Emerald City Comic Con This weekend!!!

This weekend is the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington. Several Sandman Portraits artists are going to be in attendance (as well as many other awesome guests). Stop by and see Lars Brown (Table 107), Jeremy Haun (H-17) Joelle Jones (F-14), Ibrahim Moustafa (C-15), and Russel Roehling (H-05). Buy their books, buy their art and definitely tell them how much you love their Sandman portraits!!!

San Francisco Resident # 16 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In a challenge from Desire and Despair, Dream gives hope to Joshua Norton, who becomes the first and only Emperor Of The United States.

He lived in San Francisco from roughly 1849 until he died in 1880.

Emperor Norton would occasionally have lunch with Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. They would eat lunch in a local saloon and talk about stories and Norton would share his dreams of building a bridge across the bay.

In this saloon many people would gather for food or drinks or to men would sometimes go there to meet women. This man is one of the people who were at the saloon on an unusual day when Dream and Delirium were checking in on Joshua Norton and his sanity.

This man appears in Sandman # 31, on page 11, in panel 2. He is talking to another man and a Chinese woman, who may likely be a prostitute.

This is a great portrait from Lars. I like this character and his approach. This portrait looks like the type of portrait that this man would have posed for, meaning that he was probably a man of importance. This just has a very respectable feel about it.

Ash’s Kin # 1 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In The Hunt, Vassily tells a tale to his granddaughter Celeste about a young man, also named Vassily, and how he left home to follow his heart and along the way met The Endless and found his future wife.

In the tale, Vassily, after journeying many days, decides to hunt for some food to fill his stomach. He finds a deer and chases her for many miles and just as he was about the leap for the kill a young girl pounced on the deer and broke it’s neck.

She took the deer back to her people, with Vassily following behind her.

Ash and her people lived in the heart of the woods. Vassily had never encountered so many of his people before.

As we, the reader, discover later in the story, Vassily and Ash, as well as her kin have the ability to transform into wolves.

This man is one of Ash’s tribe. Given his stature I am assuming he is the pack leader.

He appears in Sandman # 38, page 14, panel 7.

This is another great portrait from Anna. I like that he does not look fierce as you might except a man who can turn into a wolf may be. Anna also drew the portrait that makes him seem to give off an air of authority, as I could expect from a pack leader. I really like this one, especially given that the character in the comic is not as well defined as Anna’s portrait.

Resident Of The Dreaming # 25 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

This is a pretty cool character that is a completely obscure background character in Season Of Mists.

Before Dream returns to Hell with hopes of rescuing Nada, he calls together the residents of his realm and tells them his plan. He does not expect his visit to be pleasant nor easy.

This creature is one of the characters listening to Dream’s speech.

He appears in Sandman # 22, on page 6, in panel 1.

I like this portrait from Max. In the published comic we don’t really see much of this character except a vague idea of who he might be from seeing only his back (since he is facing toward Dream as he speaks). Max took this character and has shown us what he looks like and I think he did an excellent job.

Greek Citizen # 2 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

The wedding of Orpheus and Eurydice was a much celebrated event and many people attended the ceremony. This man is one of the many guests at the wedding.

This Greek citizen appears in one panel of The Sandman Special # 1. He is on page 3 in the first panel. He is talking to Greek Citizen # 3.

This is a great portrait from Lars. This Greek citizen is not at all what you might imagine a Greek Citizen would look like and that is why I love this portrait. I love the details and the backgrounds and this portrait overall is incredibly awesome.

Here is the Greek Citizen…

Girl # 5 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

Anna did an awesome job with this portrait. She did a great job capturing the sadness of this young girl. Why is this girl sad?

In Brief Lives, Dream and Delirium, while in the waking world, decide to visit their brother Destiny, hoping he can help guide them to Destruction.

To get to Destiny’s realm they must walk through a labryinth.

Dream and Delirium go to an amusement park and to the Crazy Maze attraction. They walk through the maze and along the way they encounter other people trying to find their way out.

This girl is in the maze and probably lost, trying to find her mother or father.

She appears in Sandman # 47, on page 5, in panel 5.

Here is the sad little girl…

Soldier # 2 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

On June 10th, 1916, Stefan Wasserman is in the trenches fighting in WWI. He is with two other soldiers.

This is one of the soldiers in the same unit as Stefan Wasserman.

