Dead Man # 45 (illustrated by Jeremy Haun)

When Orpheus journeys to the Underworld to rescue Eurydice he encounters a large gathering of the dead at the thrones of Lord Hades and Queen Persephone.

He passes through them in order to stand before their thrones.

To plead the rulers of the Underworld to release his deceased wife, Orpheus sang a song about love and loss.

This Dead Man is one of the many dead men who heard Orpheus' song.

He appears in The Song Of Orpheus from The Sandman Special # 1 on page 33, in panel 1.

This portrait from Jeremy is haunting. I never dream about art and yet after Jeremy gave me this portrait I had nightmares. I remember nothing of the dream except that I kept seeing this portrait. I think the starkness of this character and the grays and emancipated look of the body gives the character a frightening appearance, one that clearly induces nightmares…in me, at least.

Happy Halloween!!!

Man From The Ancient Necopolis # 3 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In Worlds’ End, Petrefax tells a tale about is experience attending an air burial at Mount Calamon by request of his master, Klaproth.

At the air burial, each person attending must tell a story. Scroyle tells the others gathered about his conversation with a traveler regarding the origins of the Necropolis Litharge.

As told by Scroyle, when a group of strangers entered the Necropolis, which is no longer named, and asked for the cerements and for the book of rituals used for their funeral rites, the Necropolitans laughed and called them mad. According to the storyteller, who happened to be Destruction, the hearts of the ancient Necropolitans were hard and did not care for their duties.

This is the reason the ancient Necropolis was destroyed and Litharge became the new Necropolis.

This man from the ancient Necropolis appears in Sandman # 55, on page 16, in panel 2.

Anna did a great job with this portrait. I really like his strong squared face and his dark gaze. He seems like someone who would work in the Necropolis and defy the Endless when they came to perform the funeral rites for one of their own.

Cat # 24 (illustrated by Carl Sciacchitano)

This morning I would like to welcome Carl Sciacchitano to the Sandman Portraits team!!!

I met Carl last year at the Rose City Comic Con in Portland and was very happy when he agreed to do some Sandman portraits.

Carl has worked on some great comics including The Army Of Dr. Moreau and you can find more of his work on his site

His first portrait for the Sandman Universe is one of the many cats from Dream Of A Thousand Cats... One evening, a group of cats meet in a cemetery to listen to the tale of a wise storyteller cat who recounts here visit with the King Of Dreams.

This is one of the cats that listens to the storyteller cat’s tale.

He appears in Sandman # 18, on page 4.

I love this portrait from Carl. I really like the perspective of the cat to us, the viewer. It’s an interesting perspective and one that anyone can easily relate to if they have a pet. I really like the cat’s expression and the look in her eyes.

This is a fantastic portrait and I’m excited to share more of Carl’s work with other Sandman characters. Welcome to the Sandman Portraits Blog!!!

Soap Opera Actress # 2 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

John Dee has been in the diner for three hours and he asked Bette if he could watch a little TV.

Soap operas were on television and this is one of the actresses on the soap opera.

She appears in Sandman # 6, on page 7, in panel 5.

I like this portrait from Max. In the published comic this character is a very minor background character on a television show and is not well defined. Max brought this character to life and gave her personality and more depth. I love the perspective of this portrait and the blues he used for the background. I am unsure if this character is based on a real soap opera actress, but I suppose it’s possible that she is.

Aurelian Citizen # 3 (illustrated by Kai Martin)

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 notices 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 those men. He has been waiting many months with his petition, hoping to get it granted.

What is the petition? That is not revealed, only that he’s been waiting an exceedingly long time.

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

This is a great portrait from Kai. I really like his approach to this character. He decided that this citizen of Aurelia was a woman. I like that she is holding a document and shouting, which mirrors the character in the published comic. You can feel the frustration of the character in this portrait.

French Soldier # 5 (illustrated by Russel Roehling)

This French Soldier is one of the soldiers who apprehend Johanna Constantine as she returns to her room.

They had been searching through Johanna Constantine’s personal belongings in hopes of finding the stolen head of Orpheus, although I do not believe any of the soldiers knew what they were looking for.

He appears in Sandman # 29, on page 6, in panel 6.

Russel did an awesome job with this portrait. The details are, as always, exceptional, and I love the colors he used and how the bright blues are a stark contrast to the dusty browns of the backgrounds. I also like that the whites of his pants are tainted with the dust and have a slight brown to them. This is a fantastic portrait!!!

