Japanese Woman # 10 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

The Fox, disguised as a beautiful woman, told The Onmyoji that she would not be with him unless he left his wife and concubine and became free to love her, got rid of his house, and to forsake all of his magics. The Onmyoji, desperate to be loved by this woman, set fire to his house, killing his wife, concubine and all of his possessions. He then brought all of his magical items and scrolls to the woman. She then asked him to remove his clothes, moved close to kiss him, but instead transformed back into her true shape and bit out his eye.

After the Fox took her revenge on The Onmyoji, he wandered the streets in rags and insane.

This woman is one of the many people who passed him by as he sat on the streets in misery.

She appears in the P. Craig Russell adaptation of The Dream Hunters,in issue # 4, on page 27 in panel 3.

This Japanese woman is absolutely beautiful and Anna did a fantastic job with this portrait. I love the shape of this woman’s face and her hair is gorgeous. The blacks are very deep and the contrast of the blue is spectacular. This is one of my favorite portraits from Anna.

Corpse # 8 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

In The Kindly Ones, Thessaly found Lyta Hall as she wandered the streets aimlessly after the supposed death of her son. She took her back to her apartment and placed her in a protection circle because she knew, with the events that had been put into motion, Morpheus would be searching for Lyta, possibly to kill her.

Thessaly fell asleep and dreams of people hanging from silver chains, hooks puncturing their skin and she feels a flicker of sadness and regret.

When she awakes she sees Dream standing before her.

The dream is something very reminiscent of the Hellraiser films, but I suspect that Thessaly has never seen those movies. Perhaps this is a nightmare of remembrance of things past…or perhaps it is simply a nightmare.

This character is one of the corpses hanging in Thessaly’s nightmare.

He appears in Sandman # 65, on page 18, in panel 3.

This is another amazing portrait from Lukas. I love the darkness of the lines on his body and face. The varying weight of the lines really adds a reality to the portrait. I also like the shocked expression on his face. The chains and hook definitely adds a horror to the portrait. I really like this portrait and it makes me very happy that I do not have dreams like this…

Kitten # 2 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In Dream Of A Thousand Cats, the storyteller cat tells a tale of how she dreamed of change. The storyteller cat started out as any other cat, comfortable and taken care of by her humans…until the day she had kittens.

She was a pure-bred Siamese cat and the father of the kittens was a stray Tom Cat and so the kittens were not pure bred and were not “worth diddly-squat” to her humans. Her owner put the kittens in a bag with a rock tied to weigh it down and threw the bag into a pond.

It was at this point that the Storyteller cat decided to try to make a change for her and her kind.

This is one of the kittens. This kitten appears in Sandman # 18, on page 8, in panel 3.

Anna’s portrait of this kitten is absolutely adorable. I love the playful and cuteness of this kitten, especially given the kitten’s unfortunate and horrible fate. This is an absolute sweet and loveable portrait.

Man # 323 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Worlds’ End, Mr. Gaheris tells the story about a man named Robert who lived an ordinary life in an ordinary city. He liked to walk throughout his city and appreciate it’s magnificence.

This man is one of the people that Robert passed by one on of his walks throughout the city.

He appears in Sandman # 51, on page 11, in panel 6.

In the published comic, this character is little more than a silhouette. Max took this character and gave him a life of his own. He made this character seem like an old man with the intense line work on his face. The details and expression on his face make him seem very serious. I wonder if Max gave this character a back story while bringing him to life.

Hot Dog Seller (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In Death: The High Cost Of Living Death spends the day as a mortal teenage girl named Didi. She befriends a boy named Sexton and they spend the day and evening walking around New York City.

While walking they encounter a street vendor selling hot dogs. Didi orders a hot dog with the works. As he makes the hot dog he tells a joke about a zen monk who orders a hot dog and Sexton knows the punch line. The Hot Dog Seller gives the hot dog to Didi for free because seeing her makes him feel good to be alive and because she has a nice smile.

He appears in Death: The High Cost Of Living # 2, pages 3 and 4.

I really like this portrait from Anna. She captured the characters happiness perfectly. I like that his eyes are exuding joy.