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

This is another excellent portrait by Max. I really like the use of orange for the background, painted over tape and paper used to add texture. This is a pretty complex portrait when you spend the time to actually look at the details. I enjoy art that you can see something new and different everytime you look at it and inspect the lines and the composition. This is one of those types of paintings.

Lord Strange’s Men Troupe Member # 18 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

On June 23rd 1593, William Shakespeare and The Lord Strange’s Men acting troupe go to Wilmington, England near The Long Man of Wilmington to perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the first time.

This unnamed man is one of the members of Lord Strange’s Men and is working at this first memorable performance. He is an actor who plays Pyramus for this performance.

This actor appears in Sandman # 19, on page 21, in panel 1.

I really like this portrait from Lars. I like the expression on the character’s face and the inclusion of the branch, which represents the wall he tries to kiss Thisbe through is a nice touch.

Citizen Of Baghdad # 62 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In Ramadan, Haroun al Raschid began to feel despair knowing that eventually his beautiful city would lose its splendor. He asked Dream to preserve the beauty and magnificence of Baghdad.

While touring the city, they flew over a Baghdad marketplace.

This man was one of the people in the marketplace.

She appears in Sandman # 50, on page 24, in panel 1.

This is a fantastic portrait from Anna. She took a character that is barely visible in the background and gave him a life and personality. She created his persona. This is a perfect example of why I love this Sandman portraits project.

Here is one of the many Citizens of Baghdad...

Man # 194 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

This man appears in “Going Inside,” the Delirium story from Endless Nights.

This man is one of the people who is in a crowd of people as the Homeless Man covers his face with his hands and wishes he was somewhere else.

He appears on page 5 in the last panel of “Going Inside.”

I like Max’s portrait for this character. It’s a very classic looking portrait!!!

Demon # 196 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

Okay...yesterday was a bit hectic and so I wasn't able to post anything and by the time I had a chance it was late and the computer was off...sorry. So, once again, I will be posting two characters today...one now and one this evening.

It seems like every time I open up Preludes And Nocturnes I find another demon I missed on a previous reading. This is one of those demons. Even though he is absolutely unique and not at all hidden I still missed him initially.

This demon appears in Sandman # 4 on page 13. He is in the lower right corner.

He is one of the many demons in the group who are present when Morpheus decends into Hell in order to locate his stolen helm.

Lars did an awesome job with this portrait. I love this goofy demon and Lars was able to capture the character perfectly!!! I love it!!!

Adam (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

Everyone knows the story of Adam and his wife Eve, but there is more to Adam than people may realize.

Eve tells the story of Adam and his marriages and, as she does, she reveals some secrets that are not commonly known.

Adam began as a “hermaphorodite, an androgyne giant” with “Four arms, four lets, two heads, two sets of sexual organs, two bodies joined back to back and God divided Adam into two beings. One Male, One Female.” Adam’s first wife was Lilith, but she was too strong, powerful and intelligent for Adam and she was expelled from Eden.

God then created a second wife, who never had a name. She was created from nothingness, from bones, to muscle to skin. Adam would not go near her because “he saw her full of secretions and blood.”

God then put Adam to sleep and took a rip from his side and created Eve. When he awoke, he was immediately in love with her, perhaps partially because she came from him and it satisfied his male ego.

After living in the garden Adam and his third wife, Eve at from the Tree Of Knowledge Of Good And Evil and since they were able to differentiate between Good and Evil they were no longer allowed in Paradise. God was afraid that if they disobeyed him once that they would disobey him again and eat from the Tree Of Life and life forever.

Adam and Eve lived together until Adam died. How he died is not revealed by Eve.

Adam appears in Sandman # 40 on pages 13-16.

I like this portrait from Anna. I like that Adam looks happy and content with things in his life.

Demon # 116 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

This Demon is one of the many demons who appear in The Hellfire Club as Dream and Choronzon duel.

He is in the audience when Dream achieves victory and defeats Choronzon.

He is in Sandman # 4 on page 18, panel 8. He is in the center of the audience. My description of the character is “Gray with large overbite and no teeth.”

Max did an awesome job with this demon. He made the character interesting and bizarre, which I can definitely appreciate. I really love the texture on this demon.

Book Release Party Guest # 7 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

This man is one of the guests who attended the book release party for Richard Madoc’s book “And My Love She Gave Me Light,” which was released in May 1987.

He is standing near the back of the room talking to a girl wearing a Pinhead jacket.

This man appears in Sandman # 17 on page 12, in panel 1.

