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| The Sandman | |
| Aliases: | Wes Dodd [1] Wes Dodds Sandman |
| Continuity: | DC Universe |
| Notability: | Main character |
| Type: | Superhero |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Human |
| Location: | Dodds estate, New York City, New York |
| Associations: | All-Star Squadron Justice Society of America Black Lantern Corps |
| Known relatives: | Dian Belmont [2] |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Born: | 1913 |
| Died: | 1999 [3] |
| First: | New York World's Fair Comics #1 |
| Final: | JSA Secret Files & Origins #1 |
Wesley "Wes" Dodds is a fictional comic book superhero and "Mystery Man" who went by the code name of the Sandman. He is featured in comic book titles published by DC Comics and was introduced in New York World's Fair Comics #1 in April, 1939. He had his own recurring strip in issues of Adventure Comics beginning with issue #40 until issue #102. He also made recurring appearances in All-Star Squadron, Justice Society of America, Volume 1 and Justice Society of America, Volume 2. Wesley Dodds's Golden Age adventures were also re-tooled in the Sandman Mystery Theatre comic book series published under DC's Vertigo imprint, which ran for seventy issues from 1993 to 1999.
Biography[]
Early years[]
Wesley Dodds was born a “Jewish-Catholic” in 1913 to wealthy investor Edward Dodds and his wife Marina. In 1917 when he was still a child, his mother died while his father was away fighting in the First World War. Wes spent his youth with his father travelling the Orient and there learned herbalism, martial arts, and origami. After college he wished to become a writer but with his father's death Wesley became the manager of his vast estate and to manage and maintain it he became an investor and businessman. In the early 1930s, he served in the U.S. Navy as a pilot. [4]
Some time before 1938 Dream of the Endless was imprisoned on Earth and prevented from performing his duties. The universe, in an attempt to right itself, gifted many with portions of Dream's power, including Wesley Dodds, who became plagued by extremely vivid dreams of murder and criminal activities that would not allow him rest. Dodds built a laboratory in his townhouse basement, accessed behind a bookcase door, there he revised his “Oriental Teaching” of Martial Arts, and most importantly herbalism, by developing a formula for sedative and hypnotic gasses. He then bought several kinds of gas masks and created the identity of "the Sandman" for himself, and pursued the criminals that haunted his dreams.
As the Sandman[]
In an early case, he encountered Lee Travis, a college chum, in his guise of the Crimson Avenger. The two initially fought but eventually joined forces against the Phantom of the Fair, who haunted the 1938 World's Fair. [5] Travis gave Dodds a gun design, that the Sandman ultimately perfected as his own gas gun. The Sandman then started his career in earnest, first confronting the Tarantula, a serial murderer.
Later that year, Wesley met socialite Dian Belmont daughter of District Attorney Larry Belmont, at a local ball and the two became lovers and by the end of the year she deduced and discovered his dual life. At first it dampened their relationship, but she soon accepted it and partnered him in his mission by providing information stolen from her father and even being a “get away driver”. The two remained together until the end of their lives.
The Sandman learned about a foreign criminal named Ivan Borloff, who was hiding in Long Island and developed a machine that could dissolve metal. The Sandman covered his Plymouth Coupe in sand to deflect the weapon's power, and also assisted the United States military in doing the same with their fighter jets. The Sandman stopped Borloff from launching a major attack in Manhattan. [6]
World War II[]
At the start of America's involvement in the Second World War, President Franklin Roosevelt wished to rally the greatest "Mystery Men" together to protect America's home front and raise public spirit while the government focused on the war. This team came to be named the Justice Society of America. [7] Taking notice of the Sandman, he asked Dodds to be a founding father (Wesley was also, the following year, a founder and charter member of the All-Star Squadron).
In mid-1941, he took part in the case that the JSA prevented Ian Karkull from murdering individuals destined to occupy the White House over the next 50 years. [8] The culmination of this case was the destruction of Karkull and the exposure of the assembled heroes to the chrono-energy stored in Karkull's body. As a result, the Sandman aged much more slowly than normal humans.
