Origin
Sandy the Golden Boy
Sandy Hawkins is the orphaned nephew of Dian Belmont, the long-time confidante and girlfriend of Wesley Dodds (the original Sandman). Sandy had greatly admired Wesley and trained himself as an athlete in the hopes that one day he could help the Sandman fight crime.
During one incident in Wesley’s absence Dian investigated a case of sabotage wearing his original Sandman costume. She was assumed to have been killed by a Nazi agent. In Dian’s memory Wesley adopted a yellow and purple costume of her own design. Sandy, at this time, began wearing a yellow and red costume and pretended to be Sandman while playing.
When Wesley told Sandy about his aunt the two ended up on a case together. They would go on to encounter a giant bee, the product of a local apiarist, Elijah Buttsford. Buttsford had generated a mix of thyroid extract and pollen that caused the bees to grow to enormous size, risking havoc as the territorial animals began to build an enormous hive. Bess Buttsford, daughter of Elijah and friend to Sandy, led the two costumed figures to her father’s workshop and explained that the bees had taken her father. Quickly tracking them, the pair rescued Buttsford and sealed the hive, flooding with carbon dioxide gas and killing the bees. Impressed by the boy’s skill and courage, the Sandman made his crime-fighting partner, as Wesley Dodds, he made his ward as well.
Sandman and the Golden Boy became a renowned team and both became members of the wartime All-Star Squadron. also participated with the Squadron’s probationary youth members, the Young All-Stars, on a cross-country tour to encourage the buying of war bonds.
Major Story Arcs
Changed Forever
In 1945, Dodds developed a prototype weapon based on silicon, the exact nature of which is unknown. In the first activated test of the weapon, it exploded, exposing Sandy Hawkins to radioactive silica particles. Within moments, was altered into a giant monster, raging and angry. The creature that was became unsteady and collapsed momentarily after forming and Dodds sedated it. For decades thereafter, Sandy Hawkins was kept in a special chamber in an unconscious state as Dodds feared unleashing the unknown creature on the world.
Decades later, a lapse in the system interrupted the anesthetic gas within the chamber holding and he was revived. Sensing a shift in the seismic plates of and discovering he was unable to talk, went on what seemed like a rampage towards the epicenter. He found himself subdued by the combine might of the Justice League and the Justice Society of America. Having regained the use of his voice, explained that his rampage had been due to the combination of his inability to talk and his need to contain the forces of the shifting fault-lines. Afterwards, confronted Dodds after years of silence and explained that his initial irrational rage from his transformation was only temporary and he regained his senses within a few hours. However, because of the anesthetic effects of Dodds’ chamber, he was unable to convey that to Dodds. The two departed company, Dodds went to seek psychiatric help for his actions and went into a series of experimental programs funded by Dodds to reverse’s condition.
Some years later was taken prisoner by Dr. Arnold Price, a physician/scientist who had been studying his powers and physiology. Now called Shatterer, Arnold Price, planned to harness the geo-sensitive powers of Sandy’s body in order to unleash rather than absorb seismic energy. However his scheme was spoiled by the recurrence of Dodds as Sandman. After stunning Shatterer, Dodds freed his former partner and rigged a quick experiment that enabled to regaining his human form.
As the two pondered their next role in life, the JSA and several close allied heroes were summoned to save Earth from the impending Ragnarok by containing destructive energies of ancient Norse mythologies in a different realm. These forces were held in check for years by the JSA until they were replaced by a race of alien primitives. Back on Earth, Dodds reunited with Dian and retired, while set about educating himself and traveling the world.
As Sand
Both Dian and Wesley past away and Sandy inherited their wealth and the grounds of their estate. It as at Wesley’s funeral that Sandy, former Justice Society members and legacy heroes of past JSA members reformed the Justice Society team. Sandy was named chairman and offered Wesley’s mansion as the new headquarters for the JSA. At this time Sandy changed his codename to Sand and was working on refining his new abilities, which included turning into sand. He was given a costume from the TylerCo Company made the silica-based fabric that would alter when he did.
During this time he was involved in a somewhat romantic triangle which included Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) and the recently revived Hawkman (Carter Hall). The three would eventually resolve their differences, but Sand continued to have strong feelings for Hawkgirl.
Sand was later 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 a different Sandman (Garrett Sanford). He was eventually saved with part of his rescue due to the still strong feeling for Hawkgirl that provide a mental bridge for him. Sand’s return brought about stronger control over his power enabling him to us them in new and various ways, including levitating rocks and generating lava.
Continuing the Legacy
It wasn’t long before Sand took over the mantle of his former mentor and became Sandman. He also inherited the prophetic dreams that Wesley possessed before his death. As of late, they have now come in form of nightmares, giving him little sleep. As Sandman, he now wears a mask and costume similar to that of Wesley’s original look. Sandman has now become the JSA’s reconnaissance man, finally putting his detective skills to good use.
When the JSA meet Gog, the god-like being gives Sandman 24 hours of blissful, dream-filled sleep. In return he has no more precognitive nightmares, just good dreams. The downside being without that knowledge his ability to track, find and stay ahead of criminals and killers before they do any serious damage are gone. He as at a lose and then feels the pain of earth and is the one to discover that in fixing all that’s wrong with the earth Gog is also killing it.
Sandman finds out that Gog is fusing with the planet the longer he is on it. If he ever leaves it the earth with be torn apart. When the rebellious half of the JSA shows up to tell the other half what Gog is doing to the planet, a battle ensues. For the JSA’s defying of Gog and his will, he undoes all the “miracles” he has done for them. Thus Sandman’s precognitive nightmares returned. Sandy Hawkins returns to the JSA All Stars after recuperating from his leave of absence.
Powers and Abilities
Sandman is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant with peak strength and agility for a man of his age. He was trained as a detective, though this is an ability which he previously rarely utilized until now.
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.
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 used this power to crash the Rock of Eternity (which is hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of tons) onto Despero. 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).