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thecomicsnexus · 6 years ago

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SANDMAN #1-8 JANUARY - AUGUST 1989 BY NEIL GAIMAN, SAM KEITH, MIKE DRINGENBERG AND MALCOLM JONES III

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC WIKIA)

June 6th, 1916 Doctor John Hathaway of Scotland's Royal Museum visits the Sussex manor Fawny Rig, home of the occult magus Roderick Burgess. He explains to Burgess that his son Edmund had been killed in the war. He offers him a mystical tome called the Magdalene Grimoire and begs Burgess to use his knowledge of the occult to resurrect his son. Burgess agrees and takes possession of the book.

June 10th At the stroke of midnight, Burgess and his fellow cultists in the Order of Ancient Mysteries begin their summoning ritual. Burgess seeks to capture the very essence of death, through which, no one need ever die again. Roderick's young son Alexander is present during the ritual. After a lengthy incantation, Burgess opens the veil between worlds and a strange being clad in a cape and an elaborate helmet spills into the middle of the circle. Roderick immediately knows that this is not Death. This is actually Morpheus - the Lord of Dreams. Burgess keeps his ethereal presence consigned to the mystic ward on the floor, while his cultists erect a crystal dome over the ward to contain the Dream King's corporeal form. Around the world, different people suffer after effects of the Sandman's imprisonment. People like Ellie Marston, Stefan Wasserman, Daniel Bustamonte and Unity Kincaid fall into a deep malaise; an unnatural comatose state from which they cannot awaken.

June, 1920 Doctor John Hathaway, torn over Burgess' failure to reproduce his dead son, can no longer live with himself. Roderick has bled him dry through blackmail, so Hathaway decides to take his own life. He leaves behind a suicide note implicating Burgess in the theft of the Grimoire. Burgess is investigated, but cleared of all charges, having used occult magic to burn the suicide note before it was found.

August, 1926 Young Alexander consults with the Paginarum Fulvarum and learns his prisoner's true identity. Roderick is impressed with the boy. He always knew that the being inside the glass dome was one of the Endless, but up until now he did not know which one. He tries to force Morpheus to serve up his sibling Death, but Morpheus does not respond. He merely sits silently in his prison, patiently waiting.

November - December 1930 Ruthven Sykes, second-in-command to Burgess' Order of Ancient Mysteries decides to strike out on his own. He steals a large sum of money from Roderick as well as the artifacts found upon Dream's person. Roderick's former mistress Ethel Cripps runs away with him. Sykes knows that Roderick will hunt him down, so he barters Dream's helm with a demon named Choronzon for protection. The demon gives Ruthven an amulet. So long as he always wear it, he will be safe from Roderick's retribution.

1936 Ethel Cripps leaves Ruthven Sykes and takes the amulet as well as the Dreamstone. Roderick Burgess uses his knowledge of the occult to take his revenge by making Sykes' head explode.

1947 Roderick Burgess is old and dying. He goes to the cellar of his home and tries to force Morpheus to do his bidding. Once again, Morpheus refuses. He watches as the old man shouts at him before finally pitching over dead.

1955 Alexander Burgess, now an adult, is the new leader of the Order of Ancient Mysteries. He has taken possession of his father's estate and lives there with his partner Paul McGuire. Alex goes to the cellar and makes Morpheus the same offer that his father once made him. He will free him in exchange for power and a promise that he will not retaliate. Morpheus tells him "No".

1968 Alex Burgess has turned from a serious study of the dark arts and uses his resources to host a series of tantric sex rituals. Paul and he promote these endeavors not only for the sex, but also for the revenue they generate.

1970 Burgess falls into a state of great despondency. He hands control of the Order completely over to Paul McGuire. He becomes obsessed with the Liber Fulvarum Paginarum and continuously from a single page in the book - a page that includes a representation of the Sandman.

1972 Alexander Burgess tries to talk to Morpheus, but the Dream King won't respond to him.

1978 Burgess tells his prisoner that he hasn't had a decent night's sleep in over sixty years. He blames Morpheus for his current state.

