Essential Vertigo: Sandman #8 is an issue of the series Essential Vertigo: Sandman (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1997.
Synopsis for "The Sound of Her Wings"
This story is reprinted from Sandman (Volume 2) #8.
A mortal approaches Destiny in an unknown place and asks him questions about Dream. Destiny reads from his book of Dream's capture, his escape, and his trials to regain his symbols of office. Destiny closes his book and the mortal takes their leave.
Having finally collected his tools of office, Dream takes a moment of reflection in a public park, feeding pigeons. He watches a young teen named Franklin playing soccer with a friend. Dream's older sister Death appears and sits next to him. The two begin talking and Dream tells her about his decades of imprisonment, and how unsatisfying his revenge against his captors proved to be. Death grows angry with Dream and tells him that she was extremely worried about him, and he should have called her. After a time, she gets up, stating that she has business to attend to, and that Dream is welcome to accompany her. She has a short exchange with Franklin the soccer player and tells him that she will see him soon.
Dream accompanies her and watches silently as Death visits various people across the world. As the personification of Death, it is her duty to ferry their souls to the "sunless lands". She visits an old Jewish fiddle player named Harry, then an amateur comedienne named Esmé. Dream wonders why humans fear death more than dreams, knowing that death is as truly a fact of life as birth. Later, Death receives the spirit of an infant who dies from crib death before returning to the park to visit Franklin. Franklin runs out into the street chasing his ball and is struck by a car. His spirit rises from his body and Death greets him. Dream looks on and reflects upon the differences between his sister and he.
Appearing in "The Sound of Her Wings"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- The Endless (First full appearance)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Esmé (Single appearance; dies) (Also as a spirit)
- Franklin (Single appearance; dies)
- Harry (Single appearance; dies) (Also as a spirit)
- Batman (Mentioned only)
- Demons (Mentioned only)
- Choronzon (Mentioned only)
- Desire (Mentioned only)
- God (Mentioned only)
- John Dee (Mentioned only)
- Lucifer Morningstar (Mentioned only)
- Order of Ancient Mysteries (Mentioned only)
- Alex Burgess (Mentioned only)
- Roderick Burgess (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
- Robin (Jason Todd) (Deceased) (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- "The World of Waking"
- Sunless Lands (First appearance) (Cameo)
- The Dreaming (Mentioned only)
- Ghost Castle (Mentioned only)
- Heaven (Mentioned only)
- Hell (Mentioned only)
Items:
- Book of Souls
- Crystal Cell (Mentioned only)
- Dream's Sand Pouch
Concepts:
Notes
- This issue was reprinted from Sandman (Volume 2) #8. For further notes, see the original comic.
See Also