The Sandman spoilers follow.
Like a dream within a dream, The Sandman contains a multitude of layers that practically begs for the show to be rewatched multiple times. Almost every frame contains secrets and allusions to the source material alongside hidden details that can take a little longer to notice and comprehend.
It's not just the main show that this applies to. If you ignore the siren call of autoplay and stick around long enough to watch the credits, you might notice that they're actually different in every episode.
For example, the premiere ends with magical pentagram shapes that crash and collide against a moth trapped in a glass jar. Look familiar? When we meet Matthew in episode three, a similar-looking crow pops up during the credits sequence.
To say more would spoil what happens in the main show, though, because each of these end sequences actually reflect or symbolise the events of each specific episode.
Now, given the complexity of the themes involved here, this was a smart way to encourage viewers to sit with their thoughts a little longer and mull over the impact of what they've just seen.
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And on top of that, it was also a smart way to pay homage to someone whose work has been intrinsic to The Sandman mythos from day one.
Since the very first issue was published in 1989, English artist Dave McKean consistently created bold, daring covers for The Sandman comics which looked like nothing else on the rack. Through his eclectic mix of drawing, painting, photography, collage and digital art, McKean captured the ethereal essence of Dream's world with some truly unforgettable imagery.
For fans of the source material, it's become impossible to think of The Sandman without also thinking of McKean's aesthetic — and clearly, creator Neil Gaiman thought the same as well.
After working on The Sandman for many years, not to mention other Neil Gaiman projects like Coraline and The Wolves in the Walls, Dave finally left Morpheus behind a few years back.
But as Neil pointed out to Digital Spy and other press at San Diego Comic-Con this year, it would have made no sense to adapt The Sandman without including McKean's signature work in some way:
"When Sandman first started everyone asked me if Dave McKean would do anything, but he had retired, formally," said Gaiman. "But I called Dave and said, 'We are doing the TV show, you have to do something.' So every episode has end title sequences, and it's a different sequence for each episode, that Dave McKean made."
If you're familiar with his previous work on The Sandman, you can clearly see McKean's style in each episode's end sequence where seemingly incongruent images somehow come together beautifully in what should be a busy eye-sore, but ends up looking like something out of The Dreaming itself.
This isn't the first time that Gaiman and McKean have collaborated onscreen away from the comics. After Dave worked as a concept artist on Neverwhere, a 1996 series created and co-written by Neil, McKean directed his first feature film, MirrorMask, based on a screenplay written by, yep, you've guessed it.
Much like he's done with his comic book art, McKean's MirrorMask combines live action with digital art to create a surreal fantasy world that we absolutely recommend you check out after you've finished rewatching The Sandman on Netflix.
And rewatch it you should, because there's so much more to be seen after your first visit to The Dreaming.
The Sandman is now available to stream on Netflix.
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
