table of contents Introduction........................................................................................................................................ 4 A Flash of Brilliance........................................................................................................................... 6 Mythical Feathers............................................................................................................................... 8 Of Force and Feathers...................................................................................................................... 10 The Birth of Flight............................................................................................................................ 12 Fast Feathered Friends..................................................................................................................... 18 Clipped Wings.................................................................................................................................. 26 The Brave & The Bold...................................................................................................................... 39 Hawkman Vol. 1............................................................................................................................... 45 Birds of a Feather.............................................................................................................................. 52 Hawks and Falcons........................................................................................................................... 55 Flying High in the 1970s................................................................................................................. 56 Betwixt and Between....................................................................................................................... 60 Earth-2............................................................................................................................................... 68 The Shadow War............................................................................................................................... 74 The Legendary Invasion of the Millennium Crisis...................................................................... 94 Hawkworld........................................................................................................................................ 96 Thanagarian Terms......................................................................................................................... 105 Third Flight..................................................................................................................................... 113 New Silver Age................................................................................................................................ 139 Return of Hawkman....................................................................................................................... 146 Flying into a New Era.................................................................................................................... 147 Rann-Thanagar War....................................................................................................................... 174 Invasion!.......................................................................................................................................... 175 Rann-Thanagar War II................................................................................................................... 176 Hawkgirl Flies Solo........................................................................................................................ 180 Out of the Nest................................................................................................................................ 197 References........................................................................................................................................ 202 Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... 203 About the Author........................................................................................................................... 204
™ & © DC Comics
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A Flash of Brilliance The origins of Hawkman stretch back into the dawn of comic art. While the exact origin has been the subject of much debate, there is no denying the obvious influence cast upon the character by the success of Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon strip. Flash Gordon started its run in 1934, six years before the first flight of Carter Hall and a scant four years before the ascent of Superman. The popularity of Flash Gordon saw the sci-fi adventurer leap from newsprint to silver screen and thereby broadened the audience it reached, stretching into the hearts and minds of burgeoning creatives who would spawn a legacy of science-fiction, comic books and even more inspirational legacies, such as Star Trek and Star Wars. To say that every shred of imaginative fiction owes a debt to only Flash Gordon is certainly a bit of a stretch, seeing as there were adventures before the illustrious Mr. Gordon found himself on the planet Mongo, like the adventures of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Debuting five years to the day after the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century comic strip launched, the Flash Gordon strip bowed out on January 7, 1934.
At the top is an image of Barin and Ming originally published in the Flash Gordon newspaper strip as rendered by Alex Raymond. The image is reproduced here as a scan from Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon Vol. 4 from Checker Book Publishing Group. Below that is an image of the cover of the subsequent volume—Vol. 5. Note the distinctive similarity in appearance between the two leading ladies—Dale Arden (above) and Shiera Sanders (bottom-left panel of the page shown in the image to the left). [Flash Gordon characters © 2008 King Feature Syndicate]
The Shelly Moldoff-drawn page to the left from Flash Comics #4 could just as easily be featuring Flash Gordon as it is Carter Hall. ™ & © DC Comics
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Mythical Feathers Hawkman himself draws heavily upon other existing mythological characters, directly from his first appearance in Flash Comics #1. As Christopher Knowles points out in his book, Our Gods Wear Spandex: the Secret History of Comic Book Heroes, “Hawkman’s backstory is as direct a retelling of the ancient Sun god’s myth as you’re apt to find in a modern genre.” Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris, held many posts in the ancient Egyptian pantheon. Frequently represented as a falcon or a human with the head of a falcon or hawk, Horus was the god of the east as well as the god of the sky. His right eye represented the sun while his left was the moon. The Greek equivalent of Horus is Apollo. Horus, the falcon-headed god, embodied the notion of divine kingship and represented the living pharaoh. In some interpretations, Horus would have frequent conflicts with his brother Seth, much in the same manner as Thor and Loki. These conflicts would be among the first adventures to serve as inspiration for heroic adventures in The Contendings of Horus and Set, an early adventure story. In those adventures, Set is not Horus’s brother, but rather, his uncle. The two beings tussle through various conflagrations as they seek dominance over the other.
An allusion to Hawkman and Hawkgirl as angels. One of the most widely held notions of winged characters in any practice of mythology, angels have permeated current western culture. At one point in the Hawkman legend, an angel served as the incarnation of the Hawk avatar. ™ & © DC Comics
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A modern Marvel interpretation of Horus rendered by Rafa Sandoval from Incredible Hercules #116, wherein Athena assembles the “God Squad” to help Earth combat the Skrull menace. [© 2008 Marvel Characters Inc.]
Of Force and Feathers A Comparison Between the Universes of Hawkman and Star Wars As Constance Taylor, the Managing Editor of the Checker Book Publishing Group pointed out in the foreword to a collection of the Flash Gordon strip, “George Lucas tried to get the rights to re-make the film [Flash Gordon] in the 1970s, but was turned down. Lucas’s vision of creating a new fairy tale for the upcoming generation refused to be subdued, and the impression that the Flash Gordon comic strip had left upon him carried out into an original film treatment he was working on… Star Wars became a force in its own right, and if you know anything about Flash Gordon, you can see Raymond’s influence within both the landscape and the character design.” To say the influence was only felt by Lucas would be erroneous. Raymond’s influence stretched to another source of inspiration for George Lucas—comic books. While neither legend can be traced to only one single referential point of inspiration, both Star Wars and comic books borrow threads from mythology and seek to establish a mythology of their own. Both also have distinct elements reflective from Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Certainly, each has also received more than a bit of influence from other space-faring serials, novels and pulps. As both Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon inspired legends such as those found in the tales of Hawkman and Star Wars, those same galaxies have inspired their own set of other tales and legends. Some of those legends are self-fulfilling, with Hawkman from the Golden Age inspiring every Hawkman to follow for almost seventy years. Star Wars, similarly, has inspired itself to branch out into new arenas, including two impending television series. A phantom menace long before Darth Maul. The cover to That said, the two universes have some commonalities, beyond Flash Comics #91 is just one more link in the commonalities their shared inspiration, including, but not limited to creators. The sharing of creators is a bidirectional flow, with creators who between the two universes. ™ & © DC Comics previously worked on Star Wars spending some time working on the various Hawkman titles, while some went from Hawkman or Hawkworld to illustrate the adventures of Sith and Jedi. Among the creators to stride in both universes are:
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Creator
Role
Hawkman-related work
Star Wars work
Jim Beard
Writer
Hawkman (Vol. 4) SF&O
Star Wars Tales #15
Howard Chaykin
Artist
Hawkgirl
Marvel Comics movie adaptation of Star Wars and early issues of ongoing series
Jan Duursema
Artist
Hawkworld and Hawkman (Vol. Star Wars prequel adaptations and Star Wars: Republic 3) and Star Wars: Legacy
Archie Goodwin
Editor
Hawkman (v 3)
Marvel’s Star Wars
John Ostrander
Writer
Hawkworld
Star Wars: Legacy among others
Roy Thomas
Writer, Editor
All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc. and many more
Writer and editor on early issues of the Marvel Star Wars series
Tim Truman
Writer, Artist
Artist on Hawkworld
Writer on Star Wars: Republic
The Birth of Flight Following the success and acclaim of DC’s Superman, its sister company All American decided to launch a new anthology, published by M.C. Gaines and helmed by Sheldon Mayer with characters scripted by Gardner Fox. Debuting to the general public on November 20, 1939, in the January 1940 cover-dated Flash Comics #1, Hawkman has become an icon on the comic scene in the time in between. Distinguishable by his trademark costume resplendent with winged helmet, garish colors and broad sweeping wings, most comic book readers can readily identify the character. Indeed, most non-comic readers can stand a pretty good chance of pinning down his heroic name as well. The Hawkman’s initial adventure was 12 pages long, written by Gardner Fox. It featured art by Dennis Neville. Other characters that appeared in this debut issue alongside the Winged Wonder were the Flash (obviously) as well as another future Justice Society of America teammate—Johnny Thunder. The Whip and Cliff Cornwall also made their debuts in that same book. While the Flash has borne a legacy more virile than almost any character ever created and Johnny Thunder carries a legacy of his own, the Whip and Cliff Cornwall haven’t exactly been the features of any creative renaissance. Truly, of the three characters that have sustained through the rigors of the comic industry since this book debuted in 1939, only Hawkman is instantly recognizable as the same hero. The most recent Hawkman solo title starred Carter Hall, the first hero to carry the mantle, wear the harness and flap the wings. Jay Garrick, while still retaining the identity of the Flash, shares the name with Wally West ™ & © DC Comics presently as well as Barry Allen and Bart Allen formerly. Their lineage can be followed in great detail in TwoMorrows’ Flash Companion. Ask comic fans who the Flash is and you’ll get one of nearly a handful of answers, seasoned by the reading experience of your interviewee. Ask those same fans who Hawkman is and there is a greater than 50% chance they will tell you “Carter Hall.” The creation of the character seen in Flash Comics #1 is credited to Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville. Gardner Fox, writer extraordinaire and creator of more than a few DC legends, is generally considered the brains of the outfit in the origin of this character. The inspiration of the character, specifically, has never been truly revealed. More than one source credits Fox as being inspired by a bird swooping outside his window, much in the same manner the fictitious Bruce Wayne was inspired by a bat. Other theories call into question the seemingly insurmountable evidence of a tremendous set of “coincidences” whereby a new periodical titled Flash Comics would feature a character by the moniker of Hawkman. The most popular newspaper comic strip of the day was Flash Gordon, who, himself had found joined in adventure with an alien race of Hawkmen. Baring more than a passing resemblance to Flash Gordon in both his own appearance and the visage of his love interest, the first adventures of Hawkman found our blond-tressed protagonist fighting for the honor and safety of his 12
lady fair—a raven-haired beauty of mysterious origins. I cannot provide exact reference to swipes from Flash Gordon to Hawkman, but they are certainly there in spirit if not linework. The influence was present in the first three stories, drawn by Dennis Neville, but it became even more obvious once Sheldon “Shelly” Moldoff assumed the artistic chores. In digging, I found little information to share of Dennis Neville, save that he worked on other books at DC (he started as one of Joe Shuster’s assistants on the Superman newspaper strip) both before and after his time drawing the adventures of Hawkman. He was officially replaced in issue #4 by Sheldon (Shelly) Moldoff. With his work on Flash Comics #4, Shelly became the Hawkman artist for a nice duration, working on Flash Comics between issues #2-61. During that time, Moldoff made the visual of Hawkman his own. The helmet changed significantly from Hawkman’s debut in Flash Comics #1, sliding down Carter Hall’s face to cover his eyes more effectively. This gave the hero more of an appearance of being a Hawk-headed man as opposed to a man wearing a bird hat. There would, of course, be an array of variation to the helmet, from a screaming hawk head to a more flat-featured mask to the eventual yellow lucha libre type cowled mask. Moldoff brought a new dimension to the Winged Wonder’s adventures, dropping in a level of detail heretofore not utilized in comic book art. A great amount of the detail was used as embellishment to make the drawings distinctively Shelly’s and to separate them from the obvious Flash Gordon influence. Our introduction to Carter Hall focuses on him being a wealthy collector of weapons, as we are introduced to him in his weaponlined library. One of those weapons, a glass knife used in offering sacrifices, takes on an almost singing sword-like characteristic, as it casts a dizziness upon the intrepid Mr. Hall. This dizziness allows us to join Hal in a dream where he finds himself cast
On this page and the facing page are excerpts from the first appearance of Hawkman as rendered by Dennis Neville in Flash Comics #1. ™ & © DC Comics 13
Fast Feathered Friends Flash Comics #1 is when it all began. Not only did this four-color historical linchpin introduce the Flash and the legacy that character has enjoyed, but it also brought four other characters to four-color glory: the Whip, Johnny Thunder, Cliff Cornwall and the Winged Wonder—Hawkman. Of these other characters, only Hawkman and Johnny Thunder have continued to thrive in comics to this day. Hawkman and Flash are the only ones to spawn legacies with titular characters carrying their mantles. Since their debut in that initial issue, Flash and Hawkman split cover appearances, but their common bond did not end there. While they may not be as commonly reminisced a duo as Flash and Green Lantern or Hawkman and Atom, the legacy of these two characters have crossed paths with each other frequently throughout their storied publishing history, from Flash Comics #1 through to today. When Julius Schwartz rebooted the DC superheroes in the late 1950s, he went back to the Flash Comics well, starting with a brand new Flash—Barry Allen. After Flash, Green Lantern and Atom were next pegged for the Silver Age reinvention. From there, Hawkman was next, rounding out the first quartet of newly reinterpreted heroes.
Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #130 saw them meet up before teleporting to the JLA Satellite to square off against the Dharlu. ™ & © DC Comics
These two pages offer up some shared moments between the Fastest Men Alive and DC’s very own Winged Wonders. In Superman #199 (1967), Hawkman is one of the Flash’s cheerleaders in the book, wishing Flash luck in besting the Kryptonian comet, even though he is represented on the cover as an ardent supporter of ™ & © DC Comics
™ & © DC Comics
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his fellow spaceman. Katar Hol votes for expulsion of the Flash in issue #327. Later, he would lament his vote, in the 1986 Hawkman Special, in which Katar reflected upon the events of the Shadow War of Hawkman. At that point, he believed to understand what it was that drove Barry to seemingly commit an unspea.k.a.bly unheroic act.
[™ & © DC Comics]
Following the Crisis re-boot, when Katar Hol and Shayera journeyed to Earth in a reimagining/revitalization of the Hawkman mythos. There the duo became duly deputized members of the Chicago police force. During their time on Earth, a number of familiar concepts were revisited through the eyes of the Hawks, including the rest of the heroic community of the DC Universe. The first hero they encountered was Flash, at that time Wally West. They did so in Hawkworld Annual #1 in 1990.
Even in Crisis, Hawkman and the Flash are linked. Zero Hour, DC Comics’ attempted soft reboot of the continuity mire Crisis on Infinite Earths unwittingly spawned, found the characters reunited once again—on the cover of Zero Hour [™ & © DC Comics] #4. That series counted back through time, attempting to streamline concepts, clean up loose ends and rebirth dormant ideas left in the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the 2002 volume of his series, Hawkman finds a connection to the Flash. Note the emblem on the telegram. Hawkman returns the favor in The Flash (Vol. 2) #191 as he shows up to help Flash defeat Brother Grimm. In Hawkman’s trunk are photos of people he’s known and loved, including Barry Allen.
™ & © DC Comics
There are additional tributes and nods to the legacy between the two characters even in other media. On the Flash TV show, in the episode “Watching The Detectives,” Tina is expecting a call from Carter Hall.
™ & © DC Comics
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Shelly Moldoff Interview Interview conducted via telephone by Doug Zawisza, transcribed by Gloria Toth. ™ & © DC Comics
Sheldon Moldoff HAWKMAN COMPANION: Hello Mr. Moldoff! I’m working on a Hawkman Companion, and so I wanted to just talk to you about Hawkman and what your thoughts were on the character, and the folks that you worked with and, you know, just overall what your experience was. SM: Well, that was one of the first characters that I had been given by Shelly Mayer, and I tried to emulate a style by Alex Raymond because that was the rage, that was the artist—Caniff and Raymond were the leading dramatic artists, realistic artists, and that was what I was striving for. So I worked very hard on the Golden Age Hawkman and this became one of the popular superheroes. Always been my favorite. HC: And, what had you done prior to “Hawkman”? SM: Prior to that, I did a strip called “Cliff Cornwall” and I started with Bob Kane, originally, just for about 3 or 4 months. Then I went into other things. I did his character, Cliff Carson, and worked into the “Hawkman,” for Mayer. HC: All right. Do you remember what the situation was like when you were working on “Hawkman,” as far as your studio set-up? Were you right there with the writer? SM: No, I always—Gardner Fox was the key writer. And, I always worked at home. I never worked in an office. In fact, I went 50 years as a professional, without a contract with anybody. I always worked at home. I never had a problem with the people I worked with. I preferred to work alone, and that’s the way I continued my profession. HC: When you were working with Gardner Fox, did you ever have the chance to meet him? SM: Oh, yeah, I’d meet him in the office. Not intentionally, it just so happened we picked the same day to come into the office. But, no, very good writer, excellent writer, nice guy. And, if we had any ideas, we would exchange them. I would call him up and tell him, “I got an idea. How about, being as Tarzan is the lord of the animals, why not make Hawkman the king of the sky and have him be able to communicate with birds and things like that.” So Gardner Fox thought it was a terrific idea. Sheldon Mayer thought it was terrible. He said, “Well, how can he talk with birds?” and I said, “Well, how can Tarzan talk with animals?” It’s the same difference. And, Max Gaines was the publisher at that time, and he was a great guy. He took a fancy to me and so did Jack Liebowitz, and they were always in my corner and they gave me as much work as I wanted. So, I was kept busy on different things. And then I started the “Black Pirate,” which was my idea, and then after 4 or 5 issues, Gardner Fox stopped writing it because I had too heavy a load of drawings. I was doing the covers for
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Flash, and the Green Lantern, and I got involved in so many things, that I just had to stick to illustrating. And, incidentally, last year, at the San Diego convention, they gave out the—the government decided to put out superhero stamps, so I was invited out there by Paul Levitz. I got out there, and when I saw everything, I saw that they gave me a credit on Superman, because I’d done a lot of stories for Curt Swan, I’d inked in a lot of the stories, see there’s two covers of Hawkman, one by Murphy Anderson and one by Joe Kubert. So, I went up to the board and said, “You’re still screwing the artists and writers that were the creators.” He said, “What do you mean?” That’s Paul Levitz, the president. I said, “Because we’re getting the same treatment that we got 60 years ago.” I said, “If you’re going to have a stamp with Hawkman and give credit, you’ve got to give it to me, because I created the Golden Age Hawkman.” You don’t pick out a stamp with Murphy ™ & © DC Comics Anderson or Joe Kubert, although they’re wonderful artists, etc., it wasn’t fair to me. He said, “We didn’t have anything to do with that. We let the pros go over it and decide. “ I said, “That’s bull! Don’t tell me you let the pros go over it and decide. Everybody has their favorites,” and it bothered me. “Also,” I said, “you miscredited the Green Lantern. You didn’t give any credit to Marty Nodell. Now, that’s part of his legacy. Why didn’t you give him the credit?” Well, he had no answers. And, I said, “You guys said you were going to give credit to the creators. Well, you never did. And, you’re still not doing it.”
A mask swipe? Shelly may have been saving some time. This image, or a distinctive likeness thereof, turned up quite frequently. ™ & © DC Comics
Clipped Wings Why the Golden Age Hawkman Never Flew Solo By Jim Beard Though visually striking and adventurously thrilling, the original Hawkman fell prey to a curious double standard among his 1940s super-heroic brethren. What was good enough for Superman, Batman, and other prominent heroes—having a comic book title to call their own—would elude the Winged Wonder his entire Golden Age career. And sadly enough, to this day no one knows exactly why or how that came to pass.
Jim Beard Jim Beard is a writer and life-long comics fan who was indoctrinated into the wide world of DC heroes by the Adam West Batman TV show, Mego’s World’s Greatest Super-Heroes action figures, and of course, lots and lots of ’60s and ’70s comics. He has gone on to write for DC, Dark Horse, and Heroic, and currently writes for Marvel.com. One of Jim’s great pop culture passions is the Golden Age of comics and more particularly, the Justice Society of America and its creators. This has earned him the well known online name of “JSA Jim.” He also believes that the ultimate Hawkman action figure has yet to be made.
It’s obvious now in hindsight that some heroes in the DC and AllAmerican Comics stables were fast-tracked to success and prominence while others were held in a kind of “wait and see” status. At DC, Superman was given his own title mere months after his Action Comics debut, and Batman followed that lead by about a year, which shouldn’t surprise anyone, what with the caliber of sheer idea those two characters possessed. Over at sister company AA, Wonder Woman too was awarded her own title mere months after Sensation Comics #1, and she joined Clark and Bruce in what was to become the firmament of the comics industry for decades to come.
