Superheroes
Other than Dream of the Endless, "The Sandman" is also the name of several superheroes from the Golden Age to the Modern Age.
Voiced By: Ray Porter (Audible Audiobook)
First appeared in "New York World's Fair Comics" #1 (April, 1939), created by Gardner Fox and Bert Christman. One of the first superheroes of the 20th century, Wesley Dodds was plagued with prophetic dreams that impelled him to fight crime. He invented a sleeping-gas gun and "wirepoon" (a gun-mounted grappling hook) to help him in his cause, and became a founding member of the Justice Society of America. Shortly before the refounding of the modern JSA, the 86-year-old Wesley Dodds committed suicide to prevent the Evil Sorcerer Mordru from extracting important information from him; his funeral set the stage for the JSA's rebirth.
Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (1989) revealed that some mortals were affected by the cosmic imbalance resulting from Dream of the Endless' imprisonment during the 20th century. Dodds held a piece of the Dreaming inside him, and this was the cause of his prophetic dreams. Dodds also had his own 1930s-set Vertigo series, Sandman Mystery Theatre.
- Ace Pilot: Surprisingly, Wesley Dodds is an excellent airplane pilot, and so are some of his closest friends. All are veterans of the US Navy.
- Badass Normal: Besides his prophetic dreams, he had no powers, just his sleeping gas and other gadgets to fight with alongside characters like Superman.
- Big Applesauce: Dodds originally operated out of "York City". This was later retconned into the actual New York City.
- Blessed with Suck: His prophetic nightmares.
- Broad Strokes: As mentioned on its own page, although Sandman Mystery Theatre is a different continuity, the events therein get referenced in the mainstream DCU (or at least New Earth continuity) often enough that it might be considered quasi-canon.
- Catchphrase: The short poem he left at the scene of every crime he stopped. "There is no land beyond the law where tyrants rule with unshakable power! 'Tis but a dream from which the evil wake to face their fate... their terrifying hour!"
- The Commissioner Gordon: District Attorney Belmont, who has seen Wes Dodds unmasked and knows that he's involved with his daughter Dian.
- Demoted to Extra: Reading Justice Society of America can be a bit jarring if you're a fan of Sandman Mystery Theatre. After the Golden Age Sandman spent years as the hero of his own cult classic series, he's reduced to a mere scene-filler in JSA. He's eventually killed off in the first issue of JSA.
- Expy: He didn't start out as one, but once Sandman switched costumes and got a kid sidekick, he was essentially an expy of Batman.
- Fedora of Asskicking: In his original Gas Mask, Longcoat costume.
- Gas Mask, Longcoat: The Ur-Example, though in the Golden Age, Wesley Dodds wore a suit and a cape with his custom gas mask rather than a longcoat.
- Genre Shift: The Sandman started out as more pulp adventure than superhero, but the tone shifted over time, eventually culminating in a costume change and an all-out embracing of superhero comics.
- Go Out with a Smile: He knew his death was coming and was completely content with it, wanting to be with his wife again. He even says he's gleefully excited for it. (That it also spares him from whatever torture Mordru would've inflicted first helps).
- Good Costume Switch: In Adventure Comics #68, Wesley is still fighting crime in his fedora, suit, and gas mask. In issue #69, he's in a yellow and purple spandex suit fighting giant bees with his wirepoon, and he gains a kid sidekick. There's no reason given in-story at all, though in real life the character was simply adjusted to be more like the popular Batman and Superman.
- Grappling-Hook Pistol: The Wirepoon, the Sandman's second signature weapon after he abandons the gas gun. Decades before a grappling gun became standard equipment for Batman, the Sandman was using one.
- Heel–Face Turn: Dian in her first appearance is a known thief, though she reforms rather quickly and becomes Wesley's girlfriend and partner in crime-fighting.
- Honest Corporate Executive: In his first appearance, Wesley is an executive in the Dodds-Bessing Steel Corporation, and heir to the vast Dodds-Bessing fortune. This is only rarely mentioned later on.
- Instant Sedation: Depends on the continuity. In Sandman Mystery Theater, his gas behaves a touch more realistically, with it taking a second or two to knock people out and some people being a bit resistant or even allergic. In normal continuity, it behaves like this trope, which could be explained away as Wesley further refining his formula.
- Military Super Hero: Wesley was a military aviator before becoming a costumed crime-fighter. He keeps in contact with former members of his unit, who are aware that he's now the Sandman.
- Millionaire Playboy: Wesley Dodds focuses mostly on his job as a corporate executive, at least early in the series. Once the writer and artist change about six issues into the run, Wes becomes the standard "wealthy playboy" in the Bruce Wayne mold.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Understandably quite horrified to realize he put Sandy through a living hell for nothing.
- My Greatest Failure: Turning his sidekick, Sandy, into a rock monster in the 1950s. (He got better.)
- Non-Powered Costumed Hero: Wesley has no superpowers. His first costume is a business suit with a cape and gas mask, but later he goes all out with a gold and purple superhero costume.
- Only a Flesh Wound: Wesley is shot several times during his Adventure Comics run. Sometimes it barely slows him down, sometimes he has to spend time recovering.
- Starter Villain: Boris Leland, a spy who stole plans for a device Wesley was planning to show at the New York World's Fair. He's taken to prison by the end of the first issue.
- Superheroes Wear Tights: Averted at first with the hat, suit, and gas mask combo, but later played straight when Sandman switches to the yellow and purple spandex, complete with kid sidekick.
- Triple Shifter: When does Wesley sleep?