1982 Burgess, old and infirm, makes idle threats to Morpheus. These too go unheeded.

1988 Alexander Burgess, now confined to a wheelchair, goes to the cellar to see Morpheus one final time. Out of spite, he tells Morpheus that he is glad that his father captured him, then instructs Paul to bring him back upstairs. As the wheelchair turns, one of the tires smudges the binding circle that surrounds Morpheus. The Dream King collapses, seemingly dead. Paul McGuire unlocks the glass dome to check on him. As soon as he does so, Morpheus blows sand in his face and escapes. Across the world, those who were affected the worst by the Dream Lord's imprisonment begin to awaken. One of these victims of the "sleeping sickness", Unity Kincaid, recalls once having a baby girl.

That evening, Alexander Burgess goes to sleep. In his dreams, he is confronted by the Sandman. Unable to gain revenge against the man who first imprisoned him, he instead decides to mete out vengeance against the son. He curses Burgess with Eternal Waking - an endless nightmare wherein he experiences terrific horrors which conclude when he wakes up screaming - only to discover that he is actually still asleep, and the self-perpetuating cycle repeats itself over and over. Burgess lapses into a coma.

At the House of Mystery, Cain gives his brother Abel a gift. Before he can open it however, there is a knock at the door. It is Cain's pet gargoyle Gregory holding the weakened Dream Lord Morpheus aloft by his robes. Cain and Abel bring him inside and set Morpheus down. Dream asks them for their letters of conscription. The papers that bear his signature provide just enough power to give Dream a bit more strength. His vitality improves enough so that he can send his essence into the Dreamworld.

Meanwhile, ninety-year-old Ethel Dee visits Arkham Asylum in Gotham County. She speaks with psychiatrist Doctor Roger Huntoon regarding her son, John. John is the super-villain known as Doctor Destiny. Huntoon reluctantly allows her to visit John. Dee is in a terrible physical and mental state. He tells his mother that they "took his dreams" away from him.

In the Dreamworld, Morpheus journeys beyond the Gates of Horn and Ivory to the steps of his castle. The castle has fallen into a state of severe dilapidation since he's been gone. Lucien the librarian comes out and tells Morpheus about what has been going on in the Dreaming since he's been away.

At the House of Mystery, Abel finally opens his gift and discovers that it is a gargoyle egg. The egg hatches and a baby gargoyle spills out. Abel wants to name it Irving after an old friend of his, but Cain won't hear of it. He reminds him that all gargoyle names begin with the letter "G". He becomes so irate with his brother that he kills him, which is not an uncommon circumstance as Cain often kills his brother merely for the sport of it. Like Cain, Abel is immortal, and always regenerates. As Abel finally pulls himself back together, he consents to Cain's will and gives the gargoyle a proper name – Goldie.

Back in the Dreamworld, Morpheus visits the three witches known as the Hecateae. He needs information regarding his tools of office. The witches tell him that each one of them will answer one question, but only one per witch. These are the rules. Dream asks his questions, but the Hecateae deliberately give him misleading answers. However, he does discover where his articles may be found. His pouch of sand was last seen in the hands of a hedge mage named John Constantine. His helm was given to a demon in 1930 by Ruthven Sykes and his ruby was last seen in the presence of a League of Justice. Dream thanks these "weird sisters" and goes off to reclaim his belongings, deciding to start with Constantine.

A woman named Rachel lies in bed at her house. Her withered, bony hand reaches out from the blankets to the nightstand where it grasps at a partially opened bag of sand. This is Dream's Sand Pouch – a mystical item that was stolen from him decades ago.

In London, hedge mage John Constantine wakes up after suffering a terrible nightmare. He should be used to them by now, having suffered such visions ever since the 1978 debacle at Newcastle. He goes down to Ed's Easy Diner for breakfast. The song on the jukebox is about dreams. When he leaves, he encounters a street woman named Mad Hettie. Hettie warns him that the Sandman has returned. John scoffs and tells her that the Sandman is just a fairy tale. Hettie warns him to heed her words for she is two-hundred and seventy-three years old.

When John returns home he discovers that the Sandman really does exist. Dream stands in his doorway and inquires about his missing bag of sand. John vaguely recalls finding the item at a garage sale many years ago, but doesn't know where it could be now. He tells Dream that they should check an old storage facility that he once leased. They stop at the place, and John finds a photograph of an ex-girlfriend – Rachel. He now recalls that Rachel stole a bunch of his stuff and sold it for drugs. She is the last one that would have known where the pouch is.

