Aesop's Fables second that it appealed to children by having the animals speak in character, the Lion in regal style, the Owl with 'pomp of phrase'; thirdly because it gathers into three sections fables from ancient sources, those that are more recent (including some borrowed from Jean de la Fontaine), and new stories of his own invention. Thomas Bewick's editions from Newcastle upon Tyne are equally distinguished for the quality of his woodcuts. The first of those under his name was the "Select Fables in Three Parts" published in 1784. This was followed in 1818 by "The Fables of Aesop and Others".
The Sandman: Fables & Reflections is structured as a story within a story (this is a theme to which Gaiman will return in the "" arc). "Convergence" appeared between the "A Game of You" and "Brief Lives" story arcs. The collection also includes the "Sandman Special", retelling the Greek myth of Orpheus, and a brief piece from a Vertigo promotional comic. Because "Fables & Reflections" partakes of so many elements, some believe it lacks the thematic or artistic consistency that is present even in the other short story collections. Perhaps in an effort to make these differences less apparent, DC has shuffled the issues in