Wesley Dodds: The Sandman by Robert Venditti, illustrated by
Riley Rossmo, is a miniseries whose main character is the original Sandman
(there are several Sandman). This read is set back in the 1940s in the DC Universe.
The original Sandman is just starting out and has not joined the Justice
Society Of America. The JSA was one of the original super teams before the
Justice League. They protected their world until the red scare forced them to
disband. The United States government turned on them.
The original Sandman was a gas mask
wearing vigilante who used sleep gas to fight crime. He had the ability to see
the future in nightmares which showed him horrible fates awaiting people. He
would attempt to intervene. I am using the past tense since he is currently
dead in the DC Universe, but was alive during this miniseries flashback.
In this graphic novel, someone has
stolen his chemical formulas for chemicals weapons that he accidently created
in the process of creating his sleep gas. Thus, the hunt is on to find out who
plans to use them in WW2 which is currently raging outside the USA. While this
read also explores his origin, it also deals with his relationship with his
father. A man who was shaped by the horrors of WW1 and warped a young Wesley
Dodds by intimately discussing the horrors of war with him.
This is an action-packed mystery with
a character I am not very familiar with but found myself enjoying. The artist
is talented, but I found the cartoony art style not fitting for this tale. While
some really good splash pages were created, the use of bioweapons and the
horrors that arose from them, was diminished by the art choice. This is
an interesting miniseries with some twists and turns. Overall, I enjoyed this
hoopla read.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4fwpGi2
My reading copy came by way of the
Hoopla App through the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2024
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