Sandman (Wesley Dodds) is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

who appears in

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'', ...

published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

. The first of several DC characters to bear the name

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

, he was created by writer

Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...

and artist

Bert Christman Allen Bert Christman (May 31, 1915 – January 23, 1942) was an American cartoonist and naval aviator. He is best known as artist of the newspaper comic strip '' Scorchy Smith'', about a pilot-adventurer in the inter-war years. He was also cred ...

. Attired in a green business suit, a

fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...

, and a

World War I gas mask A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mas ...

, the Sandman used a gun emitting a sleeping gas to sedate criminals. He was originally one of the "mystery men" to appear in comic books and other types of adventure fiction in the 1930s, but later was outfitted with a unitard/cowl costume and developed into a proper superhero, acquiring

sidekick A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...

Sandy and founding the

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...

. Like most DC Golden Age superheroes, the Sandman fell into obscurity in the 1940s and eventually other DC characters took his name. During the 1990s, when writer

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

's ''

'' (featuring Morpheus, the anthropomorphic embodiment of dreams) was popular, DC revived Dodds in ''

Sandman Mystery Theatre ''Sandman Mystery Theatre'' was an ongoing comic book series published by Vertigo Comics, the mature-readers imprint of DC Comics. It ran for 70 issues and 1 annual between 1993 and 1999 and retells the adventures of the Sandman, a vigilante ...

'', a pulp/noir series set in the 1930s. ''

Wizard Magazine ''Wizard'' or ''Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture'' (previously titled ''Wizard: The Guide to Comics'' and ''Wizard: The Comics Magazine'') was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by Wi ...

'' ranked Wesley Dodds among the Top 200 Comic Book Characters of All Time, and he is the oldest superhero in terms of continuity to appear on the list.

Publication history

Golden Age of comic books

Artist

and writer

are generally credited as co-creating the original, Wesley Dodds version of the

character the Sandman. While the character's

first appearance In American comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader intere ...

is usually given as ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'' #40 (

cover-date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d July 1939), he also appeared in DC Comics' 1939 '' New York World's Fair Comics'' omnibus, which historians believe appeared on newsstands one to two weeks earlier, while also believing the ''Adventure Comics'' story was written and drawn first.''New York World's Fair'' #1 (1939), DC, Detective Comics, Inc. imprint
at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...

: "First Sandman story to appear in print (before ''Adventure'' #40)." Each of the two stories' scripts were credited to the pseudonym "Larry Dean"; Fox wrote the untitled, 10-page story in ''New York World's Fair'' #1, while he simply plotted, and Christman scripted, the untitled, six-page story, generally known as "The Tarantula Strikes", in ''Adventure'' #40.''Adventure Comics'' #40
at the Grand Comics Database

Creig Flessel Creig Valentine Flessel (February 2, 1912 – July 17, 2008)Creig Valentine Flessel
at the Un ...

, who drew many early Sandman adventures, has sometimes been credited as co-creator on the basis of drawing the Sandman cover of ''Adventure'' #40, but no other evidence has surfaced. Following these two

s, the feature "The Sandman" continued to appear in the omnibus ''Adventure Comics'' through #102 (February–March 1946). One of the

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

's seminal "mystery men", as referred to at the time, the Sandman straddled the

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

detective tradition and the emerging

tradition by dint of his dual identity and his fanciful, masked attire and weapon: an exotic "gas gun" that could compel

villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

s to tell the truth, as well as put them to sleep. Unlike many superheroes, he frequently found himself the victim of gunshot wounds, both in the Golden Age and in stories in DC's modern-day

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

imprint, and he would continue fighting in spite of his injuries. In his early career, Dodds (the character's surname was given as "Dodd" in his first four appearances; he became "Dodds" in ''Adventure Comics'' #44) was frequently aided by his girlfriend,

Dian Belmont Dian Belmont is a fictional DC Comics character, associated with the golden age Sandman, a socialite and amateur detective, she assisted Sandman on most of his adventures as his aide and confidant. She made her first appearance in ''Adventure Comi ...

, who is aware of his dual identity. Unlike many superhero love interests, Belmont was often, though not always, portrayed as an equal partner of the Sandman, rather than a damsel in distress. Later stories would reveal that the two remained together for the duration of their lives, though they never married. The Sandman was one of the original members of the

when that superhero team was introduced in ''

All Star Comics ''All Star Comics'' is an American comic book series from All-American Publications, one of three companies that merged with National Periodical Publications to form the modern-day DC Comics. While the series' cover-logo trademark reads ''All St ...

