Carnifex Carys XXXIV (illustrated by Ron Chan)

Carnifex Carys XXXIV was, before his death, the ruler of Aurelia.

While some believe that his successor, Carnifex Carys XXXV, may have poisoned him, the truth is that he had terminal cancer.

Carnifex Carys XXXV did, however, murder his predecessor’s son, enabling him to attain the throne.

While Carnifex Carys XXXV hides in the tomb of the previous Carnifex, Carnifex Carys XXXIV, in his mummified state, returned to life briefly to accuse his successor of stealing the throne and to push him out of the window.

This Carnifex appears in Sandman # 52, on pages 22 and 23.

Ron Chan drew the Carnifex Carys XXXIV. He did an absolutely fantastic job, not only capturing the mummified state of the character, but also capturing the mood of the tomb in which is body is preserved.

Dreamer At The Wake # 24 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

This man is one of the many dreamers to attend the wake for Morpheus.

He appears in Sandman # 72 on page 15 in panel 2. He is on the left side of the panel in the front row.

This was one of the first portraits Lars did for the project. Nice, isn’t it?

Citizen Of Baghdad # 1 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In Ramadan (Sandman # 50), we are offered a glimpse of the magical city of Baghdad, where anything can happen and the streets are filled with exotic foods and clothing and treasures.

This particular citizen of Baghdad is one of many people who visit the marketplace. He can be seen in a crowd of people on page 8, panel 1.

He is a pretty obscure character and Lars did a fantastic job with him, I think….although he looks a little angry. He’s clearly not pleased about something…

Demon # 3 (illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa)

In The Kindly Ones, the angels Remiel and Duma are seen walking across Hell. Remiel is telling Duma that he has been trying to send messages to The Silver City regarding the disturbance in everything with the Kindly Ones confronting Dream and threatening to tear apart The Dreaming.

This Demon can be seen in Hell, assumedly torturing someone.

He is located in Sandman # 67, page 22, panel 1.

Ibrahim did a fantastic job with this demon. I like that he took this character and made him severely more menacing than his portrayal in the original published comic. It’s clear that this is not a nice demon!!!

Dancing Rabbit Salesman (illustrated by Lars Brown)

Sergei goes to Italy in search of some sort of resolution to his life, some way to erase the disillusionment he is feeling and perhaps reconcile his comfort with Death. While walking the streets of Venice, Sergei sees a Dancing Rabbit Salesman trying to scam a tourist. The Dancing Rabbit Salesman tells tourists that the little paper rabbits dance due to magnets on their feet and heads, but Sergie points out that it is actually due to a motor in his duffel bag connected to a very fine line and this makes the rabbits appear to dance.

Of course, the tourist does not buy the dancing rabbit and the salesman is disappointed by the lack of sale.

This character appears in "Death In Venice" from Endless Nights.

This is another portrait by Lars. He did a fantastic job with this character. I love the little rabbit.

Faery # 1 (illustrated by Ron Chan)

This faery is one of the many faeries who attended the first performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream written by William Shakespeare. The play was performed on June 23, 1593 at the Longman Of Wilmington (also known as Wendel’s Mound) in Wilmington, East Sussex, England.

This faery is visible in Sandman # 19, page 8, panel 3.

This is one of the first characters Ron drew for the Sandman Portraits project. I really like his work and his approach to drawing these portraits!!!

Colonel Sanders (illustrated by Lars Brown)

Merry Christmas!!!

I thought today would be a great day to start posting up new Sandman Portraits...my gift to you!!!

Colonel Harland Sanders is the creator of the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food restaurant chain in the United States. He is an American icon and his image is still seen in KFC restaurants around the world.

When Morpheus escapes is glass prison (in Sandman # 1) he travels through the dreams of Mort Notkin in order to gain some strength. Colonel Sanders is present in Mort’s dream and Morpheus eats some of the chicken in Colonel Sanders’ bucket. This was the first food that he had eaten in seventy years.

This is one of my favorite portraits Lars has done so far. I like that instead of holding a bucket of chicken he’s holding a living chicken.

and On the Night Before Christmas...

I’ve known Ron for…a long time. I was at the Stumptown Comics Festival talking with Steve Lieber and he recommended that I check out Ron’s work. Ron did a sketch of Delirium and Destruction for me at the show and it was amazing. Of course now I try to buy art from Ron whenever I can and am always amazed by his work.

Ron Chan was born and raised in Portland and works as a freelance Comics Artist, Storyboarder, and Illustrator and is a member of Periscope Studios.

His comics work has been published by Dark Horse, Marvel, Image, Virgin, and Viper Comics. His most recent comic work was “Husbands” and “The Guild: Clara” published by Dark Horse. Ron has also done storyboarding work for 3D animation, gaming, internal development, user experience design, and advertising, for clients such as Microsoft, Dell, Amazon Kindle, Nike, Konami, and Sega.

