#the sandman preludes & Nocturnes

[mayhaps-a-blog]

So I feel like the fandom is getting a little confused on Dream’s different forms.

Because he doesn’t really change shape so much as is perceived as looking different.

Dream is Dream is Dream.

A cat will see a cat Dream walking along the road. A human will see a “human” Dream wandering the town. A flower will see a flower Dream floating with the wind.

It’s all the same figure, in the same place, at the same time. Dream hasn’t changed; only who’s looking at him.

There’s a good page from the books I think gets this idea across well: as part of the DC cameos, he meets J'onn J'onzz while in the company of a human; J’onn sees him as a Martian deity, a flaming skull, while the human sees him as Dream as we know him. Dream is both, equally, at once.

He is capable of appearing as a specific being to others, especially in dreams - he appears to Alex as a cat, for instance - but unless he’s making an effort, it’s generally a matter of perception.

So, go forth and write all the shapeshifting Dream fanfic! And maybe toss in some fun twists in perception too :)

[orangejamm]

Here’s some Sandman art.

I have two here because the first one is quite a bit loud, so the other is there to clarify the foreground, if that makes sense.

Poor Jessamy.

[scrumptiouswordsthings]

Rosemary in The Sandman

We meet Rosemary in Ep. 4 of The Sandman, A Hope in Hell, and she is one of the characters who had some big changes from the comics (WARNING: spoilers for comics and Ep. 4 ahead).

For anyone unfamiliar or in need of a refresher, in the comics, she appears in Passengers (Preludes and Nocturnes #5), and she is a nurse driving past Arkham Asylum when John Dee (naked) accosts her and demands she drive him to Mayhew. During the drive, and while being held and gunpoint, she attempts to offer him some kindness - she offers him a sandwich, her husband's coat, and listens to him expound on his life story. She mentions her two daughters, and when she drops Dee off at Mayhew they seem to have a decent rapport. Dee thanks her for the ride before promptly shooting her.

Now to The Sandman show, which dramatically changes Rosemary's story. She does still pick up Dee in her car to take him to Mayhew, albeit with much less threatening as she offers it out of kindness and with no threats on Dee's part. Their conversation on the drive reveals that Dee is not of sound mind and has been kept away from regular society for awhile although they do discuss her children and philosophize a bit together. She does the sensible thing and attempts to have a gas station clerk call 911 when they stop. Dee, however, has a magical protection amulet that puts a quick stop to that. Rosemary continues to drive him to Mayhew although she is terrified of him now. When she drops Dee off in Mayhew she simply asks that he does not hurt her dog, Susie, who is in the car with her. She also, while admitting that she will regret this *out loud*, offers to drive him elsewhere even after she is sure that he plans to kill her. Dee, in a reversal from the comics, takes off his protection amulet and gives it to Rosemary before sending her on her way home physically unharmed.

So, we have our two Rosemary's. I, personally, adored the changes made for the most part in the show and this change was one of my favorites. She still relies on empathy, but in the show it feels less of a manipulation and just is an element of her core personality. Part of my interest in specifically the change to her character's fate in the show is because Dee's actions directly following Rosemary driving Dee to Mayhew send the world into chaos due to his misuse of Dream's ruby. There are fires, rioting, and the kind of events that can be summed up as the world gone mad.

Comics Rosemary is deceased, and hence does not care, but TV Rosemary not only is experiencing this chaos but is also in possession of a potent protection amulet that likely ensures she is near untouchable by violence of any sort. There is no sudden and violent ending of her story in the TV show which leaves so much open potential for the character's experiences. What will the rest of this character's life look like after this brush with the supernatural and likely death? How much of what happens immediately after she drops Dee off impact her and her place in the Sandman universe? Or does it have any impact outside of what Dee's presence in her life already caused? There is so much potential in this open end!

[comparativetarot]

Four of Wands. Art by Shannon Hochman, from the Sandman Tarot Deck.

[x-in-my-falafel]

[foolishlyzephyrus]

started reading sandman and conveniently forgot it does actually take place in the dc universe

[aetheltrythh]

A nod to V for Vendetta in The Sandman?

