The Sandman: Fables and Reflections
Encyclopedia
Fables & Reflections is the sixth collection of issues in the DC Comics
series, The Sandman. It was written by Neil Gaiman
and illustrated by Bryan Talbot
, Stan Woch
, P. Craig Russell
, Shawn McManus
, John Watkiss
, Jill Thompson
, Duncan Eagleson, Kent Williams, Mark Buckingham
, Vince Locke
and Dick Giordano
, coloured by Danny Vozzo and Lovern Kindzierski/Digital Chameleon
, and lettered by Todd Klein
. Gene Wolfe
wrote an introduction.
The issues in the collection first appeared in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The collection first appeared in paperback and hardback in 1993.
Like the third collection (Dream Country
), and the eighth (Worlds' End
), Fables and Reflections is a collection of short one-issue stories. Most of the stories do not contribute directly to the overall story arc
of the series on a textual level but rather comment on its themes and provide subtext. The most conspicuous exception is the story "Orpheus", originally printed as the one-shot Sandman Special, which is central to the main story of the series.
Three other issues appearing in Fables & Reflections, published as the Convergence story "arc", are also single-issue short stories in which Morpheus appears very little. Each of these issues details various characters' meetings with one another, and each is structured as a story within a story (this is a theme to which Gaiman will return in the Worlds' End arc). "Convergence" appeared between the "A Game of You" and "Brief Lives" story arcs.
The collection also includes the Sandman Special, retelling the Greek myth of Orpheus
, and a brief piece from a Vertigo promotional comic.
Because Fables & Reflections partakes of so many elements, some believe it lacks the thematic or artistic consistency that is present even in the other short story collections. Perhaps in an effort to make these differences less apparent, DC has shuffled the issues in the volume instead of presenting them chronologically with "Distant Mirrors" at the front and "Convergence" at the back. Some readers may choose to read this volume cover-to-cover after "A Game of You", while others read individual stories in their place as originally published.
Due to its nature as a collection of short stories, Fables & Reflections is probably the least essential volume of the series in terms of the surface plot of The Sandman (with the exception of "Orpheus"), but perhaps the most accessible as the reader can dip in and out without needing a thorough grounding in the characters and previous stories. That said, some of the stories in Fables and Reflections provide key subtext that is invaluable to the close reader attempting to understand Morpheus' motivations in the rest of the series.
, first, last and only Emperor of the United States of America. Neatly dovetailed with his story is an explanation for his strange career centering on a challenge between Morpheus and Desire. The story also ties into Desire's actions in the second collection, The Doll's House
. Drawn by Shawn McManus.
. Featuring the character of Lady Johanna Constantine (who first appeared in "Men of Good Fortune") and introducing, briefly, Orpheus, it is possibly the most political passage of the series, showing Gaiman at his most savagely critical of a regime that goes against his own beliefs almost entirely a regime which did its best to abolish history - even introducing its own calendar - and therefore stands entirely at odds with Gaiman's belief in the vital importance of human stories. Penciled by Stan Woch and inked by Dick Giordano.
of the East European tradition concerning a young man of 'The People' (werewolves) who comes to possess a portrait of a beautiful princess. It makes reference to The Death of Koschei the Deathless
and the witch Baba Yaga
. Penciled by Duncan Eagleson and inked by Vince Locke.
; and we learn that Augustus chose the future of the world from two sets of prophecies, one in which the Roman Empire
grew to cover the whole world and lasted millennia, and one in which it died out after a few hundred years. He spends one day a year disguised as a beggar because Morpheus told him, in a dream, that if he does so the gods
cannot spy on his plans. It is implied that, during his days in disguise as a beggar, Augustus plotted for the Roman Empire
to fall after his death out of his hatred for Julius Caesar. Penciled by Bryan Talbot and inked by Stan Woch.
In the story, Augustus uses the phrase "quick as boiled asparagus", a reference to I, Claudius
.
Most of this story is based on The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius.
as a boy becoming lost in the desert; he enters one of the Soft Places, a place where the boundary between reality and the Dreaming is not so clear as it is in most places. There he encounters Rustichello of Pisa, Gilbert (or Fiddler's Green), who featured in the second collection, The Doll's House, and Morpheus himself, who is making his way back to his realm via the dreamscape after his captivity in "Preludes and Nocturnes". The story is something of a piece with "Exiles", a story from the tenth collection, The Wake
. Drawn by John Watkiss.
