Cat # 5 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

This is one of the many cats that attended the gathering in the cemetery to hear the story of the old wise storyteller cat in Dream Of A Thousand Cats, from Dream Country.

This cat is in Sandman # 18, page 4. He is on the left behind some bushes.

Max based this portrait on his cat Bojangles. I really like this portrait….but I also really like cats and I can’t imagine they are easy to draw so I can appreciate the amount of detail put into making this cat look perfect.

Max also did an alternate painting on the back of the portrait. I am including this portrait here because...well, it's awesome and I don't need any reason aside from that.

Here is Cat # 5...

Roman Citizen # 141 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

Today Lukas Ketner joins the Sandman Portraits team!!! He's a fantastic artist who has worked on Witch Doctor for Image (go check it out) and has done numerous commissions for me in the past and will probably do many more in the future. Check out his website for more of his art. I'm very excited that he is able to join the team!

First up from Lukas is Roman Citizen # 141.

One of the most difficult aspects of this collection of Portraits is accounting for every character within the comic series….especially when you encounter panels like this one.

In Sandman # 30, Augustus Caesar and his friend Lycius sit on some steps near the marketplace dressed as beggars and discussing politics, power and personal legacy.

This character appears in the Roman market in one of the panels that contains a large number of other Roman citizens. This panel is in Sandman # 30, page 13, and is panel 4.

While I find documenting every character in a panel such as this one difficult, Lukas did a fantastic job with this character. He basically created this character from his impression and expectations of what a Roman citizen would look like and I think he did an excellent job. I love the attitude that seeps off this portrait and it definitely gives an impression of who this character is and what he is like. This is another perfect example of one of the many reasons I enjoy a project of this scope and insane level of detail!!!

Binzuru Harada (illustrated by Max Rugers)

Binzuru Harada is one of the disciples of Buddah and is known for his wisdom and compassion. In his youth he had broken his vow of chastity and was forbidden to enter Nirvana. He lives on Mount Marishi and comes to the aid of men when they need help. People also pray to him if they are sick. They rub their hands on a wooden statue of Binzuru Harada in the place that is not well and they are healed.

In Dream Hunters, The Monk prays to Binzuru Harada when the Fox showed up on the doorstep of his temple at the edge of death.

Later The Monk encounters Binzuru Harada, who appears as an old man with a long white beard and bushy eyebrows, when he leaves his temple to seek help for the fox. Binzuru Harada beats The Monk with a stick for abandoning his temple, but then gives him a slip of paper and tells him that he needs to sleep with the token of The King Of All Night’s Dreaming beneath his head in order to save the life of the Fox. Binzuru Harada appears in Dream Hunters on page 66-69.

This is a wonderful portrait from Max. I like the moon in the background. It adds a sense of magic to the character.

Citizen Of Baghdad # 54 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

While Dream and Haroun al Raschid were walking through the streets of Baghdad they passed through a marketplace.

This citizen of Baghdad is one of the people in this particular panel of Ramadan.

He can barely be seen in panel 1 of page 24 from Sandman # 50.

This is a great portrait from Lars. I love the humor in this drawing, especially given that the character is one of the many incredibly obscure characters in the series.

Demon # 203 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

When Morpheus decends into Hell to reclaim his stolen helm he encounters many demons of various shapes and sizes.

This is one of the more unique demons.

He appears in the fantastic double page spread, which features hundreds of demons. This demon may not be the easiest to spot. It is located near the tall column to the left. I described it as a “plant-like demon” for lack of a better description.

Max took this bizarre creature and created a demon that is pretty awesome and frightening. I can imagine this as something that would have appeared in some old European folk tale…a demon that lives in a tree and eats unsuspecting travelers.

This demon appears in Sandman # 4, on page 13.

Worlds’ End Patron # 10 (illustrated by Russel Roehling)

When Brant first wakes up and discovers that he is still in the strange Inn he sees Charlene sitting at a table with a group of people. This woman is one of those people.

It is unknown whether she tells a story, but I am assuming she didn’t based on Charlene’s comments regarding all the being Men’s stories and stories without women in them. We know practically nothing about this character.

She appears in Sandman # 51 on page 9, in panel 5. She is sitting to the right wearing a green outfit.

I really like this portrait from Russel. She doesn’t really look much like the character in World’s End (most notably her bird skull earrings are missing), but I still really like her. She looks happy. Russel has a way of capturing people’s expressions and making them feel honest and real.

Sky-Boy # 1 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In” Going Inside,” the Deliriuim story from Endless Nights, there is a writer who is affected by Delirium’s imbalance. He writes stories about the Sky-Boys and their battle with Lord Kiss-&-Shah Of Hell and his army of Party Girls.

This is one of the Sky-Boys.

He appears on page 8 of “Going Inside.” This Sky-Boy is the blonde boy on the left.

I really like this portrait. Max did an excellent job with the character. I like the “cracked” nature of the portrait in relation to this character.

He also drew a little doodle on the back of the portrait, which I really like, and so I included that as well.

I hope you enjoy them.