Sandman, the Comic Book Lord of Dreams

Neil Gaiman is undoubtedly one of the most interesting authors of the turn of the century. Moreover, he has earned great respect from his readers, which is no small feat in today's hectic times. At the forefront of Gaiman's success and popularity is the comic book series titled Sandman. It is the master's magnum opus, which launched him into the highest echelons of the literary elite. And thanks to a very successful series adaptation produced by Netflix, Gaiman has another notch in his belt in the world of moving pictures. Today, however, we will look at the original comic book series.

The series began publication at the mammoth American comic book publisher DC Comics in 1989 and later moved to its darker and more mature imprint, Vertigo. And thanks to the tireless, painstaking work of the local Crew publishing house, readers here can enjoy the entire series as well.

Sandman, also called Dream or Morpheus, is the main character of this eponymous series. The first and perhaps most essential detail is his role in the entire series. While readers are generally used to all events and scenes revolving around the main character, Sandman is actually the exact opposite. In most stories, he has a kind of observational role, occasionally nudging the floodgates of fate in the right direction, behaving in absolute contradiction to established comic book clichés, and claiming himself that he is "just doing his job."

The passive role of the protagonist is something readers were not very used to at the time. When we add the darkly depressive Freudian background of the story, we arrive at something that has little comparison in the world of comic book writing. It all starts with the mythically collage-like covers, which are the work of a master of his craft, Gaiman's fateful partner, Dave McKean. While several artists took turns on the stories themselves, McKean's covers are an unmistakable hallmark of the entire series.

The following lines are conceived somewhat factually and concisely, but from my perspective, there was no other solution. That is, unless it were to be a very extensive treatise. Capturing the feelings from the entire series is a very intimate and individual matter, and I am not sure if someone who has not yet succumbed to the magic of this exceptional comic book series would get anything out of it.

One of the Endless

Sandman himself belongs to the family of the Endless, who, according to the comic's mythology, appeared at the very beginning of time. Long before humans created gods, and they will be here until the very last day. The icing on the Sandman cake is the fact that the names of all the Endless start with the letter "D" in the original English version. Even Víktor Janiš, one of the best local translators, could not win the battle with this translation puzzle. This wordplay simply cannot work in Czech.

Destiny – is a character originally created in other DC comics. He first appeared in the title Weird Mystery Tales along with other characters that Neil Gaiman also incorporated into Sandman's world. Destiny even appeared on one Superman cover. This character naturally belongs at the beginning of the list of the Endless, because he is the oldest of them all and appeared at the very creation of the Universe. He is depicted as an old man shrouded in a cloak, evoking the lot of some eternal monk. The cloak covers his eyes, which is somewhat strange, as he is already blind himself. It very often happens that he sees himself, even multiple times. A Book is firmly chained to his wrist, in which the fate of the entire universe is described. All fates are somewhat complicated, so it is no surprise that his realm is full of labyrinths.

Death – is a character who completely defies common notions of death itself. At the very least, we are accustomed to the visualization of a character in a cloak wielding a scythe. Gaiman's Death, however, is the absolute opposite. She is a young and incredibly attractive woman full of sex appeal. According to Neil Gaiman, she was created based on a real woman, Cinnamon, known from artist Mike Dringenberg, who is a French-born artist who contributed to the Sandman comics, especially in the first volumes of the series. Death wears black but modern-styled clothing, and an Ankh (an Egyptian hieroglyph, also called the Nile cross, symbolizing life) hangs around her neck. She has one eye made up like the Eye of Ra, which is a multi-meaning ancient Egyptian sacred symbol associated with the god Horus. Often referred to in translation as the Eye of Horus. Morpheus himself mentions several times in the comic that Death is the closest to him of all the Endless. He often addresses her too familiarly as "Sis." Her realm is one big taboo, as the other Endless are afraid to speak of it. Death herself spends one day every hundred years as an ordinary human to taste what she takes from people and thus know the bitter taste of mortality. The scenes in which she appears this way are usually the most emotional of the entire comic book series.

Dream – naturally also uses the names Sandman or Morpheus and is the main character of the entire saga. Hidden in the background, he observes, occasionally moving the plot itself. The original comic, which was called Sandman, was published by DC in the seventies. Gaiman kept only the original title and changed everything else completely. Not a grain of sand remained in its place. Publishers can still rub their hands together today that they left the author completely free rein. Dream can look different and occasionally changes his appearance. Most often, however, he looks like a young version of Robert Smith from the band The Cure. A pale face, tousled raven hair, and eyes that you can barely penetrate despite the intensity of their shine. He can also be perceived as a character from a classic Greek tragedy. His realm plays an absolutely essential role in the entire series, and his servants are sometimes the main characters of individual chapters. Many of them have already appeared in other comic book series. Perhaps apart from Destiny, he is the most precise of all the Endless and attends to his duties.

Destruction – is depicted as a tall, muscular man with a proper full beard. His faithful companion is the talking dog Barnabas, whom he has, however, lent to his sister Delirium for an indefinite period. He is perhaps the most artistically inclined of all the Endless, which is why he is most often depicted at a canvas. He writes poems and enjoys other artistic activities, which did not go well with holding his office, so he preferred to leave it. The aspect of destruction has not been under much control in the world since then. A truly philosophical question thus arises: is Destruction still destruction if he avoids his duties? In the series itself, his siblings speak of him as the prodigal brother.

