History Trivia / TheSandman1989

* ExecutiveMeddling: While Gaiman had almost complete creative freedom over the comic, sometimes the higherups at DC would step in. They insisted that Hell be ruled by a triumvirate when Dream visits in Issue #4 so that it wouldn't contradict an ongoing ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' arc; they wouldn't let him use 'masturbate' in Issue #14 -- [[https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/679871531171594240/hey-neil-hope-youre-doing-well-i-was-curious (“Neil, you can’t use the word masturbate. Nobody masturbates in the D.C. Universe.” “Well, I suppose that explains why they all put on costumes and hit each other.”)]]; and he had to add an extra issue to the "Season of Mists" storyline in order to fill a month while he waited for another Hell plotline to be wrapped up in ''The Demon;'' while he was annoyed about it at the time, Gaiman soon realised this actually ''improved'' the plot.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://sandman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sandman_Wiki The Sandman Wiki]].

* TheWikiRule: [[http://sandman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sandman_Wiki The Sandman Wiki]].

** In "Passengers", John Dee's conversation with another Arkham Asylum inmate before he breaks out was originally written as a cameo for the Joker, but DC editorial insisted it be changed because in the Batman comics at the time the Joker was missing presumed dead and they didn't want him appearing alive and well in Arkham.

** WebVideo/BennettTheSage has made references to it a few times, including a gag for the ''Anime/ApocalypseZero'' review where he briefly has a "mouths for eyes" appearance similar to the Corinthian, stating the version of Lucifer here is his favorite in the ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' movie review, comparing the use of "brother-sister" for the title character of ''Literature/MazeMegaburstSpace'' to Desire, and calling the villain of an episode of ''Anime/{{Bubblegum C|risis}}rash'' "Loki" (after saying that the villain, Dr. Yuri, looks like Music/{{Sting}}'s rendition of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen from ''Film/Dune1984'' if he were cast to play this series's version of Loki).

** WebVideo/BennettTheSage has made references to it a few times, including a gag for the ''Anime/ApocalypseZero'' review where he briefly has a "mouths for eyes" appearance similar to the Corinthian, stating the version of Lucifer here is his favorite in the ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' movie review, comparing the use of "brother-sister" for the title character of ''LightNovel/MazeMegaburstSpace'' to Desire, and calling the villain of an episode of ''Anime/{{Bubblegum C|risis}}rash'' "Loki" (after saying that the villain, Dr. Yuri, looks like Music/{{Sting}}'s rendition of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen from ''Film/Dune1984'' if he were cast to play this series's version of Loki).

* ReferencedBy: WebVideo/BennettTheSage has made references to it a few times, including a gag for the ''Anime/ApocalypseZero'' review where he briefly has a "mouths for eyes" appearance similar to the Corinthian, stating the version of Lucifer here is his favorite in the ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' movie review, comparing the use of "brother-sister" for the title character of ''LightNovel/MazeMegaburstSpace'' to Desire, and calling the villain of an episode of ''Anime/{{Bubblegum C|risis}}rash'' "Loki" (after saying that the villain, Dr. Yuri, looks like Music/{{Sting}}'s rendition of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen from ''Film/Dune1984'' if he were cast to play this series's version of Loki).

!!The comics

* TheWikiRule: [[http://sandman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sandman_Wiki The Sandman Wiki]].
!!The audiobook adaptation
* AllStarCast: The Audible adaptation is full of big-name actors. Among others, there's Creator/JamesMcAvoy as Dream, Creator/KatDennings as Death, Creator/TaronEgerton as John Constantine, Creator/MichaelSheen as Lucifer Morningstar, Creator/DavidTennant as Loki, Justin Vivian Bond as Desire, Creator/MiriamMargolyes as Despair, Josie Lawrence as Mad Hettie, Creator/AndySerkis as Matthew, and even Creator/KevinSmith as Merv Pumpkinhead.
* CastingGag:
** The audiobook isn't the first time Creator/MichaelSheen has played an angel in a Creator/NeilGaiman [[Series/GoodOmens2019 adaptation]]. The big difference is that this time, instead of being a nebbish NiceGuy, he's the ultimate evil.
** It's also far from the first time that Creator/BebeNeuwirth [[WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}} has played]] [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries a cat.]]
* QueerCharacterQueerActor:
** Desire, a nonbinary character, is portrayed in the audio drama adaptation by the nonbinary Justin Vivian Bond.
** The transgender character Wanda is voiced by transgender actress Reece Lyons in the audio drama adaptation's version of ''A Game of You''.

