Naren

Written by Naren

Modified & Updated: 30 Dec 2023

Jessica Corbett

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

The Sandman is hailed as one of the greatest comic book series of all time. It follows the story of Morpheus, also known as Dream; the personification of dreams.  Here are 55 interesting facts about The Sandman comic book series.

Table of Contents

It Was Not The First Sandman Comic.

  1. The character of the Sandman has had multiple versions. 
  2. Marvel Comics’ Sandman is a supervillain named Flint Marko. 
  3. This version is made of and can control sand. 
  4. Meanwhile, the DC Comics’ version was initially a man named Wesley Dodds who used a gun that emitted sleeping gas to sedate criminals. 
  5. Later, another version of the Sandman was created by Jack Kirby whose job was to protect children from nightmares.
  6. The more popular and recent version of the Sandman was the embodiment of dreams.

The Sandman comics created by Neil Gaiman.

  1. The latest version of The Sandman comic book series was created by Neil Gaiman. 
  2. Gaiman initially wanted to flesh out Kirby’s adaptation of The Sandman. 
  3. Unfortunately, those characters were already being used in a separate story arc. 
  4. Gaiman was later offered the chance to write a Sandman comic character but on the condition that this was to be a completely new character from his own creation. 
  5. Gaiman accepted and enlisted the help of Dave Mckean and Mike Dringenberg to start the comic series.

Dream’s Capture On Earth In The Sandman.

  1. In the first story arc of The Sandman, Morpheus or Dream was trapped on Earth as a result of a summoning spell gone wrong.
  2. The summoner was attempting to summon Death but accidentally captured Dream instead, wreaking havoc and causing many to suffer from either intense nightmares or extreme insomnia. 
  3. All was resolved when the magic holding Dream captive was breached. 
  4. Dream spent much of the earlier issues of The Sandman attempting to recover his power and bring order back to The Dreaming, which is his realm.

Cain And Abel In The Sandman.

cain and abel, sandman comic
The brothers, Cain and Abel
  1. Fans of the Lucifer TV series might know that the biblical Cain is actually the true identity of the character, Marcus Pierce.
  2.  However, Cain made his first recurring appearance in The Sandman comic book series.
  3.  In the comics, Cain and Abel served as caretakers and guardians of the dream realm. 
  4. Cain was the first murderer in story, while Abel was his first victim. 
  5. Throughout their portrayals, Cain constantly murdered Abel, while Abel was constantly revived. 
  6. In the later issues, it was revealed that Cain was immortal and indestructible due to God’s curse on him.

Lucifer’s Introduction In The Sandman.

  1. Another character that the Sandman comic introduced to the world was Lucifer himself.
  2. In the comics, Dream traveled to hell to recover an item of his. 
  3. He had to engage in a battle of wits with a demon, as Lucifer watched on. 
  4. They transformed themselves into creatures, one-upping the other. 
  5. When Dream transformed himself into hope, the demon failed to respond, so  Dream won.
  6. As he left Hell, Dream commented that Lucifer was surprisingly honorable. 
  7. This annoyed Lucifer who later abdicated his throne in Hell, which set the premise for the Lucifer comics.

Dream’s Siblings In The Sandman.

  1. Dream was not the only personification of a concept in The Sandman series. 
  2. He was actually from a race of beings known as the Endless, creatures of great power which represent powerful natural forces. 
  3. The Endless are comprised of seven siblings: Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, the twins Desire and Despair, and lastly Delirium. 
  4. The siblings often interacted with each other. 
  5. Death and Dream shared a close relationship, whereas Dream and Desire often bear animosity for each other. 
  6. They would sometimes have family meetings when crisis was approaching, and on some occasions would also make bets or challenge each other.

Hob Galding And The Emperor Of The United States.

  1. The Emperor of the United States was based on a real person, Joshua Abraham Norton.
  2. In The Sandman series, Norton was a failed businessman.
  3. Dream, Despair, and Delirium had a bet amongst themselves to see whose realm Norton would come to reside in.
  4. Dream imagined that as long as a man had a dream, he would not fall into Despair or Delirium.
  5. Dream then gave Norton the gift of a waking dream, causing Norton to believe that he was actually the Emperor of the United States until the day he died.
  6. Hob Galding is another mortal who was the main target of a bet made by the Endless. 
  7. Galding was at a bar and expressed that death was a choice and when it was his turn, he would simply choose not to die. 
  8. Death and Dream who were nearby decided to give him immortality and see if it would bring him happiness.  
  9. Dream appeared before him and told him they would meet again in 100 years. 
  10. They continued meeting once every hundred years to the point where Dream considered Galding his only mortal friend.

The Sandman Adaptation Is Currently In The Works.

  1. Due to The Sandman’s tremendous success, many attempts have been made to adapt the story into live-action. 
  2. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Neil Gaiman were supposed to adapt the series into a movie and fans had very excited about this. 
  3. Unfortunately, Levitt left the project in 2016. 
  4. However, as of 2019, Netflix has picked the title up and is reportedly in the development of a direct to series adaptation of The Sandman comic. We can’t wait to see it on the screen!

Superman And Batman Make Cameos In The Sandman.

  1. Since The Sandman comic takes place in the DC universe, Dream has actually interacted with some of your favorite DC heroes like Superman, Batman, and the Martian Manhunter.
  2. In a story arc where bad dreams are affecting everyone on Earth, a pantheon of heroes is shown depicting Batman, Superman, and the Martian Manhunter. 
  3. A version of Dream also appears in some issues of the Justice League comics.

Dream Bid His Farewell In The Sandman Comics.

  1. Ultimately, the character of Morpheus grew tired of his duties in the Sandman Comics. 
  2. He decided to give up his position and pass on. 
  3. He chose Daniel Hall, a child who was born in the realm of dreams. 
  4. When he had to face a battle he knew he would lose, he allowed his powers and essence to be transferred to Daniel Hall, creating a new entity also called Dream.

From exchanging barbs with Lucifer to creating the Emperor of the United States, Dream sure had a colorful life in the Sandman Comics. 

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