Citizen Of Barbie’s World # 17 (illustrated by Russel Roehling)

As Barbie’s land is being destroyed by Morpheus, we see the inhabitants of that world walking into the darkness of his cloak.

This large blue rabbit is one of the many citizens of Barbie’s world that vanish as the land is destroyed.

This character appears in Sandman # 36, in the first panel of page 34.

I love this portrait…but then who doesn’t love a giant blue rabbit? Russel did an amazing job with this character. The colors are just so vibrant that it really stands out!!!

Burgess’ Guard # 12 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

Roderick Burgess (and later Alex Burgess) had many guards throughout the years guarding the imprisoned Morpheus. The guards are given coffee and drugs and are not allowed to sleep while on duty.

This is one of those guards.

He appears, mostly off panel, in Sandman # 1, on page 12, in panel 1, 2 and 6.

I like Max’s approach to this character. Since we cannot see the guard’s face in the published comic, Max has to decide what this particular guard looks like. He creates the character, more or less. I think he certainly made this guard an interesting character.

The Holy Man (illustrated by Emonic)

In Worlds’ End, a sailor named Jim tells a story about a man named Hob Gadling.

One evening Jim, Hob and Gunga Din were standing on the deck of The Sea Witch and he told a story about a king who loved his wife more than anything. One day a Holy Man came to the kingdom and presented a single piece of fruit to the king. This fruit was the fruit of live and whoever ate it would live forever.

When the king asked why he did not eat the fruit himself, the Holy Man replied “Firstly, I am an old man; immortality should be given to the young, and those in good health; secondly, I desire to remain upon the karmic wheel of death and rebirth, on my path to eventual rewards far greater than living forever. Thirdly, I am too scared to taste of it.”

The King ordered that gold be brought to the Holy Man, but he refused it and left the kingdom and went on his way.

It is unknown where he went after that.

This is that Holy Man and he was beautifully drawn by Emonic. I love the details of this character. I think he did a fantastic job. This is probably one of my favorites that he’s done so far.

The Holy Man appears in Sandman # 53, on page 11 and 12.

Demon # 4 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

This demon is one of the most recognizable demons from Sandman and he only appears in one page.

When Morpheus goes to Hell, he speaks before an audience of demons asking for the return of his stolen helmet. This character is one of the demons in the crowd.

He appears in Sandman # 4, on page 12. He is part of the massive double page spread. He’s pretty easy to spot.

Max did a fantastic job with this demon. I love that I get a sense that this demon is hungry, even though he also could just be smiling…

Reveler At Alain’s Masked Ball # 2 (illustrated by Joëlle Jones)

This portrait is of one of the many people who attended Alain’s masked ball from the Endless Nights story “Death In Venice.”

He is one of the people who attended Alain’s masquerade. He can be seen standing at the bottom of the stairs talking with other party guests.

He appears in Endless Nights, in the Death story illustrated by P. Craig Russell entitled “Death In Venice,” on page 13, in panel 1.

Joëlle did a fantastic job with this character. She managed to make this character seem believably and realistically happy. I also really like the colors. They are very rich and vibrant. This is another perfect portrait from Joëlle.

Aurelian Citizen # 13 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

When Cluracan is sent to Aurelia to prevent an alliance between the people of the cities of the plains he expected to see a city of wonder and majesty. Instead he found a city in poverty and the citizens destitute.

This Aurelian Citizen is one of the men he sees as he enters the city.

He appears in Sandman # 52, on page 6, in panel 4. He is up front with gray hair.

This is another cool portrait from Max. I really like the line work on his face. It definitely makes him seem like he has had a hard life in recent years. It’s probably just the shadows, but he looks like he’s wearing a mask…maybe he’s secretly an Aurelian super hero.

Worlds’ End Patron # 16 (illustrated by Ron Chan)

This is one of the many characters trapped in Worlds’ End during the storm.

This monkey soldier is one of the more bizarre characters in Worlds’ End and he appears several times throughout the storyline.

His most noticeable appearance is in Sandman # 52, page 1, panel 5 and he is seen walking into the bathroom as Brant and Klaproth are leaving.

