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Post by chadwilliam on Jun 12, 2024 20:57:36 GMT -5
Adventure Comics #45 (December 1939) "The Golden Gusher"
Author: Gardner Fox Artist: Creig Flessel "The Sandman has become known to the police and the underworld alike as a desperate man who stops at nothing to bring about justice! By many tongues he has been represented to the police as the worst criminal of all - yet he never committed a crime!" 
Synopsis: Gloria Gordon, famed singer who performs at a "gay mid-town nite-club" under the moniker of The Golden Gusher, has been receiving threats indicating that kidnappers are out to get her. It is on this premise that The Sandman visits her dressing room and conceals himself inside. However, things aren't exactly they seem. Gordon's agent, John Rendle has been sending the threats himself while working in tandem with the singer. You see, when the singer explains to her manager, Charley Jones the danger she is supposedly in, Rendle is able to negotiate some extra cash under the pretense of "sav[ing] her". It is while he hides in Gordon's room that The Sandman overhears their complicity in this matter. As Rendle gloats to The Golden Gusher: "I took out insurance against your being kidnapped to-day. I'll get the ransom from Charley and a nice roll for getting you safely back!"
Ironically, the fake plot to kidnap Gloria Gordon becomes a real one when that's just what The Sandman does. Stepping from his place of hiding, the mystery man gases the pair of conspirators, leaves a sprinkling of sand on top of the unconscious form of Rendle - "Just in case they try to blame someone else!" - and departs with Gordon in tow. When she regains consciousness it is inside The Sandman's countryside hideout. He asks if she's willing to confess to her scheme. "Never - you fool! Who are you?"
A further sprinkling of sand later and our hero's identity is settled. "Sand - it's sand. You're - The - Sandman! Oh -"
Gordon still refuses to talk. Instructing his faithful oriental sidekick, Toki - who up until this very moment never existed but whose casual introduction here is handled so matter-of-factly that any new reader would almost certainly have to assume that he's been at our hero's side from Day One (and whom I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of from here on out) - to: "Take care of her. No rough stuff - unless she tries to escape. I have to break this racket against insurance companies or my pal Doug Nye is going to lose his job!"
Who's Doug Nye? Well technically, he's Wesley Dodds friend and not The Sandman's. Filling an unspecified but presumably high enough ranking role in the police department that he's been tasked with solving the disappearance of Gloria Gordon, a cynical Doug Nye meets with Dodds and expresses his frustration when the young playboy suggests that he prove that the singer was not kidnapped. "How? It's useless, Wes. Didn't Rendle tell the papers The Sandman kidnapped her?"
Countering that The Sandman may instead be "trying to help you", Dodds succeeds in raising his friend's spirits somewhat and the two depart with Nye a little more hopeful that things will turn out alright. To that end, Dodds pays Rendle a visit at the nite-club where he unexpectedly finds Charley Jones dead.  Rifling his safe, our hero comes across a diary which reveals that Gloria Gordon is actually Gloria Rendle (as in Rendle's wife) and now heads her agent/husband's home. When he arrives, a startled Rendle cries out. "You - where is Gloria"
In no mood to answer questions, The Sandman demands that Rendle, "sign this paper freeing me of any liability as to the kidnapper of your wife - I'll return her safely inside twenty-four hours!"  Rendle agrees, The Sandman returns to his hideout, retrieves Gloria Gordon, and drops her off at home. A phone call is placed to Doug Nye informing him of these developments and it isn't lonbefore the policeman pays another visit to Wesley Dodds with news which comes as a surprise to his alter ego. "I got a call from The Sandman saying Gloria Gordon had been returned home safely. I called Rendle to verify it - and he denies the whole thing!"
Predicting that Nye is in store for "the surprise of your life", Dodds departs after learning where and when the ransom money - coming from Nye's "company" but now in Rendle's possession - will be paid. I'll admit that I don't understand what "company" is being referred to here since Nye is a police officer - does he mean some police fund? It would help to know just what sort of demand has been sent - presumably from Rendle impersonating The Sandman - and why Nye's company is the one paying it - do kidnappers usually send ransom notes directly to the police demanding that they fork over the dough as opposed to the victim's family, for instance? Regardless, The Sandman spends thirty minutes hanging around the drop-off spot before determining that Rendle isn't going to show with the cash. "I've waited long enough. So Rendle didn't come after all - that confirms my suspicions!" Our hero heads to Rendle's nightclub which he finds heavily guarded by goons and and at least one policeman alike. His gas gun makes short work of the lot of them after which point The Sandman helps himself to Rendle's telephone.
"Doug Nye? Get a couple of police men and meet me at Pier 7 of the Furrow line - tonight - if you want to get your money back".
When The Sandman meets with Nye and the police, he assumes that they're at a truce - why he assumes this I don't know - and the police agree - again, I have no idea why.  Anyhow, they let The Sandman walk up the gangplank to a departing ship, he races into room H22 (pointed out to him by a steward) and gets a crack on the skull for his troubles courtesy of Rendle. Gloria watches over the comatose crimefighter as Rendle susses out his situation. Spying the police he decides that his wife can look after herself as he readies to leap overboard. Thankfully, The Sandman has come to and gives chase. Grabbing Rendle and handing him over to the authorities, he supplies as much of an explanation as we're going to get. "This man thought up the idea of fleecing insurance companies by having Gloria kidnapped - after he insured her heavily against it. He sent her threatening notes as a build-up to get Charley Jones to pay him for stopping this kidnap. - But Charley caught on He knew Rendle married Gloria so as a wife she could not testify against him. - He discovered what Rendle was doing so Rendle shot and killed him. I kidnapped Gloria to forestall Rendle. - Of course he couldn't pull another kidnap right away so he had to say I hadn't returned her but he signed a release to me and a receipt for her so you have his signature on that."
Announcing that the truce is over, The Sandman departs. The following day, Doug Nye compliments The Sandman for his efforts and announces that he's received a promotion. 
Thoughts: A lot which I don't understand about this one. If Charley Jones was best man at John Rendle and Gloria Gordon's wedding - which according to his old diary he was - why is he only now figuring out their little racket? What changed to make him go from being a convenient rube in the eyes of The Rendles to being a dead man who knew too much? Is Gloria part of this scheme? The Sandman's explanation would seem to imply if not outright state that John Rendle is behind everything but she certainly talks and acts like an accomplice. The whole "a wife can't be made to testify against her husband" bit - does that mean that if Bonnie and Clyde had been arrested, Bonnie couldn't have been made to take the stand when put on trial? Again, why is Doug Nye paying the ransom - is that what policemen do? The Sandman whets Nye's appetite for a truce by tempting him with the chance to "get your money back" when he phones him so I guess so. And what's up with that truce anyway? Aren't they under the impression that The Sandman is Gordon's kidnapper? I mean, didn't he intentionally leave sand behind at the site of her kidnapping specifically so no one else would get the blame? Didn't he admit - or at least heavily imply - in his first phone call to Nye that he kidnapped her? Even before this episode he was considered a criminal - what's with being given carte blanche to do what he wants as the police take a step back? How did The Sandman know that Rendle was at that pier? And who the Hell is Toki? He's never appeared before, never been mentioned before, he's neither there to greet The Sandman as far as we can tell or take part in his initial interrogation of Gloria Gordon-Rendle until suddenly The Sandman turns and addresses him as if he's never left his side. It feels like a Family Guy cutaway gag or something. It's very weird. ah, there's probably more but I'm getting irritated enough. I get the gist of this one - there are no ideas here which I'd consider elaborate - so it's frustrating that such a paint-by-numbers entry should forget to supply so many of the numbers - surely something this basic shouldn't be this tiring to think about, should it? I did smirk at the opening narrative shorthand description we got about The Sandman in this one. "He has been represented to the police as the worst criminal of all - yet he never committed a crime!" This is a variation on the description given in his World's Fair debut (and an outline not that far removed from The Green Hornet's schtick) and there, I'm willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. In fact, I'd be willing to overlook the crimes we do see him commit if Fox has his heart set on using this claim on a regular basis so long as those crimes are limited to, say, stealing plans which were stolen from him or breaking into a house to locate a missing girl or gassing a policeman to catch a killer, but ramming The Face head-on with his car in the previous issue while screaming "NO MERCY!"? The Sandman: Yes, breaking and entering is a crime, but it was a crime I had to commit in order to save a life! Who amongst you, badge or no badge, would have acted differently in my shoes? The police: Well... perhaps there is something in what you're saying, Mr. Sandman. In fact... wait a minute... is that The Face's head you're using as a hood ornament? The Sandman: ...maybe? ehhh, some rewording might be in order. Once again, we get a close associate of Wesley Dodds making an appearance while serving in a capacity which you would think would make him a shoe-in for a regular slot in the feature in the form of Doug Nye but I'm going to go out on a limb and bet that he won't be reappearing anyway again. Actually, Toki too seems like Fox has decided that The Sandman needs his own Kato to aid him in his pursuit of justice, but there too - another character readymade to return again and again and again who I'm certain we'll also never see again. What is with all these appearing and disappearing supporting characters? Gardner Fox would have been contributing to Batman at this time as well as Zatara as well as some lesser known features - is he simply unable to keep track of what he's doing from one story to the next even at this relatively early period? I mean, wouldn't he soon be writing every story over in All-Star Comics? Is it possible that he comes up with these side characters for The Sandman fully intending to use them again only to lose track of them within an ever increasing workload? Or perhaps it's just that none of these characters are exciting enough to not want to better with someone else in the next installment. I wonder if a writer has ever introduced a supporting or minor character in one strip only to use them again but in another without intending to. Not that I'm expecting it to happen here - it's just something that I wonder. So, an adequate entry in the chronicles of The Sandman - more of a filler and of a much higher quality than the ones supplied previously by Bert Christman, but still, filler nonetheless. oh, and "The Golden Gusher" is a terrible name for a singer. Or anything, really. Up Next: "The Sandman Meets With Murder!" I'm sure that's supposed to read "The Sandman and Toki Meets With Murder!"
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 13, 2024 1:03:05 GMT -5
A "queer errand" at a "gay nightclub;" my, how times have changed.  |
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 13, 2024 3:55:46 GMT -5
The presence of Toki makes me wonder if this was a repurposed Crimson Avenger script. This story hit the stands during the period CA was absent from Detective (#28-36), so there could've been a leftover manuscript from the Jim Chambers run that Fox was asked to rework into a Sandman episode. That might explain some of the story's incoherence.
Cei-U!
I summon the working theory!
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Post by MWGallaher on Jun 13, 2024 16:38:55 GMT -5
The presence of Toki makes me wonder if this was a repurposed Crimson Avenger script. This story hit the stands during the period CA was absent from Detective (#28-36), so there could've been a leftover manuscript from the Jim Chambers run that Fox was asked to rework into a Sandman episode. That might explain some of the story's incoherence. Cei-U! I summon the working theory! Sounds plausible to me. In fact, maybe all three of the immediately post-Christman stories were revised scripts intended for the Crimson Avenger. There's an inordinate amount of panels devoted to motoring (with The Crimson's chauffeur sidekick and fancy Black Beauty-esque car, those tended to be prominent in his stories), and the similarity in their primary gimmicks would make swapping the lead characters easy. Maybe they decided that two Green Hornet clones were too much, and settled on the Sandman as the stronger concept, halting The Crimson's run in favor of Batman. The Sandman feature stabilizes with a real supporting cast after that; perhaps that's when the Crimson Avenger scripts were used up and Fox got serious about establishing Sandman properly? The JSA was still a year away, so I wouldn't think that would have factored into dialing down on the "wanted by the police" angle, but once they did dial that down, Crimson Avenger might have seemed feasible to reinstate. |
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 13, 2024 18:16:20 GMT -5
The presence of Toki makes me wonder if this was a repurposed Crimson Avenger script. This story hit the stands during the period CA was absent from Detective (#28-36), so there could've been a leftover manuscript from the Jim Chambers run that Fox was asked to rework into a Sandman episode. That might explain some of the story's incoherence. Cei-U! I summon the working theory! Sounds plausible to me. In fact, maybe all three of the immediately post-Christman stories were revised scripts intended for the Crimson Avenger. There's an inordinate amount of panels devoted to motoring (with The Crimson's chauffeur sidekick and fancy Black Beauty-esque car, those tended to be prominent in his stories), and the similarity in their primary gimmicks would make swapping the lead characters easy. Maybe they decided that two Green Hornet clones were too much, and settled on the Sandman as the stronger concept, halting The Crimson's run in favor of Batman. The Sandman feature stabilizes with a real supporting cast after that; perhaps that's when the Crimson Avenger scripts were used up and Fox got serious about establishing Sandman properly? The JSA was still a year away, so I wouldn't think that would have factored into dialing down on the "wanted by the police" angle, but once they did dial that down, Crimson Avenger might have seemed feasible to reinstate. That makes sense. It's in the fourth post-Christman story that Fox introduces Dian Belmont and her DA father, characters who remain with the series until the purple-and-gold era starts.