I've read Alan Moore's V for Vendetta recently, and I can't help it, but this panel:

is reminiscent of this panel in The Sandman:

So I wonder if it was Neil's nod to Alan :-)

[writing-for-life]

In the article above, British horror, EC Comics, DC Comics horror, splatter-punk and Unknown Worlds are mentioned. What do you think the other horror sub genres/influences are in the Preludes and Nocturnes arc?

Second question: About the tv version of Preludes and Nocturnes, do you not mind or were you disappointed in the lack of horror elements in that adaptation? When I read P&N, the most memorable things were how Ruthven Sykes dies and whatever happened to Rachel's dad. I like the shock factor of those scenes and more importantly a sense of unease. I just think horror has more impact when you feel something other than scared or freaked out.

Edit: I put some extra info in the reblogs…

Hey, thanks for the ask!

I don’t know what article you’re referring to since that didn’t come through or hasn’t been attached? You can link it again in the comments if you like.

I’m generally not a horror fan, so I’m probably not the right person to dive deeply into horror sub-genres. While especially Preludes & Nocturnes and The Doll’s House have some horror elements, I’ve personally always seen The Sandman as (dark) fantasy.

So no, I personally wasn’t disappointed by the lack of horror elements in the series because I never thought it the main genre anyway. And I think that might have also been exactly the reason why Sam Kieth dropped out?

In any case, I definitely think the visceral element of horror has a purpose that goes beyond “shock factor” though, so I understand if people who read the comics first and liked the tone of especially the earlier issues felt it was missing. I guess it’s very personal.

For me, it’s always been the other way round: While Preludes & Nocturnes sets up the story, it was always one of my least favourite arcs because to me, it felt a bit like Neil was trying to find his feet, and stylistically, I always thought it was a bit “neither here nor there”. I love the later arcs most (Brief Lives, The Wake and TKO in that order) because I feel the storytelling is tighter and has more depth, but that’s of course just my personal preference.

I also wasn’t big on the shoehorned DC references, so I was glad we didn’t need to suffer them in the series if I’m honest 🤣

Not sure if that answers your questions at all, but as I said, I freely admit I’m not a massive horror fan.

@elemen ask answered

[derangedrhythms]

Have you ever had one of those days when something just seems to be trying to tell you somebody?

Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, from 'Preludes and Nocturnes'

[trexsol]

Throwback to the first sandman comic where for some reason DC REALLY wanted him to be a part of the DCU so @neil-gaiman gave the martian a secret stash of oreo and I think this single line makes it one of the best comic ever.

[seaofwakinglife]

"You say I have no power? Perhaps you speak truly... But--you say DREAMS have no power here? Tell me, Lucifer Morningstar... Ask yourselves, all of you... What power would HELL have if those here imprisoned were NOT able to DREAM of HEAVEN?"

– The Sandman #4: A Hope in Hell in The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes, by Neil Gaiman

[tamilhobbit]

Day 13 - Nocturne

In art, a nocturne is a night scene, so I considered doing a nature scene of trees by a lake at night or something.

But then I remembered that the first Sandman volume is titled Preludes and Nocturnes, and then I had to draw Morpheus. Trying to draw sand blowing was tricky.

So. Much. Black. Ink. One of my markers ran dry doing the background. (Admittedly I've been using that marker since I started doing Inktober some years ago. 😜)

[thelastofthebookworms]

I couldn't include Endless Nights or Overture. Don't throw rocks at me.

And please reblog so we have some voters.

[mother-jim]

made book covers for a digital illustration class and decided to do the sandman: preludes and nocturnes. with and w/o text, click for higher quality

[comparativetarot]

The Devil. Art by Shannon Hochman, from the Sandman Tarot Deck.

[patricialupien]

Matthew the Raven gives his boss some advice. (Matthew needs a lot more fan art and Matthew belongs to @neil-gaiman)

(via Matthew the Raven Photographic Print by Patricia Lupien)