John calls his friend Chas Chandler, and Chas drives John and Dream over to Rachel's father's house in the Brambles. When they enter the house they find that her father has been transformed into a living nightmare – barely alive. Dream knows that this his pouch is definitely here. John enters Rachel's room. She is sitting up in bed and looks terrible. Years of substance abuse have wasted her and she is slowly dying. Dream notices that she has the sand pouch and cites that it is the only thing that has kept her alive until now. John asks him to put her out of her misery. Dream places Rachel into a happy dream where she is young and healthy again, living with John - the love of her life. Dream collects his pouch as Rachel dies peacefully.

The pair begin to part company, but John stops Dream to ask for a favor. He describes the nightmares that he has been having, and Dream tells him that his nightmares will now cease.

Dream's next task is to reclaim his missing helm. This will prove a most dangerous endeavour, as it means that he must pass the gates of Hell itself to find it.

At the gates, Dream meets resistance from a guard named Squatterbloat. Dream warns him that he is considered a guest and that Lucifer would be very upset if Squatterbloat refused him. Fortunately, the demon Etrigan appears, and offers to take Dream to see Lucifer. He takes Dream through the Wood of Suicides, and then past a prison of souls entombed to pity. Dream has an encounter with a woman he knew long ago - Nada. Nada begs his forgiveness for a prior betrayal, but Morpheus refuses. He tells her, "It has been ten thousand years, Nada. Yes. I still love you. But I have not yet forgiven you".

They eventually arrive at Dis, the Hellcity where the palace of Lucifer Morningstar stands. At the top of his tower, Lucifer greets him. Dream is surprised to learn that Hell is no longer a monarchy, but is now a triumvirate. After the battle between Heaven and the Great Darkness, a civil war sparked in Hell which led to a change in leadership. Lucifer now rules in equal partnership with fellow demons Azazel and Beelzebub.

The triumvirate convenes before Morpheus, and he informs them that a demon stole his helm of office many years ago, and he has come to Hell to reclaim it. They ask which demon is responsible for the offence, but Morpheus doesn't know his name. Mockingly, Lucifer decides to summon all of the demons of Hell together and asks Morpheus to point out which one has his helmet.

Using his magic sand, Dream eventually finds the one in possession of the artifact - Choronzon. Choronzon claims to have acquired the tool fairly, and has broken none of Hell's laws. If Morpheus wants it back, then he must challenge him for it. Morpheus agrees to the challenge, unsure that he has the strength to win.

As the challenged, Choronzon decides upon the rules and setting of their duel. He chooses a contest of wits, in which all of reality is their battlefield. The game involves taking on the identity of an item or animal and using the properties of that item to trump the opponent. After several turns, Dream realizes that taking a defensive approach might serve him better. He manipulates Choronzon into choosing a universe-destroying force, which he believes will leave Dream with no recourse. In response, Dream explains that he will be hope - the only thing that can remain after all is destroyed. With that, he wins the challenge.

Taking back his property, Morpheus thanks the kings of Hell and prepares to leave. Lucifer warns, however, that dreams have no power in Hell, and he has no intention of letting the Dream Lord leave. Morpheus counters that the power of dreams is very strong in Hell. Addressing the entire demon congregation he says, "What power would Hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream of Heaven?" With that, the sea of demons parts, and Morpheus is allowed to leave. Lucifer vows that one day he will destroy the Dream King.

Elsewhere, at Arkham Asylum, John Dee receives a gift from his dead mother.

At Arkham Asylum, John Dee makes his escape. Naked, he wanders out into the street and, with a revolver, forces a woman passing by to drive where he wants.

Scott Free wakes from a vivid nightmare of his past, growing up on Apokolips under the care of Granny Goodness. He realizes that he is safe in the Justice League Embassy, but is surprised to see Dream sitting at the foot of his bed. The pale man explains that he is seeking a certain ruby.

Rosemary Kelly turns to face John Dee, warning that if he touches her, her husband Harry - who she claims is a mafia hit man - will kill him. Dee apologizes for frightening her, and admits that he has escaped from Arkham. He explains that his mother died, and it inspired him to escape. Despite his appearance and behavior, Rosemary begins to take pity on the man who has her at gunpoint.

