#The Sandman: Waking Hours

[coconut530]

🏳️‍🌈Pride, 2023🏳️‍🌈

[bobbole]

Daniel - art by Nick Robles

[mayhemspreadingguy]

How it started:

How it's going:

➡️ me thinking that I'll do just a silly little thing for @magnusbae and render only the small cropped out part

➡️ me the fool derailing from the plan and spiraling into madness because apparently I love rendering the fabrics now

➡️ a few hours later... I might as well just post this now 😑

And the popular crop under the cut ⬇️:

[yourgaydads]

dream: "lucienne, please call IT, the corinthian appears to have stopped working."

lucienne: "...you're IT."

[windsweptinred]

The Sandman Presents: Dreaming, the Waking Hours

[zal-cryptid]

DC characters - Heather After

[the-everqueen]

"few things trouble you" tfw your creator (who is not YOUR creator, who did not recreate YOU, but is as much your lord shaper as you are your former self) sees you for what you really are but listens anyway

(from nightmare country, issue #5)

[0fthelilim]

MAJOR COMIC SPOILERS !!

i think we as a fandom to not talk about lyta enough so i decided to take matters into my own hands. with an attempt at fanfic (?)

1.3k words, 1/1. taking place post-series.

lyta hall enjoyers this is specifically for you 🤲❤️

[fiddlersgray]

reading The Dreaming and…wow. Daniel’s characterization is not super great, but I really can’t explain why. Is someone who is way better at words then me kind of able to tell me their thoughts? (Total invitation to essay on this post)

[diremisfortunes]

writers fucked over daniel hall so bad i’m tryna make up the most illogical excuses for him because i love him and he’s like me too much for me to hate him no matter what he does

[libraryleopard]

Sandman spin-off comic following largely new characters in the world of the Dreaming

A Shakespeare scholar accidentally gets sucked into the Dreaming when a failed nightmare attempts to escape into the waking world and must seek the help of a reckless sorceress and a beleaguered angel to make things right

Trans woman lead; gay lead

Likable & interesting new characters 

Gorgeous art!

[coconut530]

ohhhhhh everyone stop what you’re doing and go read The Sandman: Waking Hours

[bobbole]

Daniel & Lucien - art by Nick Robles

[oneiriad]

Just read The Dreaming : Waking Hours, and it's the usual sort of not-quite-right as every Sandman spin-off.

That's not what I wanted to talk aboit.

The main character is Ruin, a new Nightmare created by Daniel!Dream, who just wants to be a nice young man and fell head over heels for the handsome young man that was his first job.

He made me think of Gault from the Netflix show, the Nightmare that wants to be a Dream, and the thing is? They annoy me. Both of them.

Sandman's Nightmares are not supposed to be evil. They are Dream's creations, they serve a purpose, and like all other creatures some are nice and some are not. But these stories try so badly to insist that Nightmares, that being a Nightmare is supposed to be a terrible thing.

And I'm not here for that story.

I find myself thinking about the Neverending Story, about how the wolf Gmork was trapped by the dark and spooky Fantasians, mistaking them for friends, when in fact they are loyal to their own realm and Empress. They're just the dark side of imagination.

[auroral-melody]

Some small corrections/suggestions/additions:

The Lucifer comic shown in panel 6 on the left is actually from the 2016 series, not the 2000 one. There are 3 Lucifer comic series -- 2000, 2016, and 2018! If you'd like a suggested reading order, here's a (self-plug) post for you.

Note that the Lucifer TV show is not at all like the comics, and "inspired by" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. They're very different characters / plots / themes / settings -- the comics have nothing to do with the LAPD. Expect content that's a lot more like The Sandman.

Additionally, note that

The Dreaming (2019) is a spinoff of a 60-issue series from 1996 of the same name.

Hellblazer is really a whole universe that deserves its own post

I also recommend Death: The Deluxe Edition, which collects some of the stories that OP mentioned. Vertigo: Winter's Edge #2 lives rent-free in my head

ALSO Death: At Death's Door by Jill Thompson is a Season of Mists rewrite but from Death's perspective and IT"S A MANGA AND YOU SHOULD ALL READ IT

My biggest hot take is that enjoying a comic doesn't have to be the same as considering it "canon"! Comic universes are awash with contradictions, and I think you should pick and choose what makes you happy.

I highly enjoy and recommend a ton of these comics for various reasons, but I only take very few to be "canon" events -- the ones that I like.