The All-American side of the street was a quirky, separate-yet-relatedto-DC business enterprise for publisher Max Gaines, and he and editor Shelly Mayer were no slouches in emulating DC in the promotion of potential-laden characters to their own solo books (as was evidenced by the Amazing Amazon). The Flash also zipped into his own All-Flash title roughly a year after his Flash Comics debut and the ring-slinging Green Lantern mirrored that in his expansion from All-American Comics to Green Lantern #1. This practice, of presenting readers with even more venues for their heroes to shine, made incredibly good business and PR sense (remaining so to this day) and was not peculiar in the least. What is strange is the glaring omission in these exalted ranks of 1930s-40s heroes who “got ahead.” That omission was Carter Hall, the Winged Wonder, the Hawkman. Carter Hall debuted alongside Jay Garrick, the Flash, in Flash Comics #1, dated January of 1940. Though the book was pointedly titled to ballyhoo the Fastest Man on Earth, there is some very apparent care that went into Mayer and writer Gardner Fox’s fashioning of the character of Hawkman. Steeped in ancient mysteries, emulating heroes of myth and legend, and evocatively illustrated by Dennis Neville, that inaugural “Hawkman” strip should have had at least equal impact on readers as the titular “Flash,” if not more. Interestingly enough, the two heroes each had a change of artists for their third adventures and would continue to share The opening page for Hawkman’s adventure in both the comic itself and its covers until Flash Comics’ demise in 1949. Flash Comics #25. ™ & © DC Comics 26
The difference was that the Flash had three additional titles in which he would come to regularly appear (All-Flash, All-Star, and Comics Cavalcade), and Hawkman only one (All-Star). The question remains: why? One of the more prominent theories, and perhaps one of the most logical, is the US paper shortages of the World War II era. By the time America entered the global struggle, most of Hawkman’s fellow heroes had received their solo books and sundry other homes, but the wartime paper problem led to both the shortening of page counts and the frequency of publication for many 1940s comics. Its not difficult to imagine that Gaines and Mayer may have been holding onto plans to expand the AA line, only to be curtailed by the War and its rationing and restrictions on such basic items as paper, rubber, and metals. It has been said that Hawkman was indeed included in expansion ideas as well as fellow-JSAer the Spectre (an odd choice compared to Hawkman, as the Grim Ghost had ceased his JSA appearances halfway through All-Star’s run and disappeared completely by 1945). Neither hero managed to claim the prize, however.
in Hawkman’s costume and especially his headgear throughout the ’40s could almost give one the impression that they were looking at not just variations of a character but perhaps different characters entirely. Carter’s signature hawk-like helmet was ditched all together in the latter half of the decade for an indistinctive cloth cowl, which he wore for the rest of his Golden Age tenure. It has been noted in more recent times (by Roy Thomas, for example, in the pages of Alter Ego) that many young readers of the day didn’t care much for the look; was the almostconstant fiddling with Hawkman’s visuals a sign of indecisiveness by All-American for the character? The Hawkmen of the famous Flash Gordon newspaper strip by Alex Raymond have been cited as an inspiration for Hawkman, the All-American Comics hero. In fact, Shelly Moldoff, the artist who followed Dennis Neville and preceded Kubert, very consciously emulated Raymond’s tone and style for the “Hawkman” strip, feeling it was just the right approach for it. Gaines and Mayer obviously agreed, but it could also be speculated that readers may have felt that Hawkman was something of a rip-off of Alex Raymond or perhaps even a bit “old-fashioned” in comparison to such forward-momentum characters as Superman and the Flash (despite Jules Feiffer writing in his The Great Comic Book Heroes that Hawkman was “a special favorite” of his as a child). If Shelly Mayer truly had his finger on the pulse of the fans as has often been noted, he may have perceived a lack of concentrated interest for the Winged Wonder, the kind of interest that signaled a character’s range was ripe to be expanded. All-in-all, though, it appears that Hawkman’s limitations were due to behind-the-scenes opinions, rather than those on the street.
Mayer’s influence over the characters and their stomping grounds in the AllAmerican line cannot be over-stated. A young man himself at the time, he brought a fine sense of action and fun to all the comics he oversaw as editor and was also given a certain amount of autonomy by publisher Gaines. It can be assumed that, for whatever reason, it was Mayer that most likely held Shiera’s first outing in the Hawkgirl costume in Flash Comics #24. Looks like Hawkman back from having his own someone might need a new prescription. . . ™ & © DC Comics solo title. Sadly, much of what actually In Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes, Denny O’Neil referred was said or decided behind closed doors at All-American has to the Golden Age Hawkman unflatteringly as “surely the most either been lost or forgotten over the ensuing decades and we grotesque character in comics.” One assumes he meant “at the can never fully know the whys and wherefores of every nuance time.” The “Hawkman” strip in Flash Comics was graced by a of the editorial policy of the day. That said, we can use a few small but distinct contingent of artists, most prominently among touchstones of reported fact to speculate on Mayer’s mindset them a young Joe Kubert. Hired by Shelly Mayer at the tender towards Hawkman and his development as a comic book age of eighteen, Kubert’s style and craftsmanship developed property. exponentially on the Winged Wonder’s tales, but also brought many changes to them, visually. Looking over the alterations In Alter Ego #4 (Spring 2000), Shelly Moldoff, in reminiscing 27
Joe Kubert Interview continued
or whatever the hell it was that I worked on, “you did a good job on that. That was a good story you did.” Well, that story was not mine. The story’s the writer’s. You know, each one of the scripts that we do, starts with a very empty page for the writer. At least I get a script. At those points, at least I get a script, I have something to work from. The writer has nothing to work from, except perhaps a discussion with the editor, a determination made by the editor, and then he sits down to an empty page rolled into a typewriter, and he starts to work. And the responsibility—if I’ve done my job properly in illustrating the story, I’m happy about that. But the story is the writer’s. HC: The appearance of the brontodon on the cover of Brave and the Bold #34, with the wings on the side of his head, and the horn on the top of his head, and the serpentine-kind of body to him—was that actually verbally described in the script? JK: No, no. The way the script would come usually, and I can’t really recall positively, usually when it came to describing some sort of a monstrosity, a very undetailed kind of description would be given, very roughly given. And, it was really left up to me as to putting down the attributes, the details, things like the things that you saw, the wings on the monster’s head, or whatever the hell it might be. That was pretty much left to me, and to any artist who was doing similar work. HC: Okay. Now, with the variety of weapons that Hawkman used, did you find yourself having to do a lot of research? JK: Oh, yeah. But I find that I’d have to do a lot of research in the work that I was doing, regardless, even if I was doing a science-fiction kind of story. Sciencefiction is still based on science, and unless the equipment—and it’s true today, more so today than at any other time. Hero stories might be, you know, in another world, or 2000 years in the future. They still have to be based on equipment that looks legitimate, that looks right, that looks usable, that looks credible. And the way you do that is to get your reference; do reference and background on things that exist today. Extrapolate on that, and try to put some other stuff on, add to whatever material you’ve gotten in terms of reference, to make it look like it
