Devious Dust Devils Deemed Decidedly Destructive

The Dust Devils of the planet Rhynthar were a marauding species in the Alpha-Centari solar system, feared by the inhabitants of Rann-One and enlisted by the sinister scientist named Kaskor into becoming his unwitting minions. When his Zeta-Beams first transported Adam Strange, his fiancee Alanna and other residents of Rann to their world, they immediately came into conflict with these other-world invaders. Using his mastery of science to solidify all save one Dust Devil into immobile glass, Adam and his people returned to Rann to confront and defeat Kaskor.

However, the sole survivor among the Dust Devils named Jakarta traveled back to Rann-One and eventually Earth-One, hiding within Strange's gun holster. Studying both worlds and his people's foe, Jakarta and Adam Strange had two more encounters with one another, resulting in Adam rendering Jakarta inert back on Earth-One. Shortly after this*, two entities from the dimension of Quarm were drawn to Earth-One, inhabiting silicon-based bodies. One of these became a Sand Superman duplicate of the original Man of Steel, battling the hero repeatedly before the two resolved their differences.

As previously mentioned, a rare breed of partially silicon-based creatures were native to Earth-One, that being the Metamorphs who were formerly the ancient Roman soldier Algon, explorer Rex "Metamorpho" Mason and his ally government agent Urania "Element Girl" Blackwell. 

On Earth-Two in a parallel universe, a species of metamorphic silicon-based creatures resided in the Gobi Desert, led by their leader Ben Otan who along with his chief lieutenant and a small army of sand-beings sought to eliminate from their world all humanity. Having once been humans themselves during the time of Genghis Khan, these former soldiers of the Mongolian warlord were transformed into their current forms by a weapon devised by the Sandman and Metamorpho, who teamed up when traveling back to that era from the 20th century. The same process would centuries later transform Sandman's sidekick Sandy Hawkins into a Silicon Creature himself, who would aid his former mentor before eventually regaining his humanity once more. Unlike the Dust Devils, these Sand Beings could transform from malleable sand to a form of animated glass.

While the Sand Beings were all wiped out during a conflict with the Flash of Earth-Two, its seems a few Dust Devils escaped extinctions from their species' encounters with Adam Strange, as they later once more menace men as pawns during the Kanjar Ro and Hyathis war of worlds between Rann-One and Thanagar-One.

* The two Quarmer creatures entered the "Earth-One universe" shortly after the Dust Devils will eliminated. Once these two beings returned to their native realm, new Dust Devils once more appeared on Rann. Whether new Sand Beings were spawned on Earth-Two after their meeting with the Flash is unknown.

Secret Origin of the Silicon Sentients

On Earth-Two, a secondary life-form  existed alongside yet in total seclusion from carbon-based humanity, the Sandmen of the Gobi Desert! Where did these silicon creatures come from, and why were they so eerily similar to that which was once Sandy the Golden Boy? Today, the tale can now be told from the chronicles of the Justice League of America, who found their genesis with both their creator the Sandman present… and with an alternate universe version of these beings in Metamorpho!

In early 1946, Wesley Dodds sought to improve upon the crime effectiveness of he and his sidekick, and so developed the silicoid gun. However, while testing it, the gun exploding, dousing Sandy in its experimental compounds. This mixture transformed the Golden Boy into the Silicon Creature, temporarily driven insane, causing Dodds' to keep the lad sedated for decades within his subterranean lair. When earthquakes began to expose a dangerous fault line underneath York City, Sandy was awoken and used his powers to save it. Years later, Wes restored Sandy to normal, although with residual abilities.

Between 1946 and Sandy's revival in 1974, Wesley resumed his Sandman costumed career and rejoined the Justice Society. Using a modified version of the silicon gun in 1966, Sandman was able to transform sand into a variety of shapes, formed with into a hardened glassy substance. Years later, while with his Justice Society allies accompanied by the Justice League in order to locate members of Law's Legionnaires to help them save the world. Sandman traveled with the Earth-One Superman and Metamorpho to the era of Genghis Khan.*

Faced with the hordes of Khan's followers thirsty for conquest in the ancient Gobi Desert, Metamorpho used his elemental body to transform into a tank, equipped to disperse the chemical compound he produced from the silicoid formula provided by Sandman, in order to disable the militant troops. The mutagenic properties of this Metamorpho concoction had an enduring effect on some of Khan's Mongul minions.