The Mummy # 2 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

In Worlds’ End, Petrefax retells a story of his experience at an air burial.

According to the rituals of an air burial, each member of the funeral party tell a tale.

Master Hermas tells a true story from his youth when he and Klaproth were apprentices under Mistress Veltis.

When Veltis was an apprentice she accidentally broke a flask of preserving fluid. She was ashamed and ran and hid from her master. She chose the catacombs beneath the city as her hiding place. In the catacombs she travelled a path she had never taken before, passing a wall of mummies, and eventually finding herself in a huge room with six cerements hanging in that room.

This is one of the mummies that she passed on her decent into the catacombs.

This mummy appears in Sandman # 55, on page 20, in panel 3.

I really like this portrait from Lukas. Each of the bandages has it’s own unique details and shading which gives the portrait a more realistic look. I also love the tufts of hair coming out of the bandages. This is one of my favorite portraits from Lukas.

Granny Goodness Minion # 3 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In the fifth issue of Sandman, Dream visits the Justice League in order to find his missing ruby.

He enters the Justice League Tower through the dreams of Scott Free, who is in the middle of having a nightmare remembering when he was on Apokolips. In his nightmare, Scott has been a “Bad Little Boy” and is being put in to the Murder Machine with the help of the Minions.

The Minion appears in Sandman # 5, on page 5, in panel 4.

I really like Anna’s portrait for this character. These minions are certainly not friendly people and Anna was able to capture that through the menacing expression and the dark look in his eyes. This is a very expressive portrait!

Starling # 5 (illustrated by John Carmine)

George, a servant of The Cuckoo and a man obsessed with Barbie, receives this Starling as a visitor. He catches the Starling and takes him into his apartment and swallows him whole.

This Starling appears in Sandman # 32, on page 25, in panel 2.

This is a fantastic portrait from John. I love how the Starling is staring, seemingly startled, straight ahead as if he’s looking directly as you and me. The shading of the feathers is wonderful and I really like the realistic approach he took with this portrait.

Cult Member # 3 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In 1916, Roderick Burgess and his Order Of Ancient Mysteries attempts to capture Death, but instead captures her younger brother Dream.

This man is one of the members of The Order Of Ancient Mysteries.

He appears in Sandman # 1, on page 5, in panel 1.

Max did a great job with this portrait. I love the use of blackness and shadows in this portrait and the contrast for the folds of his robes. The darkness really works well with this portrait.

Dreamer At The Wake # 41 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

As people fall asleep, they gather at the wake for Morpheus. They stand watching The Endless, “bigger than storm clouds” build a house of remembrance in the heart of The Dreaming.

The crowd of people grows larger as they wait for the building to be completed.

This man is one of the people watching the Endless, waiting for the building to be finished, waiting to go inside.

He appears in Sandman # 71 on page 1, in panel 3.

This man is standing in a crowd of people. None of the people are easily recognizable and we can’t see the faces of a majority of the people, including this character, but I’ve always wondered if this was Tim Hunter from The Books Of Magic. From the back we can see his moppish hair and that he’s wearing glasses. That doesn’t necessarily confirm that it’s Tim Hunter, but it’s a possibility and I would love to know if it is.

I do not think that Anna shared by curiosity of this character, but she certainly did an amazing job with this portrait. I really like his expression and the sadness that is clearly visible in his eyes. This is an absolutely fantastic portrayal of this character.

Citizen Of Baghdad # 81 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

Haroun al Raschid threatens to shatter the Globe Of Sulaiman Ben Daoud, which contains nine thousand and nine Ifrits, Djinn and Demons unless the King Of Dream comes to him.

He throws the globe, but Morpheus arrives just as the globe is about to hit the ground.

Haroun al Raschid asks the King Of Dreams to accompany him on a tour of Baghdad to see its many splendors. One of the stops on their tour is the marketplace.

The marketplace is crowded and full of people, including this woman.

She appears in Sandman # 50, on page 25, in panel 3.

This is a beautiful portrait from Lukas. I love the hat on this character. Lukas gave it a bit more flamboyance than in the published comic, but it really suites the character. I also really like the expression on the character’s face. She seems completely happy and at peace in this city.