Ron also is working on a fantastic web comic called Roy’s Boys.

You can find more of his work here: www.ronchan.net/wordpress/ And don’t forget to check out Roy’s Boys: http://roysboys.ronchan.net

On the 2nd Day of Christmas...

I’ve known Emonic for several years. I think I first saw his work for the Sandman 20th Anniversary show in Los Angeles in 2008. He had drawn Despair and it completely blew me away. A few months later I had the opportunity to meet him at the Stumptown Comics Festival. I think I’ve seen him just about every year since the first time I met him and I try to buy art from him whenever I can. He is one of the nicest people in the comic industry and incredibly talented and I am very happy that he agreed to join the Sandman Portraits project.

Emonic (also sometimes called Emo Gonzales) has been creating art since he was a child. As a youth he was heavily influenced by skateboarding, comic books, music, movies and graphic design. He is a self-taught artist, however he does hold an A.S. degree in Multi-Media.

Emo has begun to receive recognition through his various freelance work for local musicians and other businesses in the bay area. His work has appeared in many gallery shows (most recently The Fresh Produce show for Gallery Anno Domini in San Jose) and he is currently working on a book that will hopefully be announced soon.

Check out more of his work on his blog http://emonicart.blogspot.com/

On the 3rd Day Of Christmas...

I’ve known Zack for awhile. He’s everywhere. He’s at the local comic shop I visit. He’s at practically every convention I attend. Heck, he’s even at the post office when I am there. He. Is. Everywhere. The first piece of Zack’s art I saw was a commission of The Spectre and it was awesome. It had a very silver age feel to it and I was impressed. So I sought out more of his work and then asked if he’d be interested in joining the Sandman Portraits team. I’m very happy to say that he said yes!!!

Zack Soto lives in Portland with his wife and their cat. He’s the publisher of Study Group Comic Books, co-editor of Study Group Magazine, and creator of The Secret Voice and Ghost Attack comics.

I’m very happy to welcome him to the Sandman Portraits project.

Please check out Study Group and his other works: http://studygroupcomics.com/main/

On the 4th Day Of Christmas...

I can’t remember exactly when I saw Isabelle’s art, but I was instantly in awe of the style. I loved the dark lines and the splashes of red. For me her art seemed intense and beautiful. I am very happy that she agreed to be part of the Sandman Portraits project!!!

Isabelle Melançon lives in Montreal and works primarily in illustrations and comics. She has published Rose and Psychopompes. She has been featured in art shows, has done illustrations for books, event posters as well as private commissions. She has also done storyboards and character design work for short, semi-professional animations.

She is also currently working on a webcomic called Namesake.

You can find Namesake here: http://namesakecomic.com/

and check out Isabelle’s site for more of her art and information about her books: www.isabellemelancon.com

On the 5th Day Of Christmas....

I have never met Max, but I’ve seen his work on his Comic Art Fans gallery and have been looking for an excuse to commission him…and it seems that I’ve found one!!!

Max Rugers was born in The Netherlands and has worked in the art field for a number of years. He has done everything from illustrations to murals to teaching art for children and adults. At the moment he is enjoying his job as art teacher and doing some freelance work on the side.

Aside from drawing and painting he is also quite a comics fanatic and is, himself, an art collector.

You can check out his work on his Facebook page or his website: www.maxrugers.nl/

On the 6th Day of Christmas....

Rebecca Woods is someone I’ve known for a long time and she’s painted a lot of the Endless and is currently working on a giant epic painting for me. She’s one of the most energetic and friendly artists you will ever encounter.

Rebecca has worked on Robin and Batman: Gotham City Secret Files for DC and Sexy Chix for Dark Horse. She has also shown her work in galleries and has worked in sculpture. She works in just about any medium imaginable, but prefers oil and watercolor.

Please welcome Rebecca to the Sandman Portraits project!!!

On the 7th Day Of Christmas....

I met Russel Roehling earlier this year at the Emerald City Comic Convention. As I was walking past his booth, his art caught my eye and so I arranged a commission with him. He drew me an absolutely amazing Delirium!!!

Russel does a wide variety of freelance illustration, including comics, storyboarding, and conceptual art. He is currently working with Oni Press on the comic series Wasteland (beginning with issue # 40).

I am looking forward to working with him on the Sandman Portraits project as well as commissioning him for a lot more art in the future.

Please visit his site at http://www.roehling-animation.com

On the 8th Day Of Christmas....

I met Joëlle Jones in 2003 or 2004 at the Stumptown Comic Festival. She was doing adorable sketches and I commissioned her to draw Death for me in my sketchbook…and I’ve been buying her art ever since. I just can’t get enough!!! She’s a wonderful artist and I want to welcome her to the Sandman Portraits blog team!!!