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would work in whatever futuristic script you’re doing. If I’m doing a street scene, I don’t make up those buildings. I first get the reference. The trap in getting reference to do work, many young artists, I feel anyhow, the trap in getting reference is that they allow the reference to use them, rather than them using the reference. By that I mean that using reference, and they don’t make any changes, they don’t really learn the subject. They will get a photograph, or whatever it is they’re working from, and use that reference exactly as they found it. What I do, for instance, if I’m drawing an animal—a lion, or a horse, or a tiger, or anything it might be—I’ll get as many photographs as I can of that animal. If possible, I’ll try to do some life-drawing of it. I’ll go to a zoo. I’ve drawn gorillas. I’ll go to a museum, do things like that. And get as many drawings from different positions that I can in order to draw that animal, so that I don’t have to depend on any specific piece of reference, but I can get a sense of space for that whole drawing, so that it will look correct doing the things and being in a position that I feel he should take in the work that I’m doing. HC: Okay. And, I can certainly see your point where some folks nowadays are just kind of basically taking a photo and essentially redrawing it. JK: Yeah, yeah. And, I don’t think that’s of great benefit. And, they do beautiful work. The job is beautiful. But, if you’re limited, and you’re locking your self in—for instance, if you have a shot of a city, panorama of a cityscape, and you use a photograph that, you know, you may want to put a building in the foreground, or take it from a slightly different angle, you’re using that reference. You want the windows to look like windows. You want the building itself, the personal appearance of the building, to have the same effectiveness and credibility as you have in the ™ & © DC Comics photograph. But, you don’t want to be locked in to that angle. You want to be able to understand and know that building well enough so that you can do an angle from the side, from looking up, perspective, and all those other things. And you can only do that based on actually knowing and feeling the subject, rather than limiting yourself to just one photograph. HC: Your work definitely carries a realism, while at the same
Joe Kubert Interview continued
time, kind of a departure from the realism. With specific reference to realistic area, when you were given the scripts for Hawkman, or his appearances in Brave and the Bold, the setting was for Midway City, which, I’m just kind of curious—in your opinion, where might you believe Midway City to be, if it were on our Earth? JK: I have no idea. Doug, I have absolutely no idea. HC: Okay. That’s just a question that’s been kind of rolling around. Is it supposed to be a replica of Chicago, or is it more of a St. Louis…? JK: No specific city at all, but I tell you—there are so many elements, I think, that have to be exercised when you’re doing the kind of work that me and other cartoonists do. Not the least of which is pure, unadulterated instinct. Now, you’ve got a feel for what the hell you’re doing. You’ve got to feel an emotional impact of what you’re trying to convey. You’ve got to try and get this feeling of credibility, realism to the point of credibility, no matter how outlandish the idea of the story is that you’re doing. All of those have to be incorporated in what you’re trying to do.
In addition to which, you’re trying to get a flow, a flow of the story, pacing the story, so that the reader can follow what it is you’re trying to do and what it is you’re trying to say. All of those things, plus a hell of a lot more, are incorporated in the effort that the cartoonist is trying to convey in the work that he’s doing. But, if that sounds like it’s hard, it is on one side, but the other side of it is that it is interesting and exciting. I probably enjoy more what I’m doing today, I have a love more of what I’m doing today, than I ever have. That may be the reason for it. I don’t know. I just, I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world. HC: Because you keep giving yourself those challenges that help you continue to grow. JK: Yes. Yes. And that happens to be very true. I think that the worst trap that an artist, cartoonist can find himself in, is if he’s reached a level where he feels, “Now I’ve got it. Now I’ve really got it. I can really feel comfortable, lay back and just do this.” To me, that would be the most horrible—I think most artists would feel the same way. I don’t know any guy who’s worth his salt in the art areas, whether that be dance, or music, or whatever, who doesn’t feel that the next job is going to be better than the job he just finished. Or, at least,
An image from the collection of Pete Carlsson. ™ & © DC Comics
won’t attempt to do the next job better. HC: I’m with you there, as a graduate of an art program. I definitely see the need to make the next one continually better. JK: Oh, yeah. Well, that’s part of the excitement, that’s part of the enjoyment. It’s not that you are going to succeed completely. You get just a little bit better. I’m sure this has happened to you, this has happened, I think, to any creative person, when the stuff really starts to flow, when it’s really going good, when everything’s really coming together, and it seems like it’s coming out without almost any effort, it’s coming out by itself, boy, there’s a high you hit then—it’s like floating three feet off the ground. HC: I can completely understand that. All right. With all the
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Hawkman Volume 1 While Hawkman has been around since 1939, he really seems to have gained a step in popularity following his 1961 “re-debut.” Most of today’s fans and creators alike point to the Hawkman from Thanagar as their Hawkman. Maybe it’s a generational thing, maybe it’s a coolness factor, maybe it’s pure name recognition, but the Hawkman who came to Earth in the early days of the space race certainly brought some mass appeal with him.
rewarded with his own title. Speculation runs rampant on the chain of events that led to this title’s existence and the timeline surrounding this title and the appearances in Mystery In Space is equally shrouded in mystery and speculation. After Green Lantern, Flash and the Atom, the first three of Julius Schwartz’s reconditioned legacy heroes, received their own titles, it seemed a forgone conclusion that Hawkman would receive one of his own. Before that could be done, however, Hawkman teamed up with the Atom in issue #7 of the Tiny Titan’s title. Ironically, both made their first appearance in the same year, but Atom was quicker to the draw of securing his own title. The four-issue stint as a co-star in Mystery In Space helped solidify the relationship between Adam Strange and Hawkman. Each carried the headliner role on two covers during the run, with the other prominently placed on the cover to leave no uncertainty about the contents. Hawkman’s first adventure in Mystery In Space also supplied readers with the first appearance of Ira Quimby, a.k.a. I.Q., and his I.Q. Gang. Of note in this story is the fact that Hawkman and Hawkgirl store their costumes in their hawk medallions. Once they contact air, the costumes expand, much like the costume from Barry Allen’s ring when he dashes into action as the Flash. Adam Strange appears in the Hawkman story in issue #87, on Earth due to the Zeta beam cycle. Unbeknownst to him nor the Hawks, a rock Adam brought home with him and placed in New York’s Metropolitan Museum brought some radiation along with it. That radiation gives I.Q. his enhanced intelligence. I.Q.’s case gets wrapped and he returns in Hawkman #7 some time later.
Hawkman #1 cover by Murphy Anderson. ™ & © DC Comics After his six issues in The Brave and the Bold, but before embarking into his own series, Hawkman makes a pit stop in Mystery in Space. In Mystery in Space, Hawkman would be coupled with the artist that is most often credited with his adventures behind Joe Kubert and Shelly Moldoff—Murphy Anderson. Anderson was an industry favorite at the time and has worked on every DC character several times over, holding a regular spot as the artist on Justice League of America, inking Curt Swan on Superman and Action Comics. To his credit, Anderson had a hand in creating Zatanna, as the penciller for her first appearance in Hawkman #4. After a six-issue run (well, two three-issue runs) in B&B and a four-issue turn in Mystery In Space, Hawkman was finally
Expanding costumes, courtesy of Murphy Anderson in Mystery in Space #87.™ & © DC Comics Mystery In Space #88 brings some significance and foreshadowing to Hawkman’s adventures, as Mavis Trent, still smitten with the otherworldly hero decides the best way to win his attention is through subterfuge. After discovering the secret hiding spot for the costumes of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Trent decides to try on Hawkgirl’s and charges into battle alongside a 45
used his wings was when he did a somersault and knocked some crooks over with them. It just wasn’t a Hawkman story.”