Ron did an awesome job with this character. He’s such a goofy character and Ron made him more believable somehow. Maybe it’s the detailed line work or the character position in the portrait. I don’t know…but I do know that this is a great portrait!!!

Despairing Man # 4 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

Despair lives in a realm of mirrors and through each mirror she can see those who despair.

This man is one of the many characters who has Despair’s hooked ring snagged into his heart.

He can be seen in one of Despair’s mirrors in Sandman # 49 , page 9, panel 5. He is on the left.

Max did a wonderful job with this portrait. I love the torn up bits of newspaper added to this piece. It’s really a nice touch.

He drew a rough sketch on the back and so I am including that as well.

Boy with Smiley Glasses (illustrated by Emonic)

In the Worlds’ End storyline, Brant encounters a Seeker who tells him of a world where a young man named Prez Rickard was one of the greatest presidents the United States. The prince of that world was Boss Smiley and his face was everywhere…on buttons, on hats on t-shirts and apparently on glasses.

This boy is one of the people who live in that world.

He can be seen in Sandman # 54, on page 5 in the first panel of the page.

I like Emonic’s portrait for this character. The elongated neck, the big ears, the half-opened mouth with big front teeth. It’s perfect!!! This is one of my favorite portraits that Emonic has done so far!!!

Kubilai Kahn’s Priest # 4 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

Nicolo and Maffeo Polo traveled to China and were given audience before Kubilai Kahn. They planned on converting Kubilai Kahn to Christianity, but he refused saying that his Priests have power to perform miracles for him and told them to tell the Pope to send him one hundred Christian miracle workers to show his priests that can show him that Christ can perform miracles as great as Gautama Buddah.

This is one of Kubilai Kahn’s Priests. He was drawn by Max, who did a fantastic job with the character.

You can see this Priest of Kubilai Kahn in Sandman # 39, on page 12, in panel 4. He is in the far background in the middle of two other priests. I will include the original panel to indicate which of the Priests this is representing.

Here is Kubilai Kahn’s Priest…

Man # 68 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

Barbie and Wanda ride the subway home from an afternoon of window shopping at Tiffany’s.

This man is one of the people on the subway when Maisie Hill asks them for some spare change. This man is standing in the corner reading a magazine and apparently enjoying it quite a lot.

He appears in Sandman # 32, page 13, panel 2 on the right side of the panel.

Max took an interesting approach to this character. Max’s portrait makes the guy seem older than the impression I got in the published comic. He also seems a little more serious or unhappy than when he was reading the magazine on the subway. The details on this portrait are awesome. He looks like he could be a real person and that is amazing.

Roman Guard # 1 (illustrated by Russel Roehling)

This Roman Guard is one of the guards who patrols the home of Cauis Julius Caesar Octavianus, who is also known as Emperor Augustus.

When Lycius appears at the doors of the palace, this guard inspects his credentials and then allows him to enter.

The Roman Guard appears in Sandman # 30, on page 2, in panels 1 and 2.

Russel did a great job with this character. I love the action pose!!!

Ghost Boy # 8 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

When Lucifer emptied Hell and locked the doors behind him, the residents of Hell were forced to leave. Some of them returned to where they died, others went to visit their living relatives.

This Ghost Boy returned to St. Hilarion’s School For Boys.

He can be seen standing, looking out through a window at Charles Rowland as he sits in an empty library reading.

The Ghost Boy appears in Sandman # 25, page 7, panel 2. He is standing at the back and has combed over hair. I like this portrait. Lars managed to capture a feeling of sadness about this little ghost boy.

Cave Man (illustrated by Max Rugers)

What? There’s a cave man in Sandman?

Yes…there is. He isn’t even a resident of The Dreaming and he appears in one panel of Brief Lives.

In Brief Lives we get an introduction to The Old Ones…people who have lived for a very long time and have not died.

“There are less than five hundred living humans who remember the human civilizations that predated the great lizards.”

In that panel there is a cave man, for lack of a better name.

This is that cave man. He appears in Sandman # 43, page 1, panel 3.

Is he an Old One or just a simple cave man?