Joëlle has worked on tons of books including the graphic novels 12 Reasons Why I Love Her (my personal favorite), You Have Killed Me, and Token as well as drawn issues of Madam Xanadu, Dr. Horrible, Madman Atomic Comics and has appeared in anthologies such as Sexy Chix and Popgun.

She is currently working on a new book for Oni Press called Helheim.

I highly recommend checking out her books and her art. Visit Joëlle’s website at http://www.joellejones.com/

On the 9th Day Of Christmas...

Once again, my wife deserves the credit for me meeting Gabriel Frizzera. We were at the Emerald City Comic Convention and she asked Gabriel to draw her a Smurf and it was fantastic. His style was unique and captivating and so I commissioned him to draw Destiny for me. It was fantastic!!!

Gabriel was born in Brazil and currently lives in Canada where he writes, draws and publishes his own Independent Graphic Novels, including “With Just One Bullet,” “Heavy Metal Heart,” “Isthmus,.” And “Codex.” He also works as a Concept Artist and Illustrator for the game and movie industries.

You can find more of his work on his site http://www.gabo.ca

On the 10th Day Of Christmas....

It’s my wife’s fault that I met Lars Brown. In 2008 we were attending the Stumptown Comic Festival and my wife was checking out artists that she liked and asked them to draw sketches in her Smurf themed sketchbook. Lars was one of the artists who drew a Smurf for her. Earlier this year I was at another local convention and Lars was there. I liked the Smurf he drew for my wife and so I asked if he’s be interested in doing a Sandman commission. He asked if he could draw Fiddler’s Green. It was after seeing his painting that I knew he would be a perfect artist for the Sandman Portraits.

Lars graduated from the University of Idaho in 2006 after spending four months in Japan teaching history on a naval base. Shortly after returning he started writing and illustrating North World. Currently there are three North World graphic novels available from Oni Press. He has also been published in various anthologies including Popgun (from Image Comics) and Lava Punch. 



He is interested in the writings of GK Chesterton, Alexander Dumas, Western philosophy, apologetics and SNES Squaresoft RPGs. If you see him at a con he might have a harmonica on hand.

Check out his site for more of his art http://www.larsbrown.com/ or his Tumblr: http://larsbrown.tumblr.com/

On the 11th Day Of Christmas....

I had heard of Ibrahim Moustafa before I had met him. A few people told me that I should check out his work and that he was a pretty awesome guy. I would hear his name pop up in various places. Once I heard him mentioned on a podcast I listen to regularly. I saw his name on fliers for in-store signings at various local comic shops. For me, he was sort of an enigma and I wanted to meet him. Thankfully I met Ibrahim earlier this year at the Rose City Comic Convention. Everyone was right. He is a pretty awesome guy.

Ibrahim is a self taught sequential artist from Portland, Oregon. His contributions to such charities as “Wonder Woman Day”, “Full of Pryde”, and “The Marla Bea Benefit” gained him recognition in the original comic art collectors scene, and in 2009 his first published work launched the inaugural titles “Citizens” and “Faction” for Carpet Bomb Comics.

Recently, he penciled and inked a series for IDW, "The Pound Vol. 2: Ghouls Night Out", which released in September of 2012.

In January 2013, he will be releasing "High Crimes" along with writer Chris Sebela (Captain Marvel, Screamland), a crime thriller from MonkeyBrain Comics.

You can find more of his art on his website: http://theartofibrahimmoustafa.blogspot.com/

On the 12th Day of Christmas....

Beginning today, for the next 12 days, I will be introducing you to some new artists working on the Sandman Portraits project.

I can't wait to show you the portraits they've drawn.

Today, I would like to introduce Anna Hybsier!!!

Anna is one of three artists working on the Sandman Portraits blog that I have not met in person…and it’s a shame since I very much like her art.

I purchased my first piece of her art in 2004 and whenever the opportunity arises I always try to buy more. She is an absolutely fantastic artist and I am excited to share her Sandman portraits with you.

Anna Hybsier was born in 1981 in Germany, but spent most of her life in Asia. Since she was young, she had a strong interest in art, but at the age of 12, she read her first superhero comic and, since that day, it was clear that Anna would pursue a career in art and her fondness for comics would continue to grow.

She studied illustration and graduated from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Since then she has worked in comics, animation and advertising and has donated art to several charities including the CBLDF.

