The Sandman

The Netflix series, based on Neil Gaiman's masterpiece is finally here. Here is what viewers and fans can expect.

The Black Megaphone

Aug 05, 2022

The wait is finally over, and viewers and fans will be able to follow Morpheus, the King of Dreams and Nightmares in his journeys through the Dreaming, the waking world, and beyond, into Lucifer Morningstar’s Hell. This is not the first adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s masterpiece, as it follows the audiobook version for Audible, but a visual adaptation of The Sandman seemed an impossible prospect for years, as the author himself spent years shutting down bad adaptations attempts. Something changed, however, also through the success of the Good Omens series, starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant, and Neil Gaiman joined the executive producers trio alongside Allan Heinberg and David S.Goyer, ensuring the presence of his influence and vision in the Netflix series.
The first season is ten episodes long and adapts the Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll House storylines, presenting characters like the magician Roderick Burgess, played by Charles Dance, who imprisons Dream in 1916.
This is a comic book series that also seemed impossible to adapt, as it is indeed uncanny, featuring demons and gods of Asgard and Egypt, William Shakespeare, the French Reign of Terror, and Greek myths, but it is sufficient to delve into the first episode to realise that this complex task has been accomplished. The visual grandiosity and scope of the show are extraordinary, as some scenes bring to life pages of the comic, as well as Dream’s kingdom of the Dreaming and Lucifer’s Hell, and, of course, a great show also requires a great cast.
Tom Sturridge ( Being Julia, Like Minds, The Hollow Crown) embodies Dream, from his voice to his melancholic nature and presence, a King who has lived and reigned for eons and has been imprisoned for a century, in this adaptation. Morpheus has to face new challenges, as he finds his kingdom in decay and his tools lost, but luckily for him, he can count on his librarian and wise advisor, Lucienne, who retains the Victorian schoolteacher look of the comics, with different gender and played by Vivienne Acheampong ( The Witches, The One). Dream will also be helped by his trusted raven, Matthew, voiced by Patton Oswalt.

Even eons old anthropomorphic personifications of Dream have family, the Endless. In this season we meet Despair, played by Donna Preston ( Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Hitman’s Bodyguard), and her twin, Desire, played, if not embodied, by Mason Alexander Park ( Cowboy Bebop ), a character whose relationship with Dream gives new meaning to the concept of sibling rivalry.

The conflictual relationship between Dream and Desire finds its opposite in the relationship between Morpheus and his older sister Death, played by the incredibly talented Kirby Howell-Baptiste ( The Good Place, Killing Eve, Cruella). Death is the only character who can keep Dream humble and grounded and provide him with good advice that he listens to without resistance. Just like in the comics, Death is far from the traditional representation of the Grim Reaper and is more akin to a friend who tends a helping, friendly hand to those who die. The sixth episode, The Sound of Her Wings is probably the most touching of the whole season and it also includes, for good reason, elements from another one of my favorite issues, Men of Good Fortune, featuring the immortal Hob Gadling.
The Sandman. Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death in episode 106 of The Sandman. Cr. Laurence Cendrowicz/Netflix © 2022

A significant element of this adaptation can also be seen in the diversity of its cast, something that has of course generated outrage among toxic fans, but Neil Gaiman himself made sure to shut down trolls on Twitter.
Morpheus, like very King has enemies, and the first season presents a very charismatic and dark trio of opponents: the Corinthian, a rebel nightmare and serial killer with an expanded role compared to the one in the comics, played by Boyd Holbrook, the sinister John Dee, played by David Thewlis ( the fifth episode 24/7 makes for a harrowing view, just like the issue 24 Hours which inspired it) and, last but not least Lucifer Morningstar, played by Gwendoline Christie.
Christie’s Lucifer is very different from the adaptation of the character by Tom Ellis and much more similar to the original character which, in the comics first appeared in the fourth issue, A Hope in Hell ( the fourth episode in the show), inspired by the androgynous early appearance of David Bowie. Christie is one of the actresses who bring the character to life in a stunning way, as a charming, sinister, and powerfully imposing figure able to intimidate Morpheus.
The Sandman. Boyd Holbrook as The Corinthian in episode 102 of The Sandman. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

The fantastic cast also features Stephen Fry as Gilbert/Fidler’s Green and Jenna Coleman as Johanna Constantine in the past and current timeline, replacing in the present the traditional John Constantine, as creative rights are also part of the equation. Johanna Constantine is, in any case, a brilliant character , in both timelines.

The Sandman is a dream come true on the screen, and I am personally looking forward to a second season, with some storylines which are foreshadowed in the first ten episodes.

The Black Megaphone

The Sandman

The Netflix series, based on Neil Gaiman's masterpiece is finally here. Here is what viewers and fans can expect.

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