Citizen Of Baghdad # 81 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

Haroun al Raschid threatens to shatter the Globe Of Sulaiman Ben Daoud, which contains nine thousand and nine Ifrits, Djinn and Demons unless the King Of Dream comes to him.

He throws the globe, but Morpheus arrives just as the globe is about to hit the ground.

Haroun al Raschid asks the King Of Dreams to accompany him on a tour of Baghdad to see its many splendors. One of the stops on their tour is the marketplace.

The marketplace is crowded and full of people, including this woman.

She appears in Sandman # 50, on page 25, in panel 3.

This is a beautiful portrait from Lukas. I love the hat on this character. Lukas gave it a bit more flamboyance than in the published comic, but it really suites the character. I also really like the expression on the character’s face. She seems completely happy and at peace in this city.

Actress # 2 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

This is another actress from Fear Of Falling is one of the women performing in “The Typhoid Mary Blues,” written and directed by Todd Faber.

Todd feels discouraged about his play and has some to the conclusion that he should simply give up and step away from his dreams. He tells his friend Janet that he is done and that the play is over. Todd falls asleep and encountering Morpheus. The King Of Dreams encourages him to not give us and that sometimes taking the leap is worth it.

As Janet is about to tell the actors that they play is being cancelled, Todd appears re-invigorated and is once again excited about the play.

This actress appears on page 10 of “Fear Of Falling,” which was originally published in Vertigo Preview # 1. She is in the first panel and is in the middle of the stage.

Anna did a wonderful job with this portrait. I really like her approach to this character. The curtains I the background are a great contrast to her dark hair. Also I really like the use of watercolor for this portrait. It helps add texture to the portrait and really intensifies the vibrant colors. This is another lovely portrait from Anna…

Actress # 1 (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Fear Of Falling, this actress is one of the women performing in “The Typhoid Mary Blues,” written and directed by Todd Faber.

Todd feels pretty hopeless about the play and decides to give up, but changes his mind after encountering Morpheus in a dream. As Janet is about to tell the actors that they play is being cancelled, Todd appears re-invigorated and is once again excited about the play.

This actress appears on page 10 of “Fear Of Falling,” which was originally published in Vertigo Preview # 1. She is in the first panel and is in the middle of the stage.

Max took an interesting approach to this character. I did not envision the actress to look as she does in this portrait, but that’s one of the things I like about this project, especially for characters that are not well defined in the published comic. Max’s eye for details and his well thought out line work make this a really unique portrait. She reminds me of someone…and I really wish I could remember who.

Jamaican Man # 2 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

Here is one of the Jamaican Men who appeared in Preluded And Nocturnes.

Daniel Bustamonte is one of the many victims of the sleeping sickness that swept the globe during Dream’s imprisonment. He spends a lot of his time on the streets, barely awake.

This Jamaican Man is one of the many men that passed by Daniel while he slept on the side of the street. He was in Jamaica in 1955.

He appears in Sandman # 1, page 20, panel 3.

I really like this portrait from Anna. She didn’t have a lot to work with in the published comic and she brought this character to life with her interpretation of this character. As always the colors are vivid and his face is incredibly expressive. This is a wonderful portrait!!!

Wierdzo Orderly # 1 (illustrated by John Carmine)

As Wanda’s dream fades into a nightmare she finds herself in a hospital on a gurney being wheeled into the operating room by two Wierdzo Orderlies. Wanda, who in her nightmare sees herself as her former self, cries out that she is afraid of surgery.

The Wierdzo characters are comic book characters that Wanda liked when she was young. They appeared in Hyperman comics. These characters are, obviously, a homage to Bizarro who appears in Superman comics.

The Wierdzo Orderly appears in Sandman # 33 on page 13 in panel 4.

The perspective of this portrait makes the this Orderly look very frightening, which is absolutely necessary based on the character’s role in the comic. I like the line work on his face, which really accents the terrifying nature of this character.

Demon # 384 (illustrated by Anna Hybsier)

The Fox and the Badger made a wager to see who could make the Monk who lives in a small temple in the mountains of Japan flee his responsibility.

Each tried a variety of tricks to make the Monk leave the temple.

One night a troop of demons appeared at the temple. They stood outside the temple and demanded that he come out and be eaten.

The Monk emerged from the temple and used a torch to frighten away the demons. As he began to run toward the demons, the creatures disappeared and where the demons had once been stood a fat old badger.

This is one of the demons that the Monk saw when the badger was trying to play a trick on him.

He appears in the P. Craig Russell version of Dream Hunters. He is in the first issue, on page 15, panel 2.

Anna’s portrayal of this demon is perfect. She was able to make what looks to be an adorable demon very menacing. Don’t mess with this demon!

Faery # 57 (illustrated by Lukas Ketner)

When Titania and Auberon were invited to attend the first performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written by William Shakespeare and performed by his acting group Lord Strange’s Men, they brought along hundreds of other Faeries to enjoy the performance.

This is one of the Faeries who attended the performance.

This Faery appears in Sandman # 19 on page 7 in panel 2.

This is another great portrait from Lukas. I like that the Faeries in this story are not necessarily the typical image of Faeries and that this character looks menacing and perhaps a bit devious. This smile is filled with mischief and I like it.