Anna now lives in Germany where she works as a freelance illustrator. She is currently working on a webcomic called Temudjin: The Real Story Of Genghis Khan, which will be available on her site www.ahybsier.com/

The 12 Days Of Christmas Countdown

Hello Everyone! Happy December!!! As usual, time has sort of slipped by me faster than I was expecting and now it's already December 5th. I thought now would be a good time to announce that beginning on December 13th, we will be doing a 12 Days Of Christmas countdown to Christmas. Keep your eyes posted on The Sandman Portraits blog for some exciting new art and news...and don't forget to check back on December 13th!!! See you then!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Everyone here at The Sandman Portraits Blog want to wish you a very Happy Halloween!!! Be safe out there and have a spooky night!!!

Interlude

As with any project of this size sometimes it's important to take a step back and take a small break.

We are taking a very short break in order to do a few things. One of them is to re-work the massive list of characters. I discovered that I had missed several characters...okay, several is an understatement. I discovered that I missed a significant number of characters on the initial list I made nearly three years ago. I am going to use this break to rework the list to include all the characters that I missed.

Yes, Dr. Lobster, that means you....

Scott has some work and personal commitments that he needs to focus on and so he's stepping away from the project for awhile. He's currently working on a few projects that I don't know if I can talk about, so I am not, but they are exciting and I can't wait to see them!!! Keep an eye on www.scottmills.net for details.

Scott will be attending SPX on September 15th and 16th in Bethesda, Maryland and so be sure to stop by his booth and say hi. Buy his books! Buy his art! Buy his Kokeshi figures! He will very much appreciate it.

Anyway, there are some exciting things happening on the Sandman Portraits Blog and so keep checking back. I can't wait to share everything with you!!!

See you soon!!!

Adam's Second Wife

In The Parliament Of Rooks, Eve reluctantly tells a story about Adam’s three wives.

Adam’s second wife was created from nothingness…first the bones, then the organs and muscle and flesh, then fat and eyes and bile and blood and finally skin and hair and breath.

When Adam saw her he would not go near her or touch because he has seen beneath her skin, he had seen the blood and the muscle and the bone. As Eve states “Sometimes it can just kill the romance.” (Gaiman. Sandman 40, page 15, panel 2)

When Matthew asked what happened to her, Eve replied that she didn’t know and that opinions differ. There are tales that are told in which she was permitted to leave the garden alone, but most of the stories say that God destroyed her.

Here is Adam’s Second Wife…

Kubilai Kahn's Advisor

In “Soft Places” Marco Polo accompanied his father and uncle to China and they were given audience before Kubilai Kahn.

This is one of Kubilai Kahn’s Advisors.

He appears in Sandman # 39, page 12, panel 2.

Demon # 90

This Demon is one of the Demons sitting at a table in the Hellfire Club watching the battle between Choronzon and Morpheus.

She is in Sandman # 4, page 15, panel 3. She is sitting with her back to the reader wearing a white tank top and jean shorts.

I really like how Scott envisioned this character. Since we, the readers, cannot see her face, Scott has given us his vision of this demon and it’s wonderful!!!

Nada

Nada’s first appearance within the Sandman Universe is a brief and mysterious introduction in Sandman # 4, where Dream travels to Hell to reclaim his stolen helmet. As Etrigan leads him through Hell Dream spies a woman in a cage who pleads with him to rescue her. As he walks past her he says “It has been ten thousand years, Nada. Yes. I still love you. But I have not yet forgiven you.” (Gaiman, Sandman # 4, page 7)

In “Tales In The Sand” (Sandman # 9) we learn the story of Nada and her ill-fated relationship with The King Of Dreams.

Nada was the queen of a great city and incredibly beautiful, but at the age of sixteen she was still not married, which troubled some of the women of her tribe. One evening a stranger entered the city and stood on the street looking up at the queen’s tower and when she looked out her window and saw him she was immediately in love.

She ordered the men of the tribe to find the stranger and when they failed she asked for the help of the King Of Birds in locating this man. It was the Weavebird who told Nada how to find the stranger (by eating a flaming berry from the sun-tree) and Nada found herself at a palace and it was then that she discovered that the stranger was none other than Kai’Ckul, the Dream King.

Nada ran in fear, knowing that no mortal can ever love one of The Endless, but Dream pursued her. Dream asked Nada to be his queen, but Nada said no, because “love is no part of the dream-world.” (Gaiman, Sandman # 9, page14, panel 5) Nada fled again, but Dream followed her unrelenting and when he caught up with her he once again expressed his love for her. They made love that night and “every living thing that could dream dreamed of love.” (Gaiman, Sandman # 9, page 16, panel 6)

When the sun rose, it saw Nada and Kai’Ckul together and as a consequence of their union, a ball of fire fell from the sun and destroyed Nada’s city. She blamed herself for the destruction of her city and so she leapt from the edge of the cliff, killing herself.

As Nada arrived in the land of the dead she discovered the King Of Dreams waiting for her and he offered his love to her one final time. He told her that she would forever be his queen, but if she refused she would be condemned to eternal pain.

