In a 2014 interview, Gaiman noted that with the change in penciler, Sandman quit being a horror comic and became something bigger.

Kieth quit after the fifth issue he was replaced by Dringenberg as penciler, who was in turn replaced by Malcolm Jones III as inker. Gaiman described the issues as 'awkward', since he, as well as Kieth, Dringenberg, and Busch, had never worked on a regular series before. The debut issue of The Sandman, which was a 40 page story, went on sale Novem and was cover-dated January 1989. Mike Dringenberg, Todd Klein, Robbie Busch, and Dave McKean were hired as inker, letterer, colorist, and cover artist, respectively. Editor Karen Berger reviewed the sketches (along with some drawn by Gaiman) and suggested Sam Kieth as the series' artist. It was given to artists Dave McKean and Leigh Baulch, who drew character sketches. In 1988, Gaiman wrote an eight-issue outline for a new Sandman series. The next volume in the series is The Doll's House. It was first issued in paperback in 1991, and later in hardback in 1995 and features an introduction by Paul Wilson. The eighth issue, 'The Sound of Her Wings', is a self-contained story that serves as an epilogue to the More Than Rubies plot and introduces the character Death. The first seven issues of this collection comprise the ' More Than Rubies' storyline, which introduces Dream. It is written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg and Malcolm Jones III, colored by Robbie Busch and lettered by Todd Klein. Preludes & Nocturnes (classified as The Sandman, volume 1: Preludes & Nocturnes) is the first trade paperback collection of the comic book series The Sandman, published by the DC Comics imprint Vertigo. Cover of The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes (1991), trade paperback collected edition Art by Dave McKean

Sandman vol 1 preludes & nocturnes