'' #3, published by

All-American Comics ''All-American Comics'' was a comics anthology and the flagship title of comic book publisher All-American Publications, one of the forerunners of DC Comics. It ran for 102 issues from 1939 to 1948. Characters created for the title, including Green ...

, one of the companies that would merge to form DC. In ''Adventure Comics'' #69 (December 1941), Dodds was given a yellow-and-purple costume by writer

Mort Weisinger Mortimer Weisinger (; April 25, 1915 – May 7, 1978) was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' ''Superman'' during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features a ...

and artist

Paul Norris Paul Leroy Norris (April 26, 1914 – November 5, 2007) was an American comic book artist best known as co-creator of the DC Comics superhero Aquaman, and for a 35-year run as artist of the newspaper comic strip ''Brick Bradford''. Biography Ea ...

, as well as a yellow-clad kid sidekick, Sandy the Golden Boy, nephew of Dian Belmont. Later that year, the celebrated team of

Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

took over this version of the character. In 1942, Dodds enlisted in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

and served as an anti-aircraft gunner during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Silver Age to Modern Age

Reintroduced in the Silver Age in ''

Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

'' #46 (July 1966), the Sandman made occasional appearances in the annual teamups between that superhero group and the JSA. In 1981 DC began publishing ''All-Star Squadron'', a retelling of the Earth-Two mystery-men during WWII. Although not a main character, Sandman does appear in its pages. Of note is issue #18 which gives an explanation of why Dodds changed costumes from the cloak and gas mask to the yellow-and-purple outfit; Dian wore his costume while he was fighting elsewhere and she was killed in a fray. Dodds decided to wear the new costume, of Dian's design, until he could bring himself to wear the original in which she had died. Later, this explanation would be changed again when Dian Belmont was

retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...

to have never died, and a new explanation was given: Sandy convinced Dodds to switch to the more colorful costume to gain the support of regular people, who preferred the more traditional superhero look to his older,

pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material ...

-themed costume. An acclaimed

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

-inspired retelling of the original Sandman's adventures, ''

'', ran from 1993 to 1998 under

' ''

'' mature-reader imprint. Although as a whole its continuity within the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...

is debatable, several elements of the series – the more nuanced relationship between Dodds and Dian Belmont; the Sandman's appearance (wearing a trench coat and World War I gas mask instead of the cape and the custom-made gas mask); and Dodds' pudgier appearance and wearing of glasses – have been adopted into regular continuity. The series ran for 70 issues and 1 annual. In ''

Sandman Midnight Theatre ''Sandman Midnight Theatre'' is the title of a one-shot comic book in which two DC comics characters called the Sandman — Dream and Wesley Dodds — encounter each other. ''Sandman Midnight Theatre'' was co-written by ''Sandman Mystery Theatre ...

'' (1995) a one-shot special by

(author of the Modern Age

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

series ''

The Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

''),

Matt Wagner Matt Wagner (born October 9, 1961) is an American comics artist and writer who is best known as the creator of the series ''Mage'' and ''Grendel (comics), Grendel''. Career Matt Wagner's first published comic book work was ''Comico Primer'' #2 ( ...

(co-author of ''

''), and

Teddy Kristiansen Teddy Kristiansen (born 29 July 1964) is a Danish comic book artist, known for his work in mystery, horror, and dark, suspense-filled comics. He drew one chapter of " The Kindly Ones" story arc in Neil Gaiman's ''The Sandman'' series. In 2005, Kri ...

, depicts an interaction between the two characters, with the original visiting Great Britain and encountering the imprisoned

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

, the protagonist of Gaiman's series. A minor

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...

by Gaiman suggested that Dodds' chosen identity was a result of Dream's absence from the realm the Dreaming, and that Dodds carries an aspect of that mystical realm. This explains Dodds' prophetic dreams.

Twilight years

Dodds is one of a number of Justice Society members who finds themselves in the " Ragnarok Dimension" during the early

Modern Age of comic books The Modern Age of Comic Books is a period in the history of American superhero American comic book, comic books which began in 1985 and continues through the present day. During approximately the first 15 years of this period, many comic book cha ...