Cei-U! I summon the affirmation!
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Post by chadwilliam on Jun 13, 2024 19:57:01 GMT -5
I just want to extend a hearty thank you to Cei-U!, MWGallaher, and CodyStarbuck for their greatly appreciated contributions made to this thread thus far.
I feel like Wesley's friend, Tom in that Adventure #40 tale - "Three Sandmen I've never heard of! A longtime faithful assistant I've never seen before! A mystery man who doesn't know if he's coming or going! If only we had a master sleuth - a Philo Vance!"
I summon the three Philo Vance's!
Thanks guys!
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Post by MWGallaher on Jun 13, 2024 20:20:59 GMT -5
Sounds plausible to me. In fact, maybe all three of the immediately post-Christman stories were revised scripts intended for the Crimson Avenger. There's an inordinate amount of panels devoted to motoring (with The Crimson's chauffeur sidekick and fancy Black Beauty-esque car, those tended to be prominent in his stories), and the similarity in their primary gimmicks would make swapping the lead characters easy. Maybe they decided that two Green Hornet clones were too much, and settled on the Sandman as the stronger concept, halting The Crimson's run in favor of Batman. The Sandman feature stabilizes with a real supporting cast after that; perhaps that's when the Crimson Avenger scripts were used up and Fox got serious about establishing Sandman properly? The JSA was still a year away, so I wouldn't think that would have factored into dialing down on the "wanted by the police" angle, but once they did dial that down, Crimson Avenger might have seemed feasible to reinstate. That makes sense. It's in the fourth post-Christman story that Fox introduces Dian Belmont and her DA father, characters who remain with the series until the purple-and-gold era starts. Cei-U! I summon the affirmation!
And to clarify the point I think I failed to make, taking away the Sandman's criminal reputation was necessary for him to be acceptable as a founding JSA member, leaving the Crimson free to take back up the mantle of National's straight-up Green Hornet clone, at least for a few months, before he and Wing became Batman and Robin clones (as did, of course, Sandman and Sandy). |
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Post by chadwilliam on Jun 16, 2024 13:22:09 GMT -5
Adventure Comics #46 (January 1940) "The Sandman Meets With Murder"
Author: Gardner Fox Artist: Ogden Whitney Cover: Creig Flessel "Wesley Dodds, wealthy socialite, has set himself the task of bringing to the poor and oppressed, and to those whom justice visits rarely, the security afforded by punishment meted out to those who deserve it. He has become already a legendary figure called The Sandman..."
 Synopsis: Idling whiling away the hours with an old college friend, Wesley Dodds is brought up to date on the recent good fortunes their old friend, Charley Hall. As Dodds' companion, Dud Jones informs him: "He met some girl - with the yellowist hair you ever laid eyes on, and she made him buckle down to serious work. Funny how a girl can make a ne'er-do-well turn miracle man!"
Elaborating that Hall meet this girl "a year or two ago", he's since become an accomplished oil painter making a handsome living in advertising. The two decide to pay old, Charley Hall a visit at his penthouse. Receiving no response when they arrive at his door, Dodds suggests that their friend has gone out for the evening. Bidding adieu to Dud, the two men part and The Sandman returns to Hall's apartment for while standing at his doorstep, Dodds had spotted blood seeping from beneath the door. "This is a matter for The Sandman - not for Dud Jones and Wesley Dodds."
Gaining entrance to Hall's room, our hero switches on the lights and discovers his prostrate form stretching before the floor with a knife sticking from his back. Before he can investigate further, the door begins to open and The Sandman dives for cover behind a couch.  A woman enters with a gun in hand and - pausing to remark on how odd it is that the lights are on (something which Dodds will chide himself for in a moment) - extracts the knife and departs. Deciding to continue his investigation rather than give chase, our mystery man enters a locked room and things start making a whole lot of less sense. What The Sandman finds is another dead body - this one laying upon a bed - this one, the dead body of the girl he has seen just leave the apartment. "What! The girl with the gun! It can't be."
Preparing to leave, The Sandman is interrupted by the return of the girl who just had moments ago left and draws his gas gun as she takes aim. Overcome by the fumes, the girl is rendered unconscious and awakens one hour later attributing the experience to a dream.  But what might seem like a lucky break to the girl is actually a ploy of The Sandman's to watch what she does now that she believes she's alone. Watching from a hidden vantage point as she searches for and locates a cigarette ad drawn by Hall, The Sandman pursue the girl stopping long enough to encounter a policeman arriving at the scene of a reported murder. "I'm sorry, officer! But that murder is what I'm following up and I can't have you interfering with me!"
The officer is gassed and so too are his comrades who follow close behind. In spite of the delay, The Sandman manages to continue his pursuit and manages to remain out of sight as his quarry enters a cigar shop. Identifying herself to the proprietor as "Nora - from The Coin", the girl is handed a bag and takes her leave just in time to come face to face once more with our hero. "What - oh - the man of my dreams!"
Forcing her into his automobile, The Sandman lays out his terms. "I won't turn you over to the police if you won't talk. But I may have other methods that are not as pleasant, even as that! Come now – now what's the game?"
Bold talk for a masked man who is about to have to explain to a passing police officer why the girl in his car has just blown his car horn to attract his attention. Explaining that he and his girl friend are off to a masquerade party and the horn blowing was part of a dare, The Sandman is taken aback when the captive girl doesn't take advantage of the situation by discrediting his alibi. When pressed as to why she didn't, she offers this explanation: "I've changed my mind about you."
