Review by Jay Ferguson

The Golden Age Sandman is a character that has always intrigued me. Having seen him referenced in various works like Kingdom Come and Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and because of my love of noir films and pulp novels, hearing that Vertigo made this series, I was really excited. Now that I've finally read it, I was not in the least bit disappointed by this work, as it tells a complex story with dark villains and heroes who use questionable methods to fight them. Wesley Dodds, the Golden Age Sandman, is forced to be a businessman due to the death of his father, and fights crime to assuage his terrible dreams. In this arc he (the Sandman, not Wesley) is under suspicion by the police due to his skirting of the law, as he breaks into the home of the District Attorney, and into the police station in his quest for answers into the kidnappings of young women by a person going by the name of the Tarantula. Dian Belmont, the D.A.'s daughter is another important character, who is trying to decipher the mystery as well in defiance of her father, because she is concerned, as the kidnapping victims are friends of hers. She begins a friendship with Wesley, and she leans on him for support when her friends are victimized. Both Wesley and Dian show their detective skill and willingness to use questionable methods such as breaking and entering and lies to reach the truth. It speaks to Dian's skill that she reaches the conclusions about the kidnapper almost at the same time Wesley does without the aid of his technological weaponry. The climax of this story is immensely satisfying and is quite unexpected. The art style takes a some getting used to, but it gets the storytelling job done, and it has a dark, uncomfortable, atmosphere without losing a lot of detail. If you love a good mystery, love film noir or pulp detectives, you'll love this. If you love the character of the Golden Age Sandman, or are interested in him, this is a worthwhile read