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* AffectionateParody: Hector Hall, the third Sandman, is used here to spoof the older Sandman comics. He acts like a typical Silver Age superhero, but he's revealed to be a mere pawn of Brute and Glob, the dream creatures who assisted him in the old comics, who are actually rogue servants of Dream. Lyta notices the narrative inconsistency of the fact that, despite Hector supposedly being the guardian of dreams for all children, only Jed ever comes to visit them in (which wasn't strictly true in the original comics, as at least one story did feature another dreamer, but Jed's dreams ''were'' generally the focus).
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* AffectionateParody: Hector Hall, the third Sandman, is used here to spoof the older Sandman comics. He acts like a typical Silver Age superhero, but he's revealed to be a mere pawn of Brute and Glob, the dream creatures who assisted him in the old comics, who are actually rogue servants of Dream. Lyta notices the narrative inconsistency of the fact that, despite Hector supposedly being the guardian of dreams for all children, only Jed ever comes to visit them in the Dreaming (which wasn't strictly true in the original comics, as at least one story did feature another dreamer, but Jed's dreams ''were'' generally the focus).
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* AffectionateParody: Hector Hall, the third Sandman, is used here to spoof the older Sandman comics. He acts like a typical Silver Age superhero, but he's revealed to be a mere pawn of Brute and Glob, the dream creatures who assisted him in the old comics, who are actually rogue servants of Dream. Lyta notices the narrative inconsistency of the fact that, despite Hector supposedly being the guardian of dreams for all children, only Jed ever comes to visit them in (which wasn't strictly true in the original comics, as at least one story did feature another dreamer, but Jed's dreams ''were'' generally the focus).
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** The serial killer the Bogeyman, who appears in ''The Doll's House'' and is revealed to be an impersonator who's a writer for a magazine, originally appeared in Alan Moore's ''ComicBook/SwampThing'' run. If you read that, it won't come as a surprise that the man appearing in ''The Sandman'' is an impostor, since we see the original killed by Constantine.
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** The serial killer the Bogeyman, who appears in ''The Doll's House'' and is revealed to be an impersonator who's a writer for a magazine, originally appeared in Alan Moore's ''ComicBook/SwampThing'' run. If you read that, it won't come as a surprise that the man appearing in ''The Sandman'' is an impostor, since we see the original killed by Constantine.drowning at the end of his debut.
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* BoundAndGagged: The Corinthian's first on-page victim is introduced bound and gagged in the Corinthian's hotel room. Unfortunately for him, it's not the kind of bound-and-gagged situation that ends in a last-minute rescue.
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* BoundAndGagged: The Corinthian's first on-page victim is introduced bound and gagged in the Corinthian's hotel room. Unfortunately for him, it's not the kind of bound-and-gagged situation that ends in a last-minute rescue.
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* BoundAndGagged: The Corinthian's first on-page victim is introduced bound and gagged in BreadMilkEggsSquick: We see some of the Corinthian's hotel room. Unfortunately inner monologue of the director of the Cereal Convention as he's psyching himself up for him, it's not the kind opening ceremonies. Most of bound-and-gagged situation that ends it is fairly standard confidence-building self-talk, but then it goes into "you have a cabin in a last-minute rescue.upstate Vermont with three freezers full of dismembered corpses..."
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* SolomonDivorce: Rose and Jed's parents split them up when they divorced. Rose seems to have had a fairly decent life with her mother, while Jed... [[TraumaCongaLine did not.]]
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Dream's sibling Desire informs their twin Despair that a new 'dream vortex' is forming. Dream reviews the residents of the Dreaming and learns that some of his more powerful creations -- Brute, Glob, the Corinthian, and Fiddler's Green -- are still missing. Meanwhile, on Earth, young human Rose Walker meets her wealthy grandmother Unity Kinkaid, a victim of the sleeping sickness that had ensued when Dream was captive, for the first time ("The Doll's House"). With Unity's support, Rose moves into a bed-and-breakfast in Florida, hoping to find her younger brother Jed , and meets its colorful host of residents ("Moving In").
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Dream's sibling Desire informs their twin Despair that a new 'dream vortex' is forming. Dream reviews the residents of the Dreaming and learns that some of his more powerful creations -- Brute, Glob, the Corinthian, and Fiddler's Green -- are still missing. Meanwhile, on Earth, young human Rose Walker meets her wealthy grandmother Unity Kinkaid, a victim of the sleeping sickness that had ensued when Dream was captive, for the first time ("The Doll's House"). With Unity's support, Rose moves into a bed-and-breakfast in Florida, hoping to find her younger brother Jed , Jed, and meets its colorful host of residents ("Moving In").
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** Fun Land, one of the collectors, wears a wolf cap and wolf shirt. When trying to break into Rose's room and rape her, he pretends that Rose's grandmother wants her, just like how the Big Bad Wolf pretends to be Red Riding Hood's grandmother to eat her.
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** Fun Land, one of the collectors, wears a wolf cap and wolf shirt.shirt, and is silhouetted as a wolf with his curly hair as fur when he comes across Rose. When trying to break into Rose's room and rape her, he pretends that Rose's grandmother wants her, just like how the Big Bad Wolf pretends to be Red Riding Hood's grandmother to eat her.
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examples from the main work page
* AllThereInTheManual:
** The guy in charge of the [[SerialKiller Cereal Convention]] spends some time fretting over the fact that the Family Man has not showed. [[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} John Constantine killed him.]]
** The whole deal with Hector and Hippolyta Hall. Their backstory is tied in with ''ComicBook/InfinityInc'' -- a decent seller in its day, but an obscurity to most modern audiences, and plagued by all manner of confusing {{Retcon}}s after ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' wiped all of DC's Golden Age heroes from existence.
** The guy in charge of the [[SerialKiller Cereal Convention]] spends some time fretting over the fact that the Family Man has not showed. [[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} John Constantine killed him.]]
** The whole deal with Hector and Hippolyta Hall. Their backstory is tied in with ''ComicBook/InfinityInc'' -- a decent seller in its day, but an obscurity to most modern audiences, and plagued by all manner of confusing {{Retcon}}s after ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' wiped all of DC's Golden Age heroes from existence.
* ApologeticAttacker: Dream to Rose Walker as he prepares to kill her and stop the Vortex from emerging. He apologizes so much she eventually snaps at him to stop apologizing and get on with it.
* BerserkButton: Nathan Diskin's serial killer sobriquet is Fun Land. Do ''not'' shorten it to "Fun".
* BreakTheCutie:
** Jed Walker. He was separated from his mum and sister at a very young age, lost his grandfather to illness and then was stuck with abusive relatives who locked him in the basement and regularly beat him, with Brute and Glob occupying his head and offering comfort only through dreams. Then, when he finally escapes, he encounters the Corinthian, who locks him in a car trunk, saving him for later. Thanks to Gilbert and Rose, however, EarnYourHappyEnding finally comes into effect.
** Rose Walker, in the meantime, spends most of ''A Doll's House'' looking for her brother Jed, tracking him down with Gilbert's help. Then she finds out his relatives abused him after he goes missing, nearly gets raped by one of the convention attendees, and finds her comatose brother thanks to Gilbert. After a night of worrying about Jed's health, she then uses her power as the Vortex unwittingly and nearly kills everyone, including her friends and housemates. To survive, she sacrifices her heart to her grandmother and watches the latter die. Like Jed, she eventually recovers, but it takes her a good while longer.
** Jed Walker. He was separated from his mum and sister at a very young age, lost his grandfather to illness and then was stuck with abusive relatives who locked him in the basement and regularly beat him, with Brute and Glob occupying his head and offering comfort only through dreams. Then, when he finally escapes, he encounters the Corinthian, who locks him in a car trunk, saving him for later. Thanks to Gilbert and Rose, however, EarnYourHappyEnding finally comes into effect.