* BeamMeUpScotty: Death's famous line "You get what anybody gets. You get a lifetime." comes from an official t-shirt, not the comic. The comic's version of * ExecutiveMeddling: While Gaiman had almost complete creative freedom over the comic, sometimes the higherups at DC would step in. They insisted that Hell be ruled by a triumvirate when Dream visits in Issue #4 so that it wouldn't contradict an ongoing ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' arc; they wouldn't let him use 'masturbate' in Issue #14 -- [[https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/679871531171594240/hey-neil-hope-youre-doing-well-i-was-curious (“Neil, you can’t use the word masturbate. Nobody masturbates in the D.C. Universe.” “Well, I suppose that explains why they all put on costumes and hit each other.”)]]; and he had to add an extra issue to the "Season of Mists" storyline in order to fill a month while he waited for another Hell plotline to be wrapped up in ''The Demon;'' while he was annoyed about it at the time, Gaiman soon realised this actually ''improved'' the plot.

the line, from ''Brief Lives'', is "You lived what anybody gets. You got a lifetime."

* BeamMeUpScotty: Death's famous line "You get what anybody gets. You get a lifetime." comes from an official t-shirt, not the comic. The comic's version of the line, from ''Brief Lives'', is "You lived what anybody gets. You got a lifetime."

* DevelopmentHell: The film adaptation. A very faithful adaptation, which Mr. Gaiman heartily approved of, came close to being made in the '90s by Creator/RogerAvary, but Creator/WarnerBros had him removed because his script "wasn't as similar to ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}''" as they wanted. While a new director was sought, his script was rewritten by future ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio. Eventually, the project was pushed aside, being called "too cerebral for the box office". In the time since, comic book adaptations have become big business, so it's likely the movie will happen someday. Jon Peters, known for his absurd giant spider fight scenes fetish, was also given a try at the script. Mr. Gaiman called it the worst script he had ever seen.
** As of 2015, Creator/JosephGordonLevitt has fast-tracked the project with him directing and starring. Gaiman was very enthusiastic about Levitt's involvement.
*** As of 2016, ExecutiveMeddling has called for the film to be made more superheroic in the wake of the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse continued success, and Creator/JosephGordonLevitt has abandoned the project. Which is to say, ''Batman'' syndrome mark II.
** As of 2020, an audiobook with an AllStarCast has been produced, and is mostly faithful to the source material.
** In 2022, ''The Sandman'' finally made it to the screen (albeit not the silver one) with a [[Series/TheSandman2022 live-action TV show]] released on Netflix.
* ExecutiveMeddling: While Gaiman had almost complete creative freedom over the comic, sometimes the higherups at DC would step in. They insisted that Hell be ruled by a triumvirate when Dream visits in Issue #4 so that it wouldn't contradict an ongoing ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' arc; they wouldn't let him use 'masturbate' in Issue #14 -- [[https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/679871531171594240/hey-neil-hope-youre-doing-well-i-was-curious (“Neil, you can’t use the word masturbate. Nobody masturbates in the D.C. Universe.” “Well, I suppose that explains why they all put on costumes and hit each other.”)]]; and he had to add an extra issue to the "Season of Mists" storyline in order to fill a month while he waited for another Hell plotline to be wrapped up in ''The Demon;'' while he was annoyed about it at the time, Gaiman soon realised this actually ''improved'' the plot.