For those interested in the Sandman series (or getting others to try and read/watch it)

[Image 1 ID: A black and white power point presentation with the text “so you wanna read some “the sandman” (but you have no idea where to start and comic orders can be confusing)”. “A handy flowchart/ power point disaster for the curious, peer pressured and suffering waiting for the August 5th TV release date, from someone who cares a fuck-ton about this series and needs to yogurt starter about it. This is just a fan PowerPoint I spent way too much time on”. There are two green circular characters with smiling faces and limbs. One has a bowtie and a pointer for instruction./.End ID]

[Image 2 ID: A flowchart that asks the reader if they are familiar with the story. There is the James Franco “first time?” image meme where there is a noose around his neck. A green path answering “yes” suggests “take a moment to reread anyways! (seriously it’s so good)”. A blue path answering “I am Jared, 19 (Don’t read) suggests “check out the Audiobooks (1&2). They cover volumes 1-6.” A circular green character with an open mouth says “James McAvoy voices the lead, what better reason is there?”. An Orange path answering “no” suggests “start with the original 10 volumes” and proceeds to the next page/.End ID]

[Image 3 ID: A power point slide of the original ten sandman volumes with pictures of each cover and the reading order. The top of the page lists volumes 1-5; (1) Preludes and Nocturnes, (2) The Dolls House, (3) Dream Country, (4) Season of Mists, (5) A Game of You. The bottom of the page lists volumes 6-10; (6) Fables and Reflections, (7) Brief Lives, (8) Worlds End, (9) The Kindly Ones, (10) The Wake. To the left there are bullet points with the following information: “They cover the original run of 75 issues since the 80’s. Read in order there is an A plot and a B to Z plot they’re all relevant. If it’s a genre of story it is in this series”. An orange circular cartoon with a smiling face, a bowtie and a pointer says “Now that we’re familiar with the dreaming, let’s look at the bonus content where order doesn’t matter (too much)”. An orange arrow continues to the next slide. /.End ID]

[Image 4 ID: A power point slide titled “additional stories and content”. A Flowchart prompt asks the reader “what’s your poison?”. A white arrow answers the prompt “give me more(pheus)”. The original poster suggests reading Sandman: Dream hunters, Sandman: Book of Dreams, Sandman: Midnight Theatre and Sandman: Overture. The original poster includes photos of the volume covers and two notes for Sandman: Overture. The cover of Sandman Overture is Morpheus standing in a flower field with his helm of power on. The first note says “WARNING: OVERTURE IS A PREQUEL FOR THE ORIGINAL SERIES” The second note says “THE ART IS ALSO INCREDIBLE LIKE IT’S NUTS Y’ALL they sell a gallery version I’d kill for”. A second white arrow answers “I want meta info on the development”. The original poster recommends the Sandman Companion and includes a picture of the cover which is yellow with a golden mask on the front. The original poster clarifies it was published in 2000, and says “this is a book and it is amazing (art, interviews, breakdowns)”. A third arrow answers the prompt, stating “I want more cosmic sibling drama and/or goth girls only please”. The original poster recommends Sandman: Endless Nights, Death: The High Cost of Living and Death: The Time of Your Life. The original poster provides images of each cover. Sandman Endless nights has two masks on the front cover one grey, one multicolored patchwork. Both Death comics have the image of a pale skinned, dark-haired woman on the front with a grainy picture overlay. An orange circular cartoon character with a smiling face says “wait that’s it right, I read everything now?” an orange arrow continues to the next page.  /.End ID]

[Image 5 ID: This slide is titled “Oops Even More Content, Welcome to the New Age of The Sandman Universe”. The elmo on fire meme is visible on the right side of the slide. There is an orange smiling character with a bowtie and a pointer saying “Start with the Dreaming #1, It’s like a teaser chapter for a choose your own adventure in picking a story you want to read. This all happens after the original ten volumes (ish) YOU ARE WARNED”. The orange figure is pointing to the first edition cover where Dream and six individuals stand on the cover. An orange arrow points to the next flowchart prompt asking the reader “What did you enjoy most in the original series?” An authors note in the corner states “There is also a little crossover between characters in stories within the Sandman universe”. A Pink arrow continues to the next slide /.End ID]