Obviously this man is cool, based on his hip hairstyle, which Lars captured perfectly. I really like this character because he looks so completely unique and also incredibly 80’s.

Here is the Book Release Party Guest…

Mechanical Woman # 1 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In Baghdad, in the time of Haroun al Raschid, there were many wonders and splendors.

One of those marvels is mechanical creations that can sing and move when spoken to. There are mechanical animals as well as people.

This is one of the Mechanical Women that exist in Baghdad.

She can be seen in Sandman # 50, on page 4, in panel 6.

This is a fantastic portrait from Anna. I love the Mechanical Woman’s profile and the shape of her face. The smooth lines really give the impression that this is a mechanical being. The gears in the background are also a really nice touch.

Man # 3 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Worlds’ End, Mister Gaheris tells the story of a man named Robert who loved the city and would spend as much time as possible in the city, wandering around taking in the beauty of the place where he lived.

This man is someone who Robert encountered while riding the subway while commuting to and from work. This man is on the subway and wearing a bright red shirt.

He can be seen in Sandman # 51, on page 10, in panel 3, to the left.

I like this portrait from Max. His details on this man’s face are quite exceptional.

Serial Killer # 85 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

Okay, so apparently I forgot to post a character yesterday. Sorry. To apologize, I'll post two characters today...one now and one this evening.

Serial Killers from all over the country gather for the cereal convention held in a hotel in an unknown location.

This serial killer is one of the many people who attended this convention.

He can be seen in Sandman # 14, on page 13 in panel 5. He is sitting to the far right of the panel.

Lukas did an awesome job with this character. I like how he envisioned this character would be the type to strangle his victims with a rope. He definitely makes this character appear nervous and the way he is holding the rope with both hands adds a level of creepiness to this character that was not in the published comic.

Awards Ceremony Audience Member # 4 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

This man is one of the many people who attend an awards ceremony and listen to Richard Madoc give his acceptance speech in Calliope, from Dream Country.

He appears in Sandman # 19, on page 13, in panel 1.

In the published comic, we get a glimpse of the back of this character’s head, but Lars shows us for the first time what this person looks like. Is he a famous playwright or an actor or other celebrity? We don’t really know. I like how Lars portrayed this character and I like that he took an incredibly minor and easily ignored character and gave him life.

Actor who played Peter Quince (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

Peter Quince is a character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

This man is the actor who played Peter Quince for the premiere production on June 23, 1593 in Wilmington, England near The Long Man of Wilmington.

He appears throughout Sandman # 19, but is seen on page 9, in panel 1 during the performance.

Anna did a great job with this portrait. She managed to give this character personality in this portrait. Her portrait and the persona she created for this character makes it believable that he is an actor in Shakespeare’s play. I love this portrait!!!

Bar Patron # 9 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

This man is one of the people in the pub when Hob met Dream sometime between 1362 and 1370.

He is sitting at the same table as Hob and laughs at Hob’s idea that the way to live forever is to simply not die. He jokes and says that if Hob’s can live forever then he is Pope Urban, which I believe is Pope Blessed Urban V.

He can be seen in Sandman # 13 on page 5, in panel 3.

Max took a unique approach to this character, making him look a little grittier than in the published comic, which is probably more historically accurate, although I don’t know if they had glass bottles at that point in history.

I've also included a little back doodle that Max did....I thought it was funny so I wanted to share it.

Here is Bar Patron # 9….

Serial Killer # 36 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

Not all serial killers look frightening or suspicious and this man is a perfect example of a deadly killer who can easily blend into a crowd. He looks like someone you would see walking down your street, the guy you recognize from the grocery store, or maybe even your neighbor.

This man attended the Cereal Convention and was hanging out in the hotel lobby as Nimrod walked around making sure everyone had checked in with registration.

This serial killer appears in Sandman # 14 on page 3, in panel 3. He is sitting on the couch.

I like Lar’s approach to this character. Not only did he conceal this man’s face, hiding his identity, but he also made him seem like a completely likable fellow. He seems like someone I might see at Starbucks, while getting coffee, maybe even a barista, secretly waiting to find his next unsuspecting victim.

Little Red Riding Hood (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In The Doll’s House, Rose Walker and Gilbert found themselves in a hotel in the middle of nowhere, which was host to the Cereal Convention, a gathering of some of the worst serial killers alive and not in jail.

