by
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
    

    
     
      he
      year
      is
      1938.
      While
      Hitler’s
      Nazi
     
    

    
     
      7:
      Germany
      threatens
      the
      security
      of
      Eu-
     
    

    
     
      rope,
      the
      continent’s
      other
      leaders
      do
     
     
      their
      best
      to
      ignore
      him
      with
      policies
      of
      ap-
     
     
      peasement
      and
      promises
      of
      “‘peacein
      ourtime’’.
     
     
      Across
      the
      sea
      America
      is
      living
      in
      its
      own
     
     
      dreamworld,
      the
      Great
      Depression
      supposedly
     
     
      ended
      though
      poverty
      and
      organized
      crime
      per-
     
     
      sist
      while
      the
      wealthy
      immerse
      themselves
      in
     
     
      the
      pleasures
      of
      the
      jazz
      age
      and
      newly
      legal-
     
     
      ized
      alcohol.
      It
      is
      a
      society
      where
      people
      sleep
     
     
      secure
      in
      the
      belief
      that
      corruption
      and
      suffering
     
     
      happen
      ‘‘somewhere
      else’,
      in
      the
      shadows...but
     
     
      the
      shadows
      are
      lengthening.
      And
      as
      the
      world
     
     
      grows
      darker,
      one
      man
      finds
      his
      sleep
      haunted
     
     
      by
      awareness
      of
      the
      moral
      decay
      that
      surrounds
     
     
      him.
      Clad
      in
      fedora
      and
      gasmask,
      a
      quiet
      man
     
     
      named
      Wesley
      Dodds
      stalks
      the
      criminals
      of
     
     
      New
      York
      with
      a
      bizarre
      gas-gun,-
      spawning
     
     
      nightmares
      for
      the
      wicked,
      inspiring
      dreams
      for
     
     
      the
      just,
      and
      earning
      the
      name
      by
      which
      both
     
     
      mobsters
      and
      lawmen
      alike
      come
      to
      know
     
     
      him...the
      Sandman.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Sandman
      returns
      to
      comics
      this
      month
     
     
      with
      the
      debut
      of
      the
      new
      ongoing
      Sandman
     
     
      Mystery
      Theatre
      series
      launched
      by
      DC
      Comics
     
     
      as
      part
      of
      its
      ‘‘Vertigo’’
      line
      of
      sophisticated
     
     
      comics
      suggested
      for
      mature
      readers.
      The
      book’s
     
     
      rather
      unusual
      title
      suggests
      its
      tone
      and
      subject
     
     
      matter,
      suspenseful
      mystery
      tales
      that
      emulate
     
     
      film
      noir
      and
      detective
      fiction,
      and
      the
      title
      also
     
     
      avoids
      confusion
      with
      another
      DC
      ‘‘Vertigo’’
     
     
      book:
      the
      popular
      surreal
      horror-fantasy
      series
     
     
      entitled
      Sandman.
      That
      series
      deals
      with
     
     
      Morpheus,
      the
      embodiment
      and
      master
      of
      hu-
     
     
      mankind’s
      dreams,
      and
      the
      latest
      of
      many
      com-
     
     
      ics
      characters
      to
      go
      by
      the
      name
      of
      Sandman.
     
     
      Mystery
      Theatre’s
      Wes
      Dodds
      is
      actually
      the
     
     
      original
      comic
      book
      Sandman,
      created
      during
     
     
      the
      ‘‘Golden
      Age’’
      of
      comics’
      earliest
      days
      and
     
     
      appearing
      in
      Adventure
      Comics
      as
      early
      as
     
     
      1939,
      only
      shortly
      after
      the
      debut
      of
      a
      pointy-
     
     
      eared
      vigilante
      named
      Batman
      (some
      sources
     
     
      lista
      story
      in
      the
      New
      York
      World's
      Fair
      Comics
     
     
      commemorative
      anthology
      title
      as
      Sandman’s
     
     
      first
      published
      appearance,
      but
      the
      first
      Sand-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      man
      story
      is
      generally
      agreed
      to
      be
      the
      one
     
    
   
   
    
     
      published
      in
      the
      fortieth
      issue
      of
      Adventure
     
     
      Comics.)
      Very
      mucha
      transitional
      figure,
      Sand-
     
     
      man
      was
      more
      in
      the
      mold
      of
      radio
      and
      pulp
     
     
      magazine
      detectives
      like
      the
      Shadow
      and
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      24
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Green
      Hornet
      then
      the
      emerging
      ‘‘super-hero’’
     
     
      genre.
      He
      had
      no
      flashy
      costume
      or
      special
     
     
      powers.
      Like
      many
      early
      “mystery
      men’’
      he
     
     
      was
      simply
      a
      bored
      playboy,
      albeit
      one
      who
     
     
      beat
      boredom
      by
      dressing
      up
      in
      suit,
      hat,
      cloak
     
     
      and
      gasmask
      to
      battle
      weird
      menaces
      like
      the
     
     
      Tarantula,
      Nightshade,
      and
      the
      Phantom
      of
      the
     
     
      World’s
      Fair.
      He
      became
      a
      starring
      feature
      in
     
     
      Adventure
      Comics
      and
      was
      even
      among
      the
     
     
      founding
      members
      of
      the
      Justice
      Society
      of
     
     
      America
      in
      All-Star
      Comics.
      He
      remained
      one
     
     
      of
      DC’s
      most
      popular
      characters
      throughout
      the
     
     
      nineteen-forties,
      later
      modifying
      his
      appear-
     
     
      ance
      with
      amore
      super-heroic
      purple-and-gold
     
     
      bodysuit,
      even
      latching
      onto
      a
      kid
      sidekick
      by
     
     
      the
      name
      of
      Sandy
      (the
      Golden
      Boy)
      Hawkins
     
     
      (one
      suspects
      there
      must
      have
      been
      some
      vaguely
     
     
      Dickensian
      factory
      churning
      out
      brave
      orphan
     
     
      lads
      for
      super
      heroes
      to
      adopt
      in
      those
      days).
     
