The Sandman: Netflix users divided over JK Rowling reference - Viewers aren’t sure how to take it

Netflix users have been left divided over a JK Rowling reference in The Sandman.

On Friday (19 August), two weeks after the Neil Gaiman adaptation was released, two bonus episodes were added to the streaming service, causing excitement among fans of the show

In the second part, which was written by Catherine Smyth-McMullen, the Harry Potter author is referenced in a scene occurring during the book launch of fictional writing [sic] Richard Madoc (Arthur Darvill).

The scene, set in August 2020, reveals that “every major studio wants a piece” of Madoc, with the author set to work with ‘whoever lets him write and direct” the film adaptation of his novel.

One character then says: “They won’t even let Jo Rowling write and direct,” to which the other replies: “Jo Rowling needs a new agent. Tell her to call me.”

In recent years, Rowling has made headlines for sharing her views on transgender rights. She was first met with a backlash in June 2020 after calling out an article’s use of the phrase “people who menstruate”. “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people,” she wrote, adding: “Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”

The scene was set two months after the controversy, which led to her being criticised as “anti-trans” and “transphobic”.

Some viewers read the reference to Rowling needing “a new agent” as a dig at Rowling.

“OOOOOOH MY GOD THE DIG AT JK ROWLING, I’M HOWLING,” one of the many tweets read, with another reading: “Not Neil Gaiman shading Jo Rowling on Sandman.”

However, others called out the show for the reference; some believed it to merely be a nod to the author’s success, while others felt the mention of Rowling detracted from their enjoyment of the series.

Tom Sturridge in ‘The Sandman’
(Netflix)

“New Sandman episode passingly mentions JK Rowling in a positive light,” one fan wrote, adding: “They did not need to do that lol, holy s***.”

Rowling has recently found herself involved in a high-profile argument with author Joanne Harris after claiming she didn’t support her when she received death threats over her views on transgender people.

The author’s accusations centred around Chocolat writer Harris’s position as head of the Society of Authors union and Rowling’s controversial opinions on trans politics, and came after British-Indian author Salman Rushdie was stabbed on stage in New York on Friday (12 August).

Article Link (the Independent)
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[DoubleD]

> parents mourning their beloved young son who was groomed by pedophiles and turned himself into an abomination
> """abuse"""

The story conceptualised it as abusive is what I’m saying. And, in the story’s defence, it was set and written in the early 90s, when transing kids was not a thing like it is today.

I'm glad I gave up on Doctor Who a long time ago. Just these tweets have me MATI with how lore-retarded they are. A time lord "regenerating" is less like a lizard regrowing their tale, or a troon getting an amhole melonballed, and more like if we assume reincarnation-based popular theology is correct except we stay the same species and retain memories of our past lives. It's an entirely new body, with an entirely new mind. That's part of what makes the power so interesting. It is inherently not something you can approach from a humanly practical or medical perspective. It is the embodiment of a Just Fucking Magic plot device. Troons missing this point is displaying how much they miss critiques of their entire ideology. What they want and what are possible are incongruent and that will never change.

I personally lean towards the interpretation that all the Doctors are the same character and it’s only surface-level things (like mannerisms and taste in clothing) that change between regenerations. But the show still managed to completely fuck that up by having Whittaker act nothing like the authoritative godlike figure that was established over the last 10 seasons, and only giving her the superficial traits of Smith and Tennant (and only those typical of their more childlike moments).

If anything, I was half-expecting the incoming showrunner to characterise the Doctor as trans in Series 11, perhaps even justifying it with a sentimental monologue about how she’d always felt like something was missing as a man. And even though what we got in the end was somehow worse than that (for those not in the know, they Blacked the Doctor’s original incarnation by revealing, through lazy exposition, that William Hartnell’s incarnation was not the first), I’m surprised we never got more references to trans stuff beyond one or two throwaway lines about her being “fluid like that”. Maybe the Beeb is being run by TERFs after all?

For what it’s worth, the Doctor is canonically a fan of Harry Potter, and so there is some unexpected continuity behind that scene. David Tennant’s Doctor mentioned once that he cried at the last HP book, in an episode that aired months before the book’s release. The episode actually ended with Martha defeating some aliens by shouting “Expelliarmus!” at them (which, for the benefit of neurotypicals reading this, is a Harry Potter spell).

 

[Morethanabitfoolish]

Should note that Sandman is very much well loved especially by SJW types and Gaiman has been front and center claiming EVERY change to the source material was his decision and basically taking full credit (or blame) for said controversial changes.

Also, kind of shocked that they are more upset about a gratuitous "insert modern day pop culture reference" to a work made in the late 80s/early 90s than the fact that the story in question involves a guy raping a woman (a muse) repeatedly "to get inspiration to write his masterpiece and become rich and famous". Along with said muse being portrayed as such a formerly haughty bitch who broke Morpheus's heart, that she has to beg Morpheus to save her from her rape room dungeon and even then, Morpheus SPARES her rapist after putting him into a nightmare illusion to "punish him" for holding his ex prisoner (which Morpheus cares more about than the actual rapes).