. The ''Last Days of the Justice Society of America Special'' (1986) wrote the post-''

Crisis A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

'' tale of a time-warped wave of destruction ready to engulf the world. Dodds and his JSA teammates enter into a limbo to engage in an eternal battle that would allow the universe to continue its existence. This was later revealed to be a simulation created by

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

, which he intended to give to

as a bribe. Dodds, Dream's protege, and

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

, the grandfather of Dream's appointed successor are the only JSA members who were seen at that time. This lasted only until 1992 when DC published ''Armageddon: Inferno''. This mini-series ended with the JSA members leaving limbo and entering the 'real' world. ''Justice Society of America'' (1992–1993) showed how the JSA members handled returning to normal life. For the Sandman, the series depicted him as an old, thin man with a balding scalp and a sharp wit. Starting with issue #1 his physical condition became important as writer Len Strazewski had him suffer a stroke at the first sign of a villainous attack. Both his age and his physical limitations became a theme writers would use in this character's post-''Crisis'' stories. During '' Zero Hour'', Dodds is returned to his proper age by the

Extant Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...

. Later, Wesley Dodds is shown as retired and living with Dian Belmont though occasionally coming out of it, most notably in a team-up with Jack Knight, the son of Dodds' JSA teammate

Starman ''StarMan'' is a 1996 fantasy novel by Australian writer Sara Douglass. It follows the second book in the series, '' Enchanter'', with Axis marching north with his army to confront a formidable enemy. Background ''StarMan'' was first published ...

. When Dian is diagnosed with a terminal disease, the two travel the world together until her death. Towards the end of his life, Dodds' prophetic dreams alert him to the identity and location of the new

Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of multiple superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version of the character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More F ...

, prompting him to contact the

Gray Man Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

, a being created from the residue of others' dreams, as well as his old friend Speed Saunders to instruct them to warn his former teammates about what he has discovered. Waiting on a clifftop, he is subsequently confronted by the powerful villain

Mordru Mordru (also known as Mordru the Merciless) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Curt Swan, Mordru first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #369 (June 1968). Considere ...

, who intends to force Dodds to tell him the identity of the new Doctor Fate, only for Dodds to distract Mordru with his gas-gun long enough to commit suicide by jumping off the cliff rather than allow Mordru to torture him into submission. His last thoughts were that his final slumber would be free of nightmares as he is reunited with Dian. While his former teammates attended his funeral, they were alerted to the threat of Mordru and his quest for the new Doctor Fate, the subsequent struggle prompting the Justice Society to officially reform. Dodd's youthful but now grown-up sidekick Sandy the Golden Boy becomes known simply as Sand and takes his mentor's place as a member of the Justice Society of America as well as his prophetic dreams; Sand not only serves as the new team's initial chairman, but offers to fund the organisation and provide Dodds' home as a base, observing that Dodds and Dian had left him enough money to fund a small country. Eventually, he takes the name of Sandman.

''Sleep of Reason''

Wesley Dodds makes a comeback via flashback images in the 2006 limited series ''

: Sleep of Reason''.

Blackest Night

Dodds is reanimated as a

Black Lantern The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of deceased fiction ...

in the "

Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Nig ...

" storyline. He and several other fallen JSAers attack the Brownstone, seeking the hearts of the living within.

Exodus Noir

Dodds appeared in the "Exodus Noir" arc of ''

Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu is a comic book mysticism, mystic published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Lady of the Lake, Nimue, the magician (fantasy), sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Thomas Malory, Sir Thomas Malory's ''Le Mo ...

'' in 2010, in a story set in 1940.

DC Rebirth

In the "

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is an American comic book Limited series (comics), maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 a ...

" sequel "

Doomsday Clock The Doomsday Clock is a symbol that represents the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, in the opinion of the members of the ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists''. Maintained since 1947, the clock is a metaphor for threats to humanity ...

", Lois Lane finds a flash-drive at the Daily Planet. It shows her footage of Sandman and the rest of the Justice Society. In the pages of " Dark Nights: Death Metal", the Prime-Earth version of Sandman was revealed to be entombed at the Valhalla Cemetery. Batman later revived him with a Black Lantern Ring.

