xxxxx The Continuity Pages-
- THE SANDMAN-
--
--
--
------- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ JulianiDariusxxxxx

Interlude: Sandman Mystery Theatre (1993-1998)
Sandman Mystery Theatre was the first ongoing title started under DC's Vertigo imprint. Begun in 1993, Vertigo's first year and while The Sandman was the line's flagship title, Sandman Mystery Theatre focused on Wesley Dodds, the Golden Age Sandman, a figure who first was published in DC's earliest days. The series was intended to be comprised entirely of four-issue story arcs (much like the phenomenally popular series The Authority many years later, albeit there for much more violent and less personal storylines), written by Matt Wagner (of Grendel), and illustrated by a different artist for each storyline. Because the series did not sell to expectations, however, Guy Davis, who had been the artist for the first storyline, was made the regular artist as of issue #13. Also with issue #13, Stephen T. Seagle was brought in as co-writer.
1994 also saw the publication of Sandman Mystery Theatre Annual #1, a nice tale featuring many artists, most notably Alex Ross (prior to his instant celebrity due to Marvels). With "The Hourman," the storyline that ran in issues #29-32, Sandman Mystery Theatre began to feature, on an occasional basis, other Golden Age DC characters, using the title's mature style to offer new takes on these fictional heroes of old, depicting many of them as really three-dimensional characters for the first time. 1996 saw the publication of Sandman Midnight Theatre, a prestige-format special co-written by Neil Gaiman and in which Wesley Dodds met Gaiman's Dream, then imprisoned (as the first issue of Gaiman's The Sandman had established) in England.
"The Mist," running in issues #37-40, featured the Golden Age Starman, a character that was featured at the time as the father of the present Starman in the much-acclaimed series of the same title, written (primarily) by James Robinson and famous for its flashback tales (in the style of Gaiman's The Sandman) more generally featuring DC characters of old. Indeed, Robinson's Starman in return published a storyline ("Sand and Stars," issues #20-23) featuring Wesley Dodds in the contemporary DC universe. Between Sandman Mystery Theatre, Starman, and Marvels, a Golden Age resurgence was on. Kingdom Come, also illustrated by Alex Ross, took place in the future and opened with Wesley Dodds's death as symbolic of the death of an older, perhaps simpler era of super-heroes.
Matt Wagner left the title entirely with issue #60, leaving Stephen T. Seagle as sole writer. The series continued for only ten issues in this fashion, however, concluding with issue #70 in the end of 1998. In 1999, Wesley Dodds died in the present-day DC universe in JSA Secret Files #1, a death mitigated only by the fact that it occured at the launch of a new Justice Society of America, a present-day incarnation of the Golden Age group that saw high sales in the wake of the great success of JLA.

IMAGE
TITLE
DESCRIPTION
STATUS
Sandman Mystery Theatre #1-4, 13-20, 25-32, 37-44, 49-56, 61-68, 70: Guy Davis art
Sandman Mystery Theatre #1-12: Matt Wagner script
Sandman Mystery Theatre #1-4: "The Tarantula" storyline, a revised and expanded version of Sandman's first story from Adventure Comics #40
Sandman Mystery Theatre #1-4: Gavin Wilson cover
Sandman Mystery Theatre #1cover-dated April 1993
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #2
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #3
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #4
1

