History
As a young child, Bobby Bronson enjoyed books and studying. While his mother Anne was supportive and encouraging of Bobby's learning, his ex-Marine father Steve felt that Bobby was a sissy, and should be focused on sports like he was as a child. Bobby's father decided to toughen him up by making him "rough it" during a trip to rural Mexico. Wanting to keep an eye on him, Bobby's mother came with.
While hiking in Mexico with his parents, Bobby and his family came across a cave with a large iron door inside. His father used explosive powder to blow the door off its hinges, which awakened the alien creature inside. The creature called itself The Sandman, and told the family its plans to conquer the planet. Bobby and his mother ran and hid while his father fought the creature, but The Sandman overpowered him and forced the family to smuggle him into the United States.
While the family was observing citizens during a parade, Bobby's father alerted some Marines to the aliens presence. While the military tried to destroy the creature, to no avail, The Sandman explained that it would journey to the local beach, and use the sand there to grow its mass to astronomical size. Hearing this, Bobby made his way to the beach and hid. When the alien finally arrived, Bobby throw a bucket of water on it, causing The Sandman to become immobile.
Bobby scooped the creature into a box, and wheeled him back to the city in a wagon. After explaining what happened to his parents, Bobby's father had a change of heart, realizing that he could be proud of his son even if he was not interested in sports.[1]