Gilbert tells Rose the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but not the tale that Rose and countless other children heard as a cautionary tale to not talk to strangers.

In the version Gilbert told Rose, Little Red Riding Hood was taking bread to her grandmother. The Wolf approached the girl and asked where she was going. She told him that she was going to her grandmother’s house.

Well, the Wolf ran off and went to the Grandmother’s house. He killed the Grandmother and poured her blood into a bottle and cut her flesh and put it on a plate. He then dressed in the grandmother’s night clothes and climbed into bed.

When Little Red Riding Hood arrived she entered the house and was greeted by the Wolf, whom the girl thought was her Grandmother. She was offered some meat and wine in the pantry, which she ate, not knowing it was her Grandmother that she consumed.

After she finished eating the Wolf told the girl to “undress and climb into bed,” which the girl did.

“Grandmother, how hairy you are”

“It keeps me warmer, my dear.”

“Grandmother, what long nails you have.”

“They are for scratching myself, my dear.”

“Grandmother, what big teeth you have.”

“They are for eating you, my dear.”

And the Wolf ate Little Red Riding Hood.

Little Red Riding Hood appears in Sandman # 14, on page 7 and 8.

Anna did a great job with this portrait. She is cute and seems very happy given her unpleasant demise.

Baby (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In Season Of Mists, Nada is reborn in Hong Kong and given the chance to relive her life.

This baby is in the nursery with Nada when she is visited by Dream.

The baby appears in Sandman # 28, on page 17, in panel 5.

This is a cute portrait by Lars. He’s such an adorable little guy….

Ruthven Sykes (illustrated by Max Rugers)

Ruthven Sykes was a member of The Order Of Ancient Mysteries and one of the inner circle of Roderick Burgess’ occult empire. He was present on that fateful night on June 10th, 1916 when Burgess attempted to capture Death, but instead captured her brother Dream.

Sykes served as Burgess’ second-in-command until November 1930 when he left the order quicky and without fanfare. He had been having an affair with Ethel Dee, Roderick Burgess’ lover, and they disappeared together. When they left, they took with them many of the Order’s treasures and cash, but also the helmet, the ruby and the bag of sand from the captured Dream Lord.

Not one to be slighted, Burgess declared magical war on Ruthven Sykes and Ethel Dee.

Sykes traded Dream’s helmet to a demon for a protection amulet to keep them hidden from Burgess.

Sometime in 1936, Ethel Dee left Sykes and took the protection amulet with her. Once Sykes was no longer under the protection of the demon’s gift, Burgess was able to take his revenge on his one time friend.

Ruthven Sykes appears in Sandman # 1.

Max did a fantastic job with this character. I really like his approach to Ruthven Sykes and I think the backgrounds really work well with the overall portrait.

Dead Man # 60 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

This is another Dead Man by Anna. Like her other dead man, I love her choice of colors for this character. I also really like his blank expression.

When Orpheus enters The Underworld to rescue his recently deceased wife he stands before Lord Hades and Queen Persephone and sings a song about love and grief. This song makes the dead cry and disrupts the natural order of The Underworld.

This dead man appears in The Sandman Special # 1, on page 35, in panel 2. He is standing to the far left.

Serial Killer # 87 (illustrated by Jeremy Haun)

In Sandman # 14, a host of serial killers descend upon a quiet hotel for a convention for people who take pleasure in killing others.

This convention is eerily similar to other conventions, both professional and fan conventions in the sense that they have panels and discussions regarding a variety of topics relating to death and killing.

This particular serial killer attended one of the panels.

He can be seen on page 32 in panel 5.

Jeremy’s approach to this character is wonderful. We don’t get a lot of facial details that are seen in some of his previous portraits. Instead this character seems pretty typical, someone that would blend into a crowd pretty easily. The one exception to his “plainness” is the single scar running along his cheek.

Here is Serial Killer # 87…

Police Officer # 4 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In A Game Of You, Barbie and Wanda walk home from an afternoon of window shopping and are stuck in a crowd of people watching an unknown event unfold, in which the New York police officers are trying to get the people watching to step back and leave the area.

This is one of the police officers who is trying to control the crowd and to force people to leave.

He appears in Sandman # 32, on page 19, in panel 2.

The New York Police Officers to not appears to be the nicest police officers in this storyline and this officer is no exception. In the published comic he appears forceful and mean. Lars brought that into his portrait. This police officer clearly has anger issues and is not someone I would want to encounter, even on a good day.