02 Monday May 2016
While re-reading the entire Sandman series from Vertigo this weekend, I found this John Constantine trading card from 1994. It had been safely encased in the original sealed plastic envelope for more than two decades now, like some kind of hell-blazing time capsule. So, what the heck. Why not rip that puppy out and put it on the Internet?
05 Thursday Sep 2013
This postcard came from Chris Sand, who recorded and performed music for many years under the name Sandman, and later expanded that moniker to Sandman the Rapping Cowboy.
I first met Chris in 1994 in Olympia, WA, where he performed at the same musical open mics as me and my sister. Accompanied solely by his acoustic guitar, he rapped classics like the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” – which, for you non-musicologists in the crowd, is often considered the first rap or hip-hop song. He mixed in some folk tunes and a song composed for his gramma which, if I recall correctly, was modeled after a letter he wrote to her. And of course, who could forget “Talkin’ Hormel Chili Blues” in which he recounted the story of putting a can of chili in the microwave. DO NOT TRY IT. It’s dangerous! It made sense for him to pay tribute to the form of “talking blues” as a rapper. Despite Sugar Hill Gang’s claim to producing the first rap, talking over music was common much earlier in the 20th century among folk singers like Woody Guthrie.
Chris later moved away and became a truck driver, but continued to perform at local festivals, events, and house shows. A couple years ago, he even had a documentary made about him! Recently he got married and had a baby, and music performance has taken a back seat to life’s other great creative endeavor – raising a human being.
A couple years before that happened, we found him again on Facebook and corresponded. He sent us this postcard along with a really wonderful and well-produced album The Black Hole from Outer Space. You can find it – and much more by Sandman – easily on Amazon or iTunes, and at Loner Records.
The Black Hole from Outer Space was produced by Timezone LaFontaine, and independent hip-hop artist whose work we have come to love as well. Timezone made a ton of recordings available at no charge on his website, and some new ones at a “pay what you can afford” rate. We recommend you start with 2008’s The Slink. Explore some hip-hop that is a several cuts above what you might hear on the radio these days!
07 Wednesday Nov 2012
Posted in first issue, superhero
Universal Dream Monitor from Sandman #1; Jack Kirby art.
reconstructed from 2 separate pages in the book using Paint.Net; color corrections and ink corrections in Picasa.
See more of our Jack Kirby gallery, or buy the Sandman 1974 series, #1-6.
01 Saturday Sep 2012
Posted in first issue, occult
Tags
Sandman #1 unforgettably introduced the modern-day mythology of Morpheus, the King of Dreams. The first story features the talents of New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman with art by Sam Kieth & Mike Dringenberg. Dave McKean did the covers for the series, a collection of art in their own right.
Today we look at the re-colored version from the Sandman Special Edition #1. Some cranky, power-mad codgers have kept Morpheus imprisoned for decades. This messes up the dreams of everyone on the planet, not to mention makes Morpheus increasingly angry.
All these guys have to do is not cross the magic circle that surrounds Morpheus’ cage. But watch where you roll that wheelchair… Let’s enjoy the scene where Morpheus breaks free and punishes his captor, kicking off Gaiman’s critically-acclaimed 75-issue epic, Sandman.
Collector’s Guide:
– From Sandman #1; DC/Vertigo, 1989.
– Reprinted in the Absolute Sandman Special Edition #1,
– Reprinted in Essential Vertigo Sandman #1, 1996.