Dead Woman # 14 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In The Sandman Special # 1, Orpheus journeys to the Underworld to rescue his recently deceased wife.

As he stands before Lord Hades and Queen Persephone he sings a song of sadness and of love, which causes the Dead to cry.

This Dead Woman is one of the many dead men in the Underworld.

He appears in The Song Of Orpheus, on page 33, in panel 1. She is on the left of the panel.

Anna’s use of gray and blue have a very dramatic effect on this portrait. The two colors both give a sense of coldness to the portrait, which is not only accurate to the comic, but pretty effective when it comes to representing the dead residents of the Underworld. I really like this portrait.

Faery # 3 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

This Faery is one of the many faeries that are in attendance for the first performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (written by William Shakespeare, as part of an agreement he has with Morpheus). The performance takes place on June 23, 1593 in Wilmington, England near The Long Man of Wilmington.

This Faery appears in Sandman # 19, on page 9, in panel 6.

Max did a great job with this portrait. It’s interesting that he took a more animalistic approach to this faery that he has with his previous faeries. It gives the faery a more dangerous feeling. He also drew an alternate version of the Faery on the backside of this portrait. I am going to include it here because it’s fun and it’s fascinating to see another interpretation of this character.

Man From The Tale On The Painted Screen # 5 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

When the Monk arrives in The Dreaming he passes through many rooms on his way to the throne room of the Dream King.

He passes a series of painted screens. When he looked at the screens they were “frozen and still” but if he looked away and then glanced at it again the scenes would change and a new tale would begin.

This man is one of the characters on the painted screen in The Dreaming.

He appears in P. Craig Russell’s adaptation of The Dream Hunters, in issue # 3, on page 16 in panel 2.

This is another fantastic portrait from Anna. I really like the vibrant colors she used, giving his character a more dream like quality, which is appropriate since he is from The Monk’s dream.

Emissary # 15 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

After Lucifer leaves the Key To Hell in the possession of Dream, a assembly of emissaries gathered at the Dreaming, each hoping to claim the key and take possession of Hell.

This is one of the many emissaries to enter The Dreaming.

He appears in Sandman # 24 on page 24 in panel 1.

This emissary is in the background and is not easily visible in the published comic. Lars was forced to interpret this character and did a fantastic job. This character seems to fit right in within the Sandman universe. When reading this issue, I always viewed this character as a furry monster, similar to the orange monster in the Bugs Bunny cartoons from when I was a kid, but Lars’ approach is more realistic. He easily seems like an emissary for some patheon that I am not familiar with. I really like his large mane of hair and thick red beard. This is a fantastic portrait of a pretty obscure background character.

Burgess’ Servant # 6 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In 1939, Wesley Dodds visits England while investigating the suicide of his friend Linus Benchley.

His investigation leads him to Fawney Rig, the home of Roderick Burgess.

Dodds, attends a party thrown by Burgess.

This man is one of the many servants at the party. He spends the evening walking around the party serving drinks to the guests.

He appears in Sandman Midnight Theatre on page 35, in panel 5.

This is another fantastic portrait from Max. I really like the perspective of this portrait. It’s slightly angled, which gives an unusual feeling about the character. Max’s portrait provides a less menacing portrayal of the character. I think it’s due to the fact that his face is thinner and more angular as opposed to the very square shaped face from the published comic. I love the backgrounds and the hints of other people in the background. This is a great portrait and I hope you like it as much as I do!!!

Book Release Party Guest # 4 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

When Richard Madoc’s book “And My Love She Gave Me Light” was released in May 1987 a book release party was held.

This woman was one of the people who attended the party.

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

I really like this portrait from Max. I love the elegant design of the character. I think that the detailed pencil work really adds to this beauty along with the positioning of her body. To me, she feels like a famous actress from the 1930’s.

Demon # 280 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

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

He is sitting on a table as Dream and Choronzon engage in their battle.

He is in Sandman # 4 on page 17, panel 1, which I am indicating as the background splash. He can be seen in the lower right corner of the page.

This is an incredibly odd demon from Preludes And Nocturnes, but I love that he’s in the published comic. Anna did a wonderful job capturing the weirdness and cuteness of this character.

Sailor From The Coastal Town # 1 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

When Kara went to retrieve the son of the deceased village leader she ventured into a coastal town and into a pub where she found her future husband being entertained by a woman, likely a prostitute.

