SANDSTORM
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human mutate
Occupation: Veteran seeking revenge; former soldier
Affiliations: Rudy (friend from the Army), US Army
Enemies: Arabian Knight (Abdul Qamar), Arabs
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Saudi Arabia
First Appearance: Marvel Comics Presents I#114/4 (1992)
Powers/Abilities: He was able to control the sands after he hit it with some kind of blasts from his hands. The sands were only under his control for a short time, but he was able to generate a huge sandstorm with this power.
History:
(Marvel Comics Presents#114/4 - BTS) - The American who would become
Sandstorm served his homeland in a war in an Arabian country.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#114/4 (fb) - BTS) - Sandstorm was mutated in the war by nasty chemicals from the Arabs while his friend Rudy died from the same chemicals. Sandstorm left the US Army and began a war of his own against all Arabs to avenge his friend Rudy.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#114/4) - Sandstorm generated a sandstorm and threatened a bazaar in Saudi Arabia which was visited by Arabian Knight and his wives. Sandstorm was attacked by Arabian Knight but he was able to throw him from his flying carpet. Sandstorm blinded Arabian Knight with sand and nearly buried him while talking about his reasons. Arabian Knight blocked the blasts of Sandstorm with his carpet and tied him up with his belt-sash. Sandstorm was defeated but Arabian Knight showed mercy and saved him from choking to death on his own sand. Arabian Knight stopped Arabs from killing Sandstorm who stated that they hated him for his race as he hated them for theirs. Sandstorm was convinced by Arabian Knight that vengeance is no good and left.
Comments: Created by Gary Barnum and James Blackburn
The war Sandstorm served in was never mentioned but was probably meant to have been the first Gulf War (the story was published in 1992). However because the clocks in the Marvel Universe are ticking differently it could be another conflict too, even one that only happened in the Marvel Universe.
It was the Gulf War. It was at a time when I saw people becoming more and more suspicious of each other based on race, and there was beginning to be talk of prison camps for Arabic peoples like they used for Asian peoples during WWII. I wanted to speak out, and I sort of used that story to do it. I wanted to show that not all Arabic people were bad, and not all Caucasian people or soldiers were good. And that was pre-9/11. I meant it to be anti-racist, but then I finished the story with a sort of sexist ending. I was young, what can I say?
--Gary Barnum
Even though Arabian Knight talked about the sand of Sandstorm like he could produce it out of thin air, Sandstorm couldn't do this. It looked like he was only able to control the sand he just hit with his blasts for a short time. The sands he controlled turned green in the story.
He just had the power to move great amounts of sand. That was all he could affect. Why it turned green? You'd have to ask the colorist; that wasn't part of the direction.
--Gary Barnum
Rudy the friend of Sandstorm was never called anything other than a friend in the story but it could be interpreted that he was more to Sandstorm than a mere friend (probably a relative or a lover?).
Rudy was his war buddy, forged in the bonds of war. Nothing more, nothing less. But soldiers in combat situations often form deep ties from the shared experience, so Sandstorm was out-of-control furious.
--Gary Barnum
Profile by Markus Raymond
CLARIFICATIONS: Sandstorm should not be confused with:
images:
Marvel Comics Presents I#114, barcode side, p11, pan5 (head)
Marvel Comics Presents I#114, barcode side, p13, pan1 (body)
Appearances:
Marvel Comics Presents I#114 (1992) - Gary Barnum (writer), James Blackburn (pencils), Don Hudson (inks), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
First Posted: 03/02/2004
Last updated: 06/17/2018
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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