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I tried to think of some of my favourite Michael Zulli art when I heard he had passed, and despite already posting some of his work today, I honestly canât choose. All I know is that we lost a wonderful artist, and Iâm personally deeply saddened by that loss since I loved his art for a long time (not just his work for The Sandman, although The Wake and his name will always be inseparable to me. There is no other Daniel for me Iâm afraid). I have several of his works on my shelves and walls, and reading âThe Fracture of the Universal Boyâ only recently because it was a chance, signed Kickstarter find, made me understand a lot about how he grappled with both his artistry and finding meaning in his life. While it is not an easy and sometimes strange and even upsetting read, Iâd really recommend it. The art is stunning as usual, but it also gives a deep insight into what Iâd call his soul.
Anyway, I thought Iâd just leave you with links to all the art metas and his art tag, which will give you a quick link to all his art Iâve ever posted.
Michael Zulliâs art tag
Michael Zulli: Destiny and Dream
Michael Zulli: Blue Roses as a Symbol for Death and Grief (and Occasionally Good Fortune)
Michael Zulli and the Blue Flowers AgainâŚ
Michael Zulliâs Morpheus: Archetypal and Religious Connotations
A Sacred Garden: Death and Delight, by Michael Zulli
Death, Dream and Hob Gadling by Michael Zulli
Fare you well, Zed. I hope the girl in the red dress bade you goodbye and gave you peace, tooâŚ
I actually love this depiction of her, the softness offset by still pointing at the sharpness of her hook. Because thatâs probably closest to how I experienced Despair whenever I did:
A deep, all-enveloping, numbing softness that makes everything blur and become insignificant. Soft as in âfuzzyâ. But she wonât let you go once sheâs got her hook in, and that feeling in your throat and chest is sharp, like the sensation you get after sobbing hard. Despair as a character (and feeling) is not ugly to meâjust heavy-limbed and light-headed, warm and cold, sharp and soft at once. Thatâs why I always like depictions showing the strange comfort that can occasionally be felt in a heaviness that also hurts and leaves you incapable to moveâŚ
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OMG people weâre truly getting all of Brief Lives đŠ
Sandman S2 News
Edit: And before anyone wonders about blue instead of red flowers:
Iâd imagine thatâs for post production. Blue has much lower luminance than red and comes out darker/stronger in b/w, so if they wanted to desaturate everything first and then make the flowers pop, that might be the way to go.
Or they now simply want blue flowers for other parallels. But I donât want to think about that one đŠ
And another edit, even if it wonât show up in all reblogs:
Redanian Intelligence just updated their webpage, too, and a couple of new actors have been added to the cast:
Production for the second season of Netflixâs hit series The Sandman is still ongoing with about most of the season done as far as we know.
I am just not into Barry Sloane as Destruction. I promise to keep an open mind. I'm even open to being swayed! Right now, though, I am not feeling it. *
________________________________
* In the writer's mind, the role belonged to Kristofer Hivju this whole time. Any dissatisfaction they're experiencing is their own fault.
Iâm clearly from a different planet because Tom in the new trailer is doing nothing for me. What is everyone seeing that I donât (it seems like itâs definitely a me problem)? Help a girl out (I donât think you can really, that one will probably stay lost on me, and I guess thatâs okay đ)âŚ
To say it in the immortal words of @marlowe-zara during Sandman March Mania: Whoâs that? Not my Dream, thatâs who that is đ¤Ł
You are not alone! I had a similar thought when the BTS for season 2 originally came out. He's definitely tired (existentially?) but he isn't supposed to be low on sleep and recovering from consumption!
I have never been team "Wet Cat Morpheus", which I suspect may be part of it. I get it, it's just not my bag. I must have dated and pined over enough malnourished, broody dudes wearing too much eyeliner in my youth to have gotten it out of my system.
@writing-for-life , what is your take on the pirate suit? I know we see Morpheus in a number of wild looks through the comics, but the rest of them make sense to me on some level. The full- length embroidered robe? Seems appropriate for the occasion. The thigh-high boots? No more ostentatious than a robe emblazoned with creeping flames. The pirate suit has always stuck out to me as nearly out of character. I would love to hear your thoughts on this!
