Today, we look at how a plot point in an old Christmas comic book story was turned into a redemption arc for the Sandman a decade later that eventually led to him becoming a member of the Avengers!
This is “I Remember Well,” a brand-new feature spotlighting instances in which writers pull out long-forgotten plots or attributes of comic book characters. I have a similar bit called “I’ve Been Here Before” when writers pull out their own old plots/characters, but this is when different writers do it. I also have a bit called “Provide Some Answers,” when writers resolve long-forgotten plots, but this is when writers don’t resolve anything, they just bring back something that hadn’t been used in a long time.
Just last week, I wrote about the Christmas debut issue of Marvel Team-Up (by Roy Thomas, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito) and how it introduced the idea that Sandman might actually be a redeemable figure. How it did so, though, was a bit odd.
You see, the Sandman was heading somewhere when Spider-Man and Human Torch tried to slow him down. Instead, he knocked them out and put them in a death trap where it looks like they’ll be drowned, but before he leaves them, he tells Torch to “keep his chin up.” Spidey realizes that that was a clue that they should keep Torch’s chin above water so that he could flame on his face and burn their way out of the restraints…
As I noted last time, “He gave us a tricky out of that death trap” really isn’t THAT nice of a move by the Sandman, right? He still put them in a death trap! A true nice move would have been to NOT put them into a death trap or, in the alternative, put them into a “death trap” that would never have actually killed them. This death trap could have EASILY killed them.
Anyhow, they track him down and see that he is visiting his sickly mother and he just wants to see her before they arrest him. They agree and Peter even gives Sandman a present that Peter had purchased for Gwen Stacy…
Naturally, Sandman takes advantage of their generosity to escape, but he WAS telling the truth about wanting to see his mom, so Spidey and Torch chalk it up to an understandable loss and head out, wishing each other a Merry Christmas…
While this seemed like it was setting up further development for Sandman, he pretty much went right back to being a standard villain after this. That is…until something changed.
WHAT CAUSED SANDMAN TO RECONSIDER HIS LIFE OF CRIME?
In Amazing Spider-Man #217 (by Denny O’Neil, John Romita Jr. and Jim Mooney), Sandman and Hydro-Man were accidentally merged into a disturbing mud creature that seemed like it yearned for death…
Eventually, the two found a way to separate in Marvel Two-in-One #86 (by Tom DeFalco, Ron Wilson and Chic Stone) and Sandman was seriously disturbed by the whole situation and wanted to change his life…
I love how Hydro-Man also decided to change his life…by deciding to commit crimes further away from other supervillains.
In any event, Sandman is getting drunk in the aftermath of the separation when the bartender calls the Thing. The Thing comes by and drinks with Sandman and they talk about their respective tough upbringings but in the end, the Thing leaves him and when Sandman is shocked that he didn’t try to arrest him, the Thing’s, like, “Hey, I’m not a cop”…
Ten issues later, the Thing was badly injured and Sandman sneaks into the hospital (while the various heroes of the Marvel Universe are fighting the various supervillains who are trying to attack the Thing while he in the hospital) in Marvel Two-In-One #96 (by DeFalco, Wilson and Mike Esposito) and they solidify their friendship…
In Amazing Spider-Man #280 (by DeFalco, Ron Frenz and Brett Breeding), Sandman is now living as a boarder with a nice family…
When Silver Sable and Spider-Man are about to be killed by the newly formed Sinister Syndicate, the Sandman rescues them…
At the end of the battle, Silver Sable is interested in hiring Sandman….
DeFalco continues the redemption in the pages of Solo Avengers #6 (by DeFalco, Mark Bright and Joe Rubinstein) where Hawkeye is hired by Silver Sable to go on a mission and Sandman is on the team with him…
Sandman would then be shown working for Silver Sable here and there for the next couple of years.
HOW DID SANDMAN BECOME AN AVENGER?
In Web of Spider-Man #50 (by Gerry Conway, Alex Saviuk and Keith Williams), the Sandman joins a group of former Spider-Man foes as a new team known as the Outlaws…
In Amazing Spider-Man #334 (by David Michelinie, Erik Larsen and Mike Machlan), Doctor Octopus threatens the family who board Sandman to get him to join Octopus’ reunited Sinister Six…
Sandman, though, was, of course, a double agent the whole time and saves Spider-Man from Doc Ock (he is then briefly turned into glass by Octavius)…
In Spectacular Spider-Man #170 (by Gerry Conway and Sal Buscema), the Outlaws are manipulated by the Space Phantom into helping Spider-Man fight the Avengers (the Space Phantom impersonate She-Hulk, leading Spider-Man to think someone turned her evil and so he turns to the Outlaws for help)…
Things are resolved eventually and the Avengers are impressed by the Outlaws.
Apparently impressed enough that soon after, in Avengers #329 (by Larry Hama, Paul Ryan and Tom Palmer), Sandman was made a member of the team as a reserve member…
His time with the Avengers was very brief. I’ll address it in the future!
I’m sure you folks have other ideas for examples for this column, so send them my way at [email protected]! I’d love to get a month’s worth of them up!
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