** Rose Walker, in the meantime, spends most of ''A Doll's House'' looking for her brother Jed, tracking him down with Gilbert's help. Then she finds out his relatives abused him after he goes missing, nearly gets raped by one of the convention attendees, and finds her comatose brother thanks to Gilbert. After a night of worrying about Jed's health, she then uses her power as the Vortex unwittingly and nearly kills everyone, including her friends and housemates. To survive, she sacrifices her heart to her grandmother and watches the latter die. Like Jed, she eventually recovers, but it takes her a good while longer.
* CerebusRetcon: [[ComicBook/InfinityInc Hector Hall]], DC's last, more conventionally superhero-y Sandman, is revealed to be the DeadAllAlong fantasy of the horrifically-abused Jed Walker (himself a remnant of an even earlier, even more lighthearted Sandman series).
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* CriminalConvention: The "Cereal Convention" is secretly a convention for {{Serial Killer}}s.
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* CriminalConvention: In issue #14, a convention of serial killers and mass murders congregate to share stories and conversation. Here, rogue nightmare and serial killer the Corinthian is found attending the convention, having been an inspiration to many of the serial killers attending. The various attendants go by code-names, and the convention is called a "Cereal Convention" is secretly a so as to not draw attention to themselves. The convention comes to an end when Dream is called there to help one of their would-be victims, and then proceeds to destroy the Corinthian and show the conventioners how petty and meaningless they truly are.
* DamselOutOfDistress: Subverted. Rose tries, but to be fair she's usually out of her weight class. She takes on muggers that try to rob her at knifepoint, only for{{Serial Killer}}s.Gilbert to mount a rescue and introduce himself to her. Later on, Fun Land catches her in an ambush, and the only thing she can do is weakly recite Morpheus's name.
* DamselOutOfDistress: Subverted. Rose tries, but to be fair she's usually out of her weight class. She takes on muggers that try to rob her at knifepoint, only for
* EyeRemember: The Corinthian can read memories by putting eyes into his toothed eyesockets.
* EyeScream: The Corinthian likes to eat eyes, especially those of young boys.
* EyeScream: The Corinthian likes to eat eyes, especially those of young boys.
* {{Goth}}: Zelda and Chantal, who wear only antique wedding dresses with veils that hide their faces, collect stuffed spiders and skulls, and generally lurk around being as weird as possible.
* HumanTraffickers: Hob Gadling was involved in the slave trade for several years. On boasting about his success to Dream, he was told to knock it off (and he still feels guilty for it a few centuries later).
* IllKillYou: At the end, Dream threatens to kill Desire if the latter interferes with his affairs again.
* ImmortalityHurts: Hob Gadling, who's been immortal ever since Death, in 1389, promised Dream not to take him until Hob was ready, spends the seventeenth century impoverished, sick, and starving.
-->'''Hob:''' Do you know [...] how hungry a man can get if he doesn't die? But doesn't eat?
* ImmortalitySeeker: Hob Gadling, who becomes immortal by just refusing to die. It helps that Morpheus talks Death into humoring him.
* IllKillYou: At the end, Dream threatens to kill Desire if the latter interferes with his affairs again.
* ImmortalityHurts: Hob Gadling, who's been immortal ever since Death, in 1389, promised Dream not to take him until Hob was ready, spends the seventeenth century impoverished, sick, and starving.
-->'''Hob:''' Do you know [...] how hungry a man can get if he doesn't die? But doesn't eat?
* ImmortalitySeeker: Hob Gadling, who becomes immortal by just refusing to die. It helps that Morpheus talks Death into humoring him.
* LongestPregnancyEver: Lyta Hall is six months pregnant, and has been six months pregnant for two years; the pregnancy has not progressed during the time she and Hector have been living in the Dreaming.
* MissingChild: Rose's quest to find her kid brother Jed. She lost track of him and their grandfather, his legal guardian, years ago, and tries to find them. Then, she learns that Jed was abused by their aunt and uncle for the money after their grandfather died, and he disappears after they die thanks to Dream. All Rose can do is wait in a motel per the police's orders and hope that ''someone'' can find her brother. Thankfully, Gilbert manages to rescue Jed from the Corinthian's trunk and reunite them.
* MonsterAndTheMaiden: Rose Walker goes traveling to find her long-lost little brother, and is accompanied by Gilbert, a heavyset, eccentric older man who promises to protect her. This trope comes into play when Gilbert is revealed to be Fiddler's Green, an escaped dream Morpheus has been seeking since the beginning of the story arc.
* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: The Corinthian, since he has mouths in his eyesockets instead of actual eyes.
* MonsterAndTheMaiden: Rose Walker goes traveling to find her long-lost little brother, and is accompanied by Gilbert, a heavyset, eccentric older man who promises to protect her. This trope comes into play when Gilbert is revealed to be Fiddler's Green, an escaped dream Morpheus has been seeking since the beginning of the story arc.
* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: The Corinthian, since he has mouths in his eyesockets instead of actual eyes.
* NostalgiaFilter: "Men of Good Fortune" demonstrates that even in the good old days people hankered for the good old days; a scene in the 15th century has an elderly man complaining that chimneys are a bad idea, and it was much healthier when houses were full of smoke.
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* OhCrap: Gilbert is visibly terrified when he recognizes the Corinthian at the hotel.
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* OhCrap: OhCrap:
** Gilbert is visibly terrified when he recognizes the Corinthian at thehotel.hotel.
** Philip Sitz when the Corinthian and the Doctor corner him at the convention. They know he's impersonating the Boogeyman and plan to kill him slowly.
** Gilbert also has this when Matthew tells him Rose is the Vortex, since it means "Dream will have to kill her". He immediately goes to the Dreaming, turns himself in to Morpheus, and tries to bargain for Rose's life.
** Gilbert is visibly terrified when he recognizes the Corinthian at the
** Philip Sitz when the Corinthian and the Doctor corner him at the convention. They know he's impersonating the Boogeyman and plan to kill him slowly.
** Gilbert also has this when Matthew tells him Rose is the Vortex, since it means "Dream will have to kill her". He immediately goes to the Dreaming, turns himself in to Morpheus, and tries to bargain for Rose's life.
* PalsWithJesus: Good old Hob Gadling, a Londonite bandit from the 14th century who maintains his friendship with the King of Dreams for centuries.
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: When he realizes that he can't save Rose from dying, Gilbert apologizes to her and says he wasn't that good of a person. Rose hugs him and tells him not to say such a thing. He then says he loves her and that she can stay in his realm after she dies.
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: When he realizes that he can't save Rose from dying, Gilbert apologizes to her and says he wasn't that good of a person. Rose hugs him and tells him not to say such a thing. He then says he loves her and that she can stay in his realm after she dies.
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* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: Dream delivers one to Desire regarding their manipulations. Desire is briefly cowed but brushes it off, true to their nature as a creature of the moment.
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* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
** Morpheus gives one to the Corinthian:
--->'''Morpheus:''' You disappoint me, Corinthian. You and these humans you inspired and created disappoint me. YOU were my masterpiece, or so I thought. A nightmare created to be the darkness, and the fear of darkness in every human heart. A black mirror made to reflect everything about itself that humanity will not confront. But look at you. Forty years walking the earth, honing yourself, infecting others with your joy of death, and what have you given them? What have you wrought, Corinthian? NOTHING. Just something else for people to be scared of, that's all. You've told them that there are bad people out there. And they've known that all along.
** Dream delivers one to Desire regarding their manipulations. Desire is briefly cowed but brushes it off, true to their nature as a creature of the moment.
** Morpheus gives one to the Corinthian:
--->'''Morpheus:''' You disappoint me, Corinthian. You and these humans you inspired and created disappoint me. YOU were my masterpiece, or so I thought. A nightmare created to be the darkness, and the fear of darkness in every human heart. A black mirror made to reflect everything about itself that humanity will not confront. But look at you. Forty years walking the earth, honing yourself, infecting others with your joy of death, and what have you given them? What have you wrought, Corinthian? NOTHING. Just something else for people to be scared of, that's all. You've told them that there are bad people out there. And they've known that all along.
** Dream delivers one to Desire regarding their manipulations. Desire is briefly cowed but brushes it off, true to their nature as a creature of the moment.
