History ComicBook / WhiteSand

* DeadlyGraduation: The Mastrell's Path is full of dangerous drops and tall spires easy to fall from. Justified, as for a Sand Master this isn't supposed to be much of a problem, but the fact that there's a freakin' ''sandling'' nesting there is kind of an overkill, although as even a handful of water will drive it off, and virtually all Mastrells can slatrify water for themselves, it's not as bad as it seems.

** The whole story starts with Kenton arguing with his father about skill vs. strength and how he wants to go through [[DeadlyGraduation Mastrell's Path]] to prove his worth.

* BaldOfAwesome: Invoked; higher-ranking Sand Masters keep their head bald.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Darksiders have dark skin and lightsiders light. That's the opposite of the way it should be; even if the people had only settled on their respective sides a single generation ago (which is incorrect), the darksiders should be very pale and the lightsiders very tanned. Presumably this is due to the influence of the local Shard.

----------

* YouHaveFortyEightHours: Kenton is given two weeks to prove that the Sand profession should be preserved rather than dismantled.

* DarkSecrer: Ais has one we don't know yet.

* ArcSymbol: The cross-on-square scar branding Kerztian warrior-priests.

* BedouinRescueService: Zig-zagged. After being buried in the sand, Kenton is rescued by Khriss' caravan, but who's the local "savage" and who an inexperienced foreigner is reversed.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Sand Masters can be distinguished from other brown-clothed Daysiders by their white garbs.

* DarkSkinnedBlond: Kenton has brown skin and blond hair.
* DeadlyGraduation: The Mastrell's Path is full of dangerous drops and tall spires easy to fall from. Justified, as for a Sand Master this isn't supposed to be much of a problem, but the fact that there's a freakin' ''sandling'' nesting there is kind of an overkill.
** Though since even a handful of water will drive it off, and virtually all Mastrells can slatrify water for themselves, it's not as bad as it seems.

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: Praxton goes out by Sand Mastering on a scale unseen anywhere else on pages of the comic - the entire sky turns red, thousands of sand arrows shoot out in all directions and wave of sand burying both sides.

** Kenton has heard opinions that his Darksider mother have "poisoned" the bloodline, leading to his lessered Sand Mastery.
** The Darksiders consider Daysiders to be little more than barbarians, even calling them so among each otehr.
* FantasticRankSystem: The Sand Masters' students are assigned their positions according to their power level, which, as Kenton muses, puts him way, way at the bottom of the ladder. Students can advance in position, but once they are promoted to "full" Sand Masters, they are assigned a permanent rank. There are seven ranks, with two lowest being ''underfen'' and ''fen''.

* FunctionalMagic: Sand Mastery. A Sand Master can control sand, and how much he or she can control depends on their power level. Only white-coloured sand can be controlled, and after being spent, it turns black and is unresponsive until sun refills it and it turns white again. It seems using sand dehydrates a Sand Master as well.
* {{Greed}}: Said to be [[spoiler:Drile's]] motivation behind betraying the diem - he wanted to make money off his skills, while Praxton punished him for it.

* HorseOfADifferentColor: The tonks, the mounts used in the desert, are sort of sandstone horses with rhino horns and long, segmented tails.

** Many Dayside creatures are highly vulnerable to water, as it melts them. Water vines use it as defense tactic - they store water so that it'd melt the mouth of any creature who'd try to take a bite.

* MagicKnight: Kenton uses his sword and training with soldiers in conjunction with his relatively weak sand mastery. This enables him to fight without relying too heavily on sand to the point of overmastery.

* ObviousJudas: Drile's EstablishingCharacterMoment is when he's caught attempting to sell his Sand Mastery for money. When it turns out he's [[spoiler:survived the massacre]], it's pretty obvious - for both the reader and Kenton - who's to blame.

* SoleSurvivor: Kenton becomes one - or at least thinks so - when other Sand Masters are killed. [[spoiler:Subverted in that a group of trainees and the architect of Mastrell's fall with his cohort survived as well.]]

%%[[caption-width-right:300: Top row: [[YoungFutureFamousPeople Khriss]], Baon, [[FantasyForbiddingFather Praxton]]. Centre: our hero, [[WeakButSkilled Kenton]].]]

However, not all is fine. The Sand Masters are ambushed and slaughered, and Kenton's apparently the sole survivor of the massacre. Teaming up with a mysterious Nightsider Khriss, he sets out to uncover who orchestrated this attack on his kinsman - and escape before the enemy can finish the job.

* AlwaysNight: The Nightside, as there's no sun there.

* ColorMotif: Black and white for Nightside and Dayside. The Nightsiders are black, there's no light there and the sand is presumably black, as it's not refueled by sun. The Daysiders are white, their magic users wear white clothes and the land is basked in sunlight and full of the eponymous white sand.
* ComboPlatterPowers: Sand Mastery generally revolves around telekinetically manipulating the sand into tools, weapons, and shields. Even their NotQuiteFlight is accomplished by using the sand to lift themselves. And then there's slatrification.
* DarkSkinnedBlond: Both Kenton and his father have brown skin and blond hair.

* FantasticRacism: Praxton is implied to be a Fantastic Classist, looking down on non-Sand Masters. Frankly, their system of ranks promotes that kind of thinking.

* LoopholeAbuse: Sand Masters were apparently too disdainful of "brute" and "vulgar" weapons like swords to forbid them from being used on Mastrell's Path, which Kenton utilizes to take his own blade - which he uses as a crutch to aid him with his magic - to the test.

* NightVisionGoggles: Inverted as ''Day'' Vision Goggles - Nightsiders must wear goggles when going to Dayside, as their eyes are critically unused to dealing with perpetual sunlight.

* SoleSurvivor: Kenton becomes one - or at least thinks so - when other Sand Masters are killed.

* UnSorcerer: Underplayed, but Kenton is ''very'' weak Sand Master. He's said to be able to support one sand line, while all other Sand Masters can support fifteen or more, which means he's fifteen times weaker than all of his peers. [[spoiler:This results from how he is mastering not for himself, but to prove his father wrong. When he does so for himself, his power increases threefold.]]

* WellDoneSonGuy: For all his RebelliousSpirit, Kenton's need to prove to his father that he can be a Sand Master seems to factor quite seriously into his decision to run Mastrell's Path. [[spoiler:This ends up as a DeconstructedTrope. Sand mastery is granted by the Shard of Autonomy. Therefore, only by using his sand mastery for the sands themselves, rather than to spite his father (effectively [[MagicAIsMagicA becoming autonomous of his need to please him]]) is Kenton able to control not one, but three sand ribbons. Furthermore, when his father dies, Kenton is unable to master for a brief time, as [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife his reason for mastering died with him]].]]

-->'''Kenton''': ''Remind me again, why did I think this was a good idea?''

''White Sand'' is a graphic novel created by Creator/BrandonSanderson and Creator/DynamiteComics. It's part of Sanderson's ''Literature/TheCosmere'' 'verse and the first Cosmere work not to be work of literature[[note]]As a matter of fact, ''White Sand'' was originally written as a book (and can be obtained via email) and was supposed to be released as one, but when Dynamite asked Sanderson if he wouldn't like to adapt any of his unpublished works, ''White Sand'' was remade as a graphic novel instead[[/note]]. It'll be released in three parts, the first one coming up in late June 2016. Previews can be seen at [[http://io9.gizmodo.com/one-of-brandon-sandersons-unreleased-fantasy-novels-is-1765541486 io9]] and [[http://www.newsarama.com/29004-brandon-sanderson-s-fantasy-epic-comes-to-comic-books-with-white-sand-preview.html newsarama]].

* SandWorm: The sandling. Technically a sand GiantEnemyCrab, but it still counts. It's adapted to the sands, so while direct sand mastery won't do much to it unless it can get under its shell, [[KillItWithWater water can dissolve said she'll quickly]].

* SandWorm: The sand ling. Technically a sand GiantEnemyCrab, but it still counts. It's adapted to the sands, so while direct sand mastery won't do much to it unless it can get under its shell, [[KillItWithWater water can dissolve said she'll quickly]].

* UnSorcerer: Underplayed, but Kenton is ''very'' weak Sand Master. He's said to be able to support one sand line, while all other Sand Masters can support fifteen or more, which means he's fifteen times weaker than all of his peers.

* WellDoneSonGuy: For all his RebelliousSpirit, Kenton's need to prove to his father that he can be a Sand Master seems to factor quite seriously into his decision to run Mastrell's Path.

* YoungFutureFamousPeople: ''White Sand'' marks the first chronological appearance of Khriss, known to Cosmere affictionados as a scientist, explorer of Shardworlds, employer of [[ButtMonkey poor]] Nazh and author of ''Ars Arcana'' found in Cosmere novels. Here, she's apparently still before her worldhopping days.

* BizarreAlienBiology: Sandlings have blue teeth and the inside of their mouth and their tongue are green.

* ColorMotif: Black and white for Nightside and Dayside. The Nightsiders are black, there's no light there and the sand is presumably black, as it's not refuelled by sun. The Daysiders are white, their magic users wear white clothes and the land is basked in sunlight and full of the eponymous white sand.

* FlatEarthAtheist: In a universe of sixteen godlike Shards creating worlds from ground up, on a planet full of magic, the Sand Masters practice atheism. Subverted in that they still turn to Sand Lord when it comes to lost causes like Kenton.

* {{Kaiju}}: The sandling is positively ''enormous'' - it's mouth is so big, three people Kenton's height could stand in it one on top of another. It's also blind, usually-subterrestial and absolutely deadly.

''White Sand'' is an upcoming graphic novel created by Creator/BrandonSanderson and Creator/DynamiteComics. It's part of Sanderson's ''Literature/TheCosmere'' 'verse and the first Cosmere work not to be work of literature[[note]]As a matter of fact, ''White Sand'' was originally written as a book (and can be obtained via email) and was supposed to be released as one, but when Dynamite asked Sanderson if he wouldn't like to adapt any of his unpublished works, ''White Sand'' was remade as a graphic novel instead[[/note]]. It'll be released in three parts, the first one coming up in late June 2016. Previews can be seen at [[http://io9.gizmodo.com/one-of-brandon-sandersons-unreleased-fantasy-novels-is-1765541486 io9]] and [[http://www.newsarama.com/29004-brandon-sanderson-s-fantasy-epic-comes-to-comic-books-with-white-sand-preview.html newsarama]].

