Golden Age Sandman Appreciation Thread

[MajorHoy]

Figured there should be an "appreciation thread" for Wes Dodds.

Whether you were introduced to him as the Golden Age character The Sandman through reprints of old stories or his appearances back in those annual JLA / JSA team-ups


or if you first read about him in the Vertigo series Sandman Mystery Theatre


this is the thread to discuss a classic character DC needs to bring back!

[MajorHoy]

I first encountered the character in Justice League of America #101, way back in 1972.



After that, there were several reprints of his Golden Age stories in some DC comic books, as well as other JLA/JSA team-ups.

[Robotman]

i still think he had one of the coolest looks. the gas mask and fedora made him look so odd and kinda creepy. not to mention the suit and cape. it's so sad that DC doesn't utilize this version of the character. i thought the pre-Flashpoint Sandman design was fantastic as well. it was like a mix of the Golden Age and Neil Gaiman's version.

[AJpyro]

I managed to read the scorpion and had a limited interaction with him in Xanadu and Sandman. His costume is awesome but the Scorpion didn't really get me.

[Lee Stone]

I love DC's pulp heroes like Sandman and Crimson Avenger.

It's a shame that the only time they make an effort with the genre is when they can secure the rights to the Shadow or the Spirit.

They have several mystery men of their own, including Sandman, Crimson Avenger, Hourman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Midnight and Tarantula, that they could be using, instead.

[Robotman]

I love DC's pulp heroes like Sandman and Crimson Avenger.

It's a shame that the only time they make an effort with the genre is when they can secure the rights to the Shadow or the Spirit.

They have several mystery men of their own, including Sandman, Crimson Avenger, Hourman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Midnight and Tarantula, that they could be using, instead.

did any of those characters appear in the short lived First Wave series?

[Lee Stone]

did any of those characters appear in the short lived First Wave series?

I don't believe so.
DC pretty much just ignored all of them.

Instead they used Batman and were going to introduce a new Black Canary (I don't know if she ever appeared, as I lost interest with all the delays).

[Güicho]

I love DC's pulp heroes like Sandman and Crimson Avenger.

It's a shame that the only time they make an effort with the genre is when they can secure the rights to the Shadow or the Spirit.

They have several mystery men of their own, including Sandman, Crimson Avenger, Hourman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Midnight and Tarantula, that they could be using, instead.

Agree!
Why license other companies pulp heroes, when they have their own they should be developing.

[MajorHoy]

I love DC's pulp heroes like Sandman and Crimson Avenger.

It's a shame that the only time they make an effort with the genre is when they can secure the rights to the Shadow or the Spirit.

They have several mystery men of their own, including Sandman, Crimson Avenger, Hourman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Midnight and Tarantula, that they could be using, instead.

They seem to have a female Tarantula showing up in Green Arrow now.

Agree!
Why license other companies pulp heroes, when they have their own they should be developing.

Better name recognition among potential readers not already familiar with DC's rich 75+ year history?

(Of course, DC often seems loathe to recognize its own history. Maybe they're afraid that people won't read Batman if they actually realize he was possibly around before their parents or grandparents were even born? )

NOTE: In my case, however, Batman first appeared when my Mom was nearly nine years old.

[OBrianTallent]

I absolutely loved Sandman Mystery Theater but didn't get to finish the series and even had to sell what I did have. Did DC collect the entire series in trade?

[FanboyStranger]

I absolutely loved Sandman Mystery Theater but didn't get to finish the series and even had to sell what I did have. Did DC collect the entire series in trade?

No, they didn't. Whenever we complain about series that haven't been (fully) collected, the first two posts are always about Sandman Mystery Theatre and Shade, the Changing Man. Always.

[Lee Stone]

I absolutely loved Sandman Mystery Theater but didn't get to finish the series and even had to sell what I did have. Did DC collect the entire series in trade?

As FanboyStranger said, they still haven't collected them in trade paperback.
However all the issues, except for the Annual, are available on Comixology.

[andersonh1]

Count me in as a fan of the Sandman. I didn't care for Sandman Mystery Theatre, but I like the character himself, and his Golden Age stories. Note that he has the "wirepoon", the gas propelled grappling hook/line gun, decades before it became a standard part of Batman's arsenal. His costume stands out as practical and very different than the standard super-hero costume. He's actually wearing real clothes and the gas mask keeps him from succumbing to his sleeping gas attacks on the crooks, so it's not just to hide his identity. It's a darn sight better at doing that than a domino mask would be!

He's a Batman clone (but a good one) and feels like a completely different character when he switches to the purple and yellow costume, and he remains readable thanks to Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, but I prefer the gas mask, suit and fedora stories.

[MajorHoy]

I absolutely loved Sandman Mystery Theater but didn't get to finish the series and even had to sell what I did have. Did DC collect the entire series in trade?

As I just posted in another thread,

As for the more recent Sandman Mystery Theatre trade paperbacks, Book One came out in June of 2016; Book Two was released at the end of 2016; and amazon.com shows that a Book Three is planned for release this June?

We'll have to wait and see if they continue with these beyond where the previous tpb collection ended.

[Stingo]

As I just posted in another thread, We'll have to wait and see if they continue with these beyond where the previous tpb collection ended.

I am in hopes that one fine day, DC might go ahead and finish up their Archive collection of the Golden Age Sandman with a volume two...The Simon and Kirby run on Sandman deserves a solid and classy reproduction. Plus, there are still a few more of the gas mask era adventures of the character that has not yet seen the light of day.