Roman Citizen # 76 (illustrated by Hayden Sengua)

Augustus Caesar and the dwarf Lycius spend the day sitting on some steps near the marketplace dressed as beggars. As citizens pass they discuss politics, power and personal legacy.

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. She is standing near a large statue in the center of the market.

Dreamer # 34 (illustrated by Carl Sciacchitano)

As John Dee, inside his dream reality, attempts to destroy Morpheus, dreamers all over the world had troubled sleep. They whimpered and moaned and even screamed “as if caught in the darkest of nightmares.”

This is one of the dreamers who had was affected by John Dee’s hatred and chaos.

He appears in Sandman # 7, on page 13, in panel 4.

Italian Man # 12 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In Endless Nights, Sergei visits Venice, Italy and returns to one of the islands in the Venice lagoon.

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 is one of the Italian citizens that Sergei saw in the courtyard when returning to Venice.

He appears in Endless Nights, on page 22 in panel 6.

Lars took this opportunity to pay tribute to Umberto Eco, who was an Italian novelist and philosopher. Eco died in February 2016 and Endless Nights was published in 2003 and so it’s completely possible that Umberto Eco could have been walking through the streets of Venice on the day Sergei returned from the island.