While this story does not tell us what Nada’s decision was, we know from his encounter with her in Sandman # 4 that she once again rejected his advances and he sent her to Hell.

In the Prologue to Season Of Mists (Sandman # 21) Destiny calls together the family for a meeting and it is at this point that Dream discovers that he may have been a bit childish in sending Nada to Hell. Dream then decides to go into Hell once more and rescue Nada, even if it means a war with Lucifer.

When Dream returns to Hell he discovers that it’s empty and that Lucifer has released everyone. His final actions as the ruler of Hell is to give the Key To Hell to Dream.

After returning to the Dreaming, Emissaries from various nations come to Dream’s palace and appeal to him to allow them to become the new rulers of Hell. One of these groups of emissaries includes Azazel, The Merkin and Choronzon, one time inhabitants of Hell. Azazel offers Dream the demon Choronzon (who had once stolen Dream’s helmet) as well as the soul of Nada in exchange for the Key To Hell. Azazel threatened to devour Nada’s soul if they key did not end up in the possession of the demon.

When the final decision was made regarding the ownership of Hell, Azazel furious about Dream’s decision once again threatened to destroy Nada’s soul and Dream entered Azazel and rescued both Choronzon and Nada and then imprisoned Azazel in a glass bottle.

Once the emissaries left, Dream went to Nada and apologized to her for acting immaturely and for acting heartless and foolish and unfair to her. Dream once again offered Nada a place in his palace…a chance to be his queen, but once again Nada declined.

Dream enabled Nada’s soul to be reborn in a human child. She would never know that Dream loved her although he did tell her that she would always be welcome in the Dreaming regardless of what body she wore.

Here is Nada…both a rough pencil sketch and the finished painted portrait....

Guillaume

Guillaume encountered Johanna Constantine and Orpheus in Paris on June 24, 1794.

He cut the gold earring off of Orpheus’s head as a payment to the people of France.

Later, Orpheus tells Johanna that the earring will bring Guillaume nothing but misery.

Guillaume appears in “Thermidor” (Sandman # 29) on pages 2-4.

Kubilai Kahn's Priest

In “Soft Places” Marco Polo accompanied his father Nicolo Polo and uncle to China and they were given audience before Kubilai Kahn. They planned on converting Kubilai Kahn to Christianity, but The Kahn refused saying that his Priests have power to perform miracles for him. They can “ensure that it is always summer above his palace, through it rains and storms nearby. They cause his food and wine to fly into his hand, so never a drop is spilled, and never a man touches them.” (Gaiman, Sandman # 39, page 12, panel 3)

I am really struck with Scott’s interpretation of this character. It’s simple, but there’s something about it that really makes it stand out as being one of my favorite portraits he’s given me lately.

Here is Kubilai Kahn’s Priest…

Ixion

Ixion is a character in Greek mythology.

Ixion was king of the Lapiths (who resided in a city called Thessaly on Mount Pelion), who killed his father-in-law (by throwing him on a bed of burning coals) and was apparently insane.

Zeus took pity on Ixion and invited him to Olympus, but Ixion was lustful for Hera. Ixion made a could shaped like Hera and Zeus tricked him into having sex with the cloud (how, I have no idea) and their union brought about the birth of Centauros (the father or Centaurs and are sometimes called Ixionidae).

Ixion was banished from Olympus by Zeus and commanded Hermes to bind Ixion to a fiery wheel that was always spinning.

In “The Song Of Orpheus” when Orpheus travels down to the Underworld and sings a song in hopes of rescuing his bride Eurydice, Ixion’s wheel stops spinning for a moment as his song touches everyone who can hear his voice.

Ixion appears in only one panel of The Song Of Orpheus. He appears in The Sandman Special # 1 on page 34, panel 2. This story appears in the Fables And Reflections trade paperback.

Jafar The Barmakid

Jafar The Barmakid is the vizier (which is a political advisor) to Haroun al Raschid.

On the night, Haroun al Raschid was feeling melancholy, Jafar suggested that they disguise themselves and wander through the city looking for adventure. His king rejected the offer, to which Jafar suggested listening to the storytellers tell strange tales, but once again Haroun al Raschid said no and that he wanted to be alone.

Jafar The Barmakid appears in Ramadan (Sandman # 50) on page 9.

NEW SANDMAN SERIES - November 2013

This week is Comic Con International located in beautiful San Diego, California and with an event like Comic Con, a lot of new books get announced.

The biggest announcement so far (at least in my opinion) is the new Sandman limited series, which will be released in November 2013!!!

So far we don't have many details. It will, of course, be written by Neil Gaiman and will feature the art of J.H. Williams III. He's a fantastic artist and I'm very excited to see what he brings to the Sandman saga. The series is supposed to be a six issue limited series and it takes place prior to Sandman # 1 (but during a single panel in Brief Lives...Sandman # 47, page 14, panel 1).

Here is a link to a video where Neil announces the project.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=39721

And yes...we will be including the new characters from this book into our Portraits series...

Demon # 83

This is one of the many demons from Preludes And Nocturnes when Dream goes to Hell to retrieve his helmet.

This demon appears prior to the challenge, when Dream discovers that Choronzon has the helmet.

He is in Sandman # 4 on page 14, panel 6.

This is the weird white dog like demon in the lower portion of the panel.

Celeste

Celeste is the granddaughter of Vassily, who, as an old man, told her the story of how he met his wife and Celeste’s grandmother.

Like many teenagers, Celeste is more interested in television and music and boys than listening to “fairy tales” told by her grandfather. Of course, after hearing the story and realizing the significance of the story, her ancestry and the power of dreams she wanted to hear more.

Celeste appears in “The Hunt,” which is Sandman # 38 and is collected in the Fables And Reflections trade paperback

Ethel Dee

Ethel Dee plays a small, but important role in Preludes And Nocturnes.

Ethel Dee was the lover of Roderick Burgess as early as 1920 and was often seen on his arm when making public appearances.

In 1930, Ethel ran away with Ruthven Sykes, the second in command of the Burgess Empire. When they left they took many treasures with them, including Dream’s helmet, bag of sand and ruby. Sykes traded the helmet to a demon, we later learn was Choronzon, in exchange for an amulet of protection.

In 1936 Ethel left Sykes and took with her the demon’s gift as well as all the remaining items stolen from Burgess and she disappeared until 1988, when she goes to Arkham Asylum in order to see her son, John Dee, also known as the super hero Doctor Destiny.

Shortly after visiting her son, Ethel Dee dies and one of her most prized possessions, the Ruby of the Dream King, is given to her son, who uses it to cause chaos and destruction throughout the world.

This is one of my favorite portraits Scott has done so far. He really captures her likeness and it’s just a perfect portrait.

Jessamy

Jessamy was Dream’s raven around 1794.

When Johanna Constantine was arrested and imprisoned for rescuing Orpheus from the French Royalty she dreamed of meeting Morpheus and Jessamy.

When all seemed hopeless, it was Jessamy who suggested that Orpheus should sing in order to escape in inevitable capture and Johanna’s death.

Jessamy appears in “Thermidor,” which is Sandman # 29 on pages 16 and 17.

Gypsy Woman

This gypsy woman appears in “The Hunt” (Sandman # 30).

She encounters Vassily while he’s out hunting and after he gives her some food, offers to let him look into her bag of trinkets, which includes things like the Emerald Heart of Koschei The Deathless (which resembles the heart shaped shard of glass seen in Sandman # 9 and ), the Cloak Of Night, and the locket with a picture of the Duke’s daughter.

The gypsy woman encounters Vassily a second time where she gives him the advice of always following his heart and showing him the locket with the picture of the Duke’s daughter. When she offers to predict Vassily’s future, she sees something that frightens her and she runs away.

Later, when Vassily leaves his father’s home to follow his heart’s desire, he encountered the gypsy woman one final time. He found her, on the road, dead. Her body was cold and she had blood on her throat. Vassily took her peddler’s bag with him on his journey.

Marcus Junius Brutus

Marcus Junius Brutus was a Roman senator and was instrumental in the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC.

Many senators feared Caesar’s growing power and once he became dictator for life, Brutus joined the conspirators and helped lead the assassination, which occurred on March 15th.

In the play “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare, Brutus and Caesar were longtime friends and once he saw Brutus as one of his assassins he said “Et Tu, Brute?” which were the last words spoken by Caesar.

Marcus Junius Brutus appears in Sandman # 30, page 12, panel 5.

Burgess' Guard # 1

This guard worked for Roderick Burgess in 1916.

His primary job was to watch over the imprisoned King Of Dreams.

This guard can be found in Sandman # 1, page 12.

The Furies

These three women are The Furies, as they appear in The Song Of Orpheus (collected in Fables And Reflections).

When Orpheus travels down to the Underworld to rescue Eurydice from death he is granted an audience with King Hades and Queen Persephone and he sings them a song as a request to release his bride. The Furies, with their snake-like hair, can be seen sitting up on a cliff listening to the song, tears falling down their cheeks. As his song ends, he requests once again that Eurydice is given to him and Queen Persephone says “Thou hast made the Furies cry, Orpheus. They will not forgive you for that.” (Gaiman, Sandman Special # 1, page 35, panel 5)

Are these Furies the same three women who are The Kindly Ones? Are they somehow related to Stheno and Euryale, who met with Lyta during her search for Daniel? I don’t really know the answer to these questions, but they appear in The Sandman Special # 1 on page 35, panel 1 and there does seem to be some connection to the two ladies Lyta met with the snakes in their hair (from The Kindly Ones). I think there are a lot of possibilities of interpreting who these women are, given that Persephone refers to them as The Furies.

