| Unofficial Sandman Special Index |
SANDMAN SPECIAL #1
Cover Date: 1991
Cover Price: $3.50
Cover Credits:
Art: Dave McKean (signed)
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Credits:
| Story | Neil Gaiman |
| Pencils | Bryan Talbot |
| Inks | Mark Buckingham |
| Colors | Daniel Vozzo |
| Lettering | Todd Klein |
| Assistant editing | Alisa Kwitney |
| Editing | Karen Berger |
Feature Character(s):
- Orpheus (first chronological appearance; next in Sandman Vol. 2 #29)
Supporting Character(s):
- Aristaeus (a satyr; first appearance)
- Eurydice (Orpheus' wife; first appearance; dies)
Guest Appearance(s):
- Oneiros (Dream; last in flashback in Sandman Vol. 2 #9; next in flashback in Sandman Vol. 2 #30)
- Teleute (Death; last in ???; next in Sandman Vol. 2 #13)
- Aponia (Despair; last in flashback in House of Whispers #15; next in flashback in Sandman Vol. 2 #41)
- Mania (Delirium; last in ???; next in flashback in Sandman Vol. 2 #47)
- Epithumia (Desire; last, behind the scenes, in flashback in Sandman Vol. 2 #9; next in flashback in Sandman Vol. 2 #47)
- Olethros (Destruction; first appearance; next in flashback in Sandman Vol. 2 #41)
- Potmos (Destiny; last in ???; next in flashback in Sandman Vol. 2 #47)
- Hades (last/next in ???; possibly in the form of the Roman avatar Pluto)
- Persephone (last/next in ???; possibly in the form of the Roman avatar Proserpine)
Other Character(s):
- Calliope (Orpheus' mother; first chronological appearance; next in Sandman Vol. 2 #17)
- priest of Hymenaeus (first and last appearance)
- Charon (first chronological appearance; next in Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #1)
- Cerberus (behind the scenes; first chronological appearance; next in Arak, Son of Thunder #12)
- Ixion (first chronological appearance; next in Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #23)
- Tityus (first appearance; a prisoner in Hades)
- Tantalus (first appearance; a prisoner in Hades)
- the Furies of Hades (the Three Witches; last/next in ???)
- the Bacchante (first appearance; raging female worshippers of Dionysus)
- Slim and Wandsworth (two pet goldfish kept by Death in her Earth apartment)
Synopsis:
Orpheus, the bard of Greek myth, is here revealed as the son of Oneiros (Sandman/Morpheus/Dream) and the muse Calliope. On the day of his wedding to Eurydice, his bride tragically dies from a snakebite. Overcome with grief, Orpheus petitions Oneiros' help to revive Eurydice, but ends up disavowing his father when he is unwilling to help. Uncle Olethros (Destruction) and aunt Teleute (Death) prove more cooperative, though, and send Orpheus to plead his case before Hades, the ruler of the Greek underworld. After being granted his wish of getting Eurydice back, Orpheus foolishly questions the word of Hades, and Eurydice is lost forever to him. The only way for Orpheus to return from Hades was if Death agreed never to take him, so when the grieving Orpheus is later torn apart by the Bacchante, the mad worshippers of Dionysus, his head survives. Condemned to eternal life as a severed head, Orpheus is cared for by priests who have been visited by Oneiros in their dreams.