The Sandman Saga (Superman)
"The Sandman Saga" is a Superman story arc published in 1971 in Superman #233–235, 237–238 and 240–242. This is the first Superman storyline under editor Julius Schwartz and the first Bronze Age-era Superman story.
History
In 1971, DC attempted to revamp and streamline the Superman universe, significantly reducing Superman's powers so that he was no longer a god-like character who was impossible to beat.Many of the concepts introduced during this time, such as a powered-down Superman, Intergang, Project Cadmus, the Guardian, and Darkseid, would later be used in the post-Crisis incarnation of Superman that first appeared in John Byrne's The Man of Steel.
Mort Weisinger, the editor on the Superman titles, retired from his 30-year career at DC at the end of 1970. As he had been a prolific editor, DC replaced Weisinger with four people: Mike Sekowsky, Murray Boltinoff, E. Nelson Bridwell and Julius Schwartz. The new editors streamlined the Superman mythos: things like kryptonite, imaginary stories, Mister Mxyzptlk, Bizarro, Krypto the Superdog, Jimmy Olsen's Elastic Lad stories, Lana Lang's Insect Queen stories and Titano the Super-Ape would all be removed and forgotten.
After a series of house ads including two-page center-spreads, DC published Superman #233 in January 1971. With the tagline The Amazing New Adventures of above the Superman title, and the displayed "1" which was actually part of the slogan "Number 1 Best-Selling Comics Magazine", it led some to believe that the book was actually called The Amazing New Adventures of Superman #1. Writer Dennis O'Neil, known from his work on Batman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and artists Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson began the "Sandman Saga" in this issue. The story opens with a scientist attempting to create an engine powered by kryptonite and inadvertently transforming all kryptonite on Earth into harmless iron. The same incident opens a portal to another dimension, releasing a spirit called Quarmer which transforms itself into a sand-based clone of Superman. Following this development, Clark Kent is reassigned by his new boss, Morgan Edge, as a television reporter of WGBS, and O'Neil dumps the wimpy-Clark Kent persona.