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thesandmanofficial The Endless have finally assembled: Introducing Adrian Lester as Destiny, EsmĂŠ Creed-Miles as Delirium and Barry Sloane as the Prodigal in the next season of THE SANDMAN. Itâs going to be one Hell of a family reunion.
No question really, just wanted to say I think about the first Despair a lot. So much to be inferred about her just from the few panels she appears. Her spirited dialogue makes me think she was very prudent and considerate about her work.
I had the thought this morning that talking about comics on the internet has replaced talking about science with other academics for me. I left academia two and a half years ago, and basically the only thing I miss is the speculating wildly and excitedly discussing ideas. I have been on Tumblr longer than I was in academic research and in fandom longer than that, so I suppose I should have seen this coming.
Spun Stories and Hard-Hitting Realities as Bookends to Brief Lives
Does anyone else ever think about the opening and closing panels of Brief Lives? It really kills me a little on every rereadâŚ
We have this one at the very beginning:
Which obviously leads into this:
The Prince of Stories, spinning a narrative, deeply wrapped up in a dream that never had enough substance to be real.
The Prince of Stories, being theatrical and dramatic, flooding the Dreaming and making everyone aware of his woes. Even if he doesnât share his actual thoughts, or only to a degree. But man, does he let everyone know heâs moping.
But then, we get the very last panels of him in Brief Lives after he has killed Orpheus and returns to the castle:
There is no Prince of Stories here. Only a father who mourns his son. Quietly and alone. Without drama, without flooding the Dreaming. Because this time, love and grief are real.
I already wrote about this in a roundabout way before:
Okay, so while I was going through all the panels for March Mania, I also stumbled over these ones again:
And although Iâve read it all a m
If you look at the way Brief Lives starts and ends and zoom in how he changes to relate, if maybe just subconsciously (that ole chestnut againâprobably all the same to him, and I think deep down, he knows), to his own story, youâll never look at it the same way again.
The Prince of Stories set out to chase the illusion of love, a narrative he spun in his head, in hopes to run into Thessaly again. âTwas but a dream.
He came back as Morpheus, changed by the reality of grief and unconditional love for his son he finally admits to himself.
And that reality breaks him. However, it is also the death of the egoâthe self-surrender that paves the way for transition and change. And that ego-death couldnât be shown more clearly than in those two contrasting panelsâŚ
Brief Lives is my fave part of the series for this exact reason. The change in Morpheus begins from the first time we see him, but here there are so many incredible parallels - you can really see what he is moving towards. The other parallel that mirrors the one you mention above is how Morpheus is perceived. At the beginning of Brief Lives, there are these moments from Lucien, who has been through Morpheus' breakups before. He knows exactly how Morpheus will act - he has examples of times past. Merv starts complaining about being ordered to dismantle part of the palace and Lucien has a pithy retort.
An important detour here - Morpheus has been described as "just a bit taller than you, whoever you are" by Neil Gaiman. The only exception to this is Lucien, who is always taller than Morpheus. It says so much about their relationship, I think, and it speaks to their closeness. He knows Morpheus very well.
When Morpheus returns after his trip, he approaches his guardians (the griffin, wyvern, and hippogriff) and they almost don't recognize him. These are creatures who similarly know Morpheus well and care for him. They inquire about his well-being and note that he's being super weird. Crucially, though, they don't recognize him. He sees Lucien shortly after, says basically nothing about the trip, and goes to his room. Lucien, in kind, says almost nothing after their brief meeting. We see him interact with Merv again, who is complaining and judging as usual. This time, though, Lucien has almost nothing to say. One word answers. It really speaks to how stark the change is, not physically, but in who he is.