[Image 6 ID: This slide has predetermined answers to the question of “What did you enjoy most in the original series?”. The first directional arrow answers with “LUCIFER!” The original poster recommends Lucifer (2000) that is 75 issues in one volume and Lucifer (2019) in four volumes. Both images of the covers are included with lucifer on the front bent over and then holding a sign. A purple circular character with their mouth open says “Yes this series inspired the Netflix tv show”. A blue arrow answers with “That one John Constantine Cameo”. The cover is included with John Constantine smoking on the front. The original poster recommends John Constantine: Hellblazer (2019) in two volumes. A Red arrow answers “Actually you know what? Give me a better Harry Potter that’s not written by a TERF”. A red circular cartoon character with a bowtie and a pointer recommends Books of Magic (2019). The lead protagonist, Timothy Hunter is on the cover holding a large open tome. The red character says “Based on the 1990 miniseries written by Gaiman of the same name.” A Green arrow and a purple arrow with the options “Gods and Mythos” and “The Dreaming Inhabitants” are included and continue on the next slide /.End ID]

[Image 7 ID: This is a PowerPoint slide that continues to answer the flowchart question of “What did you enjoy most in the original series?”. A Green arrow answers “Gods and Mythos”. The original poster recommends House of Whispers (2019) in three volumes. The cover of the first issue is included where a beautiful black woman stands in and holds up a mirror with a man inside it an a house in the background. The original poster provides a note saying “This one has divine feminine ™, family drama and some great queer representation. If you liked the Gaiman book Anansi boys, you’ll like this story”. A Purple arrow answers the question with “The dreaming inhabitants” which branches into three white arrows. The first arrow leads to the original poster recommending the Dreaming (2019) in three volumes. An image of the cover is visible with Dream and many inhabitants of the dreaming on the front cover spread around him. The author leaves a note saying this series includes “dream hopping. Giant moth baby. Absolute chaos”. A second white arrow leads to the recommendation of The Dreaming: Waking Hours (2021) with one volume. The cover is included and has Dream in the background with Lucien and Merv, and William Shakespeare in the foreground performing on a stage. The original poster leave a note saying that the story includes “Shakespeare, Shakespeare and Shakespeare walk into a bard… grad student pain. mages, nightmare and macbeth.” A third white arrow leads to the recommendation of Nightmare Country (2022) an ongoing series with four issues as of July 2022. The cover is included and shows the Corinthian in an American flag colored mask with his glasses partially removed. The author includes a note saying “The Corinthian gets a spin-off. So do other nightmares. Ongoing.” There is a purple circular character with a smiling face pointing at the Waking Hours cover, and a green circular character standing next to the House of Whispers cover. /.End ID]

[Image 8 ID: The slide is entitled “Congrats! You now have a good idea about where to start and what to read”. Next to this title is a teal circular cartoon that is smiling. The original poster includes a note that says “I could go into so much depth about why you should read it and why its great but its either do that or work on my master’s thesis and only one pays bills and its already 3 a.m. (frowny face).” A white arrow leads to a note that says “TLDR: THE ART IS GOOD, THE CHARCATERS ARE COMPLEX AND VOLUME TEN MADE ME OPENLY WEEP BECAUSE OF HOW GOOD IT WAS. IMACULATE ANTHOLOGY-esque STORY TELLING” a sub footnote says “I like this series so much I paid a guy for an advertisement of a sandman themed chess set that I have framed on my wall cause theres like no merch”. A green circular character that is smiling with a bowtie and pointer is standing next to the “preludes and nocturnes”, and “the dolls house” covers saying “season 1 of the tv show will be covering volumes 1-2 ish”. A picture of Morpheus in a panel with his hand outstretched from the comics is on the slide next to the “graphic design is my passion meme”. A large yellow crying emoji is on the slide with its hands in the air /.End ID]

[windsweptinred]

The more I re read The Dreaming: The Waking Hours for Daniel art inspiration, the more I become a Ruin apologist. 😅

Ruin's a part of Daniel's story. His first offical creation, not Morpheus's. And I LOVE that he's an absolute disaster of a nightmare. It makes Daniel the patron saint of every artist who's tried, failed and beat their head against the desk asking how are they even allowed to art?

Ruin tells us so much about Daniel's state of mind in these early years. Ruin's full of love, hope and determination but is also riddled with self doubt and low self esteem. He's the perfect reflection of his creator, who's struggling under Morpheus's shadow. It also shows how much growth and change Daniel has gone through by the time we get to Nightmare Country.

So yeah, Ruin, come you rubbish little night terror. Welcome into the fold. Let's just put you on an apprenticeship with the Corinthian. It'll all be fine.