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* RoaringRampageOfRomance: Morpheus and Nada make love once. Her home city is reduced to glass shards. It's suggested that had they remained together, the entire world would have been destroyed.
* SamusIsAGirl: In-universe, the Bogeyman (actually a fan impersonating him) goes OhCrap when he learns the serial killer Dog Soup is a woman at the "cereal" convention.
* SerialKiller: A whole ''convention'' full of them, most memorably the Corinthian.
* SamusIsAGirl: In-universe, the Bogeyman (actually a fan impersonating him) goes OhCrap when he learns the serial killer Dog Soup is a woman at the "cereal" convention.
* SerialKiller: A whole ''convention'' full of them, most memorably the Corinthian.
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** Just in case it's not crystal clear that Gilbert is Chesterton, the character is introduced with a line from one of Chesterton's famous essays, ''[[http://www.gkc.org.uk/gkc/books/On_Lying_In_Bed.html On Lying in Bed]]''. Why else mention a pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling?
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** The story in which Hob Gadling is introduced is called "Men of Good Fortune", which is also the name of a song by Music/LouReed from the album ''Music/{{Berlin}}''.
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* SunglassesAtNight: The Corinthian. This is because he has [[EyeScream tiny mouths with razor-sharp teeth where his eyes should be]].
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Nimrod's mental insistence, while nerving himself up before speaking before his fellow serial killers at the convention, that he's a hunter who isn't afraid of anyone and certainly not of women.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Nimrod's mental insistence, while nerving himself up before speaking before his fellow serial killers at the convention, that he's a hunter who isn't afraid of anyone and certainly not of women.
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* TakeThat: This being a Neil Gaiman series, a jab at Freud is pretty much inevitable. In Volume 2, when Rose and Morpheus are flying together through the Dreaming:
-->'''Rose:''' Do you know what Freud said about dreams of flying? It means you're really dreaming about having sex.\\
'''Morpheus:''' Indeed? Tell me, then, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic what does it mean when you dream about having sex?]]
-->'''Rose:''' Do you know what Freud said about dreams of flying? It means you're really dreaming about having sex.\\
'''Morpheus:''' Indeed? Tell me, then, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic what does it mean when you dream about having sex?]]
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* VerbalTic: Gilbert's "HOOM!"
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* WhatYouAreInTheDark:
** Gilbert has been living a quiet life for years, posing as an eccentric but ultimately CoolOldGuy who is loyal to his friends. Dream would most likely punish him severely for escaping from the Dreaming and selfishly pursuing his life. Gilbert orders Rose to summon Morpheus in the case of emergency when he recognizes the Corinthian at their motel, runs off to rescue Jed from being trapped inside the Corinthian's car, and turns himself in to his Lord to save Rose's life from Dream.
** In contrast, the Corinthian fails this. Given he is the personification of all of humanity's darkness brought to life, he instead inspires a generation of human monsters and serial killers, because he cannot deny his sadistic side. Dream, when confronting the Corinthian, makes no bare bones of his disappointment, even refusing to fight the Corinthian on his terms.
** Gilbert has been living a quiet life for years, posing as an eccentric but ultimately CoolOldGuy who is loyal to his friends. Dream would most likely punish him severely for escaping from the Dreaming and selfishly pursuing his life. Gilbert orders Rose to summon Morpheus in the case of emergency when he recognizes the Corinthian at their motel, runs off to rescue Jed from being trapped inside the Corinthian's car, and turns himself in to his Lord to save Rose's life from Dream.
** In contrast, the Corinthian fails this. Given he is the personification of all of humanity's darkness brought to life, he instead inspires a generation of human monsters and serial killers, because he cannot deny his sadistic side. Dream, when confronting the Corinthian, makes no bare bones of his disappointment, even refusing to fight the Corinthian on his terms.
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* YouAreNotAlone: Rose is fretting as her little brother lies unconscious in a hospital room, with Gilbert watching over him. The residents of the apartment house gather to cheer her up; Hal makes tea, while Barbie and Ken offer platitudes, and Chantal and Zelda offer to tell her a comforting story.
