Sandman #13 (1990)
Written by Neil Gaiman
Artwork by Michael Zulli
Inks by Steve Parkhouse, Colors by Robbie Busch
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Chef’s Note: One of the more interesting characters in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series is that of Hob Gadling.
We first encounter him in a London tavern in 1389 arguing that “death is a mug’s game” and he’ll have none of it. Morpheus and Death overhear him and decide to grant him eternal life as an amusement. Morpheus then invites him to meet again in 100 years.
And so begins the longest standing lunch date in comic book history.
Here we see their meeting in 1589 and a long life has (thus far) been very good to Hob Gadling – he is enjoying himself immensely.
What makes Hob so interesting is that he is, ultimately, a simple man of simple tastes. He does not seek out the fantastic or extraordinary – he doesn’t even pry too much into who Morpheus is or why Death leaves him be.
Good bread, good wine, a nice home, a wife and child – these are the things he lives his life for. For Morpheus, whose life is literally made of myth and magic, to secure contentment in such simple things must seem a mysterious and fascinating thing indeed.