Wikia

1938
District attorney Larry Belmont engages in an argument with his daughter, Dian. Larry doesn't want Dian going out for the evening, but Dian reminds him that she is an adult now, and not a little girl any longer. Dian storms out of the house and Larry retreats to his study. Inside, he finds the Sandman skulking about the office. The Sandman douses Belmont with a blast of sleeping gas and leaves the brownstone.

Dian meanwhile goes to a jazz club where she meets her friend, Catherine van der Meer. After several hours of drinking and dancing, they take a taxi home.

That evening, Wesley Dodds, recently returned from abroad, attends a fundraising campaign where he meets district attorney Belmont and Dian. He also meets his father's old friend, retired judge Thomas Schaffer. Belmont learns that somebody has abducted Catherine van der Meer. The kidnapper leaves a calling card, referring to himself as the Tarantula. Larry informs Dian, and Wesley overhears the conversation. He races back to his manor to investigate the matter as the Sandman.

Meanwhile, former mob leader Albert Goldman welcomes several old colleagues into his home. Moses Berman and Lenny Green meet Goldman's wife, Miriam, and children, Roger and Celia. Celia acts flirtatious and her brother looks on scornfully. Nobody notices the Sandman lurking outside the brownstone windows.

After spying on the Goldmans for a short time, Wesley pays a visit to the Belmont brownstone. While he converses with Dian, he overhears Larry talking about a second victim. Wes leaves, and Dian accompanies her father to the police station. Dian steps into the station and restroom and finds the Sandman.

Appearing in "Act II"

Featured Characters:

Sandman (Wesley Dodds)

Supporting Characters:

Dian Belmont
Larry Belmont
Leslie Humphries (Behind the scenes)
Tony Burke

Villains:

Tarantula
Miriam Goldman

Other Characters:

Carlo (one of Celia Goldman's boyfriends) (Single appearance)
Catherine van der Meer
Celia Goldman
Charlie Malloy (Final appearance)
Irving Davis (New York City police commissioner)
Albert Goldman
Ross O'Donald
Judge Thomas Schaffer

Locations:

New York City

Algonquin Restaurant
Grand Hotel

Items:

Sandman's gas gun

Vehicles:

Synopsis for "Act II"

Commissioner Irving Davis meets with homicide detective Ross O'Donald and Lieutenant Tony Burke to discuss the recent Tarantula kidnappings. They theorize as to the true motive of the kidnapper, and ponder whether Catherine van der Meer is still alive.

Meanwhile Dian Belmont has discovered the Sandman inside of the restroom at the police station. The Sandman pushes past her and escapes out the window. Dian takes a few steps outside the room, and then passes out. When she comes to, her father informs her that they have recovered one of the Tarantula's victims. Dian asks to identify the body to see if it is Catherine. Despite the fact that the body is mutilated, Dian can ascertain that this particular victim is not her friend.

Meanwhile in a darkened dungeon, the hooded Tarantula inspects Catherine van der Meer. He keeps her suspended from a row of pipes by a length of chain. Bruises and abrasions cover her body. The Tarantula goes upstairs where he converses with another – a mysterious woman whose face is disguised by a dark veil. It is this woman who governs the Tarantula's actions.

Later, Wesley Dodds meets Dian outside of the police station and offers her a ride home. Along the way he becomes visibly distraught over the recent murder and begins to lose his composure. Excusing himself, he drops Dian off and returns home.

At the Goldman brownstone, Albert Goldman chastises his daughter, Celia, for her lascivious lifestyle. This is not the actions of a protective father however, but rather a jealous one. Albert has been conducting an affair with his own daughter for the past several years. It becomes apparent though, that Celia is the one truly in control of their twisted relationship.

That evening, Lt. Burke and Lt. O'Donald go to the apartment of Charlie Malloy – the cab driver who dropped Catherine off at her home. They want to question him concerning last night's events, but as Burke climbs the stairs, he finds that the Sandman has arrived before him. The Sandman questions Malloy at length, and then knocks him out with a dose of his sleeping gas. Burke enters the upstairs apartment just in time to find Malloy unconscious on the floor. He eventually rouses Malloy who tells him that an Evergood milk truck was seen outside of Catherine's apartment the morning that he dropped her off. Burke reports back to O'Donald who tells him that Evergood went out of business three years ago.