Oh, youâre not babbling about nothing (to peruse your tags), itâs totally true. Everyone sees his change, which makes it all the more tragic that he canât see it himself. Or rather: He can (he even admits it, e.g. to Nuala), but it isnât enough for him. And Iâve more than once thought:
What does it tell us if creatures like the Guardians of the Gate, who are part of the very fabric of the Dreaming and hence they are also part of him (even if he gave them sentience) donât recognise him? What does it tell us about his state of mind? Of not recognising himself anymore? đŠ
After that quick internal scream, I especially want to write a line about Lucien. I know some things have been changed for the show (and I donât mean the gender-swap): We see Lucienne touching him instead of bowing before him when he returns. But the way he returns has obviously changed, too, because he stands on his own feet when he sees Lucien again while heâs barely conscious when he meets Lucienne since they cut out the whole scene with Gregory/Cain/Abel finding him and getting him back to at least a modicum of strength (also: Lucienne bowing to him might have had implications they probably wanted to avoid). Their relationship has been expanded on in the show, which seems to make a lot of people think sheâs more important than Lucien ever was. But I donât think thatâs true. She is very important to him, and Lucien was, too. I think itâs more subtle in the comics, but itâs there. At every corner. Between the lines, but noticeably so. Their relationship is special, and it always was. There is a mutual understanding between them that is palpable, even in the comics. You donât have to spell everything out to know and understand itâs there. Lucien/ne always was whom he trusted mostâas much as he would allow himself to trust anyone. And crucially, the trust he put in him/her has never been disappointed. It has been allowed to grow over we-will-never-know-how-long.
Brief Lives is my favourite arc, too, and I love Jill Thompsonâs art. Her Morpheus is probably my favourite, although I love Muth, Watkiss and Zulli as well (hate Zulliâs Murphy though, itâs his Daniel that does it for me). And many others đ¤Ł
The contrast between the art of Brief Lives, The Kindly Ones and The Wake is still a stroke of genius to me.
Did you by any chance get a glimpse of March Mania? It was @tickldpnk8 âs and my attempt to get people into Sandman art appreciation via a bracket match. Lots of nice art and good thoughts in the linked tag (probably needs a while to wade through), just in case youâre interested (Jill came in second after Dringenberg btw).
Lucien is just so underrated! And you're right, there are so many tells that he is probably closer to Morpheus than anyone else, save maybe Death. He has major responsibilities around the Dreaming. He gets a pass on giving Morpheus unsolicited advice. Perhaps most relevant to this post though, (spoilers abound!), is that he was the first raven. This is significant in the context of Morpheus' change because Lucien isn't created from dream stuff, he doesn't originate from the Dreaming, he isn't an aspect of Morpheus. He was a mortal human at one point. So that Lucien can clearly see a change, and more importantly that Morpheus allows him see it, is huge. Talk about a special bond, sheesh.
Also! I saw, voted in, and overall loved March Mania! I was swamped with Life (so I didn't contribute), but I appreciated all the takes, the hideous panels, the many faces of Dream. We love and respect comic book artists in this house, so it was great to get some fresh perspective on the (NUMEROUS) artists and styles throughout the comic. A+!
@reality-perhaps I don't mean to argue but I don't think that Lucien ever was human? Lucienne/Lucien tells Morpheus they used to be "something else" before he made them a librarian, but not that they were human. They were indeed Dream's first raven which means that they are way too old to have ever been human... And I'm pretty sure Lucien/Lucienne was created by Dream, that they're a dream? @writing-for-life?
I think this one is complicated, and weâre a bit in head-canon territory.
I donât think Lucien/ne ever was human, but he/she was mortal, and that is what truly matters. If you stay in the Dreaming after your death, you probably (?) become dream-stuff to a degree, and the longer you stay, the more thatâll probably matter, but I think you also preserve that part of yourself that was mortal. Because if you were made entirely of dream-stuff, how do we explain that Jessamy can still be killed in the waking world but Dream canât really, and that the Corinthian needs to be unmade specifically by him? There are differencesâJessamy was once mortal, the Corinthian never was. So Iâd say they are all dreams to a degree because they are in the Dreaming, but we are also repeatedly told that there are differences (Cain and Abel, for instance, exist outside those rulesâthey have a contract with Dream, they werenât entirely made by him, but they also were in a different way. More about that in a sec).