Dodds also took over the guardianship of Dian's orphan nephew Sandy Hawkins who became his costumed sidekick as Sandy the Golden Boy. Sandy convinced him to take up a more friendly costume to relate with the people so the Sandman began to sport a new gold and purple costume that he bought for a costume ball earlier which Dian modified.
The Sandman was working with his partner Sandy Hawkins on an experimental weapon, using silicon derived from sand. The weapon exploded during the experiment, and Sandy was infused with radioactive particle, which transformed him into a silicoid monster. Terrified at Sandy's initial raving delirium, the Sandman caught him in a moment of weakness and sedated him. Unable to treat him and fearing that a misunderstanding public would demand his destruction, the Sandman kept him sedated in a large chamber in a basement of his second home.
After the war[]
Shortly after Sandy's accident, Dodds gave up the role of the Sandman completely and spent the intervening years in retirement with the rest of his Justice Society comrades, who had retired when they were betrayed by the American government, which had tried to force them to remove their masks to them and work for them. Wesley spent his life as a businessman with his love Dian and trying full time to cure Sandy as well.
Return to Action[]
In modern times the Sandman emerged from retirement wearing the original gas mask and trench coat garb on his early days, to prevent himself from being reminded of Sandy's fate. The Sandman was semi-active for several years as a member of the Justice Society. When an interruption in Sandy's gas sedation allowed him to escape his chamber driven on a mad rampage because of the intense pain the seismic variations generated in him, the combined might of the Justice League of America and JSA subdued him and he revealed that he was not only lucid, but also had been conscious for all the years that the Sandman had kept him imprisoned he was sent to a series of research labs and hospitals in an attempt to find a treatment for his condition.
The Sandman was nearly crushed by the shame of this revelation, and retired shortly later. During this time, the weight of his guilt (and the probable loss of the intense dreams that drove his early career) led Dodds to seek psychiatric help from Dr. Raymond Baxter; with Baxter's help, Dodds was able to forget that he had ever been the Sandman. He spent years in blissful forgetfulness, until a gangster named "Snooze" Simpson sought revenge on the Sandman, with knowledge of Dodds obtained from Baxter's daughter: a pre-programmed code phrase "Sandy Hawkins" reawakened Dodds' knowledge of his heroic identity. Simpson and his gang were sent back to jail, and the Sandman returned to his costumed activities.
Sometime later the Sandman discovered that a disgruntled former scientist (now known as the Shatterer) had kidnapped Sandy from the research facility where he had been under observation, and the Shatterer was using his own technology and the seismic "focusing" properties of Sandy Hawkin's powers, to generate enormous seismic currents and wreak vengeance on his former colleagues. Using a carbon-based ray similar to the silicon-based ray that originally transformed him, Sandy reverted to his carbon based form. The Shatterer was enraged at the loss of this resource but a final seismic tremor in Sandy's body opened the ground beneath the Shatterer and then closed it upon him when he fell inside. Because his silicoid body had been immune to aging he was the same age he had been when he was originally transformed, and together Sandy and Wesley briefly teamed up again.
Declining health[]
The Sandman had a medical history of cardiovascular disease, and as a result he suffered a stroke. Although this stroke forced the Sandman to restrict his activities, he still joined the rest of the JSA, in Limbo, as they fought to forestall Ragnarok, from which the JSA eventually returned and Wesley went back to life with Dian and Sandy. [9]
When it was discovered that Dian had terminal cancer, they decided to liquidated their assets and spend the last of her time traveling the world. In the Middle East Wesley was noticed by criminals as “rich man” who beat Wesley and kidnapped Dian. Knowing that as soon as he paid the ransom she would be killed, he donned the Sandman guise for the last time, and hunted them down to their secret bunker, and took them all down with a formula he had never used before, a "Permanent coma inducing gas". After recuperating from this adventure, the couple set of to Asia.
