Increasingly, lines of comic books are springing up to satisfy the thirst of the adult reader. Forget about Superman and the Green Lantern the new characters are not super heroes at all. Instead, they are supernatural and abstract. They are the things we seek to understand yet remain mysterious to us. DC dares to create one such line of comics called Vertigo that peaks the imagination, desires, and fears of the adult reader. In this line, Neil Gaiman and Mark Hempel have created one of the most widely read and long running of the adult comic books. The genius of the writer and the illustrator dance together in the imagery of a comic called Sandman.
The visual appearance of Sandman in the comic is laden with symbolism. He towers as a tall figure with broad shoulders, yet still thin and sinewy. The adrogeny in his build insinuates that he is both graceful and strong, compassionate and demanding. His long black robe and his jet-black hair hiding part of his face cloak him in the shroud of mystery, and the pale powdery white of his face suggests a supernatural omnipotence. Though his eyes are rarely seen, they glow a strange yellow that symbolizes knowledge and wisdom. In one comic, the frame pulls further and further away until his golden eyes fade into two glimmering stars against a dark backdrop of sky. A crow, as they are known for their intelligence and connection with the mystical Other Side, perches on his shoulder and often delivers his messages. Even the conversation bubbles stand out as strikingly different and meaningful. Most conversation bubbles encase a white bubble containing black words, but Sandman's bubbles are black with white words. Perhaps even more noticeable is that the edges are very squiggly and jagged so they demand the reader's attention.
The physical lay out of these comic books and the illustrations produce a visual orgy that surprises and titillates the eyes.