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.