Having said this: I think weâre in the realm of myths and religion here. Neil Gaiman himself implied that Lucien is (at least strongly based on) Adam. I wrote about this before:
Iâm not sure if Iâll make fandom faint with this, but itâs been strongly implied in The Sandman Companion:
NG: But that's not the only dire
Neil always made sure that there is enough space for any type of belief system the reader might want to attach themselves to (although the whole DC Universe is obviously strongly based in the abrahamic religions and judeo-christian belief systems). So if you wanted to see Adam as the first human, or rather the cradle of mankind, you absolutely could. And since weâre human, he will be human to us, and it makes sense. But, and itâs a biggie, I think heâs more meant as the âcradle of life with higher sentienceâ. That could have originated anywhere in the universe. And I think since Dream is the Prince of Stories, weâre also moving over into the realm of the first myths around these topics: The first âmanâ, the first âwomanâ, the first âmurdererâ, the first âvictimâ. Theyâre real in some way and could be seen as/were actual beings, but theyâre also story, myth, legend.
And on top of what Iâve written in the linked meta above, weâre also getting a lot of that in âA Parliament of Rooksâ (another of these underrated issues thatâs so important to get deeper into Sandman lore). These panels in particular;
So I think itâs all rather complicated and leaves a lot of space for interpretation. My personal take is that they were all sentient, mortal beings of some sort at some point (not human, but you can definitely use them as a stand-in for humanity in the metaphorical sense). But they also became story, if that makes any sense? They are literally the stuff of myths and legends, the kind that get told in almost all cultures to a degree, even if the iterations might look different.
Which makes me think that they are dream-stuff to a degree, but they are not comparable to, say, the Corinthian or Mervyn or any of the other dreams and nightmares which have been fashioned from Dreamâs very substance in one way or another. There is more to them, there are parts to them that are not him, if that makes any sense? And thatâs what all his ravens have in common, no matter what type of being they were before they became ravens.
I could be wildly off, but this has always been my take, @reality-perhaps and @rey-jake-therapist
Oh yeah, the use of human was definitely flippant on my part (I should know better). I also agree that saying he or any other being not originally of the Dreaming aren't made of dream stuff isn't precisely right either - that is literally what makes them a raven or keeps them in the Dreaming! I suppose my overall point was that Lucien, like the ravens that came after him, is mostly his own as he was not created specifically by and for the Dreaming.
Just for some more context on my thought process - the panel below addresses Lucien in the context of other mortal humans specifically:
(Sorry for the bad photo - I grabbed it just now from my copy of The Kindly Ones). It's for this reason that I never think of him to be the "first man" and, thus, ultimately a story or a concept, like Cain and Able and Eve. Perhaps he wasn't necessarily a human, but definitely a mortal of some kind, in my reading.
@writing-for-life , thanks for the detailed breakdown! It was super helpful here. I should probably write things and edit them later so I'm not just throwing thoughts around.
@rey-jake-therapist , you are always welcome to disagree with me! I am frequently wrong! I think it gets hard with Lucienne, specifically, because we don't know how the script writers are going to condense some of the more complicated lore of the comic.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
â Live Streamingâ Interactive Chatâ Private Showsâ HD Qualityâ Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
Spun Stories and Hard-Hitting Realities as Bookends to Brief Lives
Does anyone else ever think about the opening and closing panels of Brief Lives? It really kills me a little on every rereadâŚ
We have this one at the very beginning:
Which obviously leads into this:
The Prince of Stories, spinning a narrative, deeply wrapped up in a dream that never had enough substance to be real.
The Prince of Stories, being theatrical and dramatic, flooding the Dreaming and making everyone aware of his woes. Even if he doesnât share his actual thoughts, or only to a degree. But man, does he let everyone know heâs moping.
But then, we get the very last panels of him in Brief Lives after he has killed Orpheus and returns to the castle:
There is no Prince of Stories here. Only a father who mourns his son. Quietly and alone. Without drama, without flooding the Dreaming. Because this time, love and grief are real.
I already wrote about this in a roundabout way before:
Okay, so while I was going through all the panels for March Mania, I also stumbled over these ones again:
And although Iâve read it all a m
If you look at the way Brief Lives starts and ends and zoom in how he changes to relate, if maybe just subconsciously (that ole chestnut againâprobably all the same to him, and I think deep down, he knows), to his own story, youâll never look at it the same way again.
The Prince of Stories set out to chase the illusion of love, a narrative he spun in his head, in hopes to run into Thessaly again. âTwas but a dream.
He came back as Morpheus, changed by the reality of grief and unconditional love for his son he finally admits to himself.
And that reality breaks him. However, it is also the death of the egoâthe self-surrender that paves the way for transition and change. And that ego-death couldnât be shown more clearly than in those two contrasting panelsâŚ
Brief Lives is my fave part of the series for this exact reason. The change in Morpheus begins from the first time we see him, but here there are so many incredible parallels - you can really see what he is moving towards. The other parallel that mirrors the one you mention above is how Morpheus is perceived. At the beginning of Brief Lives, there are these moments from Lucien, who has been through Morpheus' breakups before. He knows exactly how Morpheus will act - he has examples of times past. Merv starts complaining about being ordered to dismantle part of the palace and Lucien has a pithy retort.
An important detour here - Morpheus has been described as "just a bit taller than you, whoever you are" by Neil Gaiman. The only exception to this is Lucien, who is always taller than Morpheus. It says so much about their relationship, I think, and it speaks to their closeness. He knows Morpheus very well.
When Morpheus returns after his trip, he approaches his guardians (the griffin, wyvern, and hippogriff) and they almost don't recognize him. These are creatures who similarly know Morpheus well and care for him. They inquire about his well-being and note that he's being super weird. Crucially, though, they don't recognize him. He sees Lucien shortly after, says basically nothing about the trip, and goes to his room. Lucien, in kind, says almost nothing after their brief meeting. We see him interact with Merv again, who is complaining and judging as usual. This time, though, Lucien has almost nothing to say. One word answers. It really speaks to how stark the change is, not physically, but in who he is.
Oh, youâre not babbling about nothing (to peruse your tags), itâs totally true. Everyone sees his change, which makes it all the more tragic that he canât see it himself. Or rather: He can (he even admits it, e.g. to Nuala), but it isnât enough for him. And Iâve more than once thought:
What does it tell us if creatures like the Guardians of the Gate, who are part of the very fabric of the Dreaming and hence they are also part of him (even if he gave them sentience) donât recognise him? What does it tell us about his state of mind? Of not recognising himself anymore? đŠ
After that quick internal scream, I especially want to write a line about Lucien. I know some things have been changed for the show (and I donât mean the gender-swap): We see Lucienne touching him instead of bowing before him when he returns. But the way he returns has obviously changed, too, because he stands on his own feet when he sees Lucien again while heâs barely conscious when he meets Lucienne since they cut out the whole scene with Gregory/Cain/Abel finding him and getting him back to at least a modicum of strength (also: Lucienne bowing to him might have had implications they probably wanted to avoid). Their relationship has been expanded on in the show, which seems to make a lot of people think sheâs more important than Lucien ever was. But I donât think thatâs true. She is very important to him, and Lucien was, too. I think itâs more subtle in the comics, but itâs there. At every corner. Between the lines, but noticeably so. Their relationship is special, and it always was. There is a mutual understanding between them that is palpable, even in the comics. You donât have to spell everything out to know and understand itâs there. Lucien/ne always was whom he trusted mostâas much as he would allow himself to trust anyone. And crucially, the trust he put in him/her has never been disappointed. It has been allowed to grow over we-will-never-know-how-long.
Brief Lives is my favourite arc, too, and I love Jill Thompsonâs art. Her Morpheus is probably my favourite, although I love Muth, Watkiss and Zulli as well (hate Zulliâs Murphy though, itâs his Daniel that does it for me). And many others đ¤Ł
The contrast between the art of Brief Lives, The Kindly Ones and The Wake is still a stroke of genius to me.