Bloody hell, they adapted that one and these morons are making a big deal about the JK reference?

 

[Standardized Profile]

Has anyone read the book this is based off and can tell me if it's as pozzed as the show is?

It's about people on the margins of society, but not exactly pozzed. They have faults and some of them are awful people. One of the characters is literally pozzed and dies, though I'm not exactly sure how that's supposed to happen to a lesbian. Maybe she did drugs.

I started watching it the other day and I kept watching just out of pure fascination, having never seen something so pozzed before. Literally every other character is black. The devil is a a woman.

Gaiman and Netflix went on a huge race-swapping spree, with countless characters becoming black women for no apparent reason. Off the top of my head:

• Lucien (white man) -> Black woman
• Death (white woman) -> Black woman
• Rosemary (white woman) -> Black woman
  • In the comic, Rosemary is helpful and kind but Dee kills her. In the Netflix series, Rosemary tries to get Dee arrested and he gives her a protection amulet.
• Brute and Glob (male humanoids) -> Black woman.
• Unity Kincaid (white woman -> black woman) and descendants
  • Miranda Walker (white woman) -> Black woman
  • Rose Walker (white woman) -> Black woman
  • Jed Walker (white boy) -> Black boy
• Franklin (white boy) -> Black man
• Mazikeen (female Hebrew demon) -> Female black demon

I'll omit the European-coded characters who were made Indian, Pakistani, Iranian, or Filipina.

And Lucifer is definitely not drawn as a woman in the comic. In his first appearance there's a conscious effort to make him beautiful because he was the Creator's greatest angel, but in subsequent appearances he's given a harder edge to emphasize his power. He doesn't play the reality game with Dream, either. That's Choronzon, the demon who has the helmet. Letting Choronzon draft the King of Hell like that, and Lucifer losing, is just bizarre. Lucifer is a major threat later in the series, he's so scary Dream goes around and tells everyone goodbye because he thinks he's going to die fighting him -- but in the TV show Lucifer is an idiot who takes orders from his demons and loses a simple game.

And there are more homosexual couplings than heterosexual ones. There's even a drag show musical number (yes, I watched that far. I'm not proud).

The character is a drag performer in the comic. The house is full of weirdos, that's one of the conceits of the story. But they don't waste any panels on his show. Dolly's only appearance is a gag to break up a long string of text panels.

I've been watching bits and pieces of the show on YouTube. Did they change the dynamic of Jed's foster parents? In the comic, they're both abusive. They're running a scheme to get money from the state. In the Netflix version, it looks like only the man is abusive, and the woman is just as much a victim as Jed. Can't show a woman being a bad person, I guess.

 

[BelUwUga]

The story conceptualised it as abusive is what I’m saying. And, in the story’s defence, it was set and written in the early 90s, when transing kids was not a thing like it is today.



I personally lean towards the interpretation that all the Doctors are the same character and it’s only surface-level things (like mannerisms and taste in clothing) that change between regenerations. But the show still managed to completely fuck that up by having Whittaker act nothing like the authoritative godlike figure that was established over the last 10 seasons, and only giving her the superficial traits of Smith and Tennant (and only those typical of their more childlike moments).

If anything, I was half-expecting the incoming showrunner to characterise the Doctor as trans in Series 11, perhaps even justifying it with a sentimental monologue about how she’d always felt like something was missing as a man. And even though what we got in the end was somehow worse than that (for those not in the know, they Blacked the Doctor’s original incarnation by revealing, through lazy exposition, that William Hartnell’s incarnation was not the first), I’m surprised we never got more references to trans stuff beyond one or two throwaway lines about her being “fluid like that”. Maybe the Beeb is being run by TERFs after all?

For what it’s worth, the Doctor is canonically a fan of Harry Potter, and so there is some unexpected continuity behind that scene. David Tennant’s Doctor mentioned once that he cried at the last HP book, in an episode that aired months before the book’s release. The episode actually ended with Martha defeating some aliens by shouting “Expelliarmus!” at them (which, for the benefit of neurotypicals reading this, is a Harry Potter spell).

Man why the gotta do one of my shows like this? I don't want troon nonsense. I want a teethey blonde chav or a redheaded she-cop.

 

[Bolo]

Should note that Sandman is very much well loved especially by SJW types and Gaiman has been front and center claiming EVERY change to the source material was his decision and basically taking full credit (or blame) for said controversial changes.

