Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #1 cover, via DC Comics.
Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #1 — Robert Venditti, Writer; Riley Rossmo, Artist; Ivan Plascencia, Colorist
Ray — 9/10
Ray: DC is giving the JSA a huge spotlight at the moment, with major solo minis for Jay Garrick (exploring his relationship with his long-lost daughter Judy), Alan Scott (exploring his role as a gay man in the 1940s), and…Wesley Dodds, who has been dead for decades. The character got a surprising revival, both literally and figuratively, in the recent Knight Terrors event when he was resurrected by Deadman, but he was rather relieved to return to the grave. So this story is a noir-inspired flashback mini, taking place in 1940 before the JSA even formed. Dodds is an old-school urban vigilante who exacts justice on criminals with a rudimentary fear gas that makes them more likely to confess, but he’s haunted himself — by the traumatic process that led to the gas being made, by his late father’s experience in the Great War, and by odd prophetic nightmares that won’t go away.
Dark Corners. Via DC Comics.
Dodds is a rather sad, reluctant hero, despite being surrounded by a beautiful girlfriend, a loyal butler, and a rich friend. He reminds me a little of Peter Parker in the early years that way, although much more driven to do good without a motivating tragedy. His determination to find a way to eliminate the carnage of war leads to a disappointing meeting with a Colonel who rejects the idea that war can be won without death, and this setback drives him away from a party and back into the alleys where crime is calling. But at the same time, a mystery enemy is stalking him, targeting the place where he keeps his deepest secrets. This first issue doesn’t give away its secrets too easily, but it does just about everything right. Venditti continues to be one of DC’s best old-school writers, and Riley Rossmo’s eerie art is as always perfect for a story that feels firmly set in a bygone era not just of DC but of comics itself.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