Requesting The Sandman's help - which he agrees to - Nora tells all. "I'm Nora Luftus, twin sister of Dora who married Charley Hall. I'm trying to get away from a gang that ran counterfeit money. They've blackmailed me until they got me to do what they wanted - watch the ads that Charley Hall drew for the Delanel people and go pick up the hot money where his ads said. When I found out the gang put the finger on Charley to-night I got panicky. I fired at you, figuring you might be The Coin - the head of the gang. But I guess I was wrong I didn't know until just now. Maybe it was my intuition." The Sandman drops Nora off at her home and takes over from here. It is he who makes the drop at the designated spot - "Nora couldn't come and sent me instead" - and hands the package over to a man dressed in women's clothing (I'm guessing that this is supposed to be a disguise of some sort, but it's really unconvincing). Following the man into his hideout, The Sandman demands to know the whereabouts of The Coin. Startled, the crook reveals that The Sandman is looking at him. After a brief struggle which culminates with the man-hag's gun going off when inconveniently pressed against his side, our hero recognizes his opponent as none other than Dudley Jones. "You know me-? How - oh, well, I'll tell. I got Charley Hall when he was down and out and staked him. He drew samples of money for me and I had plates made. Dora fell for him, and tried to get him away from my influence. I - I had to kill them both to-night. I was going to do for Nora too - but you came instead!"
Uttering a rather feeble apology and half-hearted request that The Sandman take care of Nora, Jones succumbs to his injuries. The story ends with The Sandman considering the strange twist of fate which saw Jones' decision to bring Wesley Dodds to Hall's penthouse to establish an alibi for himself as the moment when he sealed his doom by inviting The Sandman into the mix. 
Thoughts: Wesley Dodds' school reunions must really be something. "Say, Wes - you ever hear from Billy Winslow, these days?" "'Fraid not. He was murdered by The Face about a month back!" "Gee, that's terrible! Hey, is that Charley Hall over there?" "Not unless he's wearing a set of wings - killed by The Coin last week!" "That's horrible! You, him, and Dud Jones used to be thick as thieves from what I can recall!" "Speaking of Dudley..." It feels kind of right somehow. In Wesley Dodds' world you're either a villain or, well, The Sandman - and there's something shady about that guy too. Of course, that's just wild speculation on my part, since The Sandman seems to be one of those few heroes to never get an origin this side of Crisis, does he? A check online reveals that Roy Thomas will supply one in Secret Origins vol. 2 #7 (Thanks Chaykinstevens) in 1986, but, well, that's 1986. It doesn't really matter - in fact, there's something pure about not knowing since any origin would likely dilute what we already know - that Wesley Dodds is The Sandman because the world needs The Sandman - good enough. But is " The Sandman Meets With Murder" good enough? I think so. The Sandman has a casual rapport with Nora Luftus who, like the crimefighter himself, seems to be playing both sides of the fence. In their personal interactions, the two are clearly playing a game involving much higher stakes than The Sandman's gambled with before. So far, he generally leaps into the room, gases his opponent, and makes his getaway. Here however, The Sandman finds himself in a shootout the moment the pair meet. After that, he's uncharacteristically resorting to threats of torture - "I may have other methods that are not as pleasant" - only to discover that Luftus can play just as dirty - using the horn of his own car to summon a policeman. One gets the feeling that The Sandman is in charge only because she allows him to be. Even her sarcastic "The man of my dreams!" greeting to the mystery man is a nicely memorable one. I like this character a lot but, well, a certain Dian Belmont is poised to make her debut in the very next issue so I guess that it's farewell to Nora Luftus (a name which, admittedly, doesn't exactly roll off the tongue). Perhaps I'd regret her departure more if I didn't suspect that Nora Luftus with her criminal tendencies is a prototype for Dian Belmont who, as we'll see next issue, comes from some rather unsavory stock herself. Speaking of introductions, Ogden Whitney takes over from Creig Flessel as artist for this series at least for the next few installments. Although the transition looks smooth to my eyes, I will say that the one issue I have with Flessel's interior work is the cartoonish way in which The Sandman sometimes moves.  This 2003 sketch obviously isn't from any story (or even the same century) as I'll be looking at in this thread, but sort of illustrates what I mean. It's a great image, but that sort of 'running without the feet touching the ground while hunched over' looks a little too dynamic for the strip. Yeah, I know, "too dynamic" - what a complaint. It's kind of like watching an old movie serial and suddenly the hero's jaw gets a little stronger looking, his shoulders a little more broad, his paunch disappears and you realize that the stunt man has taken over. I kind of prefer a Sandman whose shoulders aren't quite up to the task of breaking down doors so he has to whip out his screwdriver; who doesn't trust his fist to be capable enough to knock someone out with a single blow so he needs to step back and discharge his gas gun. Not that Whitney's Sandman is in any way weak, but that he's bound by the same laws of gravity and endurance as the rest of us. And if I'm going to criticize Flessel then I certainly better point out that once again, his cover for this issue screams "Iconic!" (in fact, it was repurposed for the cover of The Sandman Archives Vol.1). Show this to anyone and I'll bet they'll want to know more about this guy in the gasmask. Random observation: The Sandman comes across a locked room in Hall's apartment. He doesn't pick the lock nor does he break it down. Instead, he methodically unscrews the door from its hinges and gains entry that way. I like this. He isn't a muscleman (in fact, have we even seen him throw a punch yet?) and I suppose picking a lock isn't outside the realm of possibilities for someone willing to develop a knack for it, but unscrewing a door? What a simple idea but how many of us would even consider it? I like it! I can't say that The Coin strikes me as much of a villain. That he has to act as his own henchwoman makes him look like someone who doesn't know how to properly put a gang together and a counterfeiting ring based around cigarette ads? eh - it's kind of feeble. Certainly not the type of plot The Sandman's going to be recounting at future JSA meetings, I'll wager. Up Next: A status quo begins to form. |
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Post by chadwilliam on Jun 18, 2024 20:20:04 GMT -5
Adventure Comics #47 (February 1940) "Lady in Evening Clothes" Author: Gardner Fox Artist: Ogden Whitney Cover: Creig Flessel  Synopsis: When a trail of sand falls upon his desk, District Attorney Belmont looks up towards the skylight overlooking his office to see: "The Sandman! What do you want here?"
Announcing that he wishes to form a truce in the name of banker Anson Port whose murder both he and Belmont are seeking to avenge, our hero enters the room careful to keep his infamous gas gun trained on the DA as he explains his interest in the matter. "He was my friend. That's why I'm so interested that his murderer should not escape. You lost the bullet that killed him - I have that bullet!"
