DC Database
Advertisement

"The Mist: Act Four": Lt. Burke arrives on the scene of the collapsed building that Smythe had targeted. Members of the Jewish community demand that Lt. Burke get answers about this desecration. Cohen and Martin "Happy" Meyer pay Smythe a visit because Smythe had destroyed the wrong building. Me

Quote1 That's what I find so insidious about the underworld... it's carelessness in its cruelty, accidental victims, and blanket destruction for specific targets... Quote2
Sandman

Sandman Mystery Theatre #40 is an issue of the series Sandman Mystery Theatre (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1996.

Synopsis for "The Mist: Act Four"

Lt. Burke arrives on the scene of the collapsed building that Smythe had targeted. Members of the Jewish community demand that Lt. Burke get answers about this desecration. Cohen and Martin "Happy" Meyer pay Smythe a visit because Smythe had destroyed the wrong building. Meyer was especially upset because his aunt lived in that building and was killed when the building collapsed. Smythe asks Cohen for a second chance because he has enhanced his device. Smythe disintegrates a chicken in front of Cohen and Meyer. Cohen puts two and two together about Smythe's device and the disappearance of his thug Bud who was sent to pay off Smythe for destroying Lugamo's plane. Meyer hits Smythe in the stomach and Smythe falls to the floor. Cohen tells Smythe to wait for his call if he intends to make up for his screw up and disintegrating Bud.

At the Flamingo Club, Dian pretends that her car stalls in front of Cohen's car. Meyer goes out to assist Dian while Wesley surprises George Cohen by taking him as his captive for interrogation. Dian drives away before Meyer could reach her then he sees Cohen being driven away by the Sandman. Wesley pumps a gas into the backseat that forces Cohen to tell the truth. Cohen admits that his saboteur Jonathan Smythe isn't his real name and they came into contact through Meyer's cousin. Smythe had served during World War I in the First Canadian Independent Army at Vimt. Smythe had received a medal after the war and Smythe's botched assignment was intended to kill the salesman Rabbi Glickman. Wesley gets what he needs out of Cohen and meets Dian at their rendezvous.

Frederic Baederstadt and his friend from the docks visit a synagogue. Frederic believed in the rabbi's sermon but Frederic's friend was sickened by the rabbi and those who attended the service. Frederic's friend tells Frederic that they are leaving in order to report their findings to the Fifth Column. Frederic's friend hands Frederic a gun and tells him to prove his loyalty to the Fifth Column by assassinating Rabbi Glickman in exchange for a one way ticket back to Germany.

Smythe presents his device to the military committee as a humane weapon that can revolutionize warfare. Smythe activates his device and targets a rabbit. Smythe calls this the dawn of the Bloodless War. Ted and the other judges minus Wesley were astonished by Smythe's devices. Ted calls Dian at her father's office and tells her to relay a message to Wesley. Ted confirms Wesley's findings that Smythe has created a device that can destroy matter on a molecular level. As for Smythe, he returns to his laboratory where Happy is waiting for him. Happy overhears Smythe's cheers for getting the defense contract but he informs Smythe that his services to Cohen have been extended for killing Bud. Smythe tries to tell Weiss that his device will no longer be abused by Cohen but Happy expresses his anger by grabbing one of Smythe's chickens and butchering it. Weiss tells Smythe that he will eliminate Rabbi Glickman or Smythe will facing the business end of his device.

Wesley attends the final stage of the competition for the defense contracts and overhears Judge Schaeffer talking about Goodwin's Manhattan Project. Later, Wesley dons a disguise as a fruit merchant and observes Rabbi Glickman being escorted to his home by one of his devoted followers Adam. Dian spots Wesley and relays Ted's findings with him. Dian pleads with Wesley to leave this matter for the police like Lt. Burke. Wesley knows that Burke anti-semetic sentiments towards the Jewish community plus Wesley has a personal stake in this case. Wesley confesses to Dian that his mother was Jewish and his father's family was Roman Catholic. Both families had extreme views on their ideologies which caused Wesley to detach from them when his parents died. Wesley has since then embraced Eastern philosophies.

Later that night, Wesley spots Frederic sneaking around Rabbi Glickman's home. Frederic at first hesitates to go through with his mission but then he makes his way up a fire escape that leads to the rabbi's study. Frederic points the gun at Glickman and warns him not to scream. The rabbi scoffs at Frederic and writes him off as a Nazi stooge. All of a sudden, the entire room becomes clouded in green smoke. Wesley enters the room and tells Glickman to leave while he interrogates Frederic. Frederic's effect from the green smoke causes him to confess his involvement with the Nazi sect the Fifth Column. Glickman heads downstairs to call the police while Wesley deduces that Frederic is best left for Lt. Burke. Smythe arrives at Glickman's home when Lt. Burke's officers arrive on the scene. Smythe figures that he should cut his losses and head back to his laboratory before Cohen hears about the botched mission.

Smythe arrives at his laboratory but he is struck in the head by Weiss. When Smythe awakens, he finds himself bound to a rafter in the basement beneath his laboratory. Weiss tells Smythe that he was watching Smythe's every move and saw him turn tail when the cops arrived at Glickman's home. Cohen orders Weiss to take Smythe's device before it ends up in the government's hands but not before using it on Smythe. Weiss orders his goon Benassi to aim the device at Smythe and activate it. Unfortunately, Benassi didn't know how to properly calibrate the machine. The disintegrating beam irradiates Smythe but it doesn't vaporize him and the machine explodes. Weiss and Benassi leave Smythe to die a slow but painful death. Smythe crawls on the floor and gathers a few of his things then grabs a transit bus but he forgets his medal for valor that he was awarded during World War I. Smythe arrives in Opal City and checks into a motel where he discovers that his physical form has become a living mist. Smythe screams in horror.

Appearing in "The Mist: Act Four"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Lt. Burke
  • Rabbi Glickman
  • Judge Thomas Schaffer
  • Fredric Baederstadt

Locations:

Items:


Vehicles:



Notes

  • Jonathan Smythe was an adopted name for a Canadian WWI veteran who was awarded a Victoria Cross. Wes and Ted never did work out his real identity.
  • The Victoria Cross that Wes finds comes into play again in Starman Vol 2. The Mist tells Jack Knight that she intended to locate the missing medal which prompts Jack to track it down during the Sand and Stars story.



See Also


Links and References

Advertisement