Powers and abilities

Dodds has prophetic dreams which come to him as cryptic, ambiguous visions of crimes. Originally of unexplained origin, these dreams were later ascribed to an encounter between Dodds and the entity known as

via

. The visions haunt Dodds, who uses his keen intellect and amateur detective skills to properly interpret them. He is also a talented chemist and inventor, creating the sand-like substance and the Silicoid Gun ultimately responsible for transforming Sandy the Golden Boy into a Silicon-based life-form. In the early years of his career, Wesley Dodds possesses the strength level of a man who engages in regular exercise, and was a fine hand-to-hand combatant. As he grows older, his strength level diminishes in relative proportion to his age. As hobbies, Dodds enjoys reading, writing, poetry,

origami ) is the Japanese paper art, art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of pape ...

and philosophy. Through an unknown process, Dodds passes his power of prophetic visions on to his former ward,

Sandy Hawkins Sanderson "Sandy" Hawkins, formerly known as Sandy the Golden Boy, Sands, Sand and eventual successor of his mentor Wesley Dodds as Sandman, is a fictional character and a superhero in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Mort Weisinger and a ...

upon the moment of his own death.

Equipment

Wesley Dodds' costume consists of a basic green business suit, fedora, a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

era gas mask, a gas gun, and a specially designed "wirepoon" gun, which fires a length of thin, steel cable. The gas mask protects Dodds from the effects of the gas emitted from his gas gun. The

gas gun A gas gun may refer to: * A projectile-firing gun powered by compressed air: ** Air gun ** Airsoft gun (in particular a gas blowback airsoft gun) * Devices described as pneumatic cannons: ** Dynamite gun ** Holman Projector ** M61 Vulcan (also hydr ...

, a handheld device fitted with cartridges containing concentrated sleeping gas, is Wesley Dodds' only known weapon. Pressing the trigger on the gun releases a cloud of green dust rendering all within the Sandman's immediate vicinity unconscious. An upgraded canister dispenser for the gun is provided for him by his close friend and confidant Lee Travis. Dodds is also known to conceal smaller knockout gas capsules in a hollow heel on his shoe. These prove ideal when placed in situations where his gas gun is not readily available. In the early days of his career, the Sandman drives a black 1938

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

. The car is enhanced with various features to aid Dodds in his crusade against crime.

Enemies

Sandman has an assortment of enemies that he fought: * Butcher - A cannibalistic butcher. * Doctor Death - Raymond Kessler is a serial killer/swindler who is the boyfriend of Dian Belmont's cousin Lucy. * Phantom of the Fair - Gerald Zimmerman is a man who has been torturing and killing homosexual men at the New York World's Fair. * Ramulus - A plant-manipulating villain who was also known as Nightshade and Plant Master. He later appeared as a member of the

Monster Society of Evil The Monster Society of Evil is a supervillain team created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. It is led by Mister Mind against their mutual enemy Captain Marvel. The team is significant as one of the first supervillain teams in comi ...

. * Scorpion - Terrence Pritchard is an ad executive who becomes a bullwhip-wielding vigilante. *

Tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...

- A man who targeted Vivian Dale. There was also a second Tarantula that Sandman fought. This one was Roger Goldman who is a serial killer and the former owner of the Evergood Milk Bottling Company.

Other versions

''Kingdom Come''

Dodds appears as an infirm old man at the beginning of ''

Kingdom Come " Kingdom come" is a phrase in the Lord's Prayer in the Bible. Kingdom Come may also refer to: Film * ''Kingdom Come'' (1919 film), a Western short featuring Hoot Gibson * ''Kingdom Come'' (2001 film), a comedy starring LL Cool J * ''Kingdom ...

'', plagued with visions of the impending apocalyptic battle between various factions of

metahuman In DC Comics' DC Universe, a metahuman is a human with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with both ''mutant'' and ''mutate'' in the Marvel Universe and '' posthuman'' in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In DC Comics, the term ...

s. Before his death, he relates his visions, interpreted through passages from the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...

, to his friend

Norman McCay The Reverend Norman McCay is a fictional character from the DC Comics mini-series ''Kingdom Come'', where he acted as the narrator and ''de facto'' protagonist. As ''Kingdom Come'' is an Elseworlds series, McCay has not been seen in the regular ...

, who later witnesses the events in the company of the

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...

