Netflix’s The Sandman releases a surprise 11th episode of a favorite issue

The Sandman, the live-action television series based on Neil Gaiman’s dark fantasy DC Comics series of the same name, premiered on Netflix on Friday. After more than a century in prison, Dream (Tom Sturridge), takes the viewers on a 10-episode journey through the far corners and hell of the land where dreams are realized.

The 11th episode of the series was a surprise for fans. It featured adaptations from two of their most beloved stories. The Sandman comic. The first is an animated take on “A Dream of a Thousand Cats,” the 18th issue of the original comic series. The third volume contains all the collected material. The Sandman, “Dream Country,” the issue follows the story of a small white cat who is called to sneak away one night to attend a secret meeting in a graveyard where a Siamese cat relates the story of how she met the Dream Lord (in the form of a cat) who tells her the secret history and feud between cats and humans.

The animated story will have a number of guest stars contributing their voice talents. The SandmanSandra Oh (including James McAvoy who plays Dream in an audio adaptation),The Killing EveNeil Gaiman is also a member of the team.

The second story in the bonus episode is a live-action adaptation of “Calliope,” which in the comics, immediately precedes “A Dream of A Thousand Cats” in issue #17. This episode, named after one of nine Greek muses, tells about Richard Madoc (played here by Doctor Who’s Arthur Darville), a writer who cruelly enslaves Calliope in order to fuel his own artistic ambition and write great work.

Although the bonus episode was previously unannounced and a surprise to most, Neil Gaiman did imply that the show had adapted “A Dream of A Thousand Cats” in one form or another when asked about what his favorite issues of The Sandman were during an interview for Netflix’s Geeked Week event. “Calliope,” however, is a little bit more of a (unsettling) surprise.