Desire – is an androgynous being, and it is unclear throughout the series whether they are a man or a woman. They cast two shadows, one of which is unstable, restless, and partially transparent, while the other is straight and austere. They have a "twin," Despair, yet Desire is considered the older one. Desire is never a possession, but always an owner. They have smoke-pale skin and sharp, glowing yellow eyes. They live in their own realm, which is called the "Threshold" and takes the form of a huge statue personifying Desire itself. However, Desire lives in this huge statue only in its heart, which is their symbol. The sun is constantly setting in this realm. "Desire is everything you ever wanted. Regardless of who you are and what you do. Everything."

Despair – is depicted as a fat, ugly, naked woman. She wears a ring with a hook on her hand, which she digs into her flesh. The hook is also a symbol of her power. Her skin is cold and damp. Her eyes are the color of the gray sky of rainy nights. Her voice is more of a whisper, and she does not say much. Although she does not smell like anything, a pungent, musky odor like snake skin wafts from her shadow. Despair is only the second aspect; the first died long ago and was almost identical. Her realm is full of mirrors of the whole world. They do not reflect her image, however, but act as windows leading to every mirror in our world. Sometimes, when you stare into a mirror, you will feel her hook catch in your heart.

Delirium – is the youngest of the Endless and was once the aspect of Delight. How she became Delirium, not even Destiny himself knows. It is one of the few things he cannot read from his book. Delirium is usually depicted as a little girl, dressed in extravagant attire playing with all colors. Each of her eyes is a different color; one is green and the other is blue. Her kingdom is a grotesque place with constantly chaotically changing colors, full of the strangest objects of bizarre shapes.

Brief description of published books (Warning, contains possible spoilers!)

I. – Preludes & Nocturnes – The Lord of Dreams is imprisoned by a sorcerer, his symbols of majesty are stolen, and his realm meanwhile decays. He must free himself and set things right.

II. – The Doll's House – Sandman finds out what happened during his imprisonment and must deal with the traps prepared for him. While restoring his realm, he discovers that some nightmares have escaped, which must be retrieved. Moreover, a dream Vortex has appeared that could destroy the entire world. In a parallel storyline, the story of Rose Walker unfolds, who is still searching for her long-lost brother.

III. Dream Country – consists of four terrifying stories. About a writer who has a Muse at home. About what cats dream of. About the first part of a deal with William Shakespeare, and also about what it's like when you don't want to be an immortal monster, yet you are one.

IV. – Season of Mists – Death convinces Morpheus that casting Nada into thousands of years of pain in Hell just because she wounded his pride and rejected him is not right. Dream therefore decides to go to Hell, even though Lucifer promised him long ago that he would destroy him.

V. – A Game of You – What is it like when your dreams become reality? That is what Barbie finds out in this book, as her own dream life begins to ask her for help.

VI. – Fables & Reflections 1 + 2 – A collection of several short stories, most of which take place before A Game of You. It also contains stories from various specials.

VII. – Brief Lives – The youngest of the Endless, Delirium, persuades Dream to help her find her lost brother Destruction, who left his office three thousand years ago. Thanks to this search, a resolution of the painful relationship between Sandman and his son Orpheus occurs.

VIII. – Worlds' End – Caught in a storm of reality, travelers in time, myth, and imagination head to a mysterious inn. Before the storm subsides, the travelers spend time telling stories in the tradition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

IX. – The Kindly Ones – Three who are one – the Eumenides – avenge a blood sin. The climax of the entire series, where there is even weeping and tears. Clouds gather over the fate of the Lord of Dreams, and mythical beings ruthlessly manipulate the lives of mortals. Every action has its consequences… and good deeds bring unstoppable tragedy…

X. – The Wake – An epilogue to the entire series. A poetic and melancholic farewell to the cult series, presented by the most famous artists. Given the title The Wake, it is quite unsurprising that the theme is coming to terms with death… but also the importance of stories and storytelling. You will meet most of the old acquaintances and a few completely new ones.

XI. – Endless Nights – Neil Gaiman always promised that he would return to Sandman's world. And with the help of the world's best painters, he returned to the seven characters who made him famous and brought us new dreams… and nightmares.

The Dream Hunters – This time we return to the past (and to Japan) in a story about a monk and a magical fox who falls in love with him. But there are also demons who are after the monk's life.

Overture – What happened before the first volume? Is Sandman responsible for the end of the world? Who killed Sandman? You will get answers to all your questions in this amazing-looking prequel to Sandman.

Neil Gaiman cannot be denied his authorial fertility, his sense for choosing a topic, and his literary erudition. Likewise, he cannot be denied his precision in processing, the selection of co-authors during creation, and the one-hundred-percent commitment he gives to his works. That productivity can sometimes be a detriment, as the quality of his works is slightly fluctuating. Even so, we are still talking about one of the brightest screenwriters of the turn of this and the last century.

author Roman Bílek