This man is one of the other men in the pub.

He appears in Endless Nights, in the Desire story, on page 9 in panel 2. He has his arm around a bare-chested woman.

This is a lovely portrait by Max. I love the detailed line work around his face. He has the appearance of being weathered and like he has seen hard times, which is appropriate for a sailor. He also looks happy. Perhaps it’s because he’s only a nearly naked woman close to him…

Worlds’ End Patron # 35 (illustrated by Kai Martin)

Within the Sandman Universe there are a lot of characters that I wish we knew more of their history and backstory. This is one of those characters.

Brant Tucker wanders throughout Worlds’ End, in between listening to tales told by the patrons of the inn.

This small creature is huddled amongst several others of his kind and are startled by the thunder and lightning.

I would love to know what these characters are and why they are trapped in the inn. Why are they so frightened by the lightning?

This little creature appears in Sandman # 55, on page 1 in panel 7.

Kai did a fantastic job making this character appear frightened. He is clearly disturbed by the lightning. There are small details like the drops of wine splashing out of the cup gives the impression of the character shivering at the sight of the lightning.

Child # 4 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In The Kindly Ones, Dream invites a group of children to his kingdom as they search for their lost mother.

Several dancing salamanders bring the children plates filled with exotic flavors of ice cream and fruits they have never seen or tasted before, and will never taste again, although they will dream of them until they die.

Dream gave his attention to each of the children and after hearing their wishes he created a door for them to walk through and into the rest of their dream.

This little girl appears in Sandman # 64 on page 1, in panel 1 and 3.

This is one of my favorite portraits from Lars. I love the young girls expression and the mess on her face. I also really like how Lars drew her hair. The little bit sticking up is absolutely perfect and adds a lot of personality to her character.

Village Soldier # 7 (illustrated by Nicole Ingram)

This Village Soldier appears in “What I’ve Tasted Of Desire” from Endless Nights.

As Kara reflects on her life she recounts that before she was married her husband was one of the soldiers of the village. There were often village skirmishes and in the winter wolves would sometimes attack the village in desperation, looking for food.

This village soldier is one of the men who helped keep the wolves at bay during the long winter months.

He appears in Endless Nights, in the Desire story on page 3, in panel 2.

Nicole did an awesome job with this portrait. I love that he’s ready for action and appears to be rushing off to kill some wolves. I’ve mentioned this before, but I really like the details added to this character’s clothing. The folds and wrinkles really add a lot of details and the shading between the various shades of brown and tan is also cool. Things like that really impress me because it adds a sense of realism and accuracy to the characters.

Lilith’s Child # 3 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In The Beginning there was Adam and God created a mate for him.

Adam’s first wife was Lilith. She was intelligent and powerful.

Lilith was expelled from Eden. After leaving Eden it was rumored that she had sex with demons (or perhaps sons of God) and that she had many children.

This is one of Lilith’s Children.

He appears in Sandman # 40, on page 14, panel 3.

I love this portrait from Anna. This creature reminds me of a puppet from Sesame Street although, being the child of Lilith, probably not as friendly and helpful. The color choices for this character are perfect and I really like her use of blues to accent the creature’s fur. This is a fantastic portrait and one of my favorites from Anna so far.

Woman # 106 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In the final chapter of A Game Of You, Barbie remembers a dream she had as she is on her way to Wanda’s funeral.

In her dream she sees Wanda and a woman she doesn’t recognize, who happens to be Death. They are standing together and Death whispers something into Wanda’s ear. They both turn and face Barbie and wave. Barbie is about to wave back, but the bus pulls into the station and she wakes up.

This woman is one of the many people at the bus station.

She appears in Sandman # 37, on page 24, in panel 1.

This is a great portrait from Max. I love the brightness of her hair in contrast to the dull red backgrounds. In the published comic, there is no details for this character and so Max was able to develop this character and give her life outside of the comic.

Citizen Of Baghdad # 9 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

The court of Haroun al Raschid was one of the wonders of the world and al Raschid ruled his kingdom with wisdom and compassion. Under his rule the city flourished and prospered.

This man is one of the many citizens who attended Haroun al Raschid’s court.

He appears in Sandman # 50, on page 5, in panel 2.