Also, kind of shocked that they are more upset about a gratuitous "insert modern day pop culture reference" to a work made in the late 80s/early 90s than the fact that the story in question involves a guy raping a woman (a muse) repeatedly "to get inspiration to write his masterpiece and become rich and famous". Along with said muse being portrayed as such a formerly haughty bitch who broke Morpheus's heart, that she has to beg Morpheus to save her from her rape room dungeon and even then, Morpheus SPARES her rapist after putting him into a nightmare illusion to "punish him" for holding his ex prisoner (which Morpheus cares more about than the actual rapes).

So... no story about Dream being summoned by a bunch of Posh Limeys, being stuck for almost a century in our realm, having to go back and retrive his tools, getting Constantine to help and ending up on a game of "One-upmanship" in hell and delivering what has to be the most memorable line in the Sandman comics?

I like Sandman alright, not the biggest fan, but I've read the main series, but really, only the first 15 or so issues stuck with me, more so the start, and I liked the Rosie Walker storyline.

I know the Muse story is just after the Rosie one, but I recall being one of the weakest ones, for Sandman it felt like such a played out story.

 

[NoonmanR]

Yeah, i can believe the people stupid enough to still be supporting Netflix and their "originals" would also be dumb enough to argue over such a nothing event.

 

[pikachudidnothingwrong]

There's one thing all JK's detractors need to remember... You will never be wizards!

 

[Dysnomia]

As I recall, there was a similar reaction on Twitter last year because of a scene in Doctor Who where the title character recited Harry Potter to herself.

View attachment 3628900

All these poor twatters who will never be a real woman.

So obsessed with this book series yet they hate the author because she told them their gender feels weren't real. Try reading another book.

 

[Morethanabitfoolish]

I've been watching bits and pieces of the show on YouTube. Did they change the dynamic of Jed's foster parents? In the comic, they're both abusive. They're running a scheme to get money from the state. In the Netflix version, it looks like only the man is abusive, and the woman is just as much a victim as Jed. Can't show a woman being a bad person, I guess.

Yep, blameless woman being abused by evil husband. They also took out the stuff about Brute and Glob partially influencing them, though given that was more to keep the child alive it is not a huge difference.

So... no story about Dream being summoned by a bunch of Posh Limeys, being stuck for almost a century in our realm, having to go back and retrive his tools, getting Constantine to help and ending up on a game of "One-upmanship" in hell and delivering what has to be the most memorable line in the Sandman comics?

I like Sandman alright, not the biggest fan, but I've read the main series, but really, only the first 15 or so issues stuck with me, more so the start, and I liked the Rosie Walker storyline.

I know the Muse story is just after the Rosie one, but I recall being one of the weakest ones, for Sandman it felt like such a played out story.

All of that is in, adjusted somewhat (see the above one from Standardized Profile about the head bangingly stupid decision to sub in Lucifer for the contest in Hell) but largely the same,

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Tfw you are now the Voldemort.

 

[mr.moon1488]

It is hilarious that JK Rowling has been turned into female Hitler for some very mild comments on trannies.

Kinda makes one wonder about the real thing huh?

 

[Sparkling Yuzu]

Neil Gayman is a very shitty writer whose ideas can only be made decent on tv loosely based on his work. Of course the faggot probably wanted the childish jibe at Rowling included. I couldn't even finish The Graveyard Book and gave up on him then, over 10 yrs ago. And I love urban fantasy and the supernatural. The whole idea behind American Gods is midwit postmodernist bullshit too. From what I know, he's a big SJW.

Has anyone read the book this is based off and can tell me if it's as pozzed as the show is?

I started watching it the other day and I kept watching just out of pure fascination, having never seen something so pozzed before. Literally every other character is black. The devil is a a woman. And there are more homosexual couplings than heterosexual ones. There's even a drag show musical number (yes, I watched that far. I'm not proud).

So is the source material equally pozzed or did Netflix just butcher it?

I actually liked the Good Omens show, even though it was pretty silly. But yes, the source material itself is dogshit.

 

[MirrorNoir]

Bloody hell, they adapted that one and these morons are making a big deal about the JK reference?

Of the four stories in Dream County/v3, it's the cheapest one to adapt and ironically the easiest one to adapt.

 

[Morethanabitfoolish]

Of the four stories in Dream County/v3, it's the cheapest one to adapt and ironically the easiest one to adapt.

Certainly, I would have thought though that all the rape might have gotten more attention than "OMG they mentioned JK!"

 

[Solid Snek]

Has anyone read the book this is based off and can tell me if it's as pozzed as the show is?

I started watching it the other day and I kept watching just out of pure fascination, having never seen something so pozzed before. Literally every other character is black. The devil is a a woman. And there are more homosexual couplings than heterosexual ones. There's even a drag show musical number (yes, I watched that far. I'm not proud).

So is the source material equally pozzed or did Netflix just butcher it?

The character is a drag performer in the comic. The house is full of weirdos, that's one of the conceits of the story. But they don't waste any panels on his show. Dolly's only appearance is a gag to break up a long string of text panels.

