The Sandman: The Kindly Ones
Encyclopedia
The Kindly Ones is the ninth collection of issues in the DC Comics
series, The Sandman. Written by Neil Gaiman
, illustrated by Marc Hempel
, Richard Case
, D'Israeli
, Teddy Kristiansen
, Glyn Dillon, Charles Vess
, Dean Ormston
and Kevin Nowlan
, coloured by Danny Vozzo, and lettered by Todd Klein
.
The issues in the collection first appeared in 1993
, 1994
and 1995
. The collection first appeared in paperback and hardback in 1996
.
Marc Hempel is the primary penciller, inked variously by himself, D'Israeli and Richard Case. He is relieved at different points in the story by Teddy Kristiansen, Glyn Dillon and Dean Ormston, and Charles Vess draws a story-within-a-story sequence. Kevin Nowlan draws a short story which originally appeared in a Vertigo promo book.
The Kindly Ones belongs with the second collection, The Doll's House
, and the seventh, Brief Lives
, in that it finishes off a story that mostly originated in these collections. Parts from other collections are also important to its story, however, notably elements from Season of Mists
and the story of Orpheus, told mostly in Fables and Reflections
.
The most structurally ambitious of the collections, The Kindly Ones is a single storyline written as a Greek tragedy, with Morpheus as its doomed hero and an aspect of the triad of witches, the Erinyes
, as the Greek chorus
. It pulls together various threads left dangling throughout the series, notably the grudges against Morpheus of several characters: Hippolyta Hall
, whose child, Daniel, was claimed by Morpheus; the witches themselves; the Norse god Loki
; and the witch Thessaly.
The Kindly Ones also continues several other stories, including that of Cluracan of Faerie and his sister Nuala, that of the Corinthian, and that of Rose Walker and her former landlord Hal. It also features Lucifer, now playing piano in a nightclub, although he is loath to take requests.
After Daniel is kidnapped towards the beginning of the story by Loki and Robin Goodfellow (the Puck
), Hippolyta (or Lyta), manipulated by Loki into believing he was murdered, convinces herself that Morpheus was responsible due to her brief interactions with him throughout the series. In the midst of an intense breakdown
over the loss of her child, Lyta resolves to destroy Morpheus, eventually finding the witches who agree to help her in her goal. In their aspect as the Furies, the witches are empowered to destroy Morpheus by the fact that he has shed the blood of one of his family (that of his son, Orpheus, when he granted him the boon of death). In many places, Lyta is depicted as Medusa
, even meeting Medusa's two sisters, Stheno
and Euryale
, at one point in the story.
Unbeknownst to Lyta, Daniel is eventually recovered alive and well by Morpheus' servants, the raven Matthew and a restored Corinthian
. However, Lyta incurs the wrath of the Furies before learning that Daniel is still alive and safe, and is subsequently unable to stop the Furies from taking their revenge.
Throughout the story the greatest mystery is the motivation of Morpheus; it is never exactly clear to what extent he is aware of the course on which he has, to some extent, set himself, and how serious are his attempts to save himself. In a telling sequence, he finally lays himself open to the Furies by leaving his kingdom to fulfill a boon he had granted to Nuala, even though he knows that his own end will likely be the consequence; once more his refusal to shirk what he perceives as his responsibility for any reason is a turning point in the story. In an affecting sequence, the main story ends with Morpheus and his sister Death on a desolate peak, echoing a sequence from one of the series' early high points, "The Sound of her Wings" (issue #8). Death asks for Morpheus' hand, and he simply disappears, in a flash of light. Having existed for all but an eternity, Dream of the Endless dies.
Immediately upon the death of Morpheus, Daniel metamorphoses into a new aspect of Dream, with white clothes and hair, and an emerald instead of a ruby.
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. 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...
, illustrated by Marc Hempel
Marc Hempel
Marc Hempel is an American cartoonist/comics artist best known for his work on The Sandman with Neil Gaiman.-Biography:...
, Richard Case
Richard Case
Richard Case is an American comics artist, most often seen published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics. His credits include pencilling the majority of issues of Grant Morrison's run on Doom Patrol, as well as drawing Jamie Delano's limited series Ghostdancing, the final story arc of Peter...