This is a fantastic portrait. In the published comic we simply see the back of his hat standing before Haroun al Raschid in a crowd of citizens. Anna took the very minimal view of the character and brought him to life, imagining him into existence. I love her design for this character…everything from the multiple earrings to his pointed goutee. This is a wonderful portrait of a very obscure character.

Party Girl # 4 (illustrated by Kai Martin)

In Endless Nights, four people are joined together by a common thread, having visited Delirium’s realm.

Delirium has a way of creeping into people and, in Endless Nights four people are drawn to each other because of Delirium’s influence over their lives.

One of these people is a writer who is chronicling the adventures of Nicholas Sky-boy and his rebel forces. If he does not continue to write about these boys he believes they will be lost in Hell forever, being tortured by demons.

One of these adventures entails Nicholas and the Sky-Boys leading an attack on Lord Kiss-&-Shah of Hell and the Party Girls.

This is one of the Party Girls.

She appears in Endless Nights, in “Going Inside” on page 8 in panel 2.

Kai did an exceptional job with this Party Girl. Not only did he capture the bizarre and violent nature of this character but he used cool soothing colors that contrast the intensity of her posture and expression. I would have expected a lot of reds to be used, but Kai’s choice of colors give us a conflicting emotional response to this character. I like that contrast.

Man # 137 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Preludes And Nocturnes, Dream is captured by Roderick Burgess who was attempting to capture Death. Dream is kept in a glass prison for nearly 72 years.

In 1988, Dream finds the opportunity to escape and pretends to be dead. The two security guards summon Paul McGuire and a group of men loyal to Alex Burgess and to the Burgess empire.

These men stood outside the glass prison contemplating their next move.

This man is one of the men with Paul McGuire and Burgess’ guards on the fateful evening when the King Of Dreams escaped his prison cell.

This man appears in Sandman # 1, on page 27, in panel 5.

I really like this portrait from Max. In the published comic, this man is standing behind a group of other men and his face is almost entirely obscured. Max took this character and fleshed him out a bit, giving him a full face to identify with. The starkness of the black on white is awesome. It has a very specific feel to it, and I can’t quite place my finger on it. I also really like the fractured appearance of this portrait.

Island Spirit # 2 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In the final issue of Sandman, we see William Shakespeare writing his last play for Morpheus and the final play of his career.

He writes a speech in which Prospero recounts the imprisonment of Ariel.

“Refusing her grand hests, she did confine thee,
by help of her more potent ministers
and in her most unmitigable rage,
into a cloven pine,
within which rift
imprisoned though didst painfully remain
a dozen years."

This imprisonment is similar to that of Morpheus at the hands of Roderick Burgess, more than 400 years later.

This Island Spirit appears in Sandman # 75, on page 17, in panel 1 and is a reflection from the imagination of Shakespeare as he writes the play.

I love this portrait from Lars. This Island Spirit is so incredibly cute. I like his small stature and his oversized mustache. I also like how he is, so proudly, pounding on the drums. This is a truly wonderful portrait and is one of my favorites Lars has done so far.

Ship Passenger # 1 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

Wesley Dodds travels to England in hopes of unraveling the mystery surrounding the death of his friend Linus Benchley.

He travels by ship and this man is one of the passengers that disembarks the ship in London along with Dodds.

He appears in Sandman Midnight Theatre on page 12, in panel 2.

This character is obscured by the London fog as he leaves the ship and so it was up to Anna to flesh out the character. She did an awesome job with this portrait. I love her design for this character. When looking at this character I feel that there is a story hidden behind his eyes and I just can’t make it out. This character is pretty obscure and yet Anna’s portrait makes me want to know more about him and why he is in London.

Newspaper Salesman (illustrated by Max Ruger)

One evening, Richard Madoc, a celebrated author, was confronted by Dream who demanded the release of his prisoner, Calliope. When Madoc refused, his life began to spiral out of control.

On his way to a party, Richard stopped by a newspaper stand to buy a Time Out and Standard. The newspaper salesman recognized him from the television.

The first ideas began crashing through his mind as he attempted to buy the paper.

This is the newspaper salesman who witnessed Richard Madoc’s first moments of his severe inundation of ideas.

He appears in Sandman # 17, on page 19, in panel 1.

This is a great portrait from Max. I love the detailed line work on this character’s face. It adds a significant amount of realism to the character. I also really like that Max used torn up newspapers for the background. It’s a nice addition that works incredibly well with this character.