, in a similar vein to the story "A Midsummer Night's Dream" from the third collection, Dream Country; behind the main story Gaiman layers an explanation and interpretation based on his own characters, as Morpheus and Calliope are the boy's parents, and his uncle Destruction and aunt Death are vital in allowing him to reach the underworld, after the death of his wife. Gaiman's version of the story reinforces the tragedy of Orpheus with the different, subtler tragedy of his parents, both Morpheus and Calliope, part of which is echoed in the seventh collection, Brief Lives
. Penciled by Bryan Talbot and inked by Mark Buckingham.
, and introduced in Volume Four, Season of Mists
- as an independent character. It is a story featuring stories, a device that is used extensively in the eighth collection, Worlds' End, as Cain, Abel, Eve, Matthew and Daniel gather for a storytelling session. The stories told concern the three wives of Adam, how Cain and Abel came to reside in the Dreaming, and the natural phenomenon, the parliament of rooks. In a series of panels illustrated by Jill Thompson
, this story introduces the so-called "'Lil Endless" characters, renditions of Morpheus and Death as children, who came to be very popular with fans of the series. Penciled by Jill Thompson and inked by Vince Locke.
Harun al-Rashid
rules over the brilliant city of Baghdad
, the greatest city the world has ever seen; but he is troubled by the impermanence of this very perfection. He goes to the very top of his palace and threatens to shatter a crystal globe full of demons, if Morpheus will not come and talk to him. There is no answer, and he drops the globe; Morpheus appears and catches it, however, and he and Harun go to the marketplace to talk. Harun proposes a unique bargain; he will give the city of Baghdad to Morpheus, if Morpheus will make sure that the city will endure forever. Reluctantly Morpheus admits that he can do this "After a fashion". After the deal is completed, Raschid's flying carpet crashes into the ground. Harun awakes to find himself in a far more dreary and normal version of Baghdad, with no memory of its previous fantastical nature. As he returns to the palace, he passes by Morpheus, who has the old city in a bottle. The story ends with an abrupt shift to war
-torn modern-day Baghdad, where an old man has been telling this tale to a young child in exchange for money and cigarettes. At the end the boy asks how the deal worked, but the old man does not answer. Nevertheless, when the boy leaves he has clearly been enchanted by the tale and then it becomes clear: by taking the city into stories, with the tales lingering behind, Dream has made sure that the legends will be told and retold, keeping it alive forever in memory. Drawn by P. Craig Russell, coloured by Lovern Kinzierski and Digital Chameleon.
This tale contains numerous references to the One Thousand and One Nights, the famous collection of Middle Eastern fables; Harun al-Rashid is himself the protagonist in many of those stories. It is thus implied that the Nights is one of the results of Harun al Rashid's bargain with Morpheus.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
series, The Sandman. It was written by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
and illustrated by Bryan Talbot
Bryan Talbot
Bryan Talbot is a British comic book artist and writer, born in Wigan, Lancashire, in 1952. He is best known as the creator of The Adventures of Luther Arkwright and its sequel Heart of Empire.-Career:...
, Stan Woch
Stan Woch
Stan Woch is an American artist who has worked in the comics industry. His early career includes work as an assistant to Gray Morrow on the Barbara Cartland Romances and Buck Rogers comic strips...
, P. Craig Russell
P. Craig Russell
Philip Craig Russell , also known as P. Craig Russell, is an American comic book writer, artist, and illustrator. His work has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards...
, Shawn McManus
Shawn McManus
Shawn McManus is an American artist who has worked extensively over three decades for DC Comics and other companies, notably for DC's Vertigo imprint, including the current Fables.-Swamp Thing:...
, John Watkiss
John Watkiss
John Watkiss is an artist who has worked in both comics and film. Born in England in 1961.After growing up in the Midlands in England, John Watkiss graduated from The Faculty of Arts and Architecture, Brighton University with a bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
, Jill Thompson
Jill Thompson
Jill Thompson is an American comic book writer and illustrator. Probably better known for her work on Neil Gaiman's The Sandman characters and her own Scary Godmother series, she has also worked on The Invisibles, Swamp Thing, and Wonder Woman.-Career:Jill Thompson illustrated The Sandman story...
, Duncan Eagleson, Kent Williams, Mark Buckingham
Mark Buckingham
Mark Buckingham is a British comic book artist. He is better known for his work on Marvelman and Fables.-Biography:Born as Mark John Buckingham May 23, 1966 in Clevedon, United Kingdom...