Did you by any chance get a glimpse of March Mania? It was @tickldpnk8 âs and my attempt to get people into Sandman art appreciation via a bracket match. Lots of nice art and good thoughts in the linked tag (probably needs a while to wade through), just in case youâre interested (Jill came in second after Dringenberg btw).
Lucien is just so underrated! And you're right, there are so many tells that he is probably closer to Morpheus than anyone else, save maybe Death. He has major responsibilities around the Dreaming. He gets a pass on giving Morpheus unsolicited advice. Perhaps most relevant to this post though, (spoilers abound!), is that he was the first raven. This is significant in the context of Morpheus' change because Lucien isn't created from dream stuff, he doesn't originate from the Dreaming, he isn't an aspect of Morpheus. He was a mortal human at one point. So that Lucien can clearly see a change, and more importantly that Morpheus allows him see it, is huge. Talk about a special bond, sheesh.
Also! I saw, voted in, and overall loved March Mania! I was swamped with Life (so I didn't contribute), but I appreciated all the takes, the hideous panels, the many faces of Dream. We love and respect comic book artists in this house, so it was great to get some fresh perspective on the (NUMEROUS) artists and styles throughout the comic. A+!
Spun Stories and Hard-Hitting Realities as Bookends to Brief Lives
Does anyone else ever think about the opening and closing panels of Brief Lives? It really kills me a little on every rereadâŚ
We have this one at the very beginning:
Which obviously leads into this:
The Prince of Stories, spinning a narrative, deeply wrapped up in a dream that never had enough substance to be real.
The Prince of Stories, being theatrical and dramatic, flooding the Dreaming and making everyone aware of his woes. Even if he doesnât share his actual thoughts, or only to a degree. But man, does he let everyone know heâs moping.
But then, we get the very last panels of him in Brief Lives after he has killed Orpheus and returns to the castle:
There is no Prince of Stories here. Only a father who mourns his son. Quietly and alone. Without drama, without flooding the Dreaming. Because this time, love and grief are real.
I already wrote about this in a roundabout way before:
Okay, so while I was going through all the panels for March Mania, I also stumbled over these ones again:
And although Iâve read it all a m
If you look at the way Brief Lives starts and ends and zoom in how he changes to relate, if maybe just subconsciously (that ole chestnut againâprobably all the same to him, and I think deep down, he knows), to his own story, youâll never look at it the same way again.
The Prince of Stories set out to chase the illusion of love, a narrative he spun in his head, in hopes to run into Thessaly again. âTwas but a dream.
He came back as Morpheus, changed by the reality of grief and unconditional love for his son he finally admits to himself.
And that reality breaks him. However, it is also the death of the egoâthe self-surrender that paves the way for transition and change. And that ego-death couldnât be shown more clearly than in those two contrasting panelsâŚ
Brief Lives is my fave part of the series for this exact reason. The change in Morpheus begins from the first time we see him, but here there are so many incredible parallels - you can really see what he is moving towards. The other parallel that mirrors the one you mention above is how Morpheus is perceived. At the beginning of Brief Lives, there are these moments from Lucien, who has been through Morpheus' breakups before. He knows exactly how Morpheus will act - he has examples of times past. Merv starts complaining about being ordered to dismantle part of the palace and Lucien has a pithy retort.
An important detour here - Morpheus has been described as "just a bit taller than you, whoever you are" by Neil Gaiman. The only exception to this is Lucien, who is always taller than Morpheus. It says so much about their relationship, I think, and it speaks to their closeness. He knows Morpheus very well.
When Morpheus returns after his trip, he approaches his guardians (the griffin, wyvern, and hippogriff) and they almost don't recognize him. These are creatures who similarly know Morpheus well and care for him. They inquire about his well-being and note that he's being super weird. Crucially, though, they don't recognize him. He sees Lucien shortly after, says basically nothing about the trip, and goes to his room. Lucien, in kind, says almost nothing after their brief meeting. We see him interact with Merv again, who is complaining and judging as usual. This time, though, Lucien has almost nothing to say. One word answers. It really speaks to how stark the change is, not physically, but in who he is.
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