Wesley Dodds, the Sandman, first appeared in Adventure Comics #40 (June 15, 1939).
One of the medium’s seminal “mystery men”, as referred to at the time, the Sandman straddled the pulp magazine detective tradition and the emerging superhero tradition by dint of his dual identity and his fanciful, masked attire and weapon: an exotic “gas gun” that could compel villains to tell the truth, as well as put them to sleep. Unlike many superheroes, he frequently found himself the victim of gunshot wounds, both in the Golden Age and in stories in DC’s modern-day Vertigo imprint, and he would continue fighting in spite of his injuries. In his early career, Dodds was frequently aided by his girlfriend, Dian Belmont, who is aware of his dual identity. Unlike many superhero love interests, Belmont was often, though not always, portrayed as an equal partner of the Sandman, rather than a damsel in distress. Later stories would reveal that the two remained together for the duration of their lives, though they never married. The Sandman was also one of the original members of the Justice Society of America.