Earth 40

On Earth 40, Wesley Dodds meets with

The Unholy Three The Unholy Three can refer to the following: * ''The Unholy Three'', a 1917 novel by Tod Robbins * ''The Unholy Three'' (1925 film), directed by Tod Browning * ''The Unholy Three'' (1930 film), a remake of the 1925 film directed by Jack Conway * ...

to give information about the Trigger, a device that causes every nuclear reactor in the world to detonate in a nuclear explosion. The Sandman arranges for The Unholy Three to meet with The Lantern, who has information on where the Trigger is located.

Earth 2

In ''

The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...

'' (a reboot of DC Comics), a new Earth-2 version of Sandman appears. While he does wear a gas mask and wield a gas gun, he is also equipped with a teleporter. When Washington DC is attacked by Solomon Grundy, Commander Wesley Dodds, along with his Sandmen paramilitary force, is sent to retrieve and save President Lightfoot. They are later assigned by Commander Khan in a special and unofficial mission to infiltrate Terry Sloane's secret facility, where they confront and subdue a mind-controlled Michael Holt.''Earth 2'' #7. DC Comics.

In other media

* Wesley Dodds / Sandman appeared in the ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'' two-part episode "

Absolute Justice "Absolute Justice" is the eleventh episode of the ninth season of the CW series ''Smallville'', and the 185th episode of the overall series. The episode originally aired on February 5, 2010 in the United States, and was initially slated to be tw ...

", portrayed by

Ken Lawson Kenyatta T. Lawson (born January 19, 1976), better known as Ken L., is an American actor and rapper. He is best known for his role as Thaddeus "T" Tyrell Radcliffe, Jr. on the UPN comedy sitcom ''The Parkers''. Early life Ken Lawson performed ...

. This version was a member of the

(JSA) before the group was disbanded in the 1970s. After having a nightmare about losing his teammate

Star-Spangled Kid The Star-Spangled Kid is the name of several superheroes in the DC Comics' main shared universe. Fictional character history Sylvester Pemberton The original Star-Spangled Kid was Sylvester Pemberton, a Golden Age character, created by Jerry Sie ...

, Dodds is killed by Icicle II. * Wesley Dodds / Sandman makes a non-speaking appearance in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!" as a member of the JSA. * Wesley Dodds / Sandman makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in a flashback depicted in the ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...

'' episode "Humanity" as a member of the JSA. * Wesley Dodds / Sandman appears in the '' Stargirl'' pilot episode as a member of the JSA before the team was attacked and killed by the

Injustice Society The Injustice Society (also called the Injustice Society of the World) is a group of supervillains in the . They are the main antagonists of the Justice Society of America. The Injustice Society first appears in ''All Star Comics'' #37 (Oct 1947 ...

, with Dodds being killed by Icicle.

Collected editions

* ''The Golden Age Sandman Archive Vol. 1'' (Sandman stories from ''New York World's Fair Comics'' #1–2 and ''Adventure Comics'' #40–59) by Bert Christman and others. * ''Sandman by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby'' (''World's Finest'' #6–7; ''Adventure Comics'' #72–102; ''Sandman'' #1) * ''

Book 1: The Tarantula'' (''Sandman Mystery Theatre'' #1–4) * ''Sandman Mystery Theatre Book 2: The Face and The Brute'' (''Sandman Mystery Theatre'' #5–12) * ''Sandman Mystery Theatre Book 3: The Vamp'' (''Sandman Mystery Theatre'' #13–16) * ''Sandman Mystery Theatre Book 4: The Scorpion'' (''Sandman Mystery Theatre'' #17–20) * ''Sandman Mystery Theatre Book 5: Dr. Death and The Night of the Butcher'' (''Sandman Mystery Theatre'' #21–28) * ''Sandman Mystery Theatre Book 6: The Hourman and The Python'' (''Sandman Mystery Theatre'' #29–36) * ''Sandman Mystery Theatre Book 7: The Mist and The Phantom of the Fair'' (''Sandman Mystery Theatre'' #37–44) * ''Sandman Mystery Theatre Book 8: The Blackhawk and The Return of the Scarlet Ghost'' (''Sandman Mystery Theatre'' #45–52) * ''Sandman Mystery Theatre: Sleep of Reason'' (''Sandman Mystery Theatre: Sleep of Reason'' #1–5)

References

External links

JSA Fact File: The Sandman

Earth-2 Sandman
at Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics

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