Scott Free uses the embassy's computers to search their files for the ruby, and he finds that the JLA had recovered it from a Doctor Destiny. They kept it in the satellite's trophy room. Unfortunately, the satellite was destroyed, and Scott doesn't know what happened to it. He racks his brain until he realizes that he knows someone who might know.

John Dee explains that he was once Doctor Destiny, and that he had been a scientist. As a nurse, Rosemary is concerned about John's appearance, and wonders if maybe he has AIDS. Dee has no knowledge of the disease, having been locked in Arkham's basement for five years. He had been placed there and forgotten by the Justice League, after he tried to pretend he was a costumed hero.

Scott Free and Dream wake up Martian Manhunter, who instantly recognizes Dream as the martian god of dreams Lord L'zoril. J'onn admits that the ruby Dream seeks is in storage since the satellite's destruction. It now lies in a warehouse in a town called Mayhew near Gotham City. Dream thanks them both and heads on his way, leaving J'onn and Scott to hit the kitchen and raid the stash of Oreos.

John Dee explains that his mother was ashamed of his plans to become a super villain, and demanded that he use a different name. Still, as a doctor of science, he had used science to render the ruby he found unusable by anyone but him. He continues to describe the ruby as Rosemary drives the car toward Mayhew.

Dream arrives at the storage facility first, but upon finding the ruby, he experiences a negative reaction, and collapses. Meanwhile, John Dee and Rosemary arrive at the facility, and after killing Rosemary, Dee steals the ruby back, leaving Dream crumpled on the floor. Dee wanders into a 24 hour diner, and waits for the end of the world.

At a 24-hour diner, John Dee observes the regular patrons. Bette Munroe is a writer masquerading as a waitress - or perhaps the other way around. Judy is a young lesbian girl, of whom many locals do not approve. Garry and Kate Fletcher are rumored to have married because he was after her money, but Bette can see that they are truly in love. Bette has been having an affair with a man named Marsh. Marsh's wife Marsha died of alcoholism. A young man named Mark doesn't yet know anybody there.

In his second hour there, Dee is forced to use the ruby he stole from Dream to prevent any of the patrons from leaving. Mark realizes he's late for a meeting, but as he gets up to leave, he suddenly changes his mind inexplicably, and orders another coffee. Judy calls her girlfriend Donna's place, but ends up getting her mother. Donna's mother doesn't approve of their relationship, and hangs up on her.

In hour four, Dee watches a children's television program, where he influences the host to tell the children that they should slash their wrists, slashing his own on camera. When the television program goes off the air, Dee bursts out laughing.

In hour five, the patrons begin to get restless. Garry realizes that they've been there for far longer than they meant to be, but he can't bring himself to leave. In hour six, Judy writes a letter to Donna, apologizing for hitting her. Meanwhile, Garry still can't fully form his thoughts.

In hour 7, Dee makes them see what they desire most. Mark wants to be an executive director, with lots of money. Garry has a twenty dollar hooker in the back of a convertible. After beating her up, he'll drive off. Kate dreams of killing Garry, knowing that he'll never have the chance to cheat on her again.

In hour 9, he sparks conflict, with Marsh fighting Judy for her sexual orientation. In hour 10, he makes them love him. In hour 11, the news reports indicate that people seem to be going mad all over the planet.

In hour 12, he has each of them reveal something about themselves. Kate tells the story of how when she was 18, she got drunk and wandered into a funeral home. She found her way into the mortuary, where the corpse of a young man was laid out on the table. Seeing him excited her, and she went over to the body, and began to play with it. Eventually, she had sex with the body. Sex with her husband Garry has never been as exciting for her as that time was.

In hour 13, Dee forces them to have an orgy. In hour 14, he demands that they tell his future. They claim that he will die soon. He demands a different future, and they claim instead that he will become all powerful, and usurp the place of the Lord of Dreams.

In hour 15, he lets them have their minds back for just a short while. In hour 16, he has one of them murdered in the dark. In hour 17, Marsh confesses that Marsha had known about his affair with Bette, and that's what drove her to alcoholism. As he confesses this, he hammers nails into his hand. Furthermore, he confesses that he met Bette's estranged son in Gotham City, where he was working as a male prostitute. Despite his relationship with the boy's mother, he hired him for sex.

In hour 18, Dee reverts them to primal beings, forcing Garry and Mark to fight for leadership. Garry tears out the younger man's throat with his teeth. By hour 20, Bette has sliced off some of her companions' limbs with a knife. He convinces Judy to attempt a religious experience by gouging out her own eyes. By hour 22, they are all dead.