, Vince Locke
Vince Locke
Vincent Locke is an American comic book artist known for his work on Deadworld and A History of Violence and for his ultraviolent album covers for death metal band Cannibal Corpse.-Biography:...
and Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano
Richard Joseph "Dick" Giordano was an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes, and serving as executive editor of then–industry leader DC Comics...
, coloured by Danny Vozzo and Lovern Kindzierski/Digital Chameleon
Digital Chameleon
Digital Chameleon was a comic book coloring and inking studio based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They have countless credits for a variety of publishers, and are attributed with being the first studio to make the use of the computer software program Adobe PhotoShop widespread in the comics industry...
, and lettered by Todd Klein
Todd Klein
Todd Klein is an American comic book letterer, logo designer, and occasional writer, primarily for DC Comics.- Early career:Todd Klein broke into comics in the summer of 1977, hired by DC Comics as a staff production worker...
. Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...
wrote an introduction.
The issues in the collection first appeared in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The collection first appeared in paperback and hardback in 1993.
Like the third collection (Dream Country
The Sandman: Dream Country
Dream Country is the third trade paperback collection of the comic book series The Sandman, published by DC Comics. It collects issues #17-20...
), and the eighth (Worlds' End
The Sandman: Worlds' End
Worlds' End is the eighth collection of issues in the DC Comics series The Sandman. It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Michael Allred, Gary Amaro, Mark Buckingham, Dick Giordano, Tony Harris, Steve Leialoha, Vince Locke, Shea Anton Pensa, Alec Stevens, Bryan Talbot, John Watkiss, and...
), Fables and Reflections is a collection of short one-issue stories. Most of the stories do not contribute directly to the overall story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
of the series on a textual level but rather comment on its themes and provide subtext. The most conspicuous exception is the story "Orpheus", originally printed as the one-shot Sandman Special, which is central to the main story of the series.
Content
The book contains four tales under the banner of "Distant Mirrors", which are about emperors and the nature of power. These issues all take their name from months ("Thermidor", "August", "Three Septembers and a January" and "Ramadan"). Three of the issues making up the "Distant Mirrors" group were published between the "Season of Mists" and "A Game of You" story arcs. The last, "Ramadan", was written contemporaneously, but because of art delays DC published it as Issue #50, after the "Brief Lives" arc.Three other issues appearing in Fables & Reflections, published as the Convergence story "arc", are also single-issue short stories in which Morpheus appears very little. Each of these issues details various characters' meetings with one another, and each is structured as a story within a story (this is a theme to which Gaiman will return in the Worlds' End arc). "Convergence" appeared between the "A Game of You" and "Brief Lives" story arcs.
The collection also includes the Sandman Special, retelling the Greek myth of Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
, and a brief piece from a Vertigo promotional comic.
Because Fables & Reflections partakes of so many elements, some believe it lacks the thematic or artistic consistency that is present even in the other short story collections. Perhaps in an effort to make these differences less apparent, DC has shuffled the issues in the volume instead of presenting them chronologically with "Distant Mirrors" at the front and "Convergence" at the back. Some readers may choose to read this volume cover-to-cover after "A Game of You", while others read individual stories in their place as originally published.
Due to its nature as a collection of short stories, Fables & Reflections is probably the least essential volume of the series in terms of the surface plot of The Sandman (with the exception of "Orpheus"), but perhaps the most accessible as the reader can dip in and out without needing a thorough grounding in the characters and previous stories. That said, some of the stories in Fables and Reflections provide key subtext that is invaluable to the close reader attempting to understand Morpheus' motivations in the rest of the series.
"Fear of Falling"
This is the story from Vertigo Preview #1. This is a very short story, concerning a theatrical author/director who is afraid of the consequences of his new play, be they success or failure. Drawn by Kent Williams."Three Septembers and a January"
A playful story concerning the (mostly true) history of Joshua Abraham NortonJoshua A. Norton
Joshua Abraham Norton , the self-proclaimed Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, was a celebrated citizen of San Francisco, California, who in 1859 proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States" and subsequently "Protector of Mexico".Born in England, Norton spent most of his early life in South...
, first, last and only Emperor of the United States of America. Neatly dovetailed with his story is an explanation for his strange career centering on a challenge between Morpheus and Desire. The story also ties into Desire's actions in the second collection, The Doll's House
The Sandman: The Doll's House
The Doll's House is the second trade paperback collection of the comic book series The Sandman, published by DC Comics. It collects issues #9-16. It is written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli and Steve Parkhouse, coloured by Robbie...