, D'Israeli
D'Israeli
Matt Brooker, whose work most often appears under the pseudonym D'Israeli , is a British comic artist, colorist, writer and letterer. Other pseudonyms he uses include "Molly Eyre" , for his writing, and "Harry V...
, Teddy Kristiansen
Teddy Kristiansen
Teddy Kristiansen is a Danish comic book artist. The artistic style he uses for comic books is unique and seems to touch upon the German expressionist painters of the late 19th century. Teddy Kristiansen is a natural at illustrating mystery, horror, and dark, suspense-filled comics. Among his...
, Glyn Dillon, Charles Vess
Charles Vess
Charles Vess is an American fantasy artist and comic-book illustrator who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His illustrations are strongly influenced by the work of artists and illustrators such as Arthur Rackham and Alphonse Mucha...
, Dean Ormston
Dean Ormston
Dean Ormston is a British born comic book artist. His most notable work has been for the British comic 2000 AD and for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint.-Biography:...
and Kevin Nowlan
Kevin Nowlan
Kevin Nowlan is an American comic-book artist who works as penciler, inker, colorist and letterer.He has been called "one of the few artists who can be called 'artists's artist'", a master of the various disciplines of comic production, from "design to draftsmanship to dramatics".-Biography:Kevin...
, coloured by Danny Vozzo, 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...
.
The issues in the collection first appeared in 1993
1993 in comics
-January:* Doom Patrol #63: " The Empire of Chairs," Grant Morrison's final issue as Doom Patrol writer.-February:* Action Comics, with issue #686, suspends publication following "The Death of Superman."...
, 1994
1994 in comics
-Year overall:* Huge changes in the marketplace force many retailers and small publishers out of business...
and 1995
1995 in comics
-January:*After Xavier: The Age of Apocalypse is launched. All X-titles change to different names for the next four months.* Thor marks his 400th appearance in Marvel Comics with issue #482....
. The collection first appeared in paperback and hardback in 1996
1996 in comics
-Year overall:* Malcolm Jones III commits suicide at circa age 37.* Boody Rogers, creator of Sparky Watts, dies at c. age 92-January:* January 19: Bernard Baily, co-creator of The Spectre and Hourman, dies at age 79.* January 28:...
.
Marc Hempel is the primary penciller, inked variously by himself, D'Israeli and Richard Case. He is relieved at different points in the story by Teddy Kristiansen, Glyn Dillon and Dean Ormston, and Charles Vess draws a story-within-a-story sequence. Kevin Nowlan draws a short story which originally appeared in a Vertigo promo book.
Synopsis
The Kindly Ones belongs with 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...
, and the seventh, 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....
, in that it finishes off a story that mostly originated in these collections. Parts from other collections are also important to its story, however, notably elements from 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...
and the story of Orpheus, told mostly in Fables and Reflections
The Sandman: Fables and Reflections
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...
.
The most structurally ambitious of the collections, The Kindly Ones is a single storyline written as a Greek tragedy, with Morpheus as its doomed hero and an aspect of the triad of witches, the Erinyes
Erinyes
In Greek mythology the Erinyes from Greek ἐρίνειν " pursue, persecute"--sometimes referred to as "infernal goddesses" -- were female chthonic deities of vengeance. A formulaic oath in the Iliad invokes them as "those who beneath the earth punish whosoever has sworn a false oath"...
, as the Greek chorus
Greek chorus
A Greek chorus is a homogenous, non-individualised group of performers in the plays of classical Greece, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action....
. It pulls together various threads left dangling throughout the series, notably the grudges against Morpheus of several characters: Hippolyta Hall
Fury (DC Comics)
Fury is the codename shared by three DC Comics superheroes, two of whom are mother and daughter, both of whom directly connected with the Furies of mythology, and the third who is an altogether different character.-Pre-Crisis:...
, whose child, Daniel, was claimed by Morpheus; the witches themselves; the Norse god Loki
Loki
In Norse mythology, Loki or Loke is a god or jötunn . Loki is the son of Fárbauti and Laufey, and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. By the jötunn Angrboða, Loki is the father of Hel, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. By his wife Sigyn, Loki is the father of Nari or Narfi...
; and the witch Thessaly.
The Kindly Ones also continues several other stories, including that of Cluracan of Faerie and his sister Nuala, that of the Corinthian, and that of Rose Walker and her former landlord Hal. It also features Lucifer, now playing piano in a nightclub, although he is loath to take requests.
