Sandman is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Sandman, whose secret identity was Wesley Dodds, was published in Adventure Comics in the 1940s. The team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby did not invent this character, but worked on it extensively.
The Wesley Dodds Sandman was initially rendered in the style of pulp and Old-time radio heroes such The Shadow and the Green Hornet. A business suit, a hat, a gasmask and a gas-gun. After a few episodes the character was redesigned in the increasingly popular 1940s style of a superhero with a bright coloured costume and a teenage sidekick. However, when the character is brought back into DC Comics continuity in the 1960s (Justice League of America #46) he has returned to the earlier, pulp hero, style.
The next Sandman stars in a comic which bears his own name. The Sandman is a comic book printed by DC Comics in the 1970s. This Sandman lives in the Dream Dimension and protects children from their nightmares and occasionally from real-life menaces. He was created as a children's character by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in The Sandman #1 (Winter, 1974).
The Sandman is also a comic book printed by DC Comics under the Vertigo Comics imprint in the 1980s and 1990s, starring a very different character that is sometimes known by the same name.
The original 1940s Sandman, Wesley Dodds is recreated in a "retro" style in the 1990s series titled Sandman Mystery Theatre.