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| Sandman Mystery Theatre | |
|---|---|
 Cover toSandman Mystery Theatre #29 (August 1995) by Gavin Wilson. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Vertigo Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | April 1993 – February 1999 |
| No. of issues | 70 Annual #1 |
| Main character(s) | Wesley Dodds Dian Belmont |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Matt Wagner Steven T. Seagle |
| Artist | List |
| Penciller | Michael Lark |
| Inker | Richard Case |
| Letterer(s) | John Costanza Gaspar Saladino Clem Robins |
| Colorist | David Hornung |
| Editor | Karen Berger List
|
Sandman Mystery Theatre was anongoingcomic book series published byVertigo Comics, the mature-readers imprint ofDC Comics. It ran for 70 issues, oneannual, and a cross-over special between1993 and1999 and retells the adventures of theSandman, a vigilante whose main weapon is a gun that fires sleeping gas, originally created by DC in theGolden Age of Comic Books. In a similar vein toBatman, the Sandman possesses little to no superhuman powers, though he has minor precognitive abilities through his prophetic dreams, and relies on his detective skills and inventions.
In thisfilm noir-like series by writersMatt Wagner andSteven T. Seagle,Wesley Dodds (the Sandman) and his girlfriendDian Belmont (daughter of the District Attorney) encountered several, often grotesque, foes in multi-issue storylines. The team of Dodds and Belmont were a nod toNick and Nora Charles ofThe Thin Man novel and movies.
The first artist wasGuy Davis, who defined the visual look of the character. Davis changed Dodds from the traditional portrayal as a tall, square-jawed figure, making him shorter, round-faced and slightly overweight. He also gave Dodds a pair of round spectacles, visually echoing the round eyepieces of the gas mask he wore as the Sandman.
Davis also redesigned the Sandman costume. In the original 1930s comics, the Sandman wore a green suit, purple cape, orangefedora and blue-and-yellow gas mask. ForSandman Mystery Theatre, the color palette was toned down to gray, olive green and brown. The super-heroic trappings were downplayed in favor of a "real-world" sensibility, such as atrench coat instead of the cape.
For the second and third story arcs, "The Face" and "The Brute", art was provided byJohn Watkiss and R. G. Taylor respectively.
A minor controversy developed around the second storyline, "The Face". A coloring error resulted in Asian characters being portrayed with bright yellow skin. The editor apologized for the error in theletter column of a subsequent issue.
Guy Davis returned for the fourth arc and the remainder of the series with occasional additional work fromVince Locke andWarren Pleece.
Set during the late 1930s, before Dodds became a founding member of theJustice Society of America, this series dealt with mature themes such asabortion, racism, and anti-Semitism, as well as historical themes such as the rise ofNazism and internationalappeasement. As the series progressed Wesley encountered in his adventures other "mystery men" of the era, including theCrimson Avenger,Starman,Blackhawk and theHourman. In issue #23 the Sandman interrogates a boxer outside Grant's Gym, and the man mentions the name "Ted", a reference to Ted Grant, the originalWildcat. A reference is made to DetectiveJim Corrigan, later to be known as theSpectre.Doctor Mid-Nite, alias Dr. Charles McNider is also mentioned as the physician that treated Wesley in issue #27.
Dodds and Belmont would themselves guest star in the popular comicStarman (set in the present day), appearing as older versions of themselves, and in flashbacks done by Davis himself in the same art-style asSandman Mystery Theatre.[1] They also guest-starred in the "Exodus Noir" storyline ofMadame Xanadu, set during the 1940s.
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The series introduced many changes to previous representations of Sandman's early years; however, as the title is under the Vertigo imprint it is not bound by standardDC Universe continuity. Relating to standard continuity these changes would be consideredretcons, but the series is instead intended to serve as an alternative telling of Sandman's origin. One such change in the series included Wesley Dodds' portrayal as a quiet man who is considered odd by others instead of a playboy socialite.[2] Some of the retcons introduced inSandman Mystery Theatre have been reflected in modern DC continuity. One suchretcon that was later overturned was that of the character ofSandy Hawkins being nothing more than a fictional comic book character with Dian Belmont instead acting as Sandman's sidekick "Sandy" on at least one occasion.[3] Also, Dian's death had previously been recounted inAll-Star Squadron #18, but in this new continuity she lives well into old age and remains Dodds's companion for life.
The revival of the character was due in part to the success of a later, related character created byNeil Gaiman:Dream of the Endless, whose adventures were then being published under the title ofThe Sandman (hence the need for a more elaborate title for the older character's adventures). Dream made numerous cameo appearances in Wesley Dodds' dreams throughout the series.
The two characters met briefly in a one-shot special,Sandman Midnight Theatre, co-written by Gaiman and Wagner.
In their review ofSandman Mystery Theatre #41–48,Wizard gave the series a 5 on a scale of 1 to 6, particularly praising the historical authenticity of the lingo and cultural norms, as well as the intricately developed characters, "horrific" villains, and unique atmosphere. Their one major criticism was that it is too difficult for new readers to follow what is going on if they begin reading the series in the middle of astory arc.[4]
DC published a new five-issuelimited series,Sandman Mystery Theatre: Sleep of Reason,[5] set in 2007 and featuring a new character taking up the Sandman mantle.
The comics have been collected in a number oftrade paperbacks: