Sandman (DC Comics)

Infobox comics set index
code_name=Sandman


caption=Cover of "Justice Society of America" #5 (2007) featuring Sandy Hawkins. Art by Alex Ross.
publisher=DC Comics
debut="Adventure Comics" #40 (1939)
creators=Gardner Fox
Bert Christman
characters=Wesley Dodds
Garrett Sanford
Hector Hall
Morpheus
Daniel Hall
Sandy Hawkins
Kieran Marshall
seealso=
cat = super
subcat = DC Comics
hero = y
villain =
sortkey = Sandman

Sandman is the name of seven fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. All are connected in one way or the other, though there are three largely dissimilar concepts, with two or three persons having served in each role various times. Only the first and third are still used in some form--the second concept being explicitly supplanted by the third.

"The Sandman" is a comic book printed by DC Comics in the 1970s, starring the titular character. This Sandman lives in the Dream Dimension and protects children from their nightmares and occasionally from real-life menaces. He was created as a children's character by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in "The Sandman" #1 (Winter, 1974).

"The Sandman" is also a comic book printed by DC Comics under the "Vertigo Comics" imprint in the 1980s and 1990s, starring a very different character that is sometimes known by the same name. Similarly, there was a "Sandman" series titled "Sandman Mystery Theatre", starring Wesley Dodds.

Fictional character biography

Wesley Dodds

Wesley Dodds is the first DC Comics fictional character to bear the name of the Sandman. Attired in a green business suit, fedora, and gas mask, the Sandman uses a gun emitting a sleeping gas to sedate criminals. He starts out as a "mystery man", but eventually develops into a more proper superhero, becoming a founder of the Justice Society of America.

Garrett Sanford

Supercbbox| title = Sandman
comic_color = background:#8080ff


caption = "The Sandman" Vol. 1, #1. Art by Jack Kirby.
schedule = Bi-monthly
format = Ongoing
publisher = DC Comics
date = 1974 - 1976
issues = 6
main_char_team = Sandman (later revealed as Garrett Sanford)
Brute and Glob
Jed Paulsen
Ezra Paulsen
past_current_color=background:#ff9275
writers = Joe Simon, Michael Fleisher
penciller = Jack Kirby, Ernie Chua
inkers = Jack Kirby, Mike Royer, Wally Wood
colorists =
creators = Jack Kirby, Joe SimonThe Sandman of the Bronze Age was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Issue #1 was intended as a one-shot, but five more issues and an additional story followed. After the first issue, the stories were written by Michael Fleisher. The third issue was illustrated by Ernie Chua. Inks were by Kirby, Mike Royer and, in the sixth issue, Wally Wood. All covers were by Kirby, and the fourth issue noted his return to the interior artwork on the cover.

This Sandman was originally intended to be the actual Sandman of popular myth, "eternal and immortal", despite his superhero-like appearance and adventures. The Sandman is assisted by two living nightmares named Brute and Glob, whom he releases from domed cells with the help of a magic whistle. They are nuisances who beg for release, who are intent on hand-to-hand combat, but are implied to be relatively harmless and well-intentioned once freed. Using security monitoring devices, the Sandman can enter the "Dream Stream" or the "Reality Stream" (in which he acts like the superhero he looks like), and he carries a pouch of dream dust with which he can cause anyone to sleep and dream. The Sandman's main task is protecting children from nightmare monsters within their dreams, especially one young boy named Jed Paulsen, as well as to ensure that children have an appropriate level of nightmares rather than dealing with such anxieties in real life.

Implied to be a major foe of his is the Nightmare Wizard, who creates nightmares that are too extreme and sometimes kill children who dream them. The Nightmare Wizard is an old man who bears a strong resemblance to the crone form of Eve. In neither of his two appearances does the Nightmare Wizard serve as an antagonist, but the two are clearly opposed to each other.

In the final Fleischer-Kirby-created adventure (intended for "The Sandman" vol. 1 #7 but published in "The Best of DC" #22) he even assists the legendary Santa Claus against a menacing band of Seal Men who are angry about being sent the wrong gifts during the previous Christmas.

