TCCDM Dig and Flip: "Sandman Mystery Theatre: Book One" - Matt Wagner (2016)

Sandman Mystery Theatre: Book One
by Matt Wagner, Guy Davis
Vertigo (2016 )
Graphic softcover, 323 pages

Sandman is a crimefighter from the Golden Age of comics.  His only weapon is a sleeping-gas gun.  That might sound lame, but author Matt Wagner takes a crack at it by bringing us three stories filled with gritty helpings of pulp noir panache.  Wesley Dodds (aka Sandman) is a rather doughy character of average ability with a strong taste for righting wrongs.  Dodds is no Sherlock Holmes, but he does keep his eyes and ears open.  When he's off on a hunt, he becomes Sandman donning a clumsy gas mask and carrying his self-built weapon.  Solving crime in the 1930s.  And that's the setup.

The other protagonist, and the more interesting, is Dian Belmont, the daughter of the DA.  Belmont is like a 20ish Nancy Drew who enjoys the nightlife and digging into a mystery herself.  And this all might sound lame, no way to get around it...but the noir is fun to curl up with.

Sandman Mystery Theatre: Book One (inside)

Sandman Mystery Theatre: Book One is set in the city where the hoi polloi party and low renters eat beans.  And, of course, where crime slimes.  Surprisingly darker subjects than expected are found here as well. The color art captures the stench of desperation and carries the seedy noir vibe all the way through it.  However, there are different drawing artists on board for this project and that does Sandman no favors.  This was a bit of a seed in the punch for me.  But that aside, I found the Sandman Mystery Theatre series time well spent.  

"Sandman" - America / "America" (1971)

Good stuff.

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