Sandman

Amazing Spider-Man #18 - #19

by Steve Ditko, 1964

As Spider-Man heads back to Aunt May's house, he stumbles across the Sandman wandering the streets. Desperately trying to avoid a fight, Spider-Man tries to explain to the Sandman that this isn't the time or place for a fight. Convinced that Spider-Man has turned yellow, the Sandman chases Spider-Man across the city trying to smash the wall-crawler with sledgehammer fists.

In order to escape the rampaging super-thug, Spider-Man ducks down an alleyway and quickly changes into his civilian clothes in order to hide from the Sandman.

Spider-Man running from the Sandman is captured on film, and is played over and over again by the Daily Bugle in order to further ruin Spider-Man's reputation.

Building on his reputation of putting Spider-Man on the run, the Sandman convinces the Enforcers to join forces with him to rid the city of super-powered crime-fighters. Their first target is the Human Torch whom they disable, capture, and seal in a fireproof glass cage.

After the Enforcers failed to bring in Spider-Man on their own, Sandman sets up a trap. He spreads the word on the street where he and the Enforcers are hold up with the Human Torch. Spider-Man is on to them though, and sneaks by the sentries in order to try to free the Torch. The Sandman, the Enforcers, and an army of thugs ambush him at the Torch's cage. Despite the odds, the assembled group is unable to prevent Spider-Man from freeing the Torch. Spider-Man and the Torch manage to cooperate long enough to disable the Enforcers and thugs. However, the Sandman escapes when the two get tangled together in Spider-Man's webbing. The Sandman, too tired to run, turns himself in to a couple of police officers.