Writer: Robert Venditti
Art: Riley Rossmo
Colors: Ivan Plascencia
Letters: Tom Napolitano
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 10th, 2023
Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #1 (the first issue of a six-issue miniseries) drops us into New York in the Summer of 1940, a few years before The Sandman meets Earth’s other heroes and joins The Justice Society of America. It’s an origin of sorts for Wesley Dodds, as he goes from being a wealthy scientist trying to find ways that American soldiers could wage war without killing and eventually transforming into a gas masked figure who delivers knockouts (with both sleeping gas and fists) to the criminals who prowl the alleys of Manhattan.
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The Story
The most enjoyable aspect of Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #1 is that it captures the feel of a good old-fashioned pulp novel in the vein of The Shadow or The Spider, where criminals and cloaked heroes lurk the darkest corners of the city and the psyche. On the surface, Wesley Dodds seems much like Bruce Wayne. Wesley’s rich (thanks to an inheritance from his deceased father) and he has a “ride or die” butler named Humphries who’s very much like Bruce Wayne’s Alfred.
That’s where the similarities end though, because Wesley is a brilliant chemist and instead of running a company, he spends all his time trying to perfect his sleeping gas formula in the hopes he can sell it to the army for use in more humane warfare. Also, unlike Bruce, who dates more women than Hugh Hefner, Wesley has one steady girlfriend, Dian Belmont, a rich tough-as-nails debutante. Though we only see her at the beginning and the end of the issue, she makes an impact. She has an acid wit and always carries a Derringer pistol on her. Like Lois Lane in the early days of Superman’s book, she’s unaware that Wesley Dodds is The Sandman. Actually, Wesley’s so good at keeping his activities secret, most of the city is unaware The Sandman exists.
Throughout the issue, we see The Sandman in action, laying some brutal takedowns on various muggers. Even though Wesley wants to help stop crime in New York, at times it seems The Sandman is a way for him to take out his anger and frustration at the world too. The book does a great job of showing Wesley’s life both in and out of costume and offers a couple of juicy subplots also, revolving around strange dreams of the future he’s having as well as a shadowy figure who knows about Wesley’s experiments and wants to get their hands on his research. Overall, it’s an enjoyable start to the miniseries, taking us back to pre-World War 2 days before The Justice Society, when heroes were as terrifying as the criminals and New York seemed to be permanently cloaked in shadow and intrigue.
The Art
Riley Rossmo’s uses some great panel layouts and designs throughout Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #1. The way he layers panels and alternately shatters them pushes the limits of the comic book page and makes the book visually striking. His art style is perfect for the book, because it’s a classic style reminiscent of such Golden and Bronze Age artists as Mike Sekowsky and Carmine Infantino that captures the feel of the time period.
Final Thoughts
Justice Society fans rejoice! Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #1 is another great book spotlighting a Golden Age hero and is a great companion piece to the current Justice Society of America series. It feels like a pulp novel with some thrilling two-fisted action scenes and serves as a great introduction to Wesley Dodds and his supporting cast. Recommended.