In the 24th hour, Dream arrives. Dee is not convinced that the new arrival will provide him with much entertainment.

The world is in violent turmoil and chaos under the influence of John Dee and the Dreamstone. Dream finds him in a diner and demands to know what he is doing. Dream is confused the man would use the Dreamstone to hurt and harm others. Frustrated at John Dee's lack of repentance, Dream explains that he created the stone out of his own spirit in order to manipulate the fabric of dreams. The stone was not made for evil. He offers that if Dee reverses the changes he made to the stone that prevent its maker from using it, he will take it back and right all of the wrongs that have been wrought. However, when John Dee realizes who he is speaking to, he determines to kill the Lord of Dreams, and take the Dreaming for himself. Resigned, Dream dons his Helm, and enters the Dreaming, beckoning his adversary to follow. Dee enters the dream world with the ruby in hand. He makes himself appear as a roman leader, though he is confused by the imagery of the dreamscape. Unchecked, Dee wreaks havoc, causing the dreams of the humans on earth to become nightmares. The chaos shakes the inhabitants of the Dreaming into awareness. Finally, Dream approaches him, warning that Dee's actions are hurting the dreamers. In response, the madman screams that he will take all of the power of dreams and kill Dream himself. Using the ruby against Dream, he uses more and more of the power until it cracks and is destroyed in a massive explosion. Surprised, John Dee finds himself in a blank realm of whiteness. He believes that he has killed the Lord of Dreams and gained control of the Dreaming. However, he is further surprised to discover that the whiteness is merely the pallor of the skin of Dream's massive palm, as he holds the madman within it. As it happens, destroying the ruby returned what power was trapped within it to its maker. Complacently, Dream returns Dee to Arkham Asylum, offering some forgiveness. Before leaving, he gives restful sleep and good dreams to all the world, including those in the asylum.

A mortal approaches Destiny in an unknown place and asks him questions about Dream. Destiny reads from his book of Dream's capture, his escape, and his trials to regain his symbols of office. Destiny closes his book and the mortal takes their leave.

Having finally collected his tools of office, Dream takes a moment of reflection in a public park, feeding pigeons. He watches a young teen named Franklin playing soccer with a friend. Dream's older sister Death appears and sits next to him. The two begin talking and Dream tells her about his decades of imprisonment, and how unsatisfying his revenge against his captors proved to be. Death grows angry with Dream and tells him that she was extremely worried about him, and he should have called her. After a time, she gets up, stating that she has business to attend to, and that Dream is welcome to accompany her. She has a short exchange with Franklin the soccer player and tells him that she will see him soon.

Dream accompanies her and watches silently as Death visits various people across the world. As the personification of Death, it is her duty to ferry their souls to the "sunless lands". She visits an old Jewish fiddle player named Harry, then an amateur comedienne named Esmé. Dream wonders why humans fear death more than dreams, knowing that death is as truly a fact of life as birth. Later, Death receives the spirit of an infant who dies from crib death before returning to the park to visit Franklin. Franklin runs out into the street chasing his ball and is struck by a car. His spirit rises from his body and Death greets him. Dream looks on and reflects upon the differences between his sister and he.

REVIEW

It is hard these days to find something like this in comic-books. A creator that invests a lot of time in world building (including other people��s ideas, incorporating them and making sense of them).

In these 8 issues we are introduced to various character, plus we get to see a cast of ex-hosts of anthology books, plus those creatures from Sandman. Even Lucifer (Morningstar) is presented here for the first time.

It is easy to lose oneself in the story and the art (which, by the way, is full with details). Sometimes it feels like there is more focus in anyone but Dream, but I feel that will be corrected in the following arcs (but not all of them, as I recall).

Gaiman tries to make sense of the previous Sandman as well (and that will be explored in another Vertigo title).

Sam Keith is actually not my favorite in these issues, but I think the first issues are not a good sample of the art from Sandman, the character evolves in style by the time we get to issue 8. He is a good fit for this story, for sure.

I assume the first motivation for this story to start so early, is because of all the “magus craze” that was happening in England at the time (the Burgess character is clearly Alistair Crowley, but they mention him, just in case).

I give this arc a score of 10

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