Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #1 (2023)

When Wesley Dodds was a child, his PTSD-stricken veteran father would tell him of the horrors of the Great War. Wesley was himself traumatised by these stories, and as an adult tries to overcome his fear by patrolling the streets of New York at night as the Sandman. He is guided by prophetic dreams that show him criminals acting in the city, and also strange visions of figures in bright costumes. As the Sandman he captures Robert Rossi, the leader of the Manhattan mafia, and turns him in to DA Lawrence Belmont. The next day, Wesley and his father's old friend Wheeler Vanderlyle meet with Colonel Breckenridge of the War Office. Wesley has developed a harmless anaesthetic gas which can be effective when deployed over wide areas. He hopes that it can be used to harmlessly knock soldiers out, eliminating the need for offensive weapons. The colonel, who lost an arm in combat, flatly refuses and tells Wesley that the logistics of transporting and imprisoning so many enemy combatants after sedating them makes his plan unfeasible, bluntly telling him that killing people is cheaper and easier. He ends the meeting and Wesley is despondent, but Vanderlyle assures him it is a minor setback and invites him to a party that evening. Wesley attends the party with Lawrence's daughter Dian Belmont, his girlfriend and secret confidant in his activities as Sandman. At the party, Lawrence introduces him to Rex Tyler, who meaningfully tells Wesley that he has been following his career. Wesley is still depressed and leaves the party early. He changes into costume and foils two muggers in an alley, deciding that if he cannot help people on a grand scale he may as well do it on a small scale. Suddenly he hears sirens and fire engines drive past. He realises they are heading towards his home and grabs onto one, riding it to his burning mansion.