Meanwhile, the Tarantula continues to torture Catherine.

Appearing in "Act III"

Featured Characters:

Sandman (Wesley Dodds)

Supporting Characters:

Villains:

Tarantula
Miriam Goldman

Other Characters:

Fiorello H. LaGuardia
Butcher (a guard-dog)
Catherine van der Meer
Albert Goldman
Sammy (one of Albert Goldman's thugs) (Behind the scenes)
Celia Goldman
Fenton Devere/Abraham Berkowitz (a former mob accountant)
Irving Davis
Martha (Larry Belmont's maid)
Moses Berman
Ross O'Donald
Thomas Schaffer

Locations:

New York City

Dodds Manor
Evergood Milk Company
Sammy's Bar

Items:

Sandman's gas gun

Vehicles:

Synopsis for "Act III"

Lieutenant Burke follows a lead to the Evergood Milk Company warehouse. He bursts into the upstairs offices, but finds that the Sandman has beaten him to the punch yet again. The Sandman pushes Burke backwards and knocks him out with another blast of sleeping gas. He grabs a handful of company documents and leaves the scene.

At 3:00 am, Dian Belmont visits the Dodds residence. Wesley has just returned home, but pretends that he has had trouble sleeping. Dian is wound up, and obsessing over the disappearance of her friend. She talks with Wes for a bit and then returns home.

Later, Wes examines the papers he had stolen, and learns about a financial adviser named Fenton Devere. He goes to Devere's home and interrogates him concerning the ownership of the Evergood Milk Company. Fenton gives him the name Saul Ladman, but the Sandman knows that this is an alias. He eventually learns that the Evergood Company was once a front for Albert Goldman's booze running operations during the Prohibition era until it went bankrupt. The Sandman leaves Fenton and consults with his friend, Judge Thomas Schaffer.

Lieutenant Burke eventually revives and finds Fenton. He arrests him and brings him to the police station. After several hours of interrogation, he convinces Fenton to provide him with the same information that he had previously given to the Sandman.

At the Goldman residence, Albert Goldman finalizes a series of legal documents placing several of his holdings into a trust for his daughter, Celia. Celia seduces her father and the two make love in the bedroom. Celia's bitter brother, Roger, watches them through the keyhole of the bedroom, and then tells his mother, Miriam of the tryst.

That night, Wesley Dodds suffers from a horrible nightmare wherein he sees the shadow of a mysterious woman wearing a veil. He awakens screaming and his butler Humphries calms him down. Minutes later, Judge Thomas Schaffer visits the Dodds residence. He tells Wes that the Tarantula has claimed another victim – Celia Goldman.

Appearing in "Act IV"

Featured Characters:

Sandman (Wesley Dodds)

Supporting Characters:

Villains:

Tarantula (Final appearance; Dies)
Miriam Goldman (Final appearance)

Other Characters:

Catherine van der Meer
Albert Goldman (Final appearance)
Celia Goldman (Final appearance)
Chauncy (a police officer)
Coleman (a police officer)
McNichols (a police officer)
Mickey (a police detective)
Moses Berman (Final appearance)
Myron Fields (an accountant)
Ross O'Donald
Judge Thomas Schaffer

Locations:

New York City

Items:

Sandman's gas gun

Vehicles:

Synopsis for "Act IV"

Lieutenant Burke and a team of detectives arrive at the Goldman residence. Celia Goldman is missing, an apparent victim of the Tarantula. Although Albert is visibly distraught by the news, Miriam acts catty in his presence. Roger loses his nerve and makes an outburst before storming out of the room. From outside, the Sandman climbs upon a trellis and spies on the entire meeting.

That evening, Burke and his men get a bead on the Sandman's whereabouts. They engage in a high-speed chase with him down the highway, but the Sandman eludes capture. He detaches the fender of his car, which contains an interior row of barbed spikes. Burke's car runs over the spikes and skids into another car.

The Sandman drives to the home of Myron Fields, a former accountant employed by Albert Goldman. Under pressure, Fields reveals that Albert's son Roger is the former owner of the Evergood Milk Company. Albert left him the failing company as his sole inheritance, much to the chagrin of both Roger and his mother. All of Albert's other assets are to go to his daughter/lover, Celia. The Sandman begins to suspect that Roger may be the Tarantula.

