Man # 38 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

In London in June 1920, the news of John Hathaway’s suicide spreads through the city. Young boys are selling newspapers with headlines questioning his mental health and asking questions of the mysteries surrounding his death, including the involvement of Roderick Burgess and his Order of Ancient Mysteries. The streets are bustling with people.

This man is on the streets this day. He is staring down the sidewalk. He has a very comical expression on his face and I have to wonder what he is staring at to cause him to have this expression. I am guessing he is staring at the young lady walking down the street.

He appears in Sandman # 1, on page 14, in panel 1.

Lukas did a wonderful job with this portrait. He captured this character perfectly. He gave this man a working class appearance, which really works perfectly with this character. I love the shape of his nose and the expression on his face.

Here is Man # 38…

Military Doctor # 1 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

Stefan Wasserman was treated by this doctor while in the military. The doctors thought it was one of the worst cases of shellshock they had ever seen.

This doctor appears in Sandman # 1, on page 11, in panel 2. He is on the left.

This is a great portrait from Lars. I love the coldness of this portrait. It’s definitely gives off an odd and uncomfortable feeling about this doctor, but maybe I am reading too much into it. All doctors make me feel uncomfortable and so why would this one be any different…

Resident Of The Dreaming # 16 (illustrated by Mike DeCarlo)

After a family gathering, Dream decides that perhaps he was a bit rash in condemning Nada, his one-time lover, to Hell for spurning his affection.

He gathers together the residents of his realm to let them know he is about to go to Hell in an attempt to rescue Nada.

This is one of the people who gathered to listen to Dream.

He appears in Sandman # 22, on page 5, in panel 4.

I really like this portrait from Mike. It would have been very easy to make this character a bit scary, based on the image in the published comic. Mike did not take that approach, which I appreciate. Instead he gave this character an attentive expression and he seems to have a calm demeanor.

Press Photographer (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Preludes And Nocturnes, Roderick Burgess, the Head of the Order Of Ancient Mysteries, was at an inquest regarding the death of Jon Hathaway and the loss of many books and manuscripts from the Royal Museum.

His involvement in the crimes and the death of Professor Hathaway could not be proven and he was cleared of all charges.

This press photographer is standing outside the court as Roderick and Alex Burgess, Ethel Cripps (later known as Ethel Dee) and Ruthven Sykes leaves the courthouse. He is snapping photos of them to be used in The Daily Mail.

He appears in Sandman # 1, on page 14, in panel 2.

This is a great portrait from Max. I really like that the background is made of torn paper and the light colors accent the dark silhouette of the photographer.

Man At The Renaissance Fair # 26 (illustrated by Kai Martin)

When Hob goes to a Renaissance Fair with his girlfriend for the day he is thrust back into a romanticized version of the era, in which he first made his deal with Death and Dream for immortality.

Hob finds the Renaissance Fair to be a bit frustrating and comments that it is not even remotely accurate to how things were. He tells Dave, a young man who dresses as a jester for the fair, that there’s no lice or nits or rotting face cancers at the fair, and there’s no feces (neither animal or people).

This man is talking to another man and woman at the fair as Hob explains how things really were.

This man appears in Sandman # 73 on page 11, in panel 3.

Kai took an interesting approach to this character. He presented the character with his back to us, similar to how he is standing in the published comic. I really like Kai’s detailed line work in the green shawl over his shoulders. The layers are really well executed. I also like the colors that he used. They are very vibrant.

Man # 187 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

One evening Rose decides to go see her roommate Hal’s performance at a local drag show.

This man is standing outside the club with a his friend, probably smoking a cigarette.

He appears in Sandman # 11, on page 11, in panel 1.

In the published comic, all we know about this man is that he’s wearing a purple shirt and is outside a drag club. Lars took these two details and really fleshed out the character and he’s perfect. I liked his hunched posture, which is how he is in the comic. His interpretation of this character is fantastic!!!

Here is Man # 187…

Aurelian Citizen # 45 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

When Clurican arrives in Aurelia he is brought before Carnifex Carys XXXV as an envoy of Faery.

As he walks through the chamber to approach the Carnifex he cannot help but notice a large group of people on either side of the walkway all asking the ruler for his favor or judgment in a dispute.

This is one of the men trying to petition the Carnifex.

This man appears in Sandman # 52, on page 8, in panel 1.

This is a great portrait from Anna. She managed to capture the frustration he is feeling at the lack of response offered by the Carnifex. The colors she used in this portrait are vibrant! I particularly like the green used for his at. It helps give life to this portrait and to this character.

Masquerading Woman # 2 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

On the night of Alain’s masked ball a flotilla of boats arrived in the bay and dispatched several masquerading women.

The identity of these women is unknown. Some of the citizens of Alain’s court suspected they might be noblewomen, while others whispered that they were courtesans. A third speculation is that they were nuns from the convent of San Michele Di Murano who arrived in defiance of their vows.

This woman is one of the masquerading women who arrived for Alain’s masked ball.

She appears in Endless Nights, in “Death In Venice” on page 12, in panel 7.

