By the time Neil Gaiman released the last issue of his comic book The Sandman in 1996, he had already developed a universe that was home to a diverse cast of characters, all of whom served an important role in the broader plot. Gaiman finally found the proper chance to adapt his narrative for a live-action series on his terms at Netflix, decades after the popular comic book run came to an end. When adapting a book or comic book for a television program, it’s important to strike a balance between expanding the audience and appeasing the existing fan base. Reimagining characters or minor narrative threads in the novel may be a major risk, and the success of an adaptation typically depends on how closely it adheres to the original. Gaiman, however, has shown that he is adept at knowing when to take such chances; he produced and wrote for other series based on his works, such as Good Omens or American Gods, but it is with The Sandman that he
has truly refined his skill of effective adaptations.
We see firsthand how Johanna experiences this guilt when she learns that her ex-Rachel is dying, and then she confidently demands that Dream of The Endless do something to help. This shows us a deeper truth about the character of Constantine: they carry with them the guilt over all the loved ones who have been hurt or killed simply for having known them. Even though Morpheus can offer Rachel a happy ending, Johanna’s guilt may remain. Gaiman simply took a character he had invented and changed her descendant to be a Johanna instead of a John. Later, in the fifth episode, Constantine’s ancestor that makes an effort to kidnap Morpheus and Hob Gadling are the same Johanna Constantine from the comic book.
A few The Dreaming characters also saw significant character development in this version. The horrors that trap Jed in his dreams are referred to in the comic book as Brute and Glob. But in the performance, the nightmarish shape-shifter Gault completely takes their place. The nightmare impersonates Jed’s mother to enter Jed’s dreams and then divides Jed’s dreaming from everyone else’s to avoid being discovered. This unique shape-shifting nightmare made a lot more sense for the plot than the one-dimensional Brute and Glob since Jed’s dreaming in the comic book story is much more nuanced, and with the modest alterations also made to Rose Walker’s character. Another prominent character from The Dreaming that was reduced to their bare essentials and given a somewhat different makeover is Lucien. Black actor Vivienne Acheampong was chosen for the role in place of the senile old Head Librarian in Dream’s castle with his light brown hair flowing upwards, and she is an outstanding interpretation of the character. Acheampong performs in Season 1 with all of Lucienne’s fear and worry for her master Morpheus—fears and worries that we can see reflected in every furrow on the comic book version’s face—in every instant of her performance.
A lot of people were eventually inspired by these developments, while others scarcely noticed them at all. Many people in the categories of color, sexual orientation, and gender may identify a character in this program to relate to in some manner, and media representation has a significant influence on disadvantaged populations.
