Names and faces
Given his popularity as a writer, Neil Gaiman could probably work on any project he wants. And what he wanted to do is go back to his roots in the comic book world. That’s how Gaiman ended up writing The Sandman: Overture for DC Entertainment’s Vertigo, which recently released as part of a deluxe edition. “The idea of celebrating the 25th anniversary of Sandman with a comic was just too good to miss,” Gaiman said in an interview. The deluxe edition includes a prequel to the original series, showing what happened to the magical lead character Morpheus, who controls all dreams, before The Sandman No. 1. Gaiman said he hopes the rerelease will make longtime fans examine the 75-issue run with new eyes. “[It] would actually make a reread of the entire Sandman [series] more interesting,” Gaiman said. In the time since the British-born author wrapped up the original run of The Sandman, Gaiman has collected Newbery and Carnegie medals, Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, Hugo and Nebula awards, as well as acclaim by the Dictionary of Literary Biography, which called him one of the top 10 living postmodern writers.
Poland will not extradite Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski to the U.S. in an almost 40-year-old case after prosecutors declined to challenge a court ruling against the extradition request. Prosecutors in Krakow, who had sought the extradition on behalf of the U.S., said Friday that they found the court’s refusal of extradition to be “right, ” adding that they found no grounds to appeal it. A lawyer for Polanski, Jan Olszewski, said Polanski’s reaction was of “great relief” and “satisfaction” that the irregularities in the U.S. procedure have been exposed. Polanski spoke to his lawyer over the phone from Paris, where he lives with his family. The case was heard in Krakow, where Polanski has residence in Poland. The decision by the prosecutors closes the case in Poland and means Polanski, 82, is free to reside and work in Poland, where he grew up and studied filmmaking and where he is preparing to make a new movie. The director pleaded guilty in 1977 to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl during a photo shoot in Los Angeles. In a deal with the judge, he served 42 days in prison, but then fled the U.S. fearing the judge would have him imprisoned again for much longer.