Fidelity, focalization and nostalgia: The audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman.

This article examines the 2020 Audible audio drama adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed superhero comic series *The Sandman*, focusing on its strategies of fidelity, focalization, and media nostalgia. As the first official adaptation of the comic, the audio play closely follows the original text, quoting it nearly verbatim while translating visual elements into sound and narration, with Gaiman himself serving as the omniscient narrator. The adaptation taps into contemporary nostalgia for older media forms and the 1980s–1990s settings of the source material, targeting long-time fans through a reverential approach that emphasizes authorial involvement and faithful reproduction. Additionally, the audio format allows for a nuanced handling of narrative perspective, clarifying and expanding focalization through distinct voice actors, which compensates for the increased narrator discourse required to convey the comic’s visual storytelling.