Max did a great job with this absolutely obscure character. It seems very stark and I like the use of gray, perhaps complimenting the fact that he is from the “stone age.” I also included the drawing Max did on back of the portrait. I thought it was fun...

A Dream Vortex (illustrated by Max Rugers)

When Rose Walker enters The Dreaming and is confronted by Morpheus, he explains to her that she is a Dream Vortex and that she must be killed to prevent damage to The Dreaming and to dreamers. He shows her, in a glass globe, a Vortex from the past and tells her that “The Vortex, by its nature, destroys the barriers between dreaming minds; destroys the ordered chaos of The Dreaming…until the myriad dreamers are caught in one huge dream…until all the dreams are one. Then the Vortex collapses in upon itself. And then it is gone. It takes the minds of the dreamers with it; it damages The Dreaming beyond repair. It leaves nothing but darkness.” This Vortex is what Dream shows Rose.

The Dream Vortex, and Dream’s explanation of its power appear in Sandman # 16 on page 5.

When I asked Max to draw the Vortex I wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to approach it. This is not really a typical portrait. Max did an awesome job with The Vortex. I like that the Vortex’s eyes are closed, as if sleeping.

Cat # 1 (illustrated by Ron Chan)

In “A Dream Of A Thousand Cats” a group of cats listen to a wise cat tell a story of what it was like before the humans ruled the lives of cats. Her story was based on a dream she received after visiting the Dream Lord. This cat is one of the many cats gathered in the cemetery to listen to the story, to hear the message of the storyteller cat.

This cat can be seen in Sandman # 18, page 4.

Ron drew the first of many cats for the Portraits project and he did an awesome job. I love that he drew the cemetery background.

Demon # 174 (illustrated by Joëlle Jones)

This is one of the Demons who appears in Ramadan, inside the Globe Of Sulaiman Ben Daoud, which Haroun al Raschid threatens to shatter if The King of Dreams does not appear before him. If this globe is broken, nine thousand and nine Ifrits, Djinn and Demons will be released into the world and cause untold chaos.

This demon is one of the many demons imprisoned within the globe.

You can find this Demon in Sandman # 50, on page 17, in panel 4. It’s pretty easy to spot.

This fantastic portrait is by Joëlle Jones. She did a wonderful job capturing this sinister demon. Honestly, he looks for frightening than he did in the published comic, which is awesome!!!

Bondage Girl # 6 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Brief Lives, Delirium wanders into a bondage club looking for a change.

This woman is one of the women in the club.

She can be seen in Sandman # 41, on page 10, in panel 1.

I really like this portrait from Max. It’s definitely an interesting perspective and I like how he portrayed her. This is a wonderful portrait!!!

Dr. Roger Huntoon (illustrated by Lars Brown)

Roger Huntoon was the supervising doctor of the Ravenscar Secure Facility in England as well as the chief administrator of Arkham Asylum. Growing up in England, he went to school with John Constantine and years later, Huntoon treated the mentally-ill Constantine with electric shocks and drugs at Ravenscar.

Dr. Huntoon is also the author of the book "Pow! Psychology: Understanding the Super-Men (and Women)"

In the Sandman Universe, Dr. Roger Huntoon is the chief administrator of Arkham Asylum in 1989 when Ethel Dee visits her son John Dee.

Dr. Huntoon appears in Sandman # 2, on page 8 and 9.

Lars did a great job with this character. I really like how this portrait gives you a sense of what type of person Roger Huntoon might have been. It just has a very specific feel to it that I appreciate.

Interlude - Lars Brown Kickstarter

I'm sure you've all noticed that there hasn't been an update in a week. I've fallen behind on writing character descriptions and so I wanted to take a brief break and try to get caught up...which I haven't been able to do.

You can look for new characters to begin again on Monday.

In the meantime, check out the Kickstarter campaign from Sandman Portraits artist Lars Brown. He is trying to raise some money to print more copies of his creator-owned book Penultimate Quest. If you have the extra money I encourage you to support this project. There are some great rewards for reasonable contributions, including orginal pages from the book AND the opportunity to get your very own commission!!! Check out the Kickstarter campaign here.

Okay, see you on Monday...