** The transgender character Wanda is voiced by transgender actress Reece Lyons in the audio drama adaptation's version of ''A Game of You''.
* ReferencedBy: WebVideo/BennettTheSage has made references to it a few times, including a gag for the ''Anime/ApocalypseZero'' review where he briefly has a "mouths for eyes" appearance similar to the Corinthian, stating the version of Lucifer here is his favorite in the ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' movie review, comparing the use of "brother-sister" for the title character of ''LightNovel/MazeMegaburstSpace'' to Desire, and calling the villain of an episode of ''Anime/{{Bubblegum C|risis}}rash'' "Loki" (after saying that the villain, Dr. Yuri, looks like Music/{{Sting}}'s rendition of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen from ''Film/Dune1984'' if he were cast to play this series's version of Loki).
* ShrugOfGod: When asked about the identity of the Chinese boy Death spends a mortal day with by the Yangtze River, Gaiman simply [[https://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1362300681621630978?s=20 replied]] that he found the suggestions interesting. According to Gaiman, the intention was just to show one of the many days Death would spend as a regular mortal.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** As discussed [[https://books.google.com/books?id=o6RmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&dq=%22dreams+of+a+fetus%22&source=bl&ots=cBkJoY9uO3&sig=uuYPuToykwen9EOA6wzjEE-nnK8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJntv3q_beAhVInlkKHUrrBCwQ6AEwAHoECAAQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22dreams%20of%20a%20fetus%22&f=false here]] -- Gaiman began working on a one-shot detailing the dreams and future plans of a fetus, only for all its ideas to turn into nothing as it was aborted, but he scrapped it once he realized that he didn't want it to be used against some teenage girl already agonizing over abortion.
** "Calliope" was originally going to be a completely different story titled "Sex and Violets", featuring Desire and Puck (presumably tying into his appearance in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"); while this appeared in a handful of early solicits, Gaiman reports that actually trying to write it gave him his only serious case of writer's block in the comic's entire run, and he eventually gave up and turned his muse someplace else.
** "The Amazing Herschel and Betty", a small-time superhero duo, were [[https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/690709728221855744/they-were-meant-to-be-a-running-joke-but-i-never intended to be a running gag]] in the comic, but Gaiman never revisited the idea after Herschel's brief appearance in "24 Hours".
** In "Passengers", John Dee's conversation with another Arkham Asylum inmate before he breaks out was originally written as a cameo for the Joker, but DC editorial insisted it be changed because in the Batman comics at the time the Joker was missing presumed dead and they didn't want him appearing alive and well in Arkham.
* TheWikiRule: [[http://sandman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sandman_Wiki The Sandman Wiki]].

* ActorSharedBackground:
** In the Netflix adaptation, Desire, a nonbinary character, is portrayed by nonbinary actor Mason Alexander Park. Likewise, the audio drama adaptation has the nonbinary Justin Vivian Bond voice Desire.
** The transgender character Wanda is voiced by transgender actress Reece Lyons in the audio drama adaptation's version of ''A Game of You''.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://sandman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Sandman_Wiki The Sandman Wiki]].

** "The Amazing Herschel and Betty", a small-time superhero duo, were [[https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/690709728221855744/they-were-meant-to-be-a-running-joke-but-i-never intended to be a running gag]] in the comic, but Gaiman never revisited the idea after Herschel's brief appearance in "24 Hours".

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: As discussed [[https://books.google.com/books?id=o6RmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&dq=%22dreams+of+a+fetus%22&source=bl&ots=cBkJoY9uO3&sig=uuYPuToykwen9EOA6wzjEE-nnK8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJntv3q_beAhVInlkKHUrrBCwQ6AEwAHoECAAQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22dreams%20of%20a%20fetus%22&f=false here]] -- Gaiman began working on a one-shot detailing the dreams and future plans of a fetus, only for all its ideas to turn into nothing as it was aborted, but he scrapped it once he realized that he didn't want it to be used against some teenage girl already agonizing over abortion.
** "Calliope" was originally going to be a completely different story titled "Sex and Violets", featuring Desire and Puck (presumably tying into his appearance in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"); while this appeared in a handful of early solicits, Gaiman reports that actually trying to write it gave him his only serious case of writer's block in the comic's entire run, and he eventually gave up and turned his muse someplace else.

* ExecutiveMeddling: While Gaiman had almost complete creative freedom over the comic, sometimes the higherups at DC would step in. They insisted that Hell be ruled by a triumvirate when Dream visits in Issue #4 so that it wouldn't contradict an ongoing ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' arc; they wouldn't let him use 'masturbate' in Issue #14 -- [[https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/679871531171594240/hey-neil-hope-youre-doing-well-i-was-curious (“Neil, you can’t use the word masturbate. Nobody masturbates in the D.C. Universe.” “Well, I suppose that explains why they all put on costumes and hit each other.”)]]; and he had to add an extra issue to the 'Season of Mists' storyline in order to fill a month while he waited for another Hell plotline to be wrapped up in ''The Demon,'' but he believes this actually ''improved'' the plot.

