The Sandman by Neil Gaiman is one of those rare comics, a work that has helped to redefine the genre in the eyes of the general public. It's the comic that introduced the world to Neil Gaiman's singular talent and is chock full of amazing quotes and powerful plot lines. It's the kind of comic that anyone will love, telling the story of His Darkness Dream of the Endless, his family, and everyone else in the universe.
Throughout the book's run- seventy-five issues, a one-shot, and a hardcover, as well as a six-issue prequel, The Sandman: Overture, Gaiman worked with some of the greatest artists in comics to create scenes that set the book apart from everything else.
10 Choosing Just One Scene From "24 Hours" Is A Travesty
The Sandman started as a more horror-oriented comic in the vein of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing and "24 Hours" was the pinnacle of the first story arc's horror. Taking place in The Sandman #6, it cemented the book's place as one of the premiere horror books of its time and is full of amazing scenes that set it apart from every horror book on the market.
Working with artist Mike Dringenburg, Gaiman would create a torturous tableau for the denizens of a diner that was open for 24 hours and left to the mercies of the psychopathic Doctor Dee, empowered by Dream's ruby and taking out his violent fantasies on those inside. Choosing one scene from it is impossible because everyone in the book helped push the limits of comic horror.
9 Jill Thompson Creates A Starry Scene For The Ages In Brief Lives
Brief Lives is one of the most important stories in The Sandman, seeing Dream team up with his depressed youngest sister Delirium to find their brother Destruction. The story is full of great moments but the best is a double-page spread from The Sandman #48, where Dream, Destruction, and Delirium walk outside of Destruction's house into a beautiful starry night.
Lovingly rendered by artist Jill Thompson and colorist Danny Vozzo, it's a breathtaking scene with an almost watercolor quality, one which seems to illustrate how massive the universe is, even to three immortal anthropomorphic representations of natural forces.
8 Dream And Death Sitting On A Fountain In Central Park Combines The Mundane And The Divine
The Sandman #8 serves double duty- it exists as an epilogue for Preludes and Nocturnes and introduces Dream's older sister, Death. Death would go on to become one of the most beloved characters in the series, mainly because of her characterization as an optimistic goth girl who can find the bright side in anything, even death.
While the issue is full of great scenes, the best is just Dream and Death, two beings more powerful than gods, sitting on a fountain in Central Park like normal people. This is another Mike Dringenberg classic, a simple, elegant scene that speaks volumes.
7 The Sacrament Room In The Wake Is Haunting
The Wake takes place after the death of Dream and begins with the Endless retrieving the sacraments for the funeral. Taking place in The Sandman #70, the Endless create an envoy to go into the place where the sacraments are held. There, the envoy, Iblis O'Shaughnessy, speaks to a body-less presence who gives him the sacraments and tells him to go.
The room, rendered by artist Michael Zulli, is haunting, with each member of the Endless's symbol in residence. For years, the mystery of who was speaking in the room held, but like many Sandman mysteries, it would be revealed in Overture.
6 The Summoning Of Dream In The First Issue Set The Stage For The Book
Gaiman launched the book with artist Sam Keith and his distinctive pencils graced the first few issues of the book. He was responsible for amazing scenes in these six issues but one of the best was also one of the first. The book begins with a coven of magicians trying to summon Death and instead ensnaring a weakened Dream.
This scene set the stage for the kind of book The Sandman would be. The coven's leader, Roderick Gurgess, was a Crowley stand in, the spell itself had a poetic cadence, and man and divine meddling in each other's affairs would be a hallmark of the book. Keith's art style lent an otherworldly air to the captured Dream as well, giving readers a glimpse of the magic that was to come.
5 Dream's Funeral Showcases Nearly Character To Ever Appear In The Series
The Sandman #72 showed readers Dream's funeral and it was a truly special scene. Drawn by Michael Zulli, it's one of the greatest scenes in the entire book. Everyone is there - literally everyone to ever exist - since all beings who have ever existed have interacted with Dream in some way.
Zulli renders it all amazingly, combining DC mainstays like Darkseid and Batman, with the gods, monsters, and normal people who have been appearing throughout the book. It's made all the more powerful by Gaiman's beautiful prose, a touching send-off to the King of Dreams.
4 The Aftermath Of Orpheus's Death Is Heartbreaking
One of the most important parts of Brief Lives is Dream's killing of his son Orpheus. Orpheus helped his father find Destruction and in return asked for an end to his life, one which had been torture for him since the Fates tore him apart, leaving only his head. Dream, a being of his word, kills his son and the aftermath is heartbreaking.
Drawn by Jill Thompson, it sees Dream put Orpheus's head down and walk back to the Dreaming, the blood from killing his son dripping from his fingers like tears. Each drop grows a crimson flower and the whole scene is made that much better by the nature of the comics page.
3 Shakespeare Meeting His Audience Is Amazing
Will Shakespeare makes several appearances in The Sandman and one of the most important was in The Sandman #19, titled, appropriately, "A Midsummer Night's Dream". The story is the only comic to win a World Fantasy award, one of the most interesting pieces of Sandman trivia. It sees Dream bring a delegation from the realm of Faerie to watch Shakespeare's newest play.
Will himself acts in the production, staged in the English countryside, and walks through the curtain to see the strangest audience he's ever played for. Drawn by P. Craig Russell, it shows the Fae in all their glory and terror and is an iconic image.
2 Dream And Death's Last Meeting Mirrors Their First Scene Together
The Kindly Ones showed the end of Dream, as he was targeted by Lyta Hall and the Kindly Ones - Lyta because of the disappearance of her son and her belief that Dream was behind it and the Kindly Ones, another manifestation of the Fates, for him killing his son. Eventually, he has no choice but to stand against them and he meets his sister Death on a cliff-top.
The scene, drawn by Richard Hempel, shows the two of them in a stark, storm-ridden environment, discussing the situation and has multiple parallels to The Sandman #8. It's a striking scene, selling the desolation of what's about to happen.
1 Dream Facing Down The Legions Of Hell Is Amazing
The Sandman #4 sees Dream go to Hell to retrieve his helm from a demon, a place where all of his mighty power means nothing. He succeeds in getting it but when it's time to leave, Satan and the legions of Hell stand in his way. Drawn by Sam Keith, it's one of the greatest representations of the Infernal Realm ever.
Dream gets out in the simplest way possible, not by fighting but by telling the truth - that without the capacity to dream, Hell would have no power. Dreams are hope and without hope for Heaven, what sting would Hell have? Any other comic starring an all-powerful being like Dream would have had some kind of fight but instead, this one used a simple truth, showing how different of a book The Sandman can be.