This version of the Sandman only appeared for a handful of issues and was generally unused for years thereafter. In a retcon by Roy Thomas, appearing in "Wonder Woman" #300 (1983), the Sandman is revealed to be Dr. Garrett Sanford, a UCLA psychology professor who became trapped in the Dream Dimension while saving the life of a great man (there are hints that it is a U.S. President), who was in a coma while being terrorized by a powerful nightmare monster. This issue, and the following appearance, note for the first time that his appearances outside the Dream Dimension were strictly limited to one hour, because physically entering the Dream Dimension was a one-way process, so he could be sent his equipment, but not brought out. Despite this, Sanford nevertheless tries to romance Diana in spite of her acceptance of Steve Trevor's proposal of marriage. The issue also introduced Hippolyta Trevor (daughter of the Earth-Two counterparts of Diana and Steve Trevor), who would later be married to Sanford's successor, Hector Hall, and a major character in the Vertigo series as mother of Daniel Hall.

The Sandman also becomes an honorary member of the Justice League in "Justice League of America Annual" #1 (1983) (written by Paul Levitz and Len Wein), in which they fought Doctor Destiny, who had trapped Sanford in a tube like those used for Brute and Glob, and eventually the Justice League as well. There is no mention of the ruby that belonged to Morpheus in this story. Sanford declined a full membership because he cannot leave the Dream Dimension for more than an hour at a time.

The latter two appearances, and the subsequent uses of the costume, featured a red hourglass on the front of the suit that did not appear in the Kirby (or Chua) art.

Letters pages in the original series often complained of the series being too juvenileFact|date=April 2008, while "Wonder Woman" #300 makes references to sexual dreams and has Sanford admit to observing Diana's dreams inappropriately.

Hector Hall

In "Infinity Inc." #50 (May 1988), it is revealed that Sanford had since gone insane due to the loneliness of the Dream Dimension and committed suicide, and that Hector Hall (formerly the Silver Scarab and son of Hawkman (Carter Hall)) has now supplanted the deceased Sanford as the Sandman.

In "The Sandman" vol. 2 #12 (1990), it is further revealed that the Dream Dimension was, in fact, a small universe in the mind of Jed Paulsen (now called Jed Walker due to custody changes) which was created by Brute and Glob (who were explained as being two former servants of Dream that had escaped his realm during the Lord of Dream's long absence). It turns out that Hall has actually died some years before, and that his incarnation as the Sandman is merely a shell that Dream sucks into another part of the dreaming when he defeats the two creatures.

Hall goes on to be reincarnated as Doctor Fate. His only appearances as The Sandman are in "Infinity Inc." #49-51 and "The Sandman" vol. 2, #11-12.

Ambush Bug briefly wore the Sanford/Hall costume in "Ambush Bug Nothing Special" #1, in an attempt to become sidekick to Dream.

Dream

Dream aka Morpheus is one of the Endless, and is the star of the second "Sandman" series as written by Neil Gaiman. He is the personification of dreams, storytelling and—because the Endless also represent the opposite of that which they personify—reality. Therefore, unlike his superhero namesakes, he is much more in line with the concept of the Sandman as he is portrayed in mythology, and it is shown in this series that the other characters were in various ways derivative of Morpheus.

Daniel Hall

Daniel Hall, the child of Hector Hall, eventually assumes the position of Dream when Morpheus dies. He, like Morpheus, is the embodiment of dreams, storytelling and reality. He refers to himself as simply "Dream of the Endless"; in "" he states that he has no right to the name of "Morpheus", and that the part of him which was the mortal boy Daniel Hall no longer exists.

andy Hawkins

Some time later in the pages of "JSA", the chairman and heir to the Sandman legacy Sand has his soul stolen by Brute and Glob to briefly assume the role of the Dream Dimension's protector. Eventually, Dr Fate (Hector Hall) and his wife Lyta lead a contingent of the JSA to Sand's rescue. Brute and Glob are abjured to parts known only as "The Darkness". This fragment of the Dream Dimension is currently not known to be habited.

Since then, Sand has officially adopted the Sandman name and a costume patterned after Wesley Dodds in the current volume of "Justice Society of America".

Kieran Marshall

In the "Sandman Mystery Theatre: Sleep of Reason" miniseries, photojournalist Kieran Marshall briefly takes on the identity of the Sandman to battle terrorists in Afghanistan, inspired by a visit Wesley Dodds made to the region shortly before his death.

ee also

*Sandman (comics) lists other comic book characters with the same name.
*Sandman Mystery Theatre
*Sandman (Vertigo)

External links

* [http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=sandman DCU Guide: Sandman Wesley Dodds]