An obsessive collection of portraits from the Sandman comic series.
This man is one of the several people that can be seen along the cliff path.
He appears in Sandman # 4, on page 7, in panel 2.
Kai did an amazing job with this obscure character. In the published comic we see very little of this character in the background, but Kai brought a level of despair and desperation to this character that is completely appropriate for someone imprisoned in Hell. On top of the character, I really like the details, like the cracks in the wall of his cell.
As a child he had visited one of the islands and had a brief encounter with Death, who asked him to try to open a rusted gate, which he was unable to do. As an adult, he returned to the island and once again met Death. This time he was able to open the gates and let Death into Alain’s court.
His entire encounter with Death felt like a dream and when he awoke and arrived back into the city all of the people seemed paper thin and unreal. He wondered what happened behind their eyes and in their heads.
This man and woman are two of the Italian citizens that Sergei saw when returning to Venice.
They appear in Endless Nights, on page 22 in panel 6. They are in the far background holding hands.
I love these portraits from Anna. She did them individually, as I would have expected, but connected them together through a heart in the center of the portrait. One of the things I like most about these portraits is that Anna was able to capture an emotion in their face that is spot on perfect. These two characters are in love.
Here is Italian Man # 15 and Italian Woman # 5…
He began his story by saying that he would often spend his days in school staring out the window at the city of the Necropolis Litharge and dream about the worlds beyond the mountains.
As a result, he would sometimes get called out and made an example of in class.
This student was one of many who attended the same class as Petrefax. He sat directly in front of Petrefax and next to Lystra.
He appears in Sandman # 55, on page 4, in panel 7.
This is a fantastic portrait from Max. The bright yellow of his hair is a dramatic contrast to the blackness of the backgrounds and the paleness of this character’s skin. It is very pronounced and even more vibrant as a result of the starkness of the rest of the portrait.
When he was a teenager his mother lost sight of him in the center of town.
She eventually found him several hours later in the town hall talking with the city leaders about civics and answering their questions in a manner that impressed them.
This man is one of the city leaders of Steadfast.
He appears in Sandman # 54, on page 4, in panel 3.
This is a fantastic portrait from Anna. I love the details she added to this character, like the varying skin tones and the line work in his hair and eyebrows. This character feels like he would be one of the city leaders in Steadfast.
This Dead Man is one of the many dead men in the Underworld.
He appears in The Song Of Orpheus, on page 31, in panel 3. He is to the far left of the panel.
Nicole did a fabulous job with this dead man. In the published comic the dead are pale and still. Nicole not only brought those characters to her portrait but also gave him a more emaciated appearance, which I like. I also enjoy that she also included the presence of the thrones in the background.
Mary Gentian was on the scene with her film crew, filming a news report while two paramedics helped the survivors. Unfortunately she and her crew were getting in the way of the paramedics and hostile words were exchanged.
These two paramedics appear in Sandman # 37, on page 12, in panel 7.
This is a wonderful portrait from Lars. It’s a pretty straightforward interpretation of the character, but it feels vibrant and alive, which I really like. I also like that you can barely see Mary Gentian off to the left side of the portrait. That’s a really nice touch and I really appreciate the unique approach and fun little detail.
This man is one of the many people who passed the Onmyoji by as he wandered the streets in rags.
He appears in the P. Craig Russell adaptation of The Dream Hunters in issue # 4, on page 27 in panel 2.
This is an interesting portrait from Max. The details of this portrait are awesome. I love the details added to the character’s face and hair and I really like the background and the textures it creates. I think his approach to the fan this man is holding is fascinating and unexpected, which is always fun to see when it comes to these portraits.
As the night wears on the Brant speaks to the innkeeper about Worlds’ End and how the inn is a refuge when the world ends, even if it’s only for a little while.
This character is in the background, sitting at one of the tables in the inn enjoying a cold drink and probably listening to stories, similar to Brant.
He appears in Sandman # 56, on page 3, in panel 1.
As with a majority of the characters within the Worlds’ End storyline, this character does not tell his story and remains a mystery to us. Anna took this character and gave him a personality and a charm that was missing from this background character. This is a fantastic portrait of an obscure character.
The marketplace is crowded and many people pass them without regard, because who would expect this lowly beggar to be the Emperor of Rome.
This citizen is spending the afternoon in the Roman market near the steps where Caesar and Lycius are sitting.
She appears in Sandman # 30, page 13, and is panel 4.
This is an awesome portrait from Nicole. I really like her approach to this character. Most people interpret Roman citizens as men, but Nicole decided that she was a woman. I really like her clothing and the creases in the cloth bringing a realism to her character.
This old man is one of the people that shared the hospital wing with Ellie Marsten.
He appears in Sandman # 1, on page 33, panel 3.
Max did a great job with this character. As usual, he did an awesome job with the line work around this character’s face. The lines definitely add a significant amount of age to the character. I also really like this character’s hair. There’s something about it that just works for me in conjunction with this character.