Ishak

In the City of Baghdad, in the Kingdom of Haroun al Raschid, there were many wonderful storytellers.

Ishak was the greatest poet of the kingdom.

On one particular evening, Ishak came before Haroun al Raschid because his King looked troubled. Haroun al Raschid sent him away because poetry and words could not ease his troubled mind.

Perhaps it was Ishak’s appearance that gave Haroun al Raschid the idea to make a pact with The King Of All Dreams.

Ishak appears in Sandman # 50 on page 10. This story, “Ramadan,” also appears in Fables And Reflections.

Aristeas

Aristeas was one of Dream’s raven during prior to Matthew.

Before Aristeas was a raven he was a poet and lived 700 years before the Roman Empire.

Aristeas accompanied Dream when he visited Octavious in his dreams. It was in this dream that Octavious was told to dress like a beggar and go into the market place and make his plans away from the watchful eyes of the Gods.

Aristeas appears in Sandman # 30, which was entitled “August,” on page 18-20. This issue was later collected in Fables And Reflections.

Kubilai Kahn

Kubilai Kahn was one of the Great Kahn’s of the Mongol empire and the grandson of Genghis Kahn. He lived from 1215-1294.

In “Soft Places” (Sandman # 39), Marco Polo accompanied his father Nicolo Polo and uncle to China and they were given audience before Kubilai Kahn. Nicolo Polo wanted to convert Kubilai Kahn to Christianity, but the Kahn refused because his priests offered miracles and powers that even he feared.

Kubilai Kahn appears on page 12 of Sandman # 39, which is collected in Fables And Reflections.

The King Of Pain

The King Of Pain, in life, was a liniment salesman, but he swallowed aconite (a poison known as the “queen of poisons") and killed himself over gambling debts.

In death, The King Of Pain works for Desire.

It was Desire’s agenda to corrupt Emperor Norton and she used The King Of Pain as her emissary. He offered Norton, what most people would dream of…a beautiful wife, a spectacular house, anything his heart desired, but Emperor Norton told him that he wanted nothing. He was the Emperor of The United States and there was nothing else he could ever desire.

The King of Pain returned to Desire in defeat.

Last year Scott shared a preliminary drawing of The King Of Pain with me. Scott has since redesigned the drawing and so here is both his original penciled preliminary image and the final painted version.

Little Dream and Little Death

When Daniel falls asleep and enters The Dreaming, he visits The House Of Secrets, where Eve, Cain and Able are telling stories.

Abel tells the story of how he and his brother came to The Dreaming and in his story both he, Cain and The Endless were all children. In Abel’s story, after Cain and he stopped fighting (alluding to the fact that he was killed by Cain), Little Death came to him and was about to take him to her “garden,” but was stopped by Little Dream who wanted Abel to come to his “garden” and tell “secret stories” from his very own house…the House of Secrets.

“The Parliament of Rooks,” illustrated by Jill Thompson, introduced two of the Little Endless, which led to eventually write and illustrate The Little Endless Storybook and the Delirium's Party storybook. If you have not read those books, they are fun and well worth reading.

This story was originally published in Sandman # 40 and was later collected in Fables And Reflections.

Here are Little Death and Little Dream.

Demon # 85

This is one of the many demons inhabiting Hell when Morpheus comes looking for his stolen helmet.

This particular demon can be seen in the Hellfire Club, listening to Choronzon give his introduction to the duel between himself and the King Of Dreams. He is sitting at a table watching the events.

He is probably most recognizable by the heart shaped tattoo on his arm that says “Joe.”

If you are trying to pick him out of the crowd, he can be found in Sandman # 4 on page 15 in panel 3.

Hassan The Sweet Maker

When The King Of Dreams and Haroun al Raschid walk through the market place of Baghdad Hassan the Sweet Maker approaches them and offers them sweets that taste better than any sweets in the city, candy made from spices and honeys and fine wines.

Hassan appears in “Ramadan,” which is Sandman # 50, on page 25 in panels 1 and 2.

The Duke's Servant

When Vassily finds the locket with a picture of a beautiful girl in it he vows to meet her. He travels for many days and has many adventures until he eventually arrives at the Duke’s Winter Palace (with the help of Baba Yaga).

The Duke’s Servant greets Vassily and leads him through the palace and into the dungeon.

The Duke’s Servant appears in Sandman # 38, “The Hunt,” on page 17 and 18.

Gaius Cassius Longinus

Gaius Cassius Longinus was a soldier for Rome and held several appointed offices, but he is probably best known as one of the conspirators in the assassination plot to kill Julius Caesar.

