He had to create a whole new version of the character. In that way, the Garrett Sanford version of Sandman did directly influence Gaiman's creation, who is himself a mythical being.ĭC approved Gaiman's idea for a Sandman title - but with a stipulation. This version of the Sandman was actually meant to be the human form of the folkloric Sandman (who is said to bring sleep and dreams to people by sprinkling sand in their eyes, hence why you may sometimes wake up with 'sleepy sand' in the corners of your eyes). Gaiman initially pitched DC a series about a different Sandman - Garrett Sanford, the second Sandman, who was created by Jack Kirby in the '70s. Unlike his birth from the aether of imagination, Morpheus/Dream's real-world origins are a little less formless - though, now that we mention it, the character was more or less birthed from the aether of the imaginations of writer Neil Gaiman and artists Sam Keith and Mike Dringenberg.

In fact, despite appearances, the Endless, Dream included, are actually formless, nonphysical entities who appear differently to different people and cultures (Dream himself has appeared as multiple types of humans beyond his typical goth look, has manifested as a cat, and even appeared to J'Onn J'Onzz as a Martian deity, among his other forms). As Dream of the Endless - metaphysical avatars of some of the concepts that guide the human experience - Morpheus is essentially the living embodiment of dreams and sleep and has existed since sentient beings began dreaming and experiencing imagination, though not always in the same form. As cheeky as that sounds, we're being semi-literal. Morpheus' story begins, well, at the beginning.

Sandman preludes and nocturnes