After Daniel is kidnapped towards the beginning of the story by Loki and Robin Goodfellow (the Puck
Puck (Shakespeare)
Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream that was based on the ancient figure in English mythology, also called Puck. Puck is a clever and mischievous elf and personifies the trickster or the wise knave...
), Hippolyta (or Lyta), manipulated by Loki into believing he was murdered, convinces herself that Morpheus was responsible due to her brief interactions with him throughout the series. In the midst of an intense breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
over the loss of her child, Lyta resolves to destroy Morpheus, eventually finding the witches who agree to help her in her goal. In their aspect as the Furies, the witches are empowered to destroy Morpheus by the fact that he has shed the blood of one of his family (that of his son, Orpheus, when he granted him the boon of death). In many places, Lyta is depicted as Medusa
Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
, even meeting Medusa's two sisters, Stheno
Stheno
Stheno , in Greek mythology, was the eldest of the Gorgons, vicious female monsters with brass hands, sharp fangs and "hair" made of living venomous snakes. The daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, she was born in the caverns beneath Mount Olympus...
and Euryale
Euryale
Euryale , in Greek mythology, was the second eldest one of the Gorgons, three vicious sisters with brass hands, sharp fangs, and hair of living, venomous snakes. She and her sister Stheno, unlike their sister, Medusa, were not able to turn any creature to stone with her gaze...
, at one point in the story.
Unbeknownst to Lyta, Daniel is eventually recovered alive and well by Morpheus' servants, the raven Matthew and a restored Corinthian
Corinthian (comics)
The Corinthian is a fictional character in Neil Gaiman's comic book series The Sandman. He can first be seen in The Sandman #10 , which is part of the second story arc, The Doll's House. The Corinthian is a nightmare created by Dream, who destroys him in the same collection for going rogue and...
. However, Lyta incurs the wrath of the Furies before learning that Daniel is still alive and safe, and is subsequently unable to stop the Furies from taking their revenge.
Throughout the story the greatest mystery is the motivation of Morpheus; it is never exactly clear to what extent he is aware of the course on which he has, to some extent, set himself, and how serious are his attempts to save himself. In a telling sequence, he finally lays himself open to the Furies by leaving his kingdom to fulfill a boon he had granted to Nuala, even though he knows that his own end will likely be the consequence; once more his refusal to shirk what he perceives as his responsibility for any reason is a turning point in the story. In an affecting sequence, the main story ends with Morpheus and his sister Death on a desolate peak, echoing a sequence from one of the series' early high points, "The Sound of her Wings" (issue #8). Death asks for Morpheus' hand, and he simply disappears, in a flash of light. Having existed for all but an eternity, Dream of the Endless dies.
Immediately upon the death of Morpheus, Daniel metamorphoses into a new aspect of Dream, with white clothes and hair, and an emerald instead of a ruby.
Issues collected
| Issue | Title | Writer | Penciller | Inker | Colorist | Letterer | Ast Editor | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertigo Jam 1 | The Castle | Neil Gaiman | Kevin Nowlan | Kevin Nowlan | Daniel Vozzo | Kevin Nowlan | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 57 | The Kindly Ones - 1 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel | Marc Hempel | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 58 | The Kindly Ones - 2 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel | D'Israeli | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 59 | The Kindly Ones - 3 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel | D'Israeli | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 60 | The Kindly Ones - 4 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel | D'Israeli | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 61 | The Kindly Ones - 5 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel | Marc Hempel / D'Israeli | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 62 | The Kindly Ones - 6 | Neil Gaiman | Glyn Dillon / Charles Vess / Dean Ornston | Glyn Dillon / Charles Vess / D'Israeli | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 63 | The Kindly Ones - 7 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel | Marc Hempel | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 64 | The Kindly Ones - 8 | Neil Gaiman | Teddy Kristiansen | Teddy Kristiansen | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 65 | The Kindly Ones - 9 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel | Richard Case | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 66 | The Kindly Ones - 10 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel | Richard Case | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 67 | The Kindly Ones - 11 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel | Richard Case | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 68 | The Kindly Ones - 12 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel / Richard Case | Richard Case | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |
| 69 | The Kindly Ones - 13 | Neil Gaiman | Marc Hempel | Marc Hempel | Daniel Vozzo | Todd Klein | Shelly Roeberg | Karen Berger |