** The audiobook isn't the first time Creator/MichaelSheen played an angel in a Creator/NeilGaiman [[Series/GoodOmens2019 adaptation]]. The big difference is that this time, instead of a nebbish NiceGuy, he's the ultimate evil.
** It's also far from the first time Creator/BebeNeuwirth [[WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}} plays]] [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries a cat.]]

* ExecutiveMeddling: While Gaiman had almost complete creative freedom over the comic, sometimes the higherups at DC would step in. They insisted that Hell be ruled by a triumvirate when Dream visits in Issue #4 so that it wouldn't contradict an ongoing ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' arc; they wouldn't let him use 'masturbate' in Issue #14 -- [[https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/679871531171594240/hey-neil-hope-youre-doing-well-i-was-curious (“Neil, you can’t use the word masturbate. Nobody masturbates in the D.C. Universe.” “Well, I suppose that explains why they all put on costumes and hit each other.”)]] -- and he had to add an extra issue to the 'Season of Mists' storyline in order to fill a month while he waited for another Hell plotline to be wrapped up in ''The Demon,'' but he believes this actually ''improved'' the plot.
* ReferencedBy: WebVideo/BennettTheSage has made references to it a few times, including a gag for the ''Anime/ApocalypseZero'' review where he briefly had a similar "mouths for eyes" appearance to the Corthinian, stating the version of Lucifer here is his favorite in the ''ComicBook/LadyDeath'' movie review, compared the use of "brother-sister" for the title character of ''LightNovel/MazeMegaburstSpace'' to Desire, and calling the villain of an episode of ''Anime/{{Bubblegum C|risis}}rash'' "Loki" (after saying that the villain, Dr. Yuri, looked like Music/{{Sting}}'s rendition of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen from ''Film/Dune1984'' if he were cast to play this series's version of Loki).

** "Calliope" was originally going to be a completely different story titled "Sex and Violets", featuring Desire and Puck (presumably tying into his appearance in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"); while this appeared in a handful of early solicits, Gaiman reports that actually trying to write it gave him his only serious case of writer's-block in the comic's entire run, and he eventually gave up and turned his muse someplace else.

** It's also far from the first time Creator/BebeNeuwirth [[WesternAnimation/Cyberchase plays]] [[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries a cat.]]

* CastingGag: The audiobook isn't the first time Creator/MichaelSheen played an angel in a Creator/NeilGaiman [[Series/GoodOmens2019 adaptation]]. The big difference is that this time, instead of a nebbish NiceGuy, he's the ultimate evil.

* ExecutiveMeddling: While Gaiman had almost complete creative freedom over the comic, sometimes the higherups at DC would step in. They wouldn't let him use 'masturbate' in Sandman 14 -- [[https://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/679871531171594240/hey-neil-hope-youre-doing-well-i-was-curious (“Neil, you can’t use the word masturbate. Nobody masturbates in the D.C. Universe.” “Well, I suppose that explains why they all put on costumes and hit each other.”)]] -- and he had to add an extra issue to the 'Season of Mists' storyline in order to fill a month while he waited for a Hell plotline to be wrapped up in ''The Demon,'' but he believes this actually ''improved'' the plot.

* HistoricalInJoke In a dark historical reference, the character of Lyta Hall may reference the daughter of Queen Victoria Lydia Hall, rumored to be illegitimate, who was a Sephardi Jewish and mixed-race Hapsburg princess turned spymaster. (She is thought to have died in Bergen-Belsen.) Neil Gaiman himself is a close relative of Lydia Hall.

* HistoricalInJoke In a dark historical reference, the character of Lyra Hall may reference the daughter of Queen Victoria Lydia Hall, rumored to be illegitimate, who was a Sephardi Jewish and mixed-race Hapsburg princess turned spymaster. (She is thought to have died in Bergen-Belsen.) Neil Gaiman himself is a close relative of Lydia Hall.

* ImageSource:
** KnifeNut