- The Unmasking: Wes reveals his face to D.A. Belmont after returning his now-grown daughter to him and saving his life.
- Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: He invented them himself.
First appeared in "Sandman" vol. 1 #1 (Winter, 1974), created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. Originally supposed to be the Sandman of legend, this bizarre character patrolled the "Dream Stream" to fight nightmares with the aid of two dreams named Brute and Glob, often helping out a young boy named Jed. After his short-lived series ended, it was Retconned that he was actually a psychologist named Garrett Sanford whose mind was trapped in a "Dream Dimension" while his physical body was in a coma. An appearance in Infinity, Inc. revealed that Sanford had gone insane after his last appearance and committed suicide. Finally, Gaiman's Sandman revealed that Brute and Glob were rogue nightmares from the Dreaming who were running amok in Morpheus's absence, the Dream Dimension was a pocket universe they created inside the mind of Jed Walker, and Sanford was just a plaything for them.
- Cerebus Retcon: A victim of it, over and over again.
- Dogged Nice Guy: He makes an appearance in Wonder Woman #300, and tries very hard to win Diana's affections, despite the fact that she's engaged to Steve Trevor at the time.
- Driven to Suicide: As mentioned, he ultimately went insane and offed himself. Brute and Glob apparently altered his body to become a host for Hector Hall's spirit.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: All in all, he got a very unceremonious death, considering he was created by the King of Comics.
- Unwitting Pawn: Brute and Glob orchestrated the whole "Dream Dimension" scheme.
Voiced By: Ray Porter (Audible Audiobook)
First appeared as Silver Scarab in "All-Star Squadron" #25 (September, 1983). Became the Sandman in ''"Infinity, Inc.'" #49 (May, 1988). After Garrett Sanford's death, DC superhero Silver Scarab — the son of the Golden Age Hawkman — had his soul stuck in Sanford's body (long story), and his mind was conscripted to fill the same role under Brute and Glob. His wife, Lyta "The Fury" Hall, went to live with him in the Dream Dimension, and there they conceived Daniel Hall, who would later replace Morpheus as Dream. After Morpheus escaped his captivity, he destroyed the Dream Dimension, causing Hector's spirit to depart the mortal plane.
Hector Hall was later reincarnated as the new Doctor Fate and joined the JSA, only to be killed again by The Spectre. His soul now resides in the Dreaming alongside his once-son, Dream-Daniel.
For information about him as Silver Scarab, go here
- Brainwashed: Like Lyta, Hector was brainwashed into compliance with Brute and Glob's schemes. In his case, he became a stereotypical Cape who went on wacky adventures.
- Nice Guy: Really, despite being a bit of a Cloudcuckoolander who grew more and more ridiculous during his time as the Sandman, he remained an honest and good-hearted person who really did his best to help people in need.
- No Animosity in the Afterlife: He no longer has the perpetual chip on his shoulder he did in life... of course, he's not really his old self at all, thanks to Brute and Glob's influence.
- Took a Level in Dumbass: He was completely oblivious to the fact that his wife had been pregnant for about two years, and when it was finally brought to his attention, he didn't really give much thought to it. Really, Hall's mentality devolved just like his wife drifted away from reality. He went from a competent superhero to one who fought rather nonsensical battles against bizarrely weak villains.
First appeared in "Adventure Comics" #69 (December, 1941), created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris. Assumed the Sandman mantle in ''"Justice Society of America'" vol. 3 #1 (February, 2007). The original "Sandy the Golden Boy", nephew of Wesley Dodds. Sandy was transformed into a sand creature by an accident, and sealed away by Wesley for years until he managed to free himself, revealing he actually had retained his mind the whole time. He grew up into the first chairman of the modern incarnation of the Justice Society of America, leading the team through many adventures. He gained super-powers and, after Wesley's death, inherited his prophetic dreams, but eventually got written out as the writer-switch between David Goyer and Geoff Johns went underway, disappearing into the Earth for a while, and losing his leadership position to Mr. Terrific. He eventually changed his name to the Sandman like his mentor.
- And I Must Scream: He was stuck in stasis for decades (with the amount increasing thanks to Comic-Book Time), and conscious for every minute of it.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: During the "Thy Kingdom Come" arc, Gog takes away his nightmares, but this means he's lost his lead of crooks. When Gog turns on the JSA, he forces Sand to have all his nightmares back, and amp up.
- Blessed with Suck: His power of having nightmares about crimes in the future means that he can't sleep several nights, and sees some truly horrific things.
- Dishing Out Dirt: He gains these powers after the first arc thanks to his past as a silica-based creature, thus getting the edge over a Badass Normal.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Much like Captain America, he was out for several decades, and is a little befuddled by modern times.
- Legacy Character: For the original Sandman, Wesley Dodds.
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: After escaping from his cryogenic tube, he knew there was a disaster about to occur, but was unable to warn the JSA or JLA by the simple fact he didn't know how.
- Out of Focus: Heavily out of focus. People tend to forget that he was even in the JSA. He shows up to have a fortuitous dream, but rarely gets involved in any fights. And he was once the leader and main character of the book.
- Put on a Bus: He disappeared into the Earth to save the world, and was gone for a couple arcs in JSA, including the big one, Black Reign.
- Sanity Slippage: Side-effect of being turned into a sand monster was going insane, which is why Wesley sealed him away. However, as Sandy reveals, the insanity wore off after a few hours. Everyone's lucky he didn't Go Mad from the Isolation of being in the tube for decades.
