Sandy Hawkins
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| Sandman | |
.jpg/225px-Sandman_(DC_Comics).jpg) Cover to Justice Society of America #5 (2007) Art by painter Alex Ross |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Adventure Comics # 69 (December 1941) |
| Created by | Mort Weisinger Paul Norris |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Sanderson "Sandy" Hawkins |
| Team affiliations | Justice Society of America All-Star Squadron Young All-Stars |
| Notable aliases | Sandy the Golden Boy, Sand, Sandman |
| Abilities |
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Sanderson "Sandy" Hawkins, formerly known as Sandy, the Golden Boy and Sand, and later as Sandman, is a fictional character, superhero in the DC Comics universe created by Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #69.
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[edit] Character history
[edit] Sandy, the Golden Boy
Sanderson Hawkins was originally the sidekick to the original Sandman going by the name of "Sandy, the Golden Boy." Like Batman's Robin, he was an orphan who was adopted by the hero he fought beside, although Sandy had one prominent surviving relative: Dian Belmont, the Sandman's love interest in the early Golden Age of Comic Books and in the Sandman Mystery Theatre series set in the same time period.
Sandy was a member of the Young All-Stars, a team that was later absorbed into the All-Star Squadron. He was later turned into a silicon-based monster by one of his mentor's failed experiments, a "silocoid gun" that exploded and bombarded him with radioactive silica particles. Sandy was kept in suspended animation for many decades while the Sandman searched for a cure.
[edit] Sand
After being turned back to normal by Sandman and the Justice League, Sandy found he had the ability to transform himself into sand as well as other powers over earth derived from his ability to control silica compounds and the generation and control of seismic energy. He changed his codename to Sand and led as the first chairman of the modern incarnation of the JSA for a time. As Sand, Hawkins uses a gas mask and 'gas gun' similar to that of his mentor. After Wesley Dodds' death, he also inherited his mentor's prophetic dreams.
Due to his years in suspended animation, Sand has occasionally found it difficult to adjust to life in the 21st century and remains a somewhat withdrawn member of the superhero community. His home Dodds Mansion (also known as the JSA Brownstone) was inherited from his late mentor and has served as the headquarters for the modern Justice Society.
For a while, Sand was involved in somewhat of a romantic triangle within the JSA. Kendra Saunders (aka Hawkgirl) confided in Sand that she was upset about the recent return of Hawkman and her apparent predestined fate to be his lover. As Sand attempted to comfort her, Kendra kissed him--potentially as a way of distancing herself from Carter Hall, the newly resurrected Hawkman, looking on outside the window. Later, the three apparently resolved their differences, but it became quite apparent that Sand did in fact have strong feelings for Kendra.
During the "Princes of Darkness" storyline in JSA, Sand was thought to have been destroyed while preventing multiple earthquakes on Earth but was in actuality put into a limbo state. His body was trapped beneath the Earth while his soul was trapped in the fragment of Dreamtime once inhabited by the Silver Age Sandman. He was eventually saved and is now back with the JSA (part of his salvation lay with Hawkgirl; Doctor Fate informed her that she was Sand's mental bridge, due to his still-existent feelings for her). After his return, Sand seems to have much more control over his powers, using them in new and varied ways that he didn't before including levitating rock and generating lava.
[edit] Sandman
A new Sandman appears in Justice Society of America (vol. 3) # 1. As of issue #3 he is revealed to be Hawkins who has taken up the mantle of Sandman wearing an outfit similar to Wesley Dodds' original costume. According to Geoff Johns' interview in Wizard Magazine # 180 (October 2006) Sand will become the JSA's "Recon Man" doing more detective work in the process. Apparently, his prophetic dreams now come in the form of nightmares, and he now wears a mask that appears to be a cross between his old mask, Wesley Dodds' mask, and the Helm of Dream of the Endless.
[edit] Powers and abilities
As a being of living silicon, the Sandman has a number of earth-based powers. He is able to shift his body into a pure silicon or sand-form, in which he is more malleable and is able to alter his shape and density. He can pass his molecules through solid objects that contain traces of silica and is able to travel through the earth as easily as one would swim through water. Sand can mentally manipulate the earth and soil in his vicinity, causing it to rumble, change shape, levitate, or burst forth to attack his enemies. He is also able to produce seismic waves which have the effect of small, localized earthquakes, and is aware of both natural and artificial seismic effects.
Additionally, Sandman possesses a limited form of precognition, which manifests as occasional prophetic dreams. This ability was psychically passed to him by his mentor, Wesley Dodds, and derives from a fragment of the literal Sandman of folklore, Morpheus (a connection maintained by the current dream lord, Daniel).
Sandman also uses copies of his mentor's crimefighting equipment, including gas masks, gas guns, and a harpoon/grapple invention known as a "wirepoon" gun. These devices and his current uniform were constructed out of silica-compounds by the TylerCo company (owned by his teammate Hourman), allowing Sandman to bring them with him when he alters his shape. Sandman was trained as a detective, though this is an ability which he previously rarely utilizes.
[edit] Appearances in other media
Hawkins has briefly appeared in a few episodes of the Cartoon Network animated series Justice League Unlimited, in his Sand persona making notable cameos in the stories "Initiation," "Clash" and "Panic In The Sky." His powers and origin are presumed to be the same as his comic book counterpart. Despite negligible screen time on the show, Sand was included as an action figure in Mattel's popular Justice League Unlimited line in early 2007.