. Drawn by Shawn McManus.
"Thermidor"
An altogether darker story set in the aftermath of the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. Featuring the character of Lady Johanna Constantine (who first appeared in "Men of Good Fortune") and introducing, briefly, Orpheus, it is possibly the most political passage of the series, showing Gaiman at his most savagely critical of a regime that goes against his own beliefs almost entirely a regime which did its best to abolish history - even introducing its own calendar - and therefore stands entirely at odds with Gaiman's belief in the vital importance of human stories. Penciled by Stan Woch and inked by Dick Giordano.
"The Hunt"
A fairy taleFairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
of the East European tradition concerning a young man of 'The People' (werewolves) who comes to possess a portrait of a beautiful princess. It makes reference to The Death of Koschei the Deathless
The Death of Koschei the Deathless
The Death of the Immortal Koschei or Marya Morevna is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki and included by Andrew Lang in The Red Fairy Book...
and the witch Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga or Baba Roga is a haggish or witchlike character in Slavic folklore. She flies around on a giant pestle, kidnaps small children, and lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs...
. Penciled by Duncan Eagleson and inked by Vince Locke.
"August"
Another story concerning a month. An extremely bleak tale about the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar set in 7 AD. Disguised as a beggar, he talks of his life to the dwarf who instructs him in this disguise. We learn that as a young man, he was raped by his great-uncle, Julius CaesarJulius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
; and we learn that Augustus chose the future of the world from two sets of prophecies, one in which the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
grew to cover the whole world and lasted millennia, and one in which it died out after a few hundred years. He spends one day a year disguised as a beggar because Morpheus told him, in a dream, that if he does so the gods
Terminus (mythology)
In Roman religion, Terminus was the god who protected boundary markers; his name was the Latin word for such a marker. Sacrifices were performed to sanctify each boundary stone, and landowners celebrated a festival called the "Terminalia" in Terminus' honor each year on February 23...
cannot spy on his plans. It is implied that, during his days in disguise as a beggar, Augustus plotted for the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
to fall after his death out of his hatred for Julius Caesar. Penciled by Bryan Talbot and inked by Stan Woch.
In the story, Augustus uses the phrase "quick as boiled asparagus", a reference to I, Claudius
I, Claudius
I, Claudius is a novel by English writer Robert Graves, written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius. As such, it includes history of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and Roman Empire, from Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC to Caligula's assassination in AD 41...
.
Most of this story is based on The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius.
"Soft Places"
A story of Marco PoloMarco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
as a boy becoming lost in the desert; he enters one of the Soft Places, a place where the boundary between reality and the Dreaming is not so clear as it is in most places. There he encounters Rustichello of Pisa, Gilbert (or Fiddler's Green), who featured in the second collection, The Doll's House, and Morpheus himself, who is making his way back to his realm via the dreamscape after his captivity in "Preludes and Nocturnes". The story is something of a piece with "Exiles", a story from the tenth collection, The Wake
The Sandman: The Wake
The Wake is the tenth and final collection of issues in the comic book series The Sandman. Written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Michael Zulli, Jon J...
. Drawn by John Watkiss.
"The Song of Orpheus"
This is the central story of the collection. It is a telling of part of the Greek myth of OrpheusOrpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
, in a similar vein to the story "A Midsummer Night's Dream" from the third collection, Dream Country; behind the main story Gaiman layers an explanation and interpretation based on his own characters, as Morpheus and Calliope are the boy's parents, and his uncle Destruction and aunt Death are vital in allowing him to reach the underworld, after the death of his wife. Gaiman's version of the story reinforces the tragedy of Orpheus with the different, subtler tragedy of his parents, both Morpheus and Calliope, part of which is echoed in the seventh collection, Brief Lives
The Sandman: Brief Lives
Brief Lives is the seventh collection of issues in the DC Comics series, The Sandman. Written by Neil Gaiman, penciled by Jill Thompson, inked by Vince Locke and Dick Giordano, coloured by Danny Vozzo, and lettered by Todd Klein....
. Penciled by Bryan Talbot and inked by Mark Buckingham.
"The Parliament of Rooks"
This story follows Daniel Hall - the child of Hippolyta Hall, first mentioned in Volume Two, The Doll's HouseThe Sandman: The Doll's House
The Doll's House is the second trade paperback collection of the comic book series The Sandman, published by DC Comics. It collects issues #9-16. It is written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Chris Bachalo, Michael Zulli and Steve Parkhouse, coloured by Robbie...
