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| Originally published February 1989 - Collected in Preludes and Nocturnes and The Absolute Sandman Volume One |
General notes on the issue
- Starting with this issue the book adopts the standard 24 pages per issue format
- As with issue #1, this issue was extensively recoloured for the Absolute Edition
- Morpheus's appearance in issue #39 Soft Places takes place between issue #1 and this issue.
Page 1
- This is the first appearance of Cain and Abel, who will become regular supporting characters. Both are obviously based on the characters from the biblical story, but both were also established characters in the DC Universe, Cain having hosted the anthology comic House of Mystery, Abel its sister title House of Secrets. This part of their character would later be played with in issue #40. They also both appeared in the humour comic Plop! alongside Eve, who will be seen later.
- The idea of Cain obsessively killing Abel, in reference to their biblical origins, was first introduced during their appearances in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing but is much elaborated on here.
- Whether the pair are really the biblical Cain and Abel is one of the more ambiguous questions posed during the comic's run, and one we shall come back to. Suffice to say it is left deliberately obscure.
Page 3
- Gregory is Cain's pet gargoyle, who also appeared in House of Mystery and Plop!.
- This is the first time Morpheus is referred to as 'Prince of Stories', one of his more commonly used names across the course of the series.
Page 4
- 'The first story' is of course a reference to the Biblical version of the Cain and Abel story. The fact that Abel chooses to introduce himself as being 'from the first story' indicates something of the nature of those who live in the Dreaming and the importance of stories here.
- 'The Shifting Zones' are never elaborated upon, but it is reasonable to assume they are the unstable edges of the Dreaming, also referenced in issue #39 Soft Places.
Page 5
- "It was a dark and stormy nightmare" - This is a pun on 'It was a dark and stormy night', a classically clichéd way to begin a story, most famously used by Snoopy in the Peanuts comics.
- 'The Dreamtime' is another name for the Dreaming, taken from Aboriginal myth.
- The 'Gates of Horn and Ivory' are a classic part of dream mythology, dating back to references from Homer (in the Iliad) and Vergil (in the Eclogues). 'True' dreams (i.e. visionary or prophetic ones' leave the dreaming through the gates of horn, while false one exit through the gates of ivory. This idea is left almost completely intact.
Page 6
- 'Penny Dreadfuls' and 'Shilling Shockers' are, as the names suggests, cheap pulpy British horror stories.
- Notice that Abel emerges from his own portrait across the course of the page.
Page 8
- Arkham Asylum is an infamous institution in the D.C. Universe. Based in Gotham City, it is an asylum that holds the world's most insane supervillains, such as most of Batman's rogues gallery. Inmates include The Joker, Two-Face, The Riddler and many more.
- Ethel Dee here is clearly meant to be the former Ethel Cripps, the woman who walked out on both Rodrick Burgess and Ruthven Sykes in the previous issue.
- In the fourth panel a misdrawing indicates that it is the Doctor speaking the bubble beginning with "This is my son...". This is clearly incorrect and was not fixed in the Absolute edition.
Page 9
- The doctor here is identified as Doctor Huntoon, who had previously appeared in an issue of Swamp Thing
- This is the first appearance of John Dee aka. Dr Destiny. Created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky, he first appeared in Justice League of America #5 (June 1961). Originally a villain with the power to manipulate gravity, he later built a device known as the Materioptikon which allowed him to turn dreams into reality. he was a recurring villain for the Justice League throughout the Silver Age and also interacted with Garrett Sanford, the Silver Age Sandman. The reason he cannot dream is that the Justice League manipulated his psyche to prevent him from doing so, thus hindering his use of his Materioptikon.
Page 12-13
- This is the first appearance of Lucien, Morpheus's librarian and one of his oldest and most loyal servants. As we find out in The Kindly Ones, he is one of the oldest beings in The Dreaming save for Morpheus himself. He plays a prominent role throughout the rest of the series, acting as Morpheus's major-domo and confidante.
- "You are the incarnation of this Dreamtime, Lord." - This is the first indication we receive that Morpheus is more than just a figure or a king of dreams but is in some way dreams themselves.
Page 14
- The Raven Woman is later identified as Eve, who appeared alongside Cain and Abel in Plop!
- Brute and Glob become important later on in The Doll's House where their full history will be recounted.
Page 16
- Morpheus reveals the importance of his tools for the first time.