     
      Unfortunately,
      super
      heroes
      fell
      out
      of
      fashion
     
     
      by
      the
      fifties,
      and
      Sandman
      faded
      from
      sight
     
     
      like
      virtually
      every
      other
      crimebuster
      on
      the
     
     
      racks.
      a
     
    

    
     
      While
      the
      late
      fifties
      saw
      a
      resurgence
      of
     
     
      popularity
      for
      super
      heroes,
      Wes
      Dodds
      never
     
     
      quite
      made
      it
      big
      again.
      He
      joined
      the
      other
     
     
      Justice
      Society
      of
      America
      members
      in
      opting
     
     
      for
      occasional
      active
      duty
      as
      semi-retired
      super
     
     
      heroes,
      but
      the
      JSA’s
      appearances
      have
      often
     
     
      been
      scarce
      and
      Sandman
      has
      been
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      most
      frequently
      overlooked
      members,
      espe-
     
     
      cially
      after
      a
      stroke
      forced
      him
      to
      curtail
      his
     
     
      crimefighting
      activities.
      Thenew
      Mystery
      Thea-
     
     
      tre
      series
      is
      Sandman’s
      first
      shot
      at
      recurring
     
     
      stardom
      since
      his
      glory
      days
      in
      the
      thirties
      and
     
     
      forties...
      and
      that’s
      very
      fitting
      seeing
      as
      how
     
     
      the
      new
      series
      is
      set
      in
      the
      late
      nineteen-thirties
     
    
   
   
    
     
           
     
    
   
   
    
     
      as
      Wes
      Dodds
      embarked
      on
      his
      crimefighting
     
     
      career.
     
    

    
     
      As
      is
      often
      the
      case
      with
      DC’s
      character
     
     
      revivals,
      there
      have
      been
      some
      changes
      made
      in
     
     
      the
      original;
      however,
      these
      changes
      consist
     
     
      mostly
      of
      additional
      rather
      than
      altered
      charac-
     
     
      terization,
      and
      Sandman
      Mystery
      Theatre
      writer
     
     
      Matt
      Wagner
      says
      that
      his
      version
      of
      the
      char-
     
     
      acter
      is
      ‘‘not
      as
      much
      revisionist
      as
      i
     
     
      is...restorational.’’
      By
      that
      he
      refers
      to
      the
      emu
     
     
      lation
      of
      the
      earliest
      Sandman
      stories,
      which
      h
     
     
      describes
      as
      having
      ‘‘an
      unusual
      crime-no
     
     
      flavorto
      them...and
      also
      acertain
      dreaminess.
     
     
      Filled
      with
      mobsters,
      New
      York
      nightlife
      an
     
     
      various
      shadowy
      figures,
      Mystery
      Theatre’
     
     
      setting
      makes
      it
      an
      intriguing
      period
      piece
     
     
      rooted
      in
      its
      reality
      while
      dealing
      with
      charac
     
     
      ters
      and
      events
      that
      sometimes
      seem
      unreal
     
     
      creating
      an
      air
      of
      mystery
      and
      tension
      tha
     
     
      pervades
      the
      story
      as
      people
      try
      to
      guess
      at
      wh
     
     
      or
      what
      the
      Sandman
      is...not
      to
      mention
      th
     
     
      macabre
      criminals
      he
      stalks.
      Wagner
      more
      full
     
     
      develops
      the
      character
      of
      the
      Sandman
      himsel
     
     
      by
      expanding
      on
      his
      motivation.
      A
      studious
      all
     
     
      intellectual
      young
      man,
      wealthy
      Wes
      Dodd
     
     
      perceives
      the
      moral
      and
      social
      decay
      that
      other
     
     
      often
      ignore.
      His
      moral
      outrage
      and
      social
      co
     
     
      science
      fuel
      his
      bizarre
      dreams...nightmaré
     
     
      that
      subconsciously
      prompt
      him
      to
      solve
     
     
      prevent
      the
      strange
      and
      terrible
      crimes
      that
      hi
     
     
      dreams
      reveal
      to
      him.
      So
      it
      is
      that
      Dodds,
      ast
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      Sandman,
      prowls
      the
      city
      in
      search
      of
      evil.
      It
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      more
      solid
      personality
      and
      purpose
      than
      |
     
     
      character
      has
      had
      previously
      while
      remain
     
     
      true
      to
      the
      basic
      original
      concept
      (though
      it
      40
     
     
      contradict
      and
      presumably
      renders
      invalid
     
     
      ‘‘secret
      origin’
      of
      the
      Sandman
      penned
      4
      fe