, and introduced in Volume Four, Season of Mists
The Sandman: Season of Mists
Season of Mists is the fourth collection of issues in the DC Comics series, The Sandman.It was written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Kelley Jones, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III, Matt Wagner, Dick Giordano, George Pratt, and P...
- as an independent character. It is a story featuring stories, a device that is used extensively in the eighth collection, Worlds' End, as Cain, Abel, Eve, Matthew and Daniel gather for a storytelling session. The stories told concern the three wives of Adam, how Cain and Abel came to reside in the Dreaming, and the natural phenomenon, the parliament of rooks. In a series of panels illustrated by Jill Thompson
Jill Thompson
Jill Thompson is an American comic book writer and illustrator. Probably better known for her work on Neil Gaiman's The Sandman characters and her own Scary Godmother series, she has also worked on The Invisibles, Swamp Thing, and Wonder Woman.-Career:Jill Thompson illustrated The Sandman story...
, this story introduces the so-called "'Lil Endless" characters, renditions of Morpheus and Death as children, who came to be very popular with fans of the series. Penciled by Jill Thompson and inked by Vince Locke.
"Ramadan"
A story told, illustrated and lettered in the Arabic tradition. The CaliphCaliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Harun al-Rashid
Harun al-Rashid
Hārūn al-Rashīd was the fifth Arab Abbasid Caliph in Iraq. He was born in Rey, Iran, close to modern Tehran. His birth date remains a point of discussion, though, as various sources give the dates from 763 to 766)....
rules over the brilliant city of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, the greatest city the world has ever seen; but he is troubled by the impermanence of this very perfection. He goes to the very top of his palace and threatens to shatter a crystal globe full of demons, if Morpheus will not come and talk to him. There is no answer, and he drops the globe; Morpheus appears and catches it, however, and he and Harun go to the marketplace to talk. Harun proposes a unique bargain; he will give the city of Baghdad to Morpheus, if Morpheus will make sure that the city will endure forever. Reluctantly Morpheus admits that he can do this "After a fashion". After the deal is completed, Raschid's flying carpet crashes into the ground. Harun awakes to find himself in a far more dreary and normal version of Baghdad, with no memory of its previous fantastical nature. As he returns to the palace, he passes by Morpheus, who has the old city in a bottle. The story ends with an abrupt shift to war
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
-torn modern-day Baghdad, where an old man has been telling this tale to a young child in exchange for money and cigarettes. At the end the boy asks how the deal worked, but the old man does not answer. Nevertheless, when the boy leaves he has clearly been enchanted by the tale and then it becomes clear: by taking the city into stories, with the tales lingering behind, Dream has made sure that the legends will be told and retold, keeping it alive forever in memory. Drawn by P. Craig Russell, coloured by Lovern Kinzierski and Digital Chameleon.
This tale contains numerous references to the One Thousand and One Nights, the famous collection of Middle Eastern fables; Harun al-Rashid is himself the protagonist in many of those stories. It is thus implied that the Nights is one of the results of Harun al Rashid's bargain with Morpheus.
Issues collected
| Issue | Title | Writer | Penciller | Inker | Colorist | Letterer | Ast Editor | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertigo Preview | "Fear of Falling" | Neil Gaiman | Kent Williams | Kent Williams | Sherilyn van Valkenburgh | Todd Klein | n/a | Karen Berger |
| 31 | "Distant Mirrors - Three Septembers and a January" | Neil Gaiman | Shawn McManus | Shawn McManus | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
| 29 | "Distant Mirrors - Thermidor" | Neil Gaiman | Stan Woch | Dick Giordano | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
| 38 | "Convergence - The Hunt" | Neil Gaiman | Duncan Eagleson | Vince Locke | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
| 30 | "Distant Mirrors - August" | Neil Gaiman | Bryan Talbot | Stan Woch | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
| 39 | "Convergence - Soft Places" | Neil Gaiman | John Watkiss | John Watkiss | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
| Sandman Special | "The Song of Orpheus" | Neil Gaiman | Bryan Talbot | Mark Buckingham | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 40 | "Convergence - The Parliament of Rooks" | Neil Gaiman | Jill Thompson | Vince Locke | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Alisa Kwitney | Karen Berger |
| 50 | "Distant Mirrors - Ramadan" | Neil Gaiman | P.Craig Russell | P.Craig Russell | Lovern Kindzierski / Digital Chameleon | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |