Even though it was a brand-new title, and one of the very first of the books that would become the foundation of Vertigo Comics, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman was firmly steeped in the lore of the DC Universe. Welcome to Ten Things: Ten Sandman Characters Who Predate The Sandman!

Whooshman-Bicarbonate Films, in conjunction with An Amateur Comics Historian and Hob Gadling, Presents:

TEN THINGS: TEN SANDMAN CHARACTERS WHO PREDATE THE SANDMAN!

10) BRUTE AND GLOB

Among the first of the escaped nightmares that Morpheus had to track down, Brute and Glob had been busy little monsters during his absence from his realm. They had apparently kidnapped a human named Garrett Sanford, convincing him that he was the Lord of the Dreaming and ran about having adventures, hiding in the dreams of a boy named Jed to camouflage themselves from their boss. It’s an unsuccessful gambit, but it does lead to one of the best Morpheus moments ever when he confronts “The Sandman” for the first time.

Brute, Glob, and Garrett are all creations of Jack Kirby, who first appeared in 1974, nearly 15 years before issue one of The Sandman.

9)  CAIN

The caretaker of The House of Mystery (and the host of the comic of the same title starting in 1968), Cain was always hinted to be something more than just a dead ringer for a young Len Wein. His duties as narrator and overseer of unusual tales wasn’t the first such role in the pages of DC Comics (The Phantom Stranger, for one, pre-dates him) but he is the first of the natives of The Dreaming to do so, only slightly reimagined as the actual, Biblical Cain, or at least the embodiment of the stories told about him.

And speaking of which…

8) ABEL

What good is having the original murderer around if you don’t have the original victim? First appearing in 1969, Cain’s younger brother took over the hosting duties of House of Secrets, with the brothers occasionally crossing over into each other’s titles. As with Cain, his Sandman incarnation is a living story based on the biblical tale, leaving him to be repeatedly murdered, only to rise again the next day. (To be fair, Cain and Abel existing as an endless cycle of killing and rising was actually pioneered by writer Alan Moore in the pages of Swamp Thing.)

7) EVE

Less well known that either of her “sons,” both in-story and out, Eve first appeared in Secrets of Sinister House in September of ’72. Her appearances were often in conjunction with Cain and Abel, and she eventually migrated to the pages of Weird Mystery Tales. (Write that name down, it’ll be important in a minute.) Eve was also accompanied by a raven in her appearances, a detail that would become a very important part of The Dreaming.

Cain, Abel, and Eve also appeared in Plop!, perhaps my favorite of DC’s anthology titles.

6) JUDGE GALLOWS

The most obscure member of today’s doubly imaginary coterie, Judge Quentin Gallows made sporadic appearances in The Unexpected over the course of a decade (from 1969 to 1981), only becoming a part of The Dreaming in 1998. His appearance there was written by Len Wein, the aforementioned model for Cain, whose friend Mark Hanerfield was Abel’s inspiration. Judge Gallows died quite horribly in that story, which is pretty ironic for a character who seems to be the model of the “Hangin’ Judge.”

5) LUCIEN

The librarian of The Dreaming and one of the only dreams not to abandon their post during Morpheus’ 70-year-absence, Lucien is another veteran of Weird Mystery Tales. He also appeared in Secrets of the Haunted House and Tales of Ghost Castle, making only a handful of appearances before becoming part of Dream’s castle staff.

For the longest time, I didn’t actually realize that Lucien and Cain were different characters, which makes me wonder if his co-creator, Nestor Redondo, was aware of Cain in 1975.

4) THE MAD MOD WITCH

Another minor player in the Sandman mythos, making four or five supporting appearances over the 75-issue run, you might not remember her visage or name in connection with Morpheus. That’s because The Dreaming knows her as The Fashion Thing, as she/it is constantly reconfiguring based on what’s in vogue at any given moment. Thus, her 1968 debut as Mad Mod Witch makes sense, and by the time of Sandman circa 1988, she had adopted the persona of The Mad Yuppie Witch. She was not the most important of witches, either in-universe or out, as our next entry should prove.

3) THE FURIES

THE FATES

THE HECATEAE

THE KINDLY ONES

Ever-changing and ever-renaming, these nice ladies, these very KIND ladies, were first seen as Cynthia, Mildred, and Mordred, hosts of The Witching Hour, in 1969. Due to the shifting nature of their mythology, the Mother, Maiden, and Crone archetypes, it’s often hard to tell from one appearance to the next what they’re going to be like. Some suggest that they’re not actually three beings at all, but one being in three different presentations, sort of like that time Hartnell, Troughton, and Davison teamed up as The Five Doctors.

The Doctor is also well beyond the rules of time, space, and silly human mathematics.

2) DESTINY

Perhaps the most surprising of the characters in today’s collection, Destiny is Dream’s older brother, one of the seven Endless who exist beyond the gods themselves. He’s also the first host of Weird Mystery Tales, circa 1972. (The early Bronze Age was a real smorgasbord of horror hosts, not just at DC, but also at Charlton and even Marvel, where a former horror host is actually one of the Avengers.)

He is also, as far as I can remember, the only member of the Sandman extended cast to ever serve as a Superman villain, if only by way of a “hero learns an important moral lesson” plot.

1) MATTHEW THE RAVEN

Dating all the way back to the first issue of Swamp Thing back in 1971, Matt Cable was initially a government agent assigned to keep Dr. Alec Holland safe. Given that Holland’s origin as Swampy involves being blown to hell and burning up in the swamp in that same issue, you can see where Lieutenant Cable’s problems began. Eventually falling into alcoholism and losing his wife due to his abusive behavior, Matt died in a car accident, with his spirit passing on into The Dreaming. The exact story of why Morpheus has a raven at all times is never quite clear, nor is the full story of how or why Matt was chosen, but he became a trusted advisor and friend for the Lord of Dreams in what would end up being his final years.

Once again, this week’s topic, Ten Sandman Characters That Pre-Date The Sandman, is all me, but feel free to follow along @MightyKingCobra to suggest a topic of your own! There’s always more Ten Things madness on my Twitter or check out the full Twitter archive here! As with any set of like items, these aren’t meant to be hard and fast or absolutely complete, especially if they keep making sequels. Either way, the comments section is below for just such an emergency, but, as always: Please, no wagering!

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