Technically, the 20th anniversary of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman isn't until 2009, but DC Comics is jumping the gun with a set of matching bookends depicting Dream (above) and his sister Death set to go on sale in early September. The limited-edition figures were designed by Mark Buckingham, one of the many artists who worked on the series during its seven-year run, and then sculpted by Mike Locasio.

At $295, the bookends were among the most expensive items in DC's room at this week's International Toy Fair. Mostly there were a lot of action figures, including several variations on Batman and the Joker (although not the infamous Heath Ledger version, which is a Mattel product). But there were a few other high-end collectibles tucked away in one corner, including a life-sized replica of Superman's cape (complete with a hidden pocket in the lining to hold Clark Kent's folded clothes) and a miniature Bat-signal powered by a halogen bulb.

Here's one of this year's additions to the popular Batman: Black and White line of action figures, based on a design by Andy Kubert.

This Batman/Joker set was inspired by Brian Bolland's artwork on the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke, and will in fact be packaged as a box set together with that book. (Which is also being released next month, sans action figures, in a hardcover edition with Bolland recoloring the art to his satisfaction.) DC also plans a similar toy/book combo for Red Son, a story in which that rocket from Krypton landed in the Soviet Union. However, these figures, based on Matt Wagner's depictions of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman from Trinity, are simply being sold on their own, without the accompanying book:

Publishing Trends went to the Javits to see more of the Toy Fair exhibits, and found some interesting book-themed surprises, like the Dangerous Book for Boys-branded magic kits and Chicken Soup for the Soul word search collections. (What's next? A Dangerous Mind sudoku?)