* NightVisionGoggles: Inverted as ''Day'' Vision Goggles - Nightsiders must wear goggles when going to Dayside, as their eyes are critically unused to dealing with perpetual sunlight.

Taldain is a TidallyLockedPlanet - one where on one hemisphere the sun never goes down, and on the other - never appears. On the Dayside, the sunlight imbues the sand with magic properties. This enables a group of people called Sand Masters to control it and form it on grand scale, although the sand used this way turns dark until sun "refuels" it again. One of those Sand Masters is Kenton, who just happens to be the weakest of them - which is slightly embarassing, seeing how his father is one of the most ''powerful'' Sand Masters. Kenton soldiers on, though.

However, not all is fine. The Sand Masters are ambushed and slaughered, and Kenton's apparently the sole survivor of the massacre. Teaming up with a mysterious Nightsider Khriss, he sets out to uncover who orchestrated an attack on his kinsman and escape before the enemy can finish the job.

* ColorMotif: Black and white for Nightside and Dayside. The Nightsiders are black, there's no light there and the sand is presumably black, as it's not refuelled by sun. The Daysiders are white, wear white clothes and the land is basked in sunlight and full of the eponymous white sand.

* InMediaRes: The first book starts in the middle of an argument between Kenton and his father.

* ColorMotif: Black and white for Nightside and Dayside. The Nightsiders are black, there's no light there and the sand is presumably black, as it's not refuelled by sun. The Daysiders are tanned, but blonde, wear white clothes and the land is basked in sunlight and full of white sand.
* DarkSkinnedBlond: Nightsiders have tanned skin and pale hair.

* DistantPrologue: To the Literature/Cosmere, taking place a few thousand years before ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'', chronologically the last in the sequence. ''White Sand'' - ''Elantris'' is also the biggest known TimeSkip between Cosmere stories so far[[note]]There's three hundred years between two ''Mistborn'' eras so far, and it's unclear how many years there are between ''Elantris'' and ''Final Empire''.[[/note]]

* FantasticRankSystem: The Sand Masters' students are assigned their positions according to their power level, which, as Kenton muses, puts him way, way at the bottom of the ladder. Students can advance in position, but once they are promoted to "full" Sand Master, they are assigned a permanent rank. There are seven ranks, with two lowest being ''underfen'' and ''fen''.
* FantasyForbiddingFather: Hysterically, given the genre, Praxton is one for Kenton. He outright says to his son that despite having worked hard, Kenton has no Sand Master talent and should give up pursuing a stupid dream, because he won't advance beyond student rank anyway. Kenton seems adamant to prove him wrong.

* FunctionalMagic: Sand Mastery. A Sand Master can control sand, and how much he or she can control depends on their power level. Only white-coloured sand can be controlled, and after being spent, it turns black and is unresponsive until sun refills it and it turns white again. It seems using sand dehydrates Sand Master as well.

* {{Kaiju}}: The sandling is positively ''enormous'' - it's mouth is big enough, three people Kenton's height could stand in it. It's also blind, usually-subterrestian and absolutely deadly.
* LampreyMouth: Sandlings have round mouth full of teeth.

* RebelliousSpirit: The harder his father tries to put him down, the more Kenton rebels against him.

* WeakButSkilled: Kenton thinks of it, noting that his ability to control the sand in highly precise fashion lets him overcome the fact that he's one of the least powerful Sand Masters.
* YoungFutureFamousPeople: ''White Sand'' marks the first chronological appearance of Khriss, known to Cosmere affictionados as a scientist, explorer of Shardworlds, employer of [[ButtMonkey poor]] Nazh and author of ''Ars Arcana'' found in Cosmere novels.

* DeadlyTrainingArea: The area where Kenton trains is full of dangerous drops and tall spires easy to fall from. Justified, as for a Sand Master this isn't much of a problem, but the fact that there's a freakin' ''sandling'' nesting there is kind of an overkill.

* FantasticCasteSystem: The Sand Masters' students are assigned their positions according to their power level, which, as Kenton muses, puts him way, way at the bottom of the ladder.

''White Sand'' is an upcoming graphic novel created by Creator/BrandonSanderson and Creator/DynamiteComics. It's part of Sanderson's ''Literature/{{Cosmere}}'' 'verse and the first Cosmere work not to be work of literature[[note]]As a matter of fact, ''White Sand'' was originally written as a book (and can be obtained via email) and was supposed to be released as one, but when Dynamite asked Sanderson if he wouldn't like to adapt any of his unpublished works, ''White Sand'' was remade as a graphic novel instead[[/note]]. It'll be released in three parts, the first one coming up in late June 2016. Preview pages are [[http://io9.gizmodo.com/one-of-brandon-sandersons-unreleased-fantasy-novels-is-1765541486 available on io9]].