Producing said clue, Belmont agrees to have the projectile tested though from what his keen eyes detect, he already suspect that the bullet comes from a "Corson repeater". The Sandman takes his leave but that evening finds that the sleep which he has bequeathed to so many, eludes him. As Wesley Dodds tosses and turns in bed, he hears the presence of another in the next room over. Less confident in the middle of the night than he is in the cold light of day that the safe in that room can "fool even the best safe-cracker" and concerned that should one breach the strongbox they'll uncover The Sandman outfit contained therein, Dodds investigates. Upon finding a shadowy figure lurking through the room, the playboy tackles and clocks the intruder. Switching on the lights, the man of action is mortified to discover just whom he's struck. "Well I'll be hanged! A girl!"
When the girl revives, the woman-beater apologizes but presses her for an explanation. "My name is Diana Ware. I'm here because Black Trent made me come. He told me if I opened your safe he'd tell me who my father is. You see, I don't know my parents – I was brought up by Slick Deacon, the best safe-cracker in the business. I have a reputation for opening tough safes, I'm known as the 'Lady in Evening Clothes.'"
Offering Ware the chance to prove her talents by opening his safe - "only you mustn't look within it!" - the girl happily obliges. "There you are and - I didn't look - Mr. Sandman!" Stupid enough to pull such a reckless stunt yet savvy enough to understand the implications of handing his secret identity over to a criminal, Dodds acknowledges that his freedom is now is Diana's hands.
"You know me! You can go to the police yourself, now! You have courage I'll admit. How do you know I won't kill you?""How do you know I won't kill you?" Way to garner sympathy there Dodds. Confessing that she came here as much through coercion as interest in securing Dodds' help, the safe-cracker strikes a bargain with The Sandman - help her find her father and she'll assist him in rounding up Trent and his men. Dodds readily agrees. .jpg) Deciding that enough time has passed for Belmont to have gathered the results of his test, The Sandman pays a visit to the D.A. whose conscience prevents him from divulging any of his secrets. That earns him a gassing. When Ware attempts to open the safe at our hero's request, she finds herself interrupted by two of Trent's men. "Trigger - The Sandman! Get him!" It isn't his finest moment - diving through the window to save his own skin leaving Diana alone with the goons - but The Sandman at least recognizes the jeopardy he's placed the girl in. "I can't leave Dian in there. I've got to get back!"
In the meantime, Ware complies with the thugs' demand that she open the safe and retrieve Belmont's report which incriminates the one of them who goes by the moniker of "Trigger". Confirming her guess that it is he whom the report incriminates as having killed Anson Port, Trigger prepares to destroy the file when The Sandman re-enters the scene. "I'll trouble you for that report, Trigger."
Though wounded in the shoot-out which follows, The Sandman nevertheless manages to render the crooks and Dian unconscious thanks to his trusty gas gun. Struggling to carry Dian to his automobile against the pain his injury has inflicted upon him, The Sandman crashes his vehicle as he effects his escape. It is several hours later when a farmer comes upon the wreckage in his field. This time, Dian Ware comes to the rescue. "Oh - where - hello! He - he's my husband. We're coming home from a masquerade. Will you help me with him? We were held up. I fainted." A week later, Dodds and Ware leave the farm extending their thanks to their hospitable host his and wife. During their stay, it seems that Trigger's little escapade over at Police HQ has netted him a stay in jail. The Sandman learns of this development when he decides to eavesdrop on Black Trent who just so happens to be discussing the matter with one of his mouthpieces at the time of our hero's arrival. Agreeing to pay the $1,000 bond required to secure Trigger's release, Trent reveals that his intentions aren't as charitable as this gesture might indicate. "I'll have Louie the Gat go after him and take him for a lovely ride! Trigger knows too much".
Once his lawyer leaves, The Sandman takes his place, curious as to why Trent would be so eager to do away with his henchman. "How come you're afraid of what Trigger might spill, Blackie? Are you implicated in Anson Port's murder?"
This time, the shoot-out which generally ensues when The Sandman barges in on a hoodlum like this doesn't end badly for our man of action. Gassing his adversary before he can draw a bead on the outlaw-man, The Sandman rifles Trent's desk and locates some papers he deems "interesting!" From there, it's off to the city jail where The Sandman springs Trigger (following an amusing interlude when he gasses an already sleeping guard) and then off to D.A. Belmont's palatial estate. Barging into his home, The Sandman not proclaims Trigger guilty of Port's murder at the orders of Black Trent's, but pulls out the papers he took from the crimelord's desk containing, "a list of men that Black Bill ordered Trigger to get. Also a full account of all of Black Bill's various rackets." Agreeing that the documents are as incriminating as the masked man claims, all that Belmont has left to do is summon the trio of armed policeman from behind a curtain to arrest the vigilante. "One wrong move and it will be your last, Sandman! We've got you now and we're not going to let you go!"
Before our hero can respond, Dian acts. Pulling a gun which she directs at Belmont's back, she promises to shoot should any action be taken against the hero.  The standoff is broken when The Sandman suggests that he be left alone with Belmont and Dian so that the pair can discuss a matter pertaining to Chicago's Falton House. The District Attorney's ears perk up at the mention of this locale. "That's where I was married! And where my enemies shot my wife and killed my baby daughter!"