Aside from appearing in Sandman # 30 , entitled “August,” on page 13 panel 5, Gaius Cassius Longinus also appears in at least two other prominent literary works, William Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar” and Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno”.

Sigyn

In Norse mythology Sigyn is a goddess and the wife of Loki.

We first see Sigyn in Season Of Mists chapter three (or chapter four if you include the prologue) and she lives in the Cavern Beneath The World and she spends her life holding a bowl to catch the venom from The Snake, preventing it from falling into the face of an imprisoned Loki. Once the bowl is filled, Sigyn must empty it into the pit and during those moments when the venom drips into Loki’s face, he writhes in pain and “when he writhes, the earth quakes.” (Sandman # 24, page 3, panel 2)

When Loki is taken away from the cavern, she no longer has a job and so she simply waits for her husband to return….and he always does.

In The Kindly Ones, Loki is recaptured and returned to the Cavern Beneath The World after kidnapping Daniel, the son of Lyta Hall, Odin tells Sigyn that she no longer needs to stay with Loki, that she is free to go and that Loki deserves the pain of the venom dripping into his face and burning his eyes, but she chooses to remain with her husband despite the curses. “He dissects her with his words, whips her with obscenities and bruises her with curses. She begins to cry, softly, deep in her throat; then tears well up, which she had imagined far beyond tears. The salt-warm drops fall on her husband’s face, and he winces at each drop… Each word is like a slap, a blow, a kick, a burn. And she takes it. ‘I am pleased you came back, my love,’ whispers his wife. …and he begins to laugh inanely, high and wordless.” (Sandman # 66, page 7, panel 6-10 ).

I like Scott’s portrait of Sigyn, but I think it’s more of a classical mythology look and less of a Sandman mythology version. In Sandman Sigyn is emaciated and nearly skeletal. She looks unhealthy and abused, which is how I see her in the context of the Sandman universe.

Demon # 133

There are many demons in Hell that have a similar head structure, so this one will not necessarily be easy to spot.

This particular demon is in the audience of the Hellfire Club watching as Choronzon succumbs to defeat at the hands of Dream.

He can be seen in Sandman # 4 on page 20 in panel 4 on the far left side.

Boy # 9, Boy # 10 and Boy # 11

These three boys appear in Sandman # 50, “Ramadan.”

The boys appear in the market place and are looking at a box of fruit. They are largely ignored while two men are arguing, presumably over the price of the fruit.

You can find these boys in Sandman # 50, on page 24, in panel 1.

Bartender

This bartender served drinks and lunch to Samuel Clemens and Emperor Norton in a San Francisco saloon in 1864.

He appears in “Three Septembers And A January” (Sandman # 31) on page 13 in panel 1.

Henri

Henri works for Mazimilien Robespierre, a Politian and influential person in the French Revolution.

Throughout “Thermidor” (Sandman # 29), Henri is seen standing behind Robespierre, never speaking. He accompanies Louis Antoine de St. Just and Robespierre into the depths of the Paris underground in search of the stolen head of Orpheus.

He is one of the few people to ever hear Orpheus sing

Doctor

This doctor is one of the many people trying to contain a bit of sanity as John Dee tears reality apart using the Dream Ruby.

On the final page of Sandman # 7, this doctor finally breathes a sigh of relief as things return to normal, once Dream regains control of the ruby and returns John Dee to Arkham Asylum.

Ascetic Bedouin Sorcerers

In the kingdom of Haroun Al Raschid there were many wonderful things and people.

Ascetic Bedouin Sorcerers served Haroun Al Raschid and "knew the secrets of the angels and the djinn and of men."

They (sort of) appear in the Ramadan story, published in Sandman # 50 (page 4, panel 3), which has been collected in Fables And Reflections.

Demon # 84

This demon appears in Preludes And Nocturnes (Sandman # 5, page 15, panel 6) as Dream is searching for his helmet.

He is described, on my list of characters, as a "weird horse looking demon with one eye." Scott's version of this character is more lizard-like and doesn't seem to the demon in the published comic and so he might be more difficult to spot.

I love the little details in Scott's drawing. The little bits of hair really give this portrait a little something extra I think. It's small details like that I really appreciate.

Little Cain & Little Abel

In The Parliament Of Rooks (Sandman # 40, collected in Fables And Reflections), Daniel falls asleep and enters The Dreaming and pays a visit to The House Of Secrets, where Eve, Daniel, Cain and Able are telling stories.

Abel tells the story of how he and his brother came to The Dreaming and in his story both he and Cain were children, which, illustrated by Jill Thompson, were just cute versions of themselves.

This story paved the way for Jill Thompson to eventually write and illustrate The Little Endless Storybook and the Delirium's Party storybook, both of which are pretty awesome.

Here are Little Cain and Little Abel.