Niccolò Polo (illustrated by Mike DeCarlo)

Niccolò Polo was a merchant traveler from Italy, who travelled with his son, Marco, throughout Asia and is believed to be responsible for establishing a trade route to Constantinople and the Mongolian Empire, where he met Kubilai Khan.

In Sandman # 38, we learn that Marco Polo is lost in the desert on one of their trips to Asia. At the end of the story, Niccolò and Maffeo find Marco in the sand, still alive.

While he makes only a brief appearance in Sandman, Niccolò Polo was very influential in helping form trade routes.

Niccolò appears a few times briefly in Soft Places, most notably on page 24, when he finds his son. >P> Mike did an awesome job with this character, especially given that this character is not the focus of this story. I like that he brought significantly more detail to the character than his appearance in the published comic.

Roman Citizen # 129 (illustrated by Kai Martin)

In Fables And Reflections, Augustus Caesar and the dwarf Lycius spend the day sitting on the temple steps near the marketplace dressed as beggars.

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.

I love this portrait from Kai. This portrait is a contrast to what many people have drawn when they think of Roman Citizens. I really like the coloring of her skin and the folds of the clothes she is wearing. The details and line work are perfect. I also really enjoy her hair. I think that Kai’s approach to this character is completely unique and stands apart from a lot of the Roman Citizens from this issue.

Bus Driver (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

In London in June 1920, the news of John Hathaway’s suicide spreads through the city. Young boys are selling newspapers with headlines questioning his mental health and asking questions of the mysteries surrounding his death. The streets are bustling.

This man is the bus driver for the Kensington Ch\Aldwych line.

The bus driver appears in Sandman # 1, on page 14, in panel 1.

In the published comic, we barely get a glimpse of the bus driver. He can be seen wearing a gray pinstriped suit, driving the bus. He is one of the many background characters that create a living world within the Sandman universe. Anna did a wonderful job with this portrait. This bus driver seems tired and worn out, similar to how bus drivers appear these days…at least here….maybe they are friendlier in other cities. I love the contrast between the bus driver’s gray suit and the red seat. Little things like that really accent the character and brings him to center stage in the portrait.

Despairing Man # 1 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

Despair’s realm is filled with a multitude of tiny windows and inside each mirror is a glimpse of someone experiencing overwhelming despair.

This man is one of the many feeling despair in their hearts.

He appears in the Brief Lives storyline, in Sandman # 41 on page 20, in panel 3.

Max did an awesome job with this portrait. It’s not a standard perspective and I like the uniqueness. The line work for this character is perfect and I like the shape of his hands and that they are partially obscuring his face.

Here is Despairing Man # 1…

Concubine # 1 (illustrated by Lars Brown)

In Baghdad, during the reign of Haroun al Raschid, the city was filled with splendors and wonders that were unlike any city in the world.

His harem was no exception.

In al Raschid’s harem, there were women from every country and of every skin color. Each of these women were adept in the art of pleasure.

This concubine is one of the women in Haroun al Raschid’s harem.

She appears in Sandman # 50, on page 3, in panel 1.

Lars’ approach to this character is pretty straight forward. She is sitting in the harem waiting to be chosen for a night with the caliph. I like that she is winking and offering a kiss to those looking in on her.

Bondage Boy # 9 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Brief Lives, Delirium wanders into a bondage club. The club is filled with people dancing, drinking and being seen. Delirum’s stands out a little bit, probably because she is not dressed quite as extreme as some of the others.

When Delirium breaks down, Desire comes to her aid. This man is standing in the background as Desire enters the club.

He appears in Sandman # 41 on page 11 in panel 5.

Max took a visually interesting approach to this character. In the published comic, for a long time, I thought this man was actually a woman because he was so feminine, and, admittedly, because he had long hair. It wasn’t until I noticed that he had chest hair that I realized he was a man. Max, however, made this character very male. There is no mistaking his gender in this portrait. He reminds me of someone you might see at a heavy metal concert. I really like the addition of the chains in the background and I really like how Max drew the links. My eye is drawn to them naturally.

Here is Bondage Boy # 9…

Dreamer # 83 (illustrated by Nicole Ingram)

In Season of Mists, Dream decides to go to Hell to rescue Nada, which he reflects may not deserve eternal punishment for rejecting his love.

Before going to Hell, Dream feels obligated to visit Hob, in the event that he does not return.

He travels through the dreams of people in order to find a perfect bottle of wine to take to his friend for their meeting.

This man is one of the dreamers who Morpheus passed through on his search for the wine.

He appears in Sandman # 22, on page 15, in panel 2.

Nicole took a very interesting approach to this Dreamer. She took the character from the published comic and interpreted what he was like while he was awake and instead of portraying him asleep, he is awake. I really like that her interpretation of this character makes sense. I had never thought about these dreamers outside of their dreams.