Actress # 2 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

This is another actress from Fear Of Falling is one of the women performing in “The Typhoid Mary Blues,” written and directed by Todd Faber.

Todd feels discouraged about his play and has some to the conclusion that he should simply give up and step away from his dreams. He tells his friend Janet that he is done and that the play is over. Todd falls asleep and encountering Morpheus. The King Of Dreams encourages him to not give us and that sometimes taking the leap is worth it.

As Janet is about to tell the actors that they play is being cancelled, Todd appears re-invigorated and is once again excited about the play.

This actress appears on page 10 of “Fear Of Falling,” which was originally published in Vertigo Preview # 1. She is in the first panel and is in the middle of the stage.

Anna did a wonderful job with this portrait. I really like her approach to this character. The curtains I the background are a great contrast to her dark hair. Also I really like the use of watercolor for this portrait. It helps add texture to the portrait and really intensifies the vibrant colors. This is another lovely portrait from Anna…

Actress # 1 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Fear Of Falling, this actress is one of the women performing in “The Typhoid Mary Blues,” written and directed by Todd Faber.

Todd feels pretty hopeless about the play and decides to give up, but changes his mind after encountering Morpheus in a dream. As Janet is about to tell the actors that they play is being cancelled, Todd appears re-invigorated and is once again excited about the play.

This actress appears on page 10 of “Fear Of Falling,” which was originally published in Vertigo Preview # 1. She is in the first panel and is in the middle of the stage.

Max took an interesting approach to this character. I did not envision the actress to look as she does in this portrait, but that’s one of the things I like about this project, especially for characters that are not well defined in the published comic. Max’s eye for details and his well thought out line work make this a really unique portrait. She reminds me of someone…and I really wish I could remember who.

Jamaican Man # 2 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

Here is one of the Jamaican Men who appeared in Preluded And Nocturnes.

Daniel Bustamonte is one of the many victims of the sleeping sickness that swept the globe during Dream’s imprisonment. He spends a lot of his time on the streets, barely awake.

This Jamaican Man is one of the many men that passed by Daniel while he slept on the side of the street. He was in Jamaica in 1955.

He appears in Sandman # 1, page 20, panel 3.

I really like this portrait from Anna. She didn’t have a lot to work with in the published comic and she brought this character to life with her interpretation of this character. As always the colors are vivid and his face is incredibly expressive. This is a wonderful portrait!!!

Wierdzo Orderly # 1 (illustrated by John Carmine)

As Wanda’s dream fades into a nightmare she finds herself in a hospital on a gurney being wheeled into the operating room by two Wierdzo Orderlies. Wanda, who in her nightmare sees herself as her former self, cries out that she is afraid of surgery.

The Wierdzo characters are comic book characters that Wanda liked when she was young. They appeared in Hyperman comics. These characters are, obviously, a homage to Bizarro who appears in Superman comics.

The Wierdzo Orderly appears in Sandman # 33 on page 13 in panel 4.

The perspective of this portrait makes the this Orderly look very frightening, which is absolutely necessary based on the character’s role in the comic. I like the line work on his face, which really accents the terrifying nature of this character.

Demon # 384 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

The Fox and the Badger made a wager to see who could make the Monk who lives in a small temple in the mountains of Japan flee his responsibility.

Each tried a variety of tricks to make the Monk leave the temple.

One night a troop of demons appeared at the temple. They stood outside the temple and demanded that he come out and be eaten.

The Monk emerged from the temple and used a torch to frighten away the demons. As he began to run toward the demons, the creatures disappeared and where the demons had once been stood a fat old badger.

This is one of the demons that the Monk saw when the badger was trying to play a trick on him.

He appears in the P. Craig Russell version of Dream Hunters. He is in the first issue, on page 15, panel 2.

Anna’s portrayal of this demon is perfect. She was able to make what looks to be an adorable demon very menacing. Don’t mess with this demon!

Faery # 57 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

When Titania and Auberon were invited to attend the first performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written by William Shakespeare and performed by his acting group Lord Strange’s Men, they brought along hundreds of other Faeries to enjoy the performance.