Mavis Trent, taking a turn at playing Hawkgirl in Mystery in Space #87. ™ & © DC Comics
The Hawks would continue their adventures, fighting alongside their old comrade, George Emmett, as well as making new friends, like Zatanna Zatara, who first appears in Hawkman #4. Zatanna would make quite the impression on comic fans, as she would eventually find herself in more adventures that would lead to her becoming a part of the Justice League of America.
clueless Hawkman. Oddly enough, this wouldn’t be the last time that Hawkman, or his foes would be fooled by Mavis Trent donning the attire of Hawkgirl (the later occurrence happens in Shadow War #1, when Shayera is operating under the moniker of Hawkwoman, however). The final two issues of Hawkman’s stay at Mystery In Space would include an encounter with the Motorcycle Bandit and a team-up with Adam Strange. The debut issue of that title—Hawkman #1—in 1964, gave Katar and Shayera Hol a chance to enjoy their own adventures with prime billing. With Gardner Fox at the helm and Murphy Anderson on the art chores, Hawkman’s solo series had a different feel than his appearances in The Brave and the Bold. Anderson’s style was more detailed and less tonal than Kubert’s. While Anderson certainly had a firm grasp on the characters and wonderfully rendered the stories, they didn’t carry the same pathos as Kubert’s. Noted art historian and comic fan Richard Rubenfeld would succinctly identify the difference between the two as follows, “Kubert’s art was dark and it moved. Carter Hall reminded me of Rod Serling. Kubert had the guts to be bold and the fact that Hawkman was a museum curator appealed to me. I was disappointed when Hawkman was picked up as a back-up in Mystery in Space. Murphy Anderson’s artwork was beautifully rendered, but static. His characters didn’t move.”
Murphy Anderson renders the first appearance of Zatanna in Hawkman #4. ™ & © DC Comics
In the first issue of Hawkman, in their report to Andar Pul, Hawkman and Hawkgirl relate their field test (or, the more fun label might be competition) wherein Hawkman used Earth technology and methods while Shayera employed the Thanagarian type. Pul finds the Earth methods to be the better and approves the Hawks to return to Earth.
Following Zatanna’s first appearance, the Shadow-Thief makes a return, only to be captured yet again. Issue #6 brings the Hawks to the planet Illoral, an other-dimensional world where evolutionary experimentation has gone horribly wrong. The inhabitants of Illoral would one day reappear in Hawkworld, in the form of the banished priest preparing wings who is slain by Katar Hol. Before that time, however, the Wingors—as the winged gorilla-men are labelled in Hawkman #6— would pose a threat.
As mentioned in the book Superhero Comics of the Silver Age, Murphy Anderson might have preferred Hawkman and Hawkgirl to remain in space: “Hawkman should have been like Flash Gordon, a high adventure kind of thing in a different kind of environment, not on present-day Earth.” He continues to reflect that, “Hawkman shouldn’t be just another kind of Batman. That was essentially what he was. On some of the stories, you could have crossed out Hawkman and Hawkgirl and put in Batman and Robin. We weren’t making use of what Hawkman could do. I remember in one story the only time he
Issue #7 sees the return of I.Q. and the attack of the Crocodile Men. As before with Illoral, a mysterious radiation teleports the Hawks to the scene of the action. Issue #8 introduces Fal Tal, a birdwoman from outer space who takes the Hawks’ spaceship as her own. Hawkman and Hawkwoman defeat Fal Tal and her Kalvars, taking them to Thanagar, where a speC.I.A.l environment will surely be created for them. The Kalvars (and Fal Tal) are mentioned when the Hawks engage in the first (at least documented in comics) Rann-Thanagar War in Showcase #103.
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Birds of a Feather Tim Truman, through the fictitious pen of Paran Katar in the first issue of the Hawkworld mini-series, wrote, “On every world where conditions of atmosphere and vegetation are in the least compatible with that of our dear Thanagarian homeworld, we find that nearly every genus and species of feather-bearing, flying life is almost exactly similar in
every respect, from mating habits to coloration. Aside from variable factors such as gravity and mutation, in no other warm-blooded life form have I found consistency of shape, habit, operation and camouflage… certainly not in multipeds and aquatic or gas dwelling creatures… and most certainly not in the humanoid genus!”
ANGEL: Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in X-Men #1 in 1963. His wings are an exhibition of his mutant power and grow from his shoulders. Additionally, he has hollow bones which contributes to his flight ability. Furthermore, his secondary mutation has given his blood healing properties for those matching his type. [Angel ™ & © Marvel Comics]
Well, maybe not, but other members of the humanoid genus found similar inspiration in the feather-bearing, flying life. Not necessarily exactly similar in appearance, but similar in function and power. Here are just some of the characters inspired by Hawkman, consciously or unconsciously.
RED RAVEN: Achieved what Hawkman couldn’t— his own series in the Golden Age. Debuting nearly eighteen months after Hawkman, in August of 1940, his series would last just one issue. [Red Raven ™ & © Marvel Comics]
BIRDMAN: A cartoon Hawkman-wannabe, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio debuted in 1966 from Hanna-Barbera. Currently, Birdman enjoys a second-go-round as Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law on the Adult Swim segment of Cartoon Network’s programming.