Agreeing to hear the crimefighter out, Belmont listens as The Sandman reveals that another of Black Trent's possessions which he absconded with that night was Slick Deacon's diary. Revealed within the book is an admission that Deacon personally saw to it that no harm came to Belmont's daughter when his gang kidnapped her in an attempt to coerce the D.A. into cooperating with them. Immediately, realization dawns upon both Belmont's and Ware's faces. Dian: Oh - oh daddy! D.A. Belmont: I see the resemblance of course! I should have noticed - but it was so long ago. And that mole on your shoulder, that is the final proof! A friendship is hereby established between the grateful D.A. - who orders his men to leave and promises The Sandman that "my house and Dian's is always yours!" - and our hero who nevertheless suggests the precaution of "spray[ing] you with my gas-gun. We must keep up appearances, you know!" before he departs. Or perhaps he just didn't want Belmont to see him unmask and kiss and daughter who promises, "you haven't seen the last of me - my adorable Sandman!" And with that, Dian Belmont is welcomed into the series.  Thoughts: With the introduction of Dian Belmont and her father the District Attorney, The Sandman acquires his first supporting cast. While the addition of a District Attorney who plays both sides of the fence and his daughter Dian with her rather seedy upbringing care of Slick Deacon offers tremendous possibilities, I'm skeptical as to how thoroughly these depths will be plumbed. As MWGallaher has remarked, "taking away The Sandman's criminal reputation was necessary for him to be acceptable as a founding JSA member". JSA or no JSA, DC was inevitably going to tone down the rawer elements of this feature down as sure as they did for the rest of their stable, but I'm nevertheless somewhat surprised to see how much of it has managed to make it this far. The Sandman slugging Dian when tackling her would have sufficed; breaking a killer out of prison and bringing him into the home of The DA when documents alone would have done the trick; Dian pointing a gun at her father's back and assuring him that she intends to "shoot to kill" - I can't imagine that we'll be seeing the likes of these ideas for very much longer. One of the benefits of starting a thread on a series which began so early on, I suppose. "Sand! Where could it come from? Sand - The Sandman!"
A rather clumsy opening dialogue wise. "My ears! A sound! A wood sound! The door! Someone must be at the door!" Fox is really trying to sell us on The Sandman's usage of sand as his calling card. It works, I suppose - certainly if you're going to be sneaking up on people who might be high-strung and armed, a subtle forewarning is called for - but I can't imagine that kids were responding as enthusiastically to the idea as Fox had wished. Perhaps he was hoping that the series would take off and he could start selling envelopes of sand "Direct from The Sandman's Vault!" to kids for $1.00 each or something. Are we really going to have to wait until Mystery Theatre for him to start leaving poems behind instead? Those I liked. And I like D.A. Belmont as well. He really does play The Sandman in this story, doesn't he? The Sandman asks for his word before entering his office that he'll "make no hostile moves against me" and Belmont sidesteps the request entirely to avoid being held to any promises he doesn't feel like keeping. When supplied with the bullet which killed Anson Port, Belmont's manner certainly seems to suggest that he's agreeing to some sort of truce with the outlaw, but when the time comes to divulge what he's learned he simply refuses. No wonder Dodds is so eager to gas him once more at tale's end. Or perhaps, like I supposed above, our hero just wanted some alone time with Dian Belmont. We're still in that period when women were allowed to have a little spunk in comics and to paraphrase Lou Grant, "I love spunk!" Despite the gunplay and the safecracking, Dian Belmont doesn't have quite the bite Nora Luftus displayed so amply last issue. Furthermore, through the debt she now owes to The Sandman, it's difficult to not consider her somewhat tamed by the experience they shared in this episode. I hope I'm wrong on that point since the idea of a girlfriend who goes out on patrols with her boyfriend crimefighter appeals a lot more to me than the domesticated love interest. Siegel and Shuster tried to have Lois Lane learn Superman's identity so that the two could be partners, but the idea was unfortunately nixed in favour of maintaining the status quo. Hopefully, a less popular series such as this one can sneak such an idea through. Again, another Sandman exploit which presents our hero's war against injustice as as much a thrilling adventure as it does cautionary tale. Sometimes the bad guy draws faster even when you draw first. Sometimes the bullet you take to the shoulder can threaten your life. Sometimes when faced with a pair of armed hoodlums you have to run for dear life. In fact, I suspect that the punch he delivers to Dian is the first one he throws at anyone so far (though it might be implied during his "struggle" with The Coin last issue) - another concession to reality superhero comics don't often make. Less believable is Wesley Dodds letting an intruder have a go at his safe and trusting them not to peek inside. Why he thought Dian wouldn't spot his Sandman outfit is beyond me - are we supposed to believe he actually wanted her to find it in a moment of reckless whimsy? Maybe we were - he's an odd guy alright. Alright, that's all I've got for this one.  |
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Post by Cei-U! on Jun 19, 2024 2:45:55 GMT -5
Sandman doesn't start leaving poems (just one, actually) as his calling card until Simon & Kirby take over the strip... and even then, if memory serves, it only happens in a couple of episodes at most.
Cei-U!
I summon the minor gimmick!
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Post by chadwilliam on Jun 21, 2024 18:42:12 GMT -5
Adventure Comics #48 (March 1940) "Death to the D.A."
Author: Gardner Fox Artist: Ogden Whitney 
Synopsis: When D.A. Belmont begins receiving death threats from a gang of racketeers, his daughter Dian enlists the aid of The Sandman. Requesting his presence at a party held aboard her father's yacht, Dian arranges for our hero to conceal himself aboard ship so as to observe the guests as they arrive. Doctor Fulton and his wife Mae Trust board first with the medical man cautioning his companion with a warning of "Careful - Belmont may overhear us". Next to board is Judge Quick and "society widow" Mrs. Holt who exchange words about Quick "hav[ing] your orders". "Leave it to me", Holt mysteriously responds. And, well, there you have it - this is a ten page story so that's it for suspects I guess. Shortly thereafter, the elder Belmont finds himself conversing with Fulton with the pair overlooking the sea. When the doctor departs, a shadowy figures pushes the D.A. over the railings and into the murky waters below. Elsewhere, Dian chides The Sandman for coming on deck in full regalia, but when the mystery man hears her father's cries, has reason to forgive the lack of discretion. "It's your dad - get a rope to me -" Diving to Belmont's rescue, The Sandman carries the lawman back to the ship where along with Dian, explanations are made. With that out of the way, D.A. Belmont cuts the festivities short claiming that he's come down with a cold. Through a pair of binoculars, The Sandman watches the shore as the guests depart. From his vantage point he sees: "Somebody carrying a spade! The action has started"
Getting Dian, the pair watch as a man digs in the woods. When pressed as to what this might portend, The Sandman can only answer that he doesn't know. However, upon closer observation, it becomes clear that what the man has dug is a grave. Alarmed, The Sandman races off leaving Dian behind.  Arriving at Belmont's home, he finds the D.A. gone but a drugged drink confirms what he already suspects. "Drugs! A pretty scheme - to bury him alive!"
Returning to the woods, The Sandman discovers Doctor Fulton preparing to do just that. After gassing the attempted killer, our hero suggests that the medical man is acting in the capacity of stooge. "Somebody must have a weapon over you to make you sink this low!"
Taking the Belmont's home, The Sandman searches through Fulton's luggage where he discovers: "A note - that if the doctor doesn't find some clever way to kill your father - his secret will get out!"
As the District Attorney rests, The Sandman studies the typed responses Belmont received to his party hoping that by comparing the RSVPs to the threatening note, he'll be able to ascertain whether the same typewriter was responsible for any of those. What happens next, I just don't understand. "A strange appearance". That's the caption - "A strange appearance". Then, a man in a tuxedo staggers into the room clutching his bloodied chest. He then collapses onto a couch. "It was Judge Quick! He's gone to turn his gangsters loose!"
The Sandman and Dian then head to Belmont's yacht giving chase in a high-powered boat. I don't know who that guy was, who shot or stabbed him or whatever, or where he came from. It's not Belmont or Fulton - he's just some random guy, I guess. So.... yeah. Anyhow... The Sandman arrives aboard the yacht once again and gases Judge Quick. Searching his body, The Sandman locates a hidden pocket containing a letter with the same scent of perfume worn by Mrs. Holt. The pair race back to Belmont's worried that he's easy prey for the woman they've decided is behind all of this. Climbing through the window just in time to watch as Holt attempts to force the D.A. to sign some paper, The Sandman gases the fiendish vixen as Dian follows behind, her arrival delayed due to finding "Mae Trust ready to blow your brains out from below while you were climbing up. I hit her - sort of hard!" And, uh, that's end.  Thoughts: "As soon as I finish this drink, I want an explanation!"Either D.A. Belmont never finished that drink or polished off quite a few of them to be satisfied by whatever explanation there is to be found in this entry because I honestly have no idea what any of this was about. Belmont has been getting death threats, alright, fine. He's the district attorney, so that makes sense. Why from Mrs. Holt? Who is Mrs. Holt? What is Doctor Fulton's secret that gives her such power over him? Why does she want Belmont killed in "some clever way"? If that's her desire, why was Belmont pushed into the lake? That's not clever. Wait - does she want him dead? During the denouement, she's trying to get him to sign some paper - what's that paper? Mae Trust was "ready to blow your brains out"? I guess as Fulton's wife she was also involved, but in what capacity? Why was all this off camera? What was in that letter The Sandman found concealed in his coat? Am I the one who's been drinking? None of this makes any sense. Which is fine so long as the good guy makes sure to explain everything at the close of the episode, but instead we get D.A. Belmont complimenting The Sandman on his detective skills (what detective skills? His trick with the typewriter was clever but that came to nothing... I think) and The Sandman and Dian snuggling up together. The End. Did Fox not expect anyone to read this? Because if you skim the pages without lingering in one spot for too long, it has all the appearances of a detective story, but once you read it it's like someone's just pasted a bunch of random panels together from various Sandman stories to form an incohesive whole. So, yeah, there you go - those are my thoughts. Boy, was Gardner Fox ever asleep at the wheel for this one.
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Post by chadwilliam on Jun 23, 2024 17:32:50 GMT -5
 And a quick note to add that Adventure Comics #48 marks the introduction of Tick-Tock Tyler, The Hour-Man whose exploits were so wonderfully chronicled by MWGaller a little while back. classiccomics.org/thread/7664/hour-man-minute-month-yearSo going forward, if anyone's curious as to what other features this title contained during the course of these reviews, there you are. What does this mean for The Sandman though? Well, for one thing, it means that Wesley Dodds no longer owns the opening slot in this title and with the exception of issue #51 and #60 loses the cover to someone else - now, The Hour-Man; next The Starman - until issue #74 when he's already in his purple and yellow outfitted Simon and Kirby period starring alongside Sandy, The Golden Boy. Up until #64 though, he does at least get the 'co-starring' little circle on every cover so at least he hasn't been abandoned. I suppose that response to The Sandman wasn't what National was hoping, but I have to imagine strong enough that the fellow was given a second chance in the hands of Simon and Kirby.  |
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Post by MWGallaher on Jun 23, 2024 18:16:25 GMT -5
It is probably stating the obvious that this must have been when it became clear to the publishers that the best sales went to the heroes in colorful, skin-tight costumes like Superman wore. It seems to have taken a little while before they realized they could get away with simply putting less flamboyant mystery men into tights without much if any justification, but there was about to be something of a stampede, with characters like Crimson Avenger, Manhunter, The Wizard, Tex Thomson, and, of course, eventually The Sandman doing just that.
I don't know how or if publishers knew how popular characters who didn't get the cover really were, but DC, at least, didn't seem in any hurry to bail on the more mundane features like Barry O'Neill, Cotton Carver, and Steve Conrad, so there may not be any particular great faith being demonstrated by the continuation of The Sandman as a backup after Hourman started hogging the covers. But Sandman did steal back a couple of covers before Starman usurped ol' Tick-Tock, so there seems to have been some hunch that either the name or the visual was competitive enough to continue to spotlight.
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Post by chadwilliam on Jun 25, 2024 10:12:03 GMT -5
Adventure Comics #49 (April 1940) "Cold Cures and Crime"
Author: Gardner Fox Artist: Creig Flessel "The Sandman - Friend of the just and enemy of the oppressors - is in reality Wesley Dodds. Wealthy young athlete who has turned to fighting crime and criminals for the thrill of adventure and a desire to aid those too weak to aid themselves --- we find Wesley walking along a street dropping a coin into a beggar's cup -"
 Synopsis: As Dodds drops that coin, a pedestrian falls dead as he crosses the road. Had Dodds not been watching at the time, he might have believed that the man had been struck by a nearby car, but our hero has other ideas. "Strange - I didn't see the car hit him!"
Adding to the mystery is the supposedly handicapped beggar who flees on foot from the scene. A curious Wesley Dodds follows. Trailing the man to his tenement building, Dodds makes a mental note of the address in case it's needed later. Later that day, the playboy reads of the "accident" he witnessed.
"An assistant to Doctor Lovejoy was killed by a car this afternoon at Corn Street. This is the second assistant of Lovejoy's to die within the week -"
His suspicions aroused, Dodds decides to pay a visit to Lovejoy. Good thing too, since when he arrives in his Sandman disguise, he finds two hoodlums preparing to murder the sleeping Doctor before they "search for the secret". Dispatching the pair one by one with his gas gun, The Sandman awakens Lovejoy who divulges his secret. "I've been receiving death threats. Unless I reveal my secret of curing the common cold!"