The Sandman then pays a visit to the Belmont residence. He surprises Larry Belmont in his study and tells him to begin investigating the Goldman family. Larry has always suspected that Albert Goldman never truly reformed after the prohibition laws were repealed, but he never guessed that they could be involved in the Tarantula kidnappings.

In a darkened dungeon, the Tarantula and the veiled woman inspect their captured prey. Catherine van der Meer hangs practically lifeless from a row of pipes. Next to her, Celia Goldman finds herself similarly chained. The veiled woman picks up an axe. She is prepared to kill Catherine in order to terrorize Celia even further.

The Sandman suddenly arrives and distracts her from making the killing blow. The axe flies into an electrical box, and several live wires spill out onto the damp floor. The veiled woman turns her attack against Wesley, but he knocks her out with a blast of sleeping gas. He removes her veil to reveal the face of Miriam Goldman. Suddenly, Roger Goldman – the Tarantula, enters the room and points a gun at the Sandman. As the two argue, the Tarantula takes a step backwards into a puddle of water. Celia Goldman manages to push the exposed electric wires with her foot into the puddle, electrocuting her brother. Miriam Goldman revives and attacks Wes, but he knocks her out with the butt end of the axe.

Later, police arrive to arrest Miriam and collect Roger's body. They learn that Miriam and Roger concocted the entire Tarantula scheme as a means of revenge against Albert. Miriam wanted revenge because of his trysts with Celia and Catherine, while Roger wanted revenge because of his "black sheep" inheritance.

The following day, Wes has dinner with Larry, Dian and Judge Schaffer. He learns that Catherine did not sustain any permanent damage, and will recover from her trauma. After dinner, Wes walks Dian out to her car. It becomes apparent that they will be seeing more of each other in the future.

Notes

This collection reprints the four-issue storyline entitled The Tarantula from Sandman Mystery Theater. Reprint includes:

Cover price $9.95.

The character of the Sandman was created by Gardner Fox and Creig Flessel. By 1942, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby pulled the Sandman away from his pulp-noir roots, providing him with a colorful, purple and yellow super-hero costume, and a boy sidekick named Sandy.

This is the earliest chronological appearance of Wesley Dodds - the Sandman. This storyline takes place in the year 1938 and partially revamps the Sandman story chronicled in Adventure Comics #40. The two tales should be considered as separate stories however, as the Tarantula that appears in Adventure Comics #40 makes return appearances in the pages of the All-Star Squadron, while the Tarantula from Sandman Mystery Theatre makes his final appearance in Sandman Mystery Theatre #4 .

The Tarantula from this story should also not be confused with Jonathan Law, the crime-fighting member of the All-Star Squadron, or the above mentioned Golden Age villain, Crossart.

This storyline presents the first meeting between Wesley Dodds and Dian Belmont. Wes and Dian will become lifelong companions, sharing many adventures together. In time, Dian will come to learn that Wes is also the Sandman.

Although they both share the same alias, Wesley Dodds has almost no connection to Dream of the Endless. However, Dream is responsible for Wesley's penchant for prophetic dreaming, as revealed in Sandman: Midnight Theatre #1.

Trivia

Several real-world personalities make guest appearances in this collection.

Bert Lahr was an American actor, most famous for portraying the role of the Cowardly Lion in MGM's The Wizard of Oz.

Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky were both famous underworld gangsters whose careers have been documented in both books and film.

Joe DiMaggio was an all-star baseball player for the New York Yankees.

Tallulah Bankhead was an actress from the 1930s who nearly won the role of Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With the Wind.

William Powell was an American actor who gained notoriety for playing the role of Nick Charles in The Thin Man series of films.

Fiorello H. LaGuardia was the real-life mayor of New York City from 1934-1945.

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Wikia

Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Tarantula Vol 1 1

Contents

Appearing in "The Tarantula"

Synopsis for "The Tarantula"

Appearing in "Act II"

Synopsis for "Act II"

Appearing in "Act III"

Synopsis for "Act III"

Appearing in "Act IV"

Synopsis for "Act IV"

Notes

Trivia

See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

Start a Discussion Discussions about Sandman Mystery Theatre: The Tarantula Vol 1 1

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