Does Victor know about this?

Where do you think she got the name.

And yes, she's good with a sacrificial dagger.

It's interesting you bring up Idéfix, the dog--he's one example where I really appreciate the English version IN VIEW of the original. (Btw, do you know if the authors MEANT his name to signify specifically obsession about bones, or is that your surmise?) In English he's Dogmatix, which is different from "idée fixe", but at least nebulously related to some psychological characteristic, obsessiveness/stubborness, AND there's that extra kick of "Dog" in a dog's name.

Actually, I think of all the "translations", that comes closest in meaning. Plus, as you say, bonus points for using dog as part of it. His name was initially more dog related--the name Idéfix came from a readers' contest; he was originally supposed to be called Patracourcix.

Ha! The chick who dumped Dream and forced him into Brief Lives was THESSALY?!

It's brought up in The Kindly Ones, though indirectly:

"Someone... once told me that we would see each other again."
"Someone was right...."I... I did not intend to hurt you."
"And what if you did not? Intent and outcome are so rarely incident."

It's one of my favorite quotes from that arc.

And oh! Aw! Destruction showed up!! I mean, he didn't show up, show up, but he stopped by. I like Destruction for some reason, even though we don't see much of him.

Me too. I've always loved the above-it characters, the ones who have stepped out of the game and aren't subject to it anymore, like Shakespeare's fools.

I don't understand why Gaiman wrote two extra issues after it, though. "Exiles" was better than "Soft Places," and I must say, it was nice to see the old Dream again for a bit, but "The Wake" closed things out so nicely it didn't feel necessary.

I think he wanted to show the going-on-ness of things with the extra issues. Yes, we get that the new Dream is going to carry on, but it's good that he tied these present developments in with the past and the future. Also he wasn't done with the Shakespeare thread yet; it was stated way-back that Dream commissioned two plays, so it was clear Gaiman intended to come back to it.

And I do wonder whether the Guy Fawkes thing was a V for Vendetta shout-out.

Pretty sure that was more of a history shout-out, for texture.

I have now read Sandman. I feel enriched and cool.

You should've felt that a long time ago, chief.

(Not to mention this will no doubt result in Legion of Super Heroes reboot v6.0 or v7.0... I forget what number we're on by now...)

Actually, that would be a blessing at this point. The current incarnation of the LSH is awful.

Similar to what ABC is doing with Lost and the "Hanso Foundation" Web site, DC brings us www.52thecomic.com.

V. amusing.

I neither love not hate Gambit, but I'm hella amused by this tirade. I mean, it contains this tangent:

Incidentally, The Richard Gere Factor is the polar opposite of The Kurt Russell Factor. Guys love Kurt Russell; it's why they keep putting him in movies.

Man #1: "Dude, we should catch that movie Dreamer, the one about the little girl and the horse that taught a family to love again."
Man #2: "Fuck no we shouldn't."
Man #1: "It's got Kurt Russell and Kris Kristoferson."
Man #2: "Let us do this thing!!!"

Kris Kristoferson? I don't think so...

TV Comic strips from the late 60s and early 70s.

John Pertwee as a cross-dressing Doctor Who really disturbed me.

Kris Kristoferson? I don't think so...

He's about 75% of what got me to watch Blade II...

John Pertwee as a cross-dressing Doctor Who really disturbed me.

I'd never really thought about the actor's resemblance to Bea Arthur until I saw tthis comic strip.

Kris Kristofferson has got what we call the Haggard Factor. You cannot kill him. You can only make him more haggard.

I was likewise amused by the Gambit tirade, particularly because he is the all-time favorite X-Man of one of my best friends. I never thought that any part of Gambit was particularly uncool or chick-flicky, really. In fact, the first few story arcs of his solo series were pretty slick. I will admit, however, that his power is one of those mutations that are ridiculously deus ex. The con man has a power that happens to relate perfectly to the use of playing cards? You don't say! He's by no means the worst offender in that category, though (Banshee kind of does suck).