This is one of the Faeries who attended the performance.

This Faery appears in Sandman # 19 on page 7 in panel 2.

This is another great portrait from Lukas. I like that the Faeries in this story are not necessarily the typical image of Faeries and that this character looks menacing and perhaps a bit devious. This smile is filled with mischief and I like it.

Sailor On The Sea Witch # 4 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In Worlds’ End, Jim recounts his meeting a gentleman named Robert Gadling who was a passenger on the Sea Witch and was going back to England.

On their journey they faced a fierce storm and the following day the sea was calm with no wind to propel them. The crew spent the down time repairing things that the wind had damaged the previous day.

One of the sailors noticed a large school of fish racing toward them on the horizon. The men cast their nets and caught hundreds of fish as they passed the Sea Witch.

Suddenly the ship lurched as someone called out for land. A large sea serpent rose from the water briefly before vanishing before their eyes.

This man is one of the many sailors who caught fish as they leapt out of the ocean and saw the sea serpent.

He appears in Sandman # 53, page 17, panel 3.

I like this portrait from Anna. This sailor has an incredibly stoic expression on his face and a stern look in his eyes. He seems like the type of person to get things done. The netting in the background is a really nice tough setting the scene for his appearance in the published comic.

Woman # 150 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Death: The High Cost Of Living, after Didi and Sexton manage to escape from The Eremite they go to a small café and eat breakfast. They then find a street vendor selling ankhs and Didi buys one to replace the one stolen from her.

This woman is walking on the sidewalk behind Didi and Sexton.

This woman appears in Death: The High Cost Of Living # 3, on page 13 in panel 8.

In the published comic we see this woman from behind as she walks past Didi, Sexton and the street vendor. Her most striking feature is her red hair. Max did an awesome job with this character, focusing on her red hair as a starting point for this portrait. I really like his approach and this portrait is pretty amazing!!!

Delirium’s Flying Frog (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In Three Septembers And January Despair challenges Dream to use his “little dreams” to affect Joshua Norton, who has fallen on hard times and entered Despair’s realm.

In September 1864, Emperor Norton and Samuel Clemens are sitting in a saloon discussing all manner of things, including frogs. Norton suggests that Samuel Clemens should write a story about frogs (which he did, entitled “The Celebrated Jumping Frog Of Calaveras County” which was published on November 18, 1865).

Delirium is inspired by the conversation and makes a flying frog.

This flying frog appears in Sandman # 31 on page 13, in panel 4.

Anna did a great job with this portrait. This frog is absolutely adorable, and really, there’s not much else to say!!! I love this flying frog!!!

Headmaster Theodore (illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa)

Headmaster Theodore was the Headmaster at St. Hilarions when the dead returned to the school for boys.

Charles Rowland was the only boy left at the school while the other boys returned to their families for the holidays. He would take his meals with Headmaster Theordore and Miss Gribble.

One morning Charles went down to the dining hall for breakfast and nobody was there and there was no breakfast waiting for him. At lunch time he went to the dining hall again to find it empty. He went to the headmaster’s study and found the Headmaster at his desk with his deceased mother who had returned from Hell to visit with her son.

Theodore had a very unique relationship with his mother. She seemed to be a very harsh woman when she was both alive and dead. Theodore is a bit of a Momma’s boy and has an unusual attachment to his mother.

Headmaster Theodore appears throughout Sandman # 25.

Ibrahim did an awesome job with this portrait. It’s simple, but it captures Headmaster Theodore perfectly. I particularly like this hair and the lines within this hair. It’s subtle little details like this that really make a huge difference with a portrait.

Boy # 15 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In Brief Lives, Dream and Delirium journey through the waking world looking for their missing brother. They begin by seeking out associates of Destruction.

Ruby drives them through a nice neighborhood to the home of Danny Capax.

As they drive past, this boy runs across the street towards his house.

He appears in Sandman # 44, page 5, in panel 1.

Anna’s portrait of this boy makes me smile. He looks so gleeful and full of energy. The character was just a speck in the published work, and Anna was able to give him personality and life.