[Birdman ™ & © Hanna Barbera]
™ & © DC Comics
BLACK CONDOR: Three characters have worn the mantle and answered to the moniker of Black Condor. The latest is John Trujillo, a member of the As only George Pérez could render it, from the mini-series written by Kurt Busiek. [Hawkman, Hawkgirl and related characters ™ & © DC Comics; Falcon, Stingray and Wonder Man ™ and ©Marvel Comics] Freedom Fighters. 52
Flying High in the 1970s Hawkman & the All-Star Comics Revival By Jim Beard
DC’s 1976 revival of All-Star Comics not only gave the Justice Society their first new home in twenty-five years, it also managed to cement the team squarely in the minds of a new generation of fans. Its mission was two-fold: reintroduce the super-team and then “modernize” it with new ideas and new characters. The latter was accomplished with fresh faces such as Gerry Conway and Wally Wood’s Power Girl and Paul Levitz’ Huntress, the former by planting the world-famous JSA on Page One… led by Carter Hall, the original Golden Age Hawkman. For roughly four years the JSA and their young entrants fought the good fight in All-Star Comics Vol. 2 and then in Adventure Comics, unencumbered with other denizens of then-DC Universe, including the Justice League of America. The series was daring, to be sure, and not a little bit controversial, hence a gamble for DC to make something of a decades-old property like the JSA. Some of it worked, some of it didn’t. Some characters were almost completely omitted, like the Sandman, while others were given exposure like they had never seen before, like Wildcat. Hawkman fell somewhere in-between, not exactly ill-served by the series but perhaps underutilized. ™ & © DC Comics In defense of its writers and editors, the All-Star revival was, in the words of writer Paul Levitz, “a tremendously complicated book.” Burgeoning with characters and scrutinized by both old and new fans alike, it made its way over often-rough ground and through both victories and failures. This was a time at DC that the “real” Hawkman, the Silver Age Katar Hol, was merely counting his days over in Justice League of America. There was no Hawkman solo series (though there was a brief fling in three issues of Showcase in 1978), and thus little in the way of Earth-1 toes to be stepped upon by an Earth-2 “copycat.” That said, the original Hawkman’s modern career in All-Star/Adventure, though not spectacular, had a few significant moments that can still be surveyed by his fans and deemed worthy. All-Star #58 begins with things as they should be: Hawkman as acting Chairman of the JSA. He is confident and sure of himself, yet weighs his teammates’ suggestions and knows when to give them free rein. The JSA enters into a dangerous struggle with 56
long-time foes Brainwave and Degaton over the first two issues of the revival, and Hawkman gets to show off his warrior’s prowess in battle. He courageously fights while flying, yet, alas, also drops his compatriot Dr. Mid-Nite (it’s not Carter’s fault, though). Prone to musing while he fights, he displays a sense of humor but is ultimately laid low by a “sonic cannon” of Degaton’s design. It all comes out right in the end, thanks to the new “Super Squad” of Power Girl, Robin, and the time-lost StarSpangled Kid, and Hawkman shares a laugh with his old and new pals at Wildcat’s expense. The letter column in #59 (fed by readers’ reviews of advance copies) features one excited JSA fan who points out that “Hawkman still has a certain amount of charm…”. All-Star #60 brought about a milestone in the career of the original Hawkman, but not one that his creators would be proud of. A tradition stretching back to 1940 was broken by the non-existence of the Winged Wonder in the issue, a perfect run of All-Star Comics appearances that no other JSAer could claim. DC’s gaffe is made all the more ironic and sad as a fan mentions his perfect-attendance record in #60’s letter column. Alas, the Justice Society would have to face new adversary Vulcan without their leader, at least for this one issue. Hawkman returns in #61, albeit in a short “interlude.” This sequence is significant in that it introduces yet another new opponent for the team, Zanadu the Lemurian, but also plays up the hero’s civilian identity of Carter Hall. In 1940, Carter hit the scene as a “wealthy collector of weapons and research scientist,” and this was later distilled down to simply “research scientist” and finally cemented as “archeologist.” It is as an archeologist that he strides into the 1970s, and Carter takes a moment to tell his friend Dr. Kliburn about his “lifelong obsession” with “exploring the unknown.” What is unclear is exactly which of his lives he’s referring to. A naïve side of Hawkman is also evident as Kliburn expresses distress over the evil-looking seemingly-frozen Zanadu and Carter retorts cattily, “You see evil… and I see knowledge.” Later, the reincarnated hero manages to catch up with his JSA fellows and battle Vulcan, exclaiming, “You’re a braggart. And braggarts don’t win!” Vulcan
is of course defeated. After identifying an ankh, “the Egyptian mystic symbol of life,” in All-Star #62, Hawkman flies off carrying a heavy premonition of danger concerning his wife Shiera. This issue is very significant in the history of the Winged Wonder as it is the very first appearance of Shiera Sanders, Hawkgirl, since 1949. In fact, it is also a confirmation that after decades of flying very closely together, Carter had finally made an honest woman of Shiera and married her. Sadly, she does not zip into action as Hawkgirl in the revival, but is abducted by Zanadu, forcing her husband to follow. There’s an interesting moment as Carter surveys Zanadu’s destructive path though his home, and realizes he requires help. “Once I’d have flown it alone, with only Shiera at my side. Now… I need the Justice Society!” His anger soon gets the better of him (one can almost feel the hot desert winds) and he berates his costumed comrades for their being slow to act as a team. Then Wildcat hits him. All-Star #63 is only notable for an odd bottom-of-the-barrel scene for Hawkman. After being thrashed by a Fiddlercontrolled Wildcat and learning that his wife still hasn’t been rescued from Zanadu, Carter cracks. Reciting a litany of recent JSA defeats, he whines, “Heroes? Hah… I’m not sure we’re even men!” Despite his mewling, the team recovers Shiera and the Lemurian is returned to his amber cage. This issue—a low moment—is perhaps best forgotten. The next two issues of the series, held up by many JSA fans as the finest of the run, contain both high and low notes in the career of the Golden Age Hawkman. Writer Paul Levitz had come onboard earlier, with issue #62, but seems to have become a bit more comfortable with the chaos in All-Star #64-65. Immortal villain Vandal Savage (a Green Lantern foe from 1943) rears his undying head and a kicky time-travel tale ensues. With all the references to history in #64 one might’ve thought it would have been a good time to bring up Hawkman’s former life as an Egyptian prince, but that wasn’t to be the case. Carter is transported back to the time of Camelot with the other heroes and, though Chairman, allows the Golden Age Superman to do
all the talking for the team. Add to this being rudely interrupted by Power Girl, saved from a heat-seeking missile-crossbow (you had to be there), and quickly subdued by Vandal Savage wielding an energy pistol, and we have another shallow set of scenes for the Winged Wonder. Thankfully, the next issue more than redeems him. With beautiful art by the legendary Wally Wood, Carter Hall runs through #65’s far-future landscape, bare chested and hunted. In probably the best scene of the entire ’70s All-Star/ Adventure run, Hawkman is returned to his Flash Gordon roots in a dazzling display of ability and agility. His wings have been destroyed, but armed with an energy pistol he proves his decades of experience are no match for his trackers. Hawkman blasts down walls and robots, jumps from a dizzying height with only his Nth metal anti-gravity belt to protect him, and punches his way through a phalanx of human guards. This is the hero we all know, the masterful warrior that is as comfortable with derringdo out of his wing harness as well as in. It’s a wonderful set of pages and sadly, it is the finest featurette he’ll have for the rest of the series. All-Star #66-68 are merely more of the same back-seat existence for Hawkman that he was saddled with before #65. The petulant Star-Spangled Kid ignores Carter’s leadership in #66, the Flash assumes he’ll follow wherever he runs, and the Winged Wonder callously lets Power Girl slip into danger in #67. There’s a touchyfeelie coda to it all, with Hawkman proclaiming that “nothing will ever pull the Justice Society apart again!” but by All-Star #68 he stands around while his team argues—a lot—and he himself falls prey to the Psycho Pirate’s fear emanations. The entire brouhaha gets wrapped up without Carter’s help. The next storyline proves to be more tasty when Police Commissioner Bruce Wayne, the former Batman of Earth-2, goes off his rocker and sets out to bring the JSA in for what he perceives as criminal conduct. The treat here is that many of the Society members that weren’t previously on-hand for the AllStar revival appear, albeit on Wayne’s side. There’s an incredibly cool conflagration between the two opposing sides of JSAers in the old Batcave, and Hawkman is pitted against Wayne’s once-boyish partner Robin. The terse caption box on the battle’s splash page tells us that the two heroes “renew the ancient confrontation of age and youth…”. Whether or not scribe Levitz was aware of it, he was playing out the newest chapter in a story of angst between Carter Hall and the Dick Grayson of Earth-2 that began six years earlier in Justice League of America #91-92. In that tale, flying around with a severe attitude, fuddyduddy Hawkman created a
™ & © DC Comics
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Betwixt and Between Hawkman’s doings between the end of his shared title with the Atom in the Silver Age and the opening salvos of the Shadow War were mostly covered in comics not bearing the name Hawkman in the title. These adventures, by and large, took place in Justice League of America for Katar Hol and his lovely bride. The Earth-2 variety of Winged Wonder—Carter Hall and Shiera (Sanders) Hall—would find their appearances being relegated to the All-Star Comics revival of the 1970s and then later All-Star Squadron, with the occasional appearance in Justice League of America for the JSA/JLA spectaculars that fed the fans’ passion for various characters from the DC Universe.