Max did a fantastic job with this portrait. I love his use of color in this portrait. The purple adds something spectacular to the overall feeling of the portrait. The subtle details on her face and clothes are fantastic. In the published comic, this character is mysterious to the men of Alain’s court and Max did a fantastic job retaining the mystery in this interpretation of the character.

Max also did a drawing on the back of this portrait. I'm including it here because it's awesome and I thought you'd like to see it.

Merv Pumpkinhead (illustrated by Emonic)

Merv Pumpkinhead is a pretty awesome character.

He first appeared in a single panel in Sandman # 5 (page 18, panel 3) driving a bus as Dream traveled to find his dream ruby.

He appeared again throughout the series, most notably in Brief Lives and The Kindly Ones as the maintenance man for The Dreaming. He often complained about being overworked with his various tasks including demolishing sections of Dream’s castle, moving volcanos or painting the sky.

In The Kindly Ones, Merv confronts The Kindly Ones with a machine gun and a box of ammunition, but his efforts to defend The Dreaming are futile and he is killed.

The Wake brings about a rebirth of The Dreaming and Dream of The Endless (also known as Daniel) resurrects Merv.

Aside from his appearances in Sandman, Merv Pumpkinhead has appeared in a few other Vertigo books including Lucifer (#10 and #42), House Of Mystery (# 42), The Books Of Magic (# 75) and several issues of The Dreaming. He has even stared in his one one-shot, Sandman Presents: Merv Pumpkinhead – Agent of Dream, where he briefly becomes a sort of secret agent, similar to the James Bond type of action hero.

Emonic did a wonderful job with Merv. He drew him in a fatigue type jacket as seen in The Kindly Ones, but he is clearly the Merv Pumpkinhead that we all know and love.

White Grub Thing # 7 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

While trying to avoid The Black Guard and the Cuckoo’s minions, Barbie and her friends discover the body of Tantoblin.

She recounts to her friends how she first met the Tantoblin.

Barbie and Martin Tenbones were on their way to the Arch Of The Porpentine when they were attacked by these White Grub Things. Barbie described them as Fat Children.

These White Grub Things appear in Sandman # 35, on page 5, in panel 1.

This has to be one of my favorite portraits from Lars. I love the shape of the White Grub Thing and the weight of the lines creating the character. The little details on the body of the character. I also really like how he’s holding the knife. The way he’s holding it is both comical and frightening and that contrast is pretty awesome.

Here is White Grub Thing # 7…

Sleeping Sickness Patient # 5 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

Between 1916 and 1988 countless people succumbed to the Sleeping Sickness.

Many of the victims were admitted to charity wards to care for them during their illness.

This man is one of the patients who were taken to the charity ward. He was in the same room as Ellie Marsten in July 1939.

He can be seen in Sandman # 1, page 18, panel 1.

I love the simplistic approach that Max did for this charcter. It’s very precise and fluid. I really like how, when look at this portrait, I can’t help but think that Max modeled this after a real person. This drawing looks like someone sleeping and feels so incredibly real. I like that!!!

Raven # 26 (illustrated by Mike Decarlo)

In The Kindly Ones storyline ravens gathered in The Dreaming prior to The Kindly Ones enter the realm. They are described as larger than eagles and older than Gods. They waited in the shadows for the dead to start filling the fields.

This Raven appears in Sandman # 64 on page 13, panel 5.

Mike did a great job with this raven. I like the textured colors on this portrait.

Huge Carnivorous Plant # 1 (illustrated by Kai Martin)

In Sandman: Overture we learn of a small planet and on the southern continent a race of huge carnivorous plants live. These plants have limited mobility but have beautiful minds.

This is one of those huge carnivorous plants.

This character appears in Sandman: Overture # 1 , on page 1 in panel 4.

Kai did a fantastic job with this portrait. I really like the colors he used for this character and the layout feels very organic, which works well for this character. I love the details he added into the leaves and stalk of this plant. It’s an absolutely gorgeous portrait!

Bar Patron # 15 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In The Doll’s House, we are introduced to Hob Gadling, who throughout the centuries, becomes one of Dream’s only friends.

Dream and Hob began their centennial meeting somewhere between 1362-1370.

This man was in the pub during their second meeting, which would have been sometime around 1462-1470. He was sitting at a table with another man playing cards.

This Bar Patron appears in Sandman # 13, on page 6, in panel 3.

I like this portrait from Anna. I like that this man seems incredibly happy. She shape of his face and the details of his hair really give the impression that he fits within this time period.

Thug # 1 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

One evening Rose went to see Hal’s drag show and was walking home when she was assaulted by three thugs.

Their intentions for Rose were not pure or honorable and so thankfully Gilbert was not far behind her and was able to help keep her virtue intact.

Gilbert used his cane to beat these three thugs into submission and they ran down the street and away from Rose and Gilbert.

This Thug appears in Sandman # 11, on pages 11, 12 and 13.

I really like Lars’ approach to this portrait. It’s a bit comical and I feel that it should be followed immediately by Gilbert’s portrait (but it won’t be). This thug is definitely getting what he deserves!!!

