cosmicluci asked:

You might never see this, but it’s something I thought of, and was hoping you could shed some light on.

The Oldest Game in Sandman (at least in the show. I haven’t yet gotten the chance to read the comics) reminds me a lot of the Wizard’s Duel from Sword in the Stone.

Especially the part where Lucifer says “I am a butcher bacterium”, whenever I watch it, I just think of Merlin saying “…and you caught me” to Madam Mim.

Both scenes are amazing. And completely different in tone. But the similarity of method amuses me.

So I was wondering if you wrote the game as a reference to The Once and Future King, or maybe even to Disney’s Sword in the Stone. Or if maybe both you and T.H. White were borrowing from/referencing a common source (and in that case what it could be).

neil-gaiman answered:

We were both referencing a common source (but I also had T.H. White’s version as an example). There are many tales and folk songs in which someone flees or attacks by transformation. Here’s the Wikipedia entry on Transformation Chases as part of a bigger entry on Shapeshifting…