In fairness, Gaiman and his comic were Goth, and when you get right down to it, ALL Goths are drag performers.


Gender ambiguity, dressing in outlandish clothes, preening and showing off your fantasy character in a surprisingly catty social clique that fetishizes mental illness, and which values effeteness and surface appearances over all else.

Goths were pre-woke trannies; the difference being that Goths tended to know what genitals they had, burst into tears at the thought of ravens instead of pronouns, and merely wished they were dead, instead of 41%ing themselves.



For anyone too young to remember Goths, this is what you had to work with, back when Sandman comics were a thing:

 

[DoubleD]

On the subject of Neil Gaiman, gender bending, and Doctor Who, I would be remiss if I didn't mention he was the first writer to establish in a Doctor Who episode that the Time Lords may change their sex when they regenerate, by way of a line in The Doctor's Wife (2011). Although given how many writers discussed it unofficially and ran with the idea afterwards, it was probably inevitable that it was going to happen at some point.

 

[The handsome tard]

JK Rowlings on one side deserves this, she helped brew this

But part of me still can't help but feel a bit sorry for her, she felt more ignorant and trend follower than an actual leftist degenerate. She is an idiot but that's it.

We won’t stand for terf ideology! We’re the generation of rebels who grew up on Harry Potter and Hunger Games, who rebuke the system ran by orange Voldemorts and President Snows that’s inherently opposed to us!1!
View attachment 3628862

It's hilarious how they grew up on hunger games and yet can't see they haven't learn one of its most valuable lessons around the end parts.

Sometimes the rebels are being led by someone as bad if not worse than the tyrant they want to oppose and when he is down, the true colors are shown.
It teaches you to be careful on who you support against someone because they may be even worse secretly. To know them first instead or supporting them because they are against "the one you don't like".

And of course, that's the one they didn't learn.

 

[Disgruntled Pupper]

I think it's funny that the woman who was the inspiration for Death died of cancer only like 3 years ago and Gaiman just coldly yeeted Death's iconic look in order to worship at the altar of melanin. Sorry anorexic lesbian druggie goth bitch, no amount of black clothing will make you actually black and your Egyptian eye make up isn't as cool as a black lady in a tank top!

Anyways, I'm suprised trannies are watching this at all. I remember there was a time during the end of Livejournal and early Tumblr when Gaiman was the devil because the tranny in his one comic couldn't do women's magic and only transformed into a real woman after he died or something like that. I remember there was this one black tranny on Tumblr who not only obsessively shit up the Sandman tag, but would go into the tags about Gaiman and any of his other works to aggressively screech about what a transphobe Gaiman was. He also started a harassment campaign against a white tif because one time she had to audacity to say something like "woah girl I really like and respect you and I know tranny character isn't perfect but as a trans teen it was literal the only representation I ever saw" and that was WHITE TRANAMYSOGENY AGAINST A TRANS WOC. God I wish the Farms was around like it is now back then, there really was some good milk in that era- I'm rambling, but my point is the last I saw Gaiman was like an even more pathetic version of Rowling because despite trying to pander to trannies he fucked it up and therefore was the worst thing ever.

 

[SBG]

Has anyone read the book this is based off and can tell me if it's as pozzed as the show is?

I started watching it the other day and I kept watching just out of pure fascination, having never seen something so pozzed before. Literally every other character is black. The devil is a a woman. And there are more homosexual couplings than heterosexual ones. There's even a drag show musical number (yes, I watched that far. I'm not proud).

So is the source material equally pozzed or did Netflix just butcher it?

It's a little pozzed, but not that much.

Like they have a guy sleeping with another guy, but then carving his eyes out. If I remember right they had some witches with one being trans, who couldn't enter some witch portal because I guess witchcraft recognized XY gene witches didn't count as women. So it's like you had little moments like that pop up in the background.

Story takes all that and turns it up to 11 while also abandoning a lot of the style of the original comic that made it charming. It's like they got a little too into using all variety of special effects and decided to speedrun through parts of the story to get to the action rather than let you enjoy the scenery.

Edit:

Was thinking about the difference in how the library looked in the TV show versus comic. In the comic, you have this relatively normal, but big dark library with Lucien digging through unorganized books all over the place. Versus in the TV show it's just a big clean looking backdrop that's wonderfully bright, which ends up looking like it had to be more green screen, but from what I can tell it was a real set.

They lost a lot of style in the translation to TV.

 

[greenthrowaway]

Just imagine all the sleepless night JK never had, all the outrage she never gave a fuck about. Just imagine never giving a fuck about Twatter no-lifers and their recreational outrage. Yup, poor JK. /sneed

I think it bothers her like all progressives whose shelf live has expired. They’d do nearly anything to be hailed as a good person by the establishment media, but there is no atonement possible in their religion.