- The first mention of the 'Three-In-One', who are critical characters throughout the story. Here they are called Urth, Verthandi and Skald, which are names in Norse mytholgy. Collectively the three are known as the Norns and were supposedly responsible for tending to Yggdrasill, the World Tree. More on the Three-In-One in a moment.
Page 17
- Here we see Morpheus has the ability to reshape The Dreaming just by willing it.
- The Three-in-One is often associated with crossroads, especially in the form of the Greek Goddess Hecate.
- Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos are the names of The Fates in Greek mythology, yet another reference to the Three-in-One.
Page 18
- The Witching Hour was the name of another DC horror comics anthology, hosted by the three witches as shown here
- This marks the first appearance of the 'Three-in-One' also known as The Fates, The Norns, The Wyrd Sisters, The Furies, The Hecatae, The Three Faces of Eve, The Kindly Ones etc.
- The idea of a triumvirate goddess dates back to Egyptian times, and has since been repeated in many cultures across many different parts of the world. All that remains consistent about the myth is that it is always three ladies who are formed of one singular personality. They are often represented (as they are here) as the three stages of womanhood - Maiden, Mother and Crone. Gaiman's key idea was that all of these various legends are in fact incarnations of the same being, a concept which will come into play as the three pop up numerous times across the course of the narrative.
- 'The Hecatae' seems to be a plural form of 'Hecate' the Greek goddess of three faces.
- Although these three have appeared in DC comics before, their association with the Three-in-One is an original idea by Gaiman.
Page 19
- As in The Witching Hour the Three here represent the classic English/Celtic myth of the Wyrd Sisters, most famously displayed in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
- Note that across the panels the Three cycle positions around the pot.
- Morpheus refers to the Crone as Atropos, who was the Greek Fate responsible for cutting the thread of life.
- The Crone refers to herself as Morrigan, an Irish goddess sometimes depicted as a triple goddess.
- Tisiphone, Alecto and Magaera are the names of the Erinyes, or The Furies, the ancient Greek beings dedicated to punishing blood crimes and oath breakers. They were named as such by Vergil in the Aeneid and the names mean 'Avenging', 'Unceasing' and 'Grudging' respectively. This incarnation of the Three will be critical to the climax of the Sandman story in The Kindly Ones.
- Diana, Mary and Florence were the three members of legendary 60's girl group The Supremes.
- "For me you will always be the three graces, ladies." - Morpheus is referencing another incarnation of the threefold goddess. Also known as the Charities, in this form they were called Aglaea, Euphrosyne and Thalia and were goddesses of charm and grace, hence their rebuke of Morpheus as 'Flatterer!'
- The names given are the names the ladies used in The Witching Hour. As the crone says, Mordred is a stupid name as it is an Authurian reference to Arthur's bastard son Mordred. presumably the writers were aiming for Morgaine, who was Arthur's wily sorceress half-sister, and Mordred's mother in some versions of the tale. This mistake is even commented upon by Mildred.
Page 20
- Note that the three again cycle positions. Also character on the left is always the one eating no matter which of the three it is.
- Circe is both the name of a sorceress in Homer's Odyssey and a villain of Wonder Woman. Neither of them were known to have a conflict with the Fates, so this reference appears redundant.
Page 21
- John Constantine is a well know figure in the occult circles of the DC Universe. More on him next issue.
- That is of course Ruthven Sykes in the middle panel.
- The last panel refers to Dr Destiny's aforementioned conflict with the JLA and the confiscation of both his ability to dream and his Materioptikon. This is the first indication he gained his powers for Morpheus's ruby. Shown in the panel are Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Batman, the only time either will appear.
- Morpheus explicitly refers to the three as Maiden, Mother and Crone, and collectively as Weird Sisters.
Page 22
- The Three refer to themselves as 'The Fates'.
- We see that Abel's deaths are only ever temporary.
Page 24
- "I'm, ah, calling you Goldie after a f-friend of mine who went away." - In the original run of House of Secrets Abel had an imaginary friend called Goldie, who is absent in The Sandman.
- It's unclear who is speaking the lines in the final panel. It seems designed to be a continuation of Abel's speech from the last panel, but the 'little brother' indicates that it may also be spoken by an unseen Cain, in which case the "It's only blood" line may also be a reference to their relationship (as brothers, they are related 'by blood')