Claiming that he can do just that, Lovejoy describes these men as "killers" working for "someone, hoping to profit by it". The Sandman generously hauls the hired hands off to the city dump where he leaves them for the police.  And from there, it's off once more to the beggar's. Finding that the interior of the poor man's home is much more palatial than one would expect from its exterior, our mystery man gases the already slumbering flimflam man so that he may search his dwelling at his leisure. Finding a bell jar containing "scores" of black widow spiders, The Sandman's interest in piqued. Further investigating leads him to discover the very same tin cup he had seen the beggar use and that it's been rigged to discharge a needle "so sharp it scarcely hurts when it is touched!" Restoring everything as he found it - minus the cup whose disappearance our hero believes the crook won't immediately detect - The Sandman heads off to Police Headquarters where he gases two officers and requests a truce in exchange for his helping to "unmask two fiendish murders". The Police Chief agrees to these terms and it isn't long before an autopsy is ordered and performed thanks to The Sandman handing over the jury rigged cup.  The verdict? "Death - from the bite of a black widow spider!"
An arrest warrant is placed for the beggar whose own men have just come across as he slumbers still. Alerted to the predicament they're in thanks to the sand which serves as our champion's calling card and the missing cup, the men awaken their boss. When The Sandman arrives to find his quarry gone, he correctly guesses that they've headed to Lovejoy to strong arm him into handing over his work. Though he fails in time to intervene as the ne-er do wells effect their kidnapping, a dropped piece of paper advertising a health camp suggests to our hero where he should look next. Arriving before the men, The Sandman watches from a place of concealment as the doctor is led into the building and subjected to a beating meant to loosen his tongue. When the truculent doctor refuses to talk, he is left alone long enough for The Sandman to sneak in and secure his escape as he takes his place. And this is how it transpires that when the goons decide to have another go at Lovejoy, they discover The Sandman in his place - gas gun and fists a' flynin' (and yes, The Sandman throws some punches this time around too - something which I've mentioned not seeing him do before). Meanwhile, the police, having been tipped off to the health club thanks to a note kindly left for them by our hero, arrive and hear all they need to place the men under arrest. Expressing their gratitude to the outlaw - "The world and I can never thank you enough!" - The Sandman is allowed to leave. In gratitude, Lovejoy gives his rescuer his cold cure seeing as how he's fallen sick with one and upon returning home we find that thirty minutes after taking the doctor's pill, Wesley Dodds' cold has vanished. After dancing a jig - yeah, he dances a jig - Dodds remarks to the reader, "And to think that fake cripple wanted to keep a boon like that from mankind until he got a lot of dough!"  Thoughts: A more pugnacious Sandman than we've grown accustomed to seeing in these pages, it feels significant that the introduction to this episode describes our hero as a "wealthy young athlete who has turned to fighting crime and criminals for the thrill of adventure and a desire to aid those too weak to aid themselves". "I always thought the likes of you were yellow. Stand up, you rat!"
This after the hoodlum The Sandman is using as a punching bag has given in and promised to give state's evidence. Nonetheless, our hero, proceeding to grab the felon by his collar and pull back his fist ready to continue where he left off, has to be called off by the arriving police. He even unashamedly informs Lovejoy afterwards, Very out of character from what we've seen thus far. "Thrill of adventure" takes precedent over "a desire to aid those too weak to aid themselves"? That doesn't sound right to me. "An adrenaline junkie who helps the little guy as an afterthought"? Is that what he means? Even the description of Dodds as an "athlete" seems to undercut the presentation we've been treated to thus far of an outlaw who's more resourceful in his approach to fighting crime than adventurous. Of course, it isn't inside every issue of "Resourceful Comics" that The Sandman can be thrilled to each month, but still, confiding in Lovejoy at the end of this tale that regarding that brawl "I enjoyed every minute of it, except I'd like to have continued my fight the police interrupted!" really has me wondering where this guy's priorities lay. He's just too Popeye for me here. Anyhow... Does this mean that the common cold doesn't exist in the DCUniverse? I suppose that if you wanted to reconcile this rather hard to believe notion with what common sense tells you, you could surmise that Lovejoy was a just crackpot given way too much credit by these gangsters. As for that cold of The Sandman's? Well, it did seem to strike with rather convenient timing - who's to say that Lovejoy didn't surreptitiously inject our hero with something which simulated a cold and it was that which his pill negated the effects of? Well, Gardner Fox for one since it's his story and any sort of armchair theorizing on my part would go against the spirit of his tale, I think, so... yeah, I guess that the common cold was cured back in 1940 at least in The Sandman's corner of the universe, but man, did Wesley Dodds really have to dance that stupid hootenanny jig when he found out? I don't need to see that, but you know what? He does it again in the very next story - I'm not joking. Chad Grothkopf will be swiping that very panel for "The Sandman Goes to The World's Fair" in New York World's Fair Comics #2 just next month and it's even dumber there. Of all the panels he could have swiped he chose to swipe that one. If this episode was looking to inject some humour into the proceedings then I would argue that having The Sandman actually drop Lovejoy's accosters off at The City Dump managed that nicely. I love that he actually drove to the outskirts of the city just to do this. That sort of humour I like - slapstick, not so much. Let's see, what else... The Sandman enlists the aid of the police once more so that he can learn the results of the autopsy carried out on Lovejoy's assistant. I would have thought that once he found those spiders and the secret of the tin can, everything would have been obvious to him - it's not as if The Sandman needed the police to do anything more for him - but I guess Fox wanted to have our hero working side-by-side with the authorities again since it's the second time in three issues where he's gone this route. Which is getting a bit silly, I think. I mean, how many truces have to be declared before the police get tired of getting gassed every time The Sandman wants to talk to The Police Chief? Hopefully Fox will just pick a side soon. But Up Next: The Sandman dances another jig. Wonderful.
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Post by chaykinstevens on Jun 25, 2024 14:45:12 GMT -5
Of course, that's just wild speculation on my part, since The Sandman seems to be one of those few heroes to never get an origin this side of Crisis, does he? A check online reveals that Roy Thomas will supply one in Secret Origins #2 in 1986, but, well, that's 1986. Roy Thomas' Sandman origin story was in Secret Origins v2 #7. |
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