In fact, it was in 1946 (yes, the same year that Sandman invented his silicoid technology) that Jay "Flash" Garrick uncovered an ancient civilization of "Sandmen". These creatures led by Ben Otan lived in the Gobi Desert, and had the appearance and abilities that Sandy would soon manifest. Evidentally, these silicon creatures were a small portion of the men whom Sandman and his colleagues faced hundreds of years in the past when Genghis led them.

Now hating humanity, these Sandmen developed technology that would eliminate mankind, leaving them the sole dominant beings on Earth-Two. Thankfully, Flash was able to reverse their attack, as the Sandmen fell prey to their own death dealing device.

While there were more than half a dozen known Sandmen, including Sandy as well as Ben Otan and his comrades, there were also scant numbers of the corresponding Metamorphs on Earth-One** Beside soldier-of-fortune Rex Mason aka Metamorpho, there was architect Edifice Bulwalk and secret agent Urania Blackwell aka Element Girl. The oldest Metamorph was a Roman soldier named Algon who, like his love Queen Jezeba of the Ma-Phoor nation, was immortal. Then there were the similar beings of the neighboring Quarrm dimension… “Sand Superman” and a like being impersonating a Chinese warrior statue. In the end, only one Metamorph… Mason… remained as all these others ceased to exist one-by-one.

* Genghis Khan was one of the the aliases used throughout history by the immortal Vandal Savage.

** Differing physics in the two universes, as well as latent effects of Earth-One's Orb of Ra and Earth-Two's Hammer of Thor, and their artificial duplicates, played some part in Simon Stagg's transformation of Rex Mason and of Sandman's technology effecting Sandy Hawkins.

The Mysterious Earth of the Anti-Matter Universe

When the rogue scientist from Malthus, Krona, unleashed a wave of energy across his universe, an infinite number of additional positive matter universes and a single anti-matter universe were formed. Just as that sole realm had the planet Qward in the center of the Anti-Matter universe, so too existed planet Oa within the universe of Earth-One, where some of Krona’s fellow Maltusians became the Guardians of the Universe.

Elsewhere in the anti-matter universe of Qward, there existed a corresponding Earth, only there instead of just humans, a different life form existed on that world… Stone Giants! After six stone scientists detonated a cobalt bomb simultaneous to the nuclear bomb detonated by humans on Earth-One, the fabric of realty began to tear between both universes. To prevent the twin Earths from merging, the stone giants took destructive action against Central City, Brasilia and Tokyo, which the Justice League then protected. 

Eventually the League and the "untouchable aliens" (a side effect the giants experienced from the radiation exposure) communicated and together prevented their parallel planets from merging. Both teams returned to their native dimensions, never again meeting despite League members encountering the Thunderers of Qward time and time throughout the years. Unlike the residents of Qward, the residents of anti-matter Earth were not intrinsically evil merely inquisitive.

This makes some sense, however, as the majority of these Giants’ counterparts in the positive matter universes were inherently malicious towards humanity. This was certainly true of the Sand-Beings on Earth-Two, who were a minority who opposed mankind by creating a destructive weapons against them. Then there were the inhuman variants on Earth-One known as the Metamorphs. Of these, only Earth-One's Metamorpho (and Element Girl) and Earth-Two's Sandy the Silicon Creature had heroic dispositions.

Interestingly, a creature known as Quarrmer or the “Sand Superman”  was spawned when an experimental Kryptonite-powered reactor experienced a nuclear meltdown. While attempting to avert a disaster, Superman inadvertently irradiated some sand which an energy-based creature molded into a duplicate body. Syphoning off some of Superman's powers, this Quarrmer gained control of his body, transforming it into a silicon-carbon hybrid. 

Revealing himself to having originated in the "dimension of Quarm", he entered into the Earth-One universe which a breach in the dimensional wall caused by the reaction meltdown allowing the entity to enter the human's world. Once realizing that Quarrmer could not coexist in the same realm alongside a counterpart with an "opposite charge" molecularly, he returned to his own universe.

Shortly thereafter, the immortal Martian known as Karmang enlisted the aid of both Quarrmer and Black Adam with the intent of having each of them impersonate their foes, Superman and Captain Marvel. Seeking to use these pawns to incite a conflict that would merge and then destroy Earth-One and Earth-S, in a misguided attempt to revive Karmang's long-lost people, instead Quarrmer aided the heroes in repelling this threat from both Earths. While last seen on Earth-S, it is logical that Quarrmer would have returned to either Quarrm, unless the dimensional rift was closed following this encounter. If so, this Sand Superman would be trapped on Earth-S forevermore!

Malevolent Metamorphs Menace Mankind: Sinister Silicon Selves

Among the various living creatures residing on Earths One and Two, there is a diverse array of animals and plant life. The predominant life form, if not the most numerous, on these worlds is mankind. But while most life is carbon based, an oddity persists in these two reality. The presence of metamorphae on Earth-One, along with two visitors from the dimension of Quarrm, and the sand-beings of Earth-Two along with two glass-based leaders. 

For centuries, a variety of humans had been transformed into the Metamorphae, including ancient Roman centurion Algon, modern-day architect Eudife Bulwalk, government agent Urania Blackwell, and most famous of all... Rex Mason, who became Metamorpho the Element Man. Each of these individuals gained their transformative bodies and abilities after exposure to radiation originating from the Orb of Ra, which was an ancient meteorite harnessed to create this new species. While limited in number, this species was powerful.

Similar creatures resided in the Quarrm Dimension, and one of these energy entities accidentally was pulled into Earth-One's realm of existence during a reactor experiment using Kryptonite. Although Superman intervened and saved lives from the resulting explosion, the exposure to this potent energy left him unconscious on the sand. From his imprint upon that sand, the Quarrm creature created a body for itself resembling Superman, and sought to steal energy from the Man of Steel in order to sustain it. After a battle with another Quarrm creature, this "Sand" Superman returned to Quarrm. Similar creatures from the planet Rhynthar known as the Dust Devils invaded Rann-One and Earth-One. 

For centuries, a parallel specifies of bipedal beings resembling humans existed in the Gobi Desert. These Sand-Beings were limited in mumber but due to the nature of their being, used the sand to form bodies for themselves. As native inhabitants of Earth-Two, for centuries they gained mastery of their physical forms, which protected these energy entities.

By the time that a research party led by Jay Garrick discovered them, these Sand-Beings had created a solar powered weapon based on technology which sustained their lives. With this, they planned to unleash their vengeance upon mankind, which they felt subjegated the sand. Led by the humanity-hating leader Ben Otan, the half-dozen changelings were poised for world conquest.

Displaying an ability to transform between malleable sand and hardened glass forms and even form their bodies into various shapes, these Sand-Beings fought Jay's alter ego the Flash to a standstill. Only when the Flash tricked them into absorbing the full energy of their solar lamp were these being defeated... and seemingly destroyed forever! Although this tale seemed outlandish, Jay would tell it to his colleagues in the Liar's Club, and it would seem to other friends as well...

In fact, it seems that Jay shared what he learned of the Sand-Being's technology with his fellow Justice Society teammate Wesley Dodds. Dodds, as the Sandman, was obsessed with sand-based items, and from this he developed a silicoid gun. However, its instability caused it to explode, bathing his sidekick Sandy Hawkins in energies that transformed him into a new life form. This Silicon Creature, like the Sand-Beings, had metamorphic qualities during its two decades long existence. The former member of the All-Star Squadron, Sandy, eventually regained his human form... and gained earth-shaking powers!

Rex Mason, unlike the other Metamorphae, felt grounded by the love of his fiancee Sapphire Stagg, and despite interference from her father Simon, ended up marrying her. Although a loner, Metamorpho found acceptance as an honorary member of the Justice League of America and, years later, as a member of Batman's Outsiders.