The Sandman: The Kindly Ones

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The Kindly Ones is the ninth Sandman trade paperback, collecting The Sandman #57–69 from 1993–1995. Written by Neil Gaiman, with art by Marc Hempel, D’Israeli, Teddy Kristiansen, Glyn Dillon, Charles Vess, Dean Ormston and Kevin Nowlan; colors by Daniel Vozzo and letters by Todd Klein. An introduction by Frank McConnell is included. The collection was released in 1996 in paperback and hardback.

Story and style
The Kindly Ones is told as a single, ambitious Greek-tragedy-style tale. Morpheus, the lord of dreams, is the doomed hero. The Erinyes (the Furies) act as a Greek chorus, guiding and judging the action. The story ties together many threads from earlier Sandman books andalso brings in elements from other parts of the series. It features characters and subplots from across the Sandman universe, including Cluracan and Nuala, The Corinthian, Rose Walker, and Loki.

What happens
- Lyta Hall believes Morpheus killed her son Daniel and, influenced by Loki and Robin Goodfellow, decides to destroy Morpheus. Daniel is kidnapped, but Morpheus’s servants eventually recover him.
- Loki’s eyes are eaten by the Corinthian, and the power games among gods and myths continue.
- The Three (the Erinyes) repeatedly accuse Morpheus of killing his son, and they attack him, causing several deaths among Dream’s allies.
- Dream ultimately yields to the Erinyes, but Death intervenes and stops them. The confrontation leads to Dream’s death.
- With Morpheus gone, Daniel becomes a new aspect of Dream, clothed in white with a green emerald, continuing the dream-king role.
- The ending sequence shows Dream and Death on a desolate peak with a flock of pigeons, echoing an early moment in the series. Death asks for Dream’s hand, and Morpheus vanishes.

Impact and reception
The Kindly Ones is praised for its bold, cohesive storytelling and its return to the themes and emotional weight that mark the best of The Sandman. It’s regarded as one of the series’ most ambitious arcs and a pivotal culmination of long-running storylines.

Publication flow
This collection sits after Worlds’ End and before The Wake in the Sandman sequence. It’s a major turning point that closes many long-running threads while setting the stage for what follows.