandman spinoff titles at ECCC, the major comic con in Seattle. We had been informed that Sandman co-creator and fantasy novelist and Neil Gaiman had provided a series of back-of-envelope takes for a number of characters created or associated with the comic book series he wrote for DC Comics in the eighties and nineties. That the line was being arranged by the now ex-Vertigo EIC Shelly Bond. And that a number of other writers would then take these series on.

Indeed, at a later date, I received confirmation from creators associated with the line that it was meant to be happening and they had written for it. Honest. But that was two years ago.

At the time the rumour included two anthology comics, each with a number of independent story arcs from a number of creators, in the fashion of the old Dreaming comic. That one of those books will focus on a new House joining the House Of Secrets and the House Of Mystery in the Dreaming and generating new stories from that. I had also been told, however, that it has been forbidden for Dream, the Sandman, Morpheus or Daniel, to appear in the comic, even though one of the books revolves around something rather major and un-ignorable happening to the Dreaming…

Of course, that was before Daniel turned up in Metal. Last year's big event title from DC Comics, in arrangement with Neil Gaiman, brought the second Sandman Daniel back alongside Lucius, involved with the DC Universe, and saw him stand alongside Batman and Superman, and reflecting the character's legacy and relationship to Hawkman. It was quite a thing.

And now I am told that the previous delayed arrangement is full on. That DC Vertigo will be announcing its line of Sandman spinoffs at ECCC this coming long weekend. The Saturday panel at.30pm would be my best bet. But that, like the Young Animal imprint is with Gerard Way, the line will be curated by Neil Gaiman himself.

What we will get is still a big surprise. But it has been a very long tale in the telling.

And Shelly Bond will have a busy ECCC herself, with her IDW Black Crown panel on the Friday at 6.30pm… maybe someone should ask what her plans were back then?