Here is Old Man # 5…
This Faery appears in Sandman # 19, on page 12, in panel 3.
Anna did a fantastic job with this portrait. I love the mischievous expression on his face. I love the use of the cool blues for the character and the natural greens for the background. I really like this portrait.
Dream tells the caliph that if he proclaims to his people that the golden age of Baghdad belongs to the Dream King then the beauty and magnificence will last for all time.
Haroun al Raschid stands before a group on his people in one of the many courtyards of the glorious city and pronounces that the city belongs to Dream.
This man is one of the people who was in the courtyard.
He appears in Sandman # 50, on page 29, in panel 1.
In the published comic, this character has his back turned and his features are not visible. Kai took this character and did a fantastic portrait, giving this character a life and a personality that is absent in the comic. I love this portrait. I love his oversized turban. I love the details in his beard and I love the colors used for this portrait. This is one of my favorites that Kai has done so far.
As Dream and Death depart a teenager named Franklin runs out into the street chasing a soccer ball and is hit by a car, dying instantly. Death is there, of course, to take care of him.
This paramedic is one of the men rushes to the scene to try, but fail, to revive Franklin.
He appears in Sandman # 8, on page 23, in panel 4.
I really like this portrait from Max. I like the darkness of his outfit and the seriousness of the expression on his face. The determination is definitely a nice touch.
This nurse is present in the room as the doctors performed the delivery. She is standing at the back of the delivery room washing her hands.
He can be seen in Sandman # 28 on page 16, panel 4.
I am not a fan of hospitals, but this nurse seems genuinely friendly as helpful. Anna did a fantastic job with this portrait. She gave this extremely background character a life and a personality that, does not relieve my discomfort of hospitals, certainly makes them feel a bit more welcoming.
This man is one of the dreamers who dreamed that he could live in a world where cats were not the dominant species and that men would rule the world.
This Dreamer appears in Sandman # 18, on page 18 in panel 2.
This Dreamer was illustrated by Mike DeCarlo and I really like it. I like how Mike drew the character’s beard and hair. The additional shades of brown really add depth and realism to this character, which I appreciate.
Some people spoke in whispers, wondering what caused his condition. Some blamed the loss of his wife and house. Others believed it was the loss of his eye. Nobody spoke of a solitary fox taking her revenge for the loss of her lover.
This man is one of the many people who speculated on the Onmyoji’s insanity.
He appears in the P. Craig Russell adaptation of The Dream Hunters in issue # 4, on page 25 in panel 3.
I absolutely love Nicole’s portrait. Not only did she draw this woman beautifully, but the also added a lot of background details that really highlight the character. The colors are vibrant and the overall design of this portrait is gorgeous. This is one of my favorite portraits Nicole has done so far…
This demon appears in the very large crowd of demons in Sandman # 4 on page 12.
Kai did a wonderful job with this portrait. The shade of red that he used is absolutely perfect. I also really like this extreme toothy smile. His smile makes him seem absolutely sinister!!!
He wanders through the inn and encounters a man called The Seeker who tells him about a reality where Prez Rickard is the President Of The United States.
Prez became the youngest President Of The United States and surprised many people with the amount of work he did during his presidency.
During his first year as President he initiated talks in the Middle East.
This American man is one of the men who attended the meeting with the leaders of the Middle East during the talks.
He appears in Sandman # 54, on page 10, in panel 1.
I love this portrait from Lars. I really like his expression and the details he put into this portrait. The line work is perfect. I also really like his use of watercolor in this portrait. It really stands out as being exceptional.
This man is walking on the sidewalk as they head toward the park.
He can be seen in Death: The High Cost Of Living # 3, on page 14, in panel 10.
This is a great portrait from Max. This character is a walking in a crowd of people in the published comic and has no real features. Max fleshed out this character not only giving him features, but personality. I love it!
Here is Man # 136…
Along the way they stop at a hotel to rest and during their stay the hotel catches on fire. This Fireman is one of the men who worked to extinguish the blaze.
He appears in Sandman # 44, on page 23 in panel 1. He standing in the doorway, about to enter the burning room.
I love this portrait from Anna. I really like the perspective of this portrait. The contrast between the yellow orange of the background fire and the deep blues of his outfit is pretty spectacular. This portrait really has a lot of life to it. When looking at this I get a very real and emotional response with this character. I’m not quite sure how Anna managed to do this with her portrait, but it’s very effective.
She appears in “Death In Venice” from Endless Nights on page 13, in panel 1.
I love this portrait from Nicole. In the published comic this character is standing in the background at the party. Nicole managed to bring a life to this character that was not there in the published comic. I like her expression and her body posturing. She seems confident and perfectly in place at this party.
This is one of my favorite portraits from Nicole so far. I hope you enjoy it.