Larger Version Available
Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Tarantulacollects Sandman Mystery Theatre #1-4; Matt Wagner cover; Dave Marsh introduction; cover-dated May 1995
[REVIEW AND PURCHASE THIS BOOK]
B
Sandman Mystery Theatre #5-70 [let me know if there are any exceptions here], Sandman Mystery Theatre Annual #1: Gavin Wilson and Richard Bruning cover
Sandman Mystery Theatre #5-8: "The Face" storyline, occurring from 26 February to 1 March 1938; John Watkiss art
Sandman Mystery Theatre #5
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #6
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #7
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #8
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #9-12: "The Brute" storyline; R. G. Taylor art
Sandman Mystery Theatre #9
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #10
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #11
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #12Dream appears briefly
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #13-60, Sandman Mystery Theatre Annual #1, the 8-page Sandman Mystery Theatre short story from Vertigo: Winter's Edge: Matt Wagner and Stephen T. Seagle script
Sandman Mystery Theatre #13-16: "The Vamp" storyline
Sandman Mystery Theatre #13cover-dated April 1994
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #14
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #15
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #16
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre Annual #1features chapters with art by Guy Davis, David Lloyd, John Bolton, Stefano Gaudiano, George Pratt, Alex Ross, Peter Snejbjerg, Dean Ormston, and another by Guy Davis; occurs during Summer 1938; cover-dated October 1994
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #17-20: "The Scorpion" storyline
Sandman Mystery Theatre #17
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #18
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #19
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #20
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #21-24: "Dr. Death" storyline; art by Vince Locke over layouts by Guy Davis
Sandman Mystery Theatre #21
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #22
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #23
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #24
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #25-28: "Night of the Butcher" storyline
Sandman Mystery Theatre #25cover-dated April 1995
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #26
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #27
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #28
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #29-32: "The Hourman" storyline, featuring the Golden Age Hourman
Sandman Mystery Theatre #29
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #30
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #31
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #32
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #33-36: "The Python" storyline; Warren Pleece art
Sandman Mystery Theatre #33
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #34
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #35
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #36ends with Dian leaving on a ship (for England)
1
Sandman Midnight Theatre previewuntitled as such; 4 color pages
2
Sandman Midnight TheatreWesley Dodds meets Dream while he was imprisoned; Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner script; Teddy Kristiansen painted art; 64 pages; cover-dated 1996
B
Sandman Mystery Theatre #37-40: "The Mist" storyline, featuring Ted Knight (the Golden Age Starman); note that a much-older Wesley Dodds and Dian Belmont appeared in Starman around this time
Sandman Mystery Theatre #37cover-dated April 1996
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #38
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #39
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #40
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #41-44: "Phantom of the Fair" storyline
Sandman Mystery Theatre #41
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #42Spectre Jim Corrigan appears (so to write)
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #43
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #44
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #45-48: "The Blackhawk" storyline, featuring Janos Prohaska (Blackhawk); Matthew Smith art
Sandman Mystery Theatre #45
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #46
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #47
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #48
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #49-52: "Return of the Scarlet Ghost" storyline
Sandman Mystery Theatre #49cover-dated April 1997
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #50in the main, normal-length story, Dian Belmont is put into a coma by a bombing; contains additional story, starring the Silver Age Sandman and featuring Torres art; cover-dated May 1997
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #51Dodds hunts the culprits of the bombing
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #52
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #53-56: "The Crone" storyline
Sandman Mystery Theatre #53
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #54
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #55
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #56
0
the 8-page Sandman Mystery Theatre short story from Vertigo: Winter's Edge, taking place at Christmas, written by Matt Wagner & Steven T. Seagle, with art by John K. Snyder III, published in December 1997, probably occurs here
Sandman Mystery Theatre #57-60: "The Cannon" storyline; Michael Lark pencils; Richard Case inks
Sandman Mystery Theatre #57cover-dated December 1998
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #58
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #59
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #60
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #61-70, the 8-page Sandman Mystery Theatre short story from Vertigo: Winter's Edge 2: Stephen T. Seagle script
Sandman Mystery Theatre #61-64: "The City" storyline, actually a set of stand-alone stories
Sandman Mystery Theatre #61cover-dated April 1998
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #62
1
Sandman Mystery Theatre #63focuses on Humphries, Wesley's manservant
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #64focuses on the tough Lt. Detective Anthony Burke, showing what he does on his "down time"; cover-dated August 1998
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #65-68: "The Goblin" storyline
Sandman Mystery Theatre #65
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #66
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #67published on 30 September 1998
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #68
0
Sandman Mystery Theatre #69I have no idea about the art or story of this issue
0
the 8-page Sandman Mystery Theatre short story from Vertigo: Winter's Edge 2, written by Steven T. Seagle with art by Paul Rivoche, published in December 1998, probably occurs here
Sandman Mystery Theatre #70final issue; cover-dated February 1999; published on 30 December 1998
0

Other Sites of Interest
On The Continuity Pages / continuitypages.com
The Continuity Pages: The Sandman
Click here to return to the main Sandman page.
Vertigo Chronology
This large, hyperlinked table covers the publications of DC's Vertigo imprint, organized by cover-date and by type.
Off-Site
Please be aware that the continued quality, and even existence, of these sites cannot be guaranteed.
Matt Wagner Comics
The nicely-designed site of Matt Wagner, instrumental to Sandman Mystery Theatre.
PersianCaesar
The website of author Julian Darius, creator of The Continuity Pages.
In Association with Amazon.com
Please support (y)our site.
First published online on 23 February 2001. The Sandman and related characters and art are copyrighted by DC Comics. This site is copyrighted by Julian Darius and intended for scholarly purposes and to increase interest in its topic.