Building on what has to be one of its most anticipated comic releases in years, Vertigo Comics has released both variant cover and interior art for the first issue of The Sandman: Overture. The interior art, below, is the first page of the new miniseries, drawn by artist J.H. Williams III. The cover is a variant drawn by Dave McKean, the artist responsible for drawing the covers for The Sandman‘s the original 75-issue run.

Series creator Neil Gaiman told Entertainment Weekly that he was happy to have McKean back for the variant cover, saying “There is something special about Dave McKean that makes it feel real . . . I get the same thrill I got 25 years ago seeing his covers…”

You can catch Gaiman, McKean, Williams and original Sandman artist Sam Keith, at Comic-Con this Saturday for the series’ 25th anniversary panel (3:15 p.m., Room 6DE).

The Sandman: Overture #1 releases in October, in both original and variant cover.