Recent concept art for The Sandman offers a look at the design of the wyvern guarding Dream's palace. The fantasy drama series, based on Neil Gaiman's comic books of the same name, premiered on Netflix back in August. Despite impressive ratings and positive reactions from critics and audiences alike, a season 2 has yet to be announced. The Sandman follows Dream/Morpheus, one of the seven Endless who, after being imprisoned for over a century in the real world, seeks to restore order to his realm, the Dreaming. It stars Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Vivienne Acheampong, Patton Oswalt, David Thewlis, Gwendoline Christie, and more.Gaiman, who developed The Sandman alongside David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg, proved to be important to the success of the series, ensuring that a faithful adaptation of his source material was made. Different sets and props were also constructed with the comics in mind, and many longtime fans appreciated the details put into the creation of the Dreaming, including the guardians of Morpheus' castle. The wyvern, griffin, and hippogriff could all be spotted in The Sandman episode 1, titled "Sleep of the Just," when audiences are introduced to Dream and his kingdom; during the time he was held captive by Roderick and Alex Burgess, they were unable to protect the realm without him.
In a recent tweet by artist Andrea Chiampo, fans get to see what The Sandman's red wyvern design initially looked like. One of the Dreaming's three gatekeepers, the dragon was shown to have prominent wings and a color that appeared more toned down for the series. However, the concept art reveals a look similar to that of the comics.
Why Sandman Was Comic Accurate
While The Sandman does feature several updates, it largely remains faithful to Gaiman's work, which was a main goal of the creative team involved. The changes that were made did not seem to deter fans either, whether they be through the roles of characters like Johanna Constantine and The Corinthian, or through the exclusion of any DC Comics references. When it came to choosing what stories to tell, Gaiman emphasized the importance of following The Sandman comics, sharing that there are 75 issues to explore and the series' future is not definite. Nevertheless, the Sandman creative team's dedication to making an accurate adaptation has worked in the series' favor and helped it to stand out alongside the numerous other fantasy shows flooding television right now.
It is interesting to see how the wyvern's concept art compares to that of both the comics and the final television version. The Sandman ended with Dream working on rebuilding his realm, which means if a season 2 were to come along, audiences might get more of the creature, as well as the other gatekeepers that excited many after their brief appearances. For now, fans are eagerly awaiting any news related to The Sandman season 2 and looking forward to finding out what else from Gaiman's source material could make it into the show if it continues.
Source: Andrea Chiampo/Twitter