Final days[]
Dian Belmont died shortly after their arrival in Tibet. Shortly after Wesley became aware of a growing mystic threat, a being known as the Dark Lord who would attempt to prevent the arrival of Doctor Fate in the land of the living. Wes had a prophetic dream predicting his life would soon end. He climbed Mount Kailash with Speed Saunders, and once they reached the top they contacted the Gray Man. The Gray Man gave them information about where the next Doctor Fate would be born, and Wesley told Speed to pass the information on to his old JSA allies. Mordru then appeared and threatened Wesley with everlasting agony if he did not reveal what he knew about the coming of the Fate-Child. Wesley jumped off the mountaintop killing himself rather than tell Mordru anything. [10]
He was laid to rest alongside Dian in Valhalla, a cemetery for superheroes. His surviving friends all attended attended the funeral, and Sandy read the eulogy.
Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Oneiromancy: Wesley Dodds possessed the ability to dream of events that would then come to pass. This ability was bequeathed to him by Morpheus, aka Dream of the Endless. When Dodds died, he passed this ability onto his ward, Sanderson Hawkins.
- Retarded aging: As a result of the JSA's battle with Ian Karkull, Wesley Dodds aged a slower rate than a normal human.
Skills[]
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
- Gas gun: The Sandman employed a gun that could be outfitted canisters of sleeping gas. One dose from the gun could render an opponent unconscious for several hours.
- Silicoid gun: During his "superhero" phase, Wesley Dodds invented a gun that could generate and control volumes of sand.
- Wirepoon gun: This is not so much a weapon as it is a tool. The wirepoon gun was a grappling hook attached to a length of cable that could be fired at buildings or other objects, enabling Wesley Dodds to swing or rappel himself from one location to another.
Vehicles[]
- 1938 Plymouth Coupe: A 1938 Plymouth Coupe is an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation under their Plymouth model. This particular model was released in 1938. Wesley Dodds drove a 1938 black Plymouth during his early years as a Mystery Man.
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Wesley Dodds was created by penciler and inker Creig Flessel.
- "Sandman (Wesley Dodds) redirects to this page.
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Golden Age Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis continuity, and no longer apply.
- In the Pre-Crisis stories, Sandman's origin was never revealed.
- In many of his Golden Age appearances, the Sandman's true name was given as Wes Dodd. In later stories, his surname was firmly established as Dodds.
- Wesley's business investments in the 1940s are not entirely clear, but in one of his early adventures, he was referred to as "Steel magnate". [11]
Adversaries[]
- Ivan Borloff - Fought him in Adventure Comics #61.
- Roger Goldman - Investigated and confronted in Sandman Mystery Theatre issues #1-4.
Appearances[]
- Adventure Comics 40
- Adventure Comics 61
- New York World's Fair Comics 1 (1st appearance)
- New York World's Fair Comics 2
- JSA Secret Files & Origins 1 (Death)
- Sandman Mystery Theatre 1
- Sandman Mystery Theatre 2
- Sandman Mystery Theatre 3
- Sandman Mystery Theatre 4
- Secret Origins Vol 2 7 (Post-Crisis origin; apocryphal)
- World's Finest Comics 3
See also[]
External Links[]
- Wesley Dodds at DCDP
- Wesley Dodds at Wikipedia
- Wesley Dodds at Comic Vine
- Wesley Dodds at the DCU Guide
References[]
- ↑ This was the spelling of Wesley's surname in many Golden Age stories; later changed to Dodds.
- ↑ Dian was Wesley's longtime domestic partner. Despite the longevity of their relationship, the two were never married.
- ↑ This was the year of publication of the issue wherein Dodds died. However, given the timeslide rule employed by most comic book writers, this may not be a static locked date.
- ↑ Adventure Comics 42
- ↑ Secret Origins Vol 2 7
- ↑ Adventure Comics 61
- ↑ Secret Origins Vol 2 31
- ↑ All-Star Squadron Annual 3
- ↑ Last Days of the Justice Society Special 1
- ↑ JSA Secret Files & Origins 1
- ↑ Adventure Comics 47