Tortured Man # 16 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Season Of Mists, once Remiel and Duma became the caretakers of Hell, the dead and demons returned to their regular routines and torture.

This man assumed this role as a tortured resident of Hell…waiting to be consumed for all eternity by this monstrous demon’s insatiable appetite. >P> This tortured man appears in Sandman # 28, on page 21 in panel 2.

This is a fantastic portrait from Max. I like the contrast between the darkness of the character and the red in the backgrounds. The line work around his face really highlights the pain he’s enduring.

Strip Club Patron # 11 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In Brief Lives, Dream and Delirium travel the waking world in hopes of finding their missing brother, Destruction. Their travels lead them to a strip club called Suffragette City, where the goddess Ishtar dances.

This man is one of the people who is at Suffragette City watching Ishtar, Tiffany and the other dancers perform.

He appears in Sandman # 45 page 21 in panel 1.

I love this portrait from Anna. She managed to successfully capture one of several typical strip club patrons (at least in my mind). I love his facial expression. I can imaging him sitting at the bar watching the women dance. I like his somewhat shaggy hair and facial hair. This is a fantastic portrait of a character that is nothing more than a silhouette in the published comic.

John Wayne (illustrated by Mike DeCarlo)

I would like to welcome Mike DeCarlo to the Sandman Portraits team.

I have commissioned Mike a few times over the years and thought that he would be a good fit to the portraits project.

Mike has done a handful of portraits. First up is John Wayne…

John Wayne was a popular American actor known best for his western and war films, such as True Grit, The Alamo and The Green Berets.

His role in Sandman is not as notable as his film career or appearance in other comic series, but it is still memorable.

Mort Notkin is dreaming he is at a party with several celebrities including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and John Wayne. In Mort’s dream he is wearing a clown suit.

John Wayne appears in the first issue of Sandman on page 31, in panel 4.

Mike did an awesome job with this portrait. I think he did a great job capturing the likeness of the character and his persona from films. The colors on this drawing are also vibrant and really pop in person.

Here is John Wayne…

Babylonian Woman # 3 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

As Tiffany and Ishtar arrive to work, at a strip club called Suffragette City, Nancy tells them about the Babylonian women she learned about in a class.

Every Babylonian woman went into the Temple Of Ishtar and waited for a man to come to them. They would give them a coin and the women would go into one of the temple rooms and make love to them. Once they had made love, they were free to leave the temple and begin their lives.

Ishtar commented that that after awhile this ritual began to decay and fall to the wayside. She considered this ritual to be one of the most important and terrifying rituals of the civilization for both men and women because they were to give themselves up to lust and previously unknown pleasures.

This woman is one of the Babylonian women waiting in the temple courtyard.

This Babylonian Woman appears in Sandman # 44, page 12, panel 6.

I like this portrait from Max. The colors used in this portrait are interesting and I really like the emotions that resonate from this portrait. It’s obvious from the position of her head that there is a bit of sadness in this woman. Perhaps she is afraid of the ritual for one reason or another or is sad because she is still waiting outside the temple to be picked.

This is a gorgeous portrait of one of the Babylonian Women.

Ghost Boy # 12 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

When Lucifer decides that he is no longer interested in being the ruler of Hell. He empties Hell of all the tortured souls and locked the doors behind him. Some of them returned to where they died, which is the case for this young boy.

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

He can be seen walking toward the school through the courtyard.

The Ghost Boy appears in Sandman # 25, page 6, panel 4.

I love this portrait. This ghost boy is incredibly creepy. I really like the line work around his face and hair. The shadows around his face creates mystery and darkness. His mouth is fabulous. It’s neither smiling or frowning and the stillness of his expression adds an unnatural look to the character. This is one of my favorite portraits from Lukas so far.

I hope you enjoy it.

Man # 293 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In London in June 1920, the news of John Hathaway’s suicide spreads through the city. Young boys are selling newspapers with headlines questioning his mental health and asking questions of the mysteries surrounding his death. The streets are bustling.

This man is on the streets this day. He is standing behind a woman and is crouching down. Perhaps he is speaking to a child or maybe he found a coin on the sidewalk. I’m not really sure. All we see of this character is his butt.

He appears in Sandman # 1, on page 14, in panel 1.

This is a fantastic portrait from Max. We are given very little visual information about this man, but Max accepted this challenge and created a person that easily fits in with the rest of the Sandman Universe. I really like this portrait. The ripped up paper used for the man’s shirt adds an interesting texture to the portrait.

French Citizen # 25 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

After Maxmilien Robespierre and Louis-Antoine St. Just heard the song of Orpheus, both were faced with events that caused their status within the French Government to be compromised and ultimately lead to their death.

This French citizen was one of the men who was present when St. Just, typically a great orator, stuttered and fell silent during a speech before the national convention.

He appears in Sandman # 29, on page 23, in panel 1.

This is another great portrait from Lars. I love the sheer outrage on the face of this character. It’s easy to picture him amongst the crowds at the national convention during this speech and realizing that their leaders were perhaps not ideal for the country.

Here is French Citizen # 25…