The final issue of the Atom and Hawkman was cover-dated November, and published in 1969. Aside from his appearances in JLA, Hawkman’s next published solo adventure was in Detective Comics #428. His adventures in Detective would be sporadic, but they were all relegated to back-up status. Even as back-ups, however, Hawkman still drew some quality talent to help him in his doings. The stories are credited to Julius Schwartz, with assists on the scripts from E. Nelson Bridwell, Bob Rozakis, and later, Len Wein and even Paul Levitz. Artists on these six- or eight-page serials included Dick Dillin, Rich Buckler, José Luis García-Lopéz, Marshall Rogers, and Murphy Anderson. Joe Kubert returned to the legend he broke his artistic teeth on and contributed the art for the Hawkman story in Detective #500, a story seeking resolution to the death of Dr. Erdel—the scientist who brought J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, to Earth. Hawkman and Hawkgirl would also cross paths with J’onn in 1977 in the pages of Adventure Comics, in a tussle that would follow into the pages of World’s Finest. This tale was written by Denny O’Neil and illustrated by Mike Nasser and Terry Austin. Amazingly, Hawkman manages to survive multiple punches from the Martian fists of fury. Other appearances during this time varied far and wide
Detective #479, the introduction of the Fadeaway Man, one of Hawkman’s main nemeses. Pages from that adventure are shown to the right and on the facing page. ™ & © DC Comics
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Earth-2 Gardner Fox admitted that the necessity for Earth-2 was caused, in large part, by a need to explain the presence of two Flashes, two Atoms and such. From Alter Ego #4, Fox had this to say in a letter, “The Earth-1 and 2 bit came into being because we had to explain the fact that we had two Flashes, two Hawkmen; it’s an old science-fiction gimmick and both Julie and I were aficionados of that genre, so it just sprang into our minds.” This, however, was an especially prevalent problem with regards to Hawkman. While observant readers would be able to distinguish between the two, they did not have the luxury the other double-teams did. The Atoms were Al Pratt and Ray Palmer. Flashes held the secret identities of Jay Garrick and Barry Allen. The Hawkmen however, were not so distinguishable in casual conversation. Carter Hall made his debut in 1939, and Katar Hol spread his fictitious wings in 1961. In order to fit in, however, Midway City Police Commissioner George Emmett recommended the more terrestrial “Carter Hall” name to Katar. Shayera was steered in the direction of “Shiera.” So the duo led their lives on Earth (Earth-1 specifically) under double-secret identities. DC, realizing a good thing when it had one, took advantage of the Earth-1/ Earth-2 relationship. Characters would find their way between (or in between) the two Earths, making for the best, literally, of both worlds. The Justice Society of America lived on Earth-2 and the Justice League of America protected Earth-1. Every year (give or take, especially considering “comic book time”) they’d get together for one reason or another. At this point fans would get comics with two teams! Frequently, the fans of Justice League of America would actually be lucky enough to enjoy three teams in one book! This would occur on more than one occasion, adding a third team into the mix of the JSA-JLA team-up: Freedom Fighters, New Gods, even the All-Star Squadron. Without fail, in every one of these a Hawkman was present—sometimes it was Carter Hall, sometimes Katar Hol, but one Winged Wonder (sometimes more) would always represent. When the heroes of the two Earths were not actively engaged in crossing over to the other universe, the concept of a multiverse allowed for tales that would appeal across a broader range of fan. Want a generational tale? Earth-2, Infinity Inc. aisle. Looking for two-fisted WWII action and adventure with the heroes from the 1940s appearing in theie prime? Try the All-Star Squadron; it’s fresh. Beyond the obvious age distinctions that separate the Hawkmen and their brides of two Earths, DC began to experiment a little with the methods of distinguishing the Hawkmen from one another. The most direct way to confront this was through the headgear. The Hawkman from Earth-2 wore the yellow cowl through most of his adventures with the JSA during the mid-1970s and early 1980s. As mentioned in the “Flying High in the 1970s” chapter, Hawkman of Earth-2 would eventually replace the yellow cloth cowl with a stylized, metallic helmet. His Earth-1 counterpart, meanwhile, maintained the uniform he had grown accustomed to since his 1961 debut. Another distinguishing factor was the lady Hawks. Hawkgirl of Earth-2 would never truly join the Justice Society of America in any formal capacity. She would occasionally tag along. She also did not hesitate to join in with the All-Star Squadron. Hawkgirl of Earth-1 would eventually embrace a more mature name and declared herself Hawkwoman in 1981’s World’s Finest #272. 68
Earth-2 made such titles as All-Star Squadron and Infinity Inc. possible, giving an entire generation a chance to experience the first versions of fan favorite characters. ™ & © DC Comics
One further, greater distinguishing aspect is that the Earth-2 Hawks, while married like their Earth-1 doubles, had a child. Their son, Hector Sanders Hall, would eventually become an integral part of the 1980s Earth-2 legacy team, Infinity, Inc. It was not until after the 200th issue of Justice League of America that the meetings of the two teams from the two Earths actually crossed into other books. In 1982, Justice League of America #207-209 crossed over with All-Star Squadron #14-15. That rat Per Degaton was up to no good and has nabbed some atomic missiles from the Cuban missile crisis (another crisis?) and brought them back to 1942 for Earth-2. This extravaganza required the attention of the JLA, the JSA and the All-Stars. As always, the saga was top-notch entertainment. The final crossover with the Earth-2 bunch would be as Crisis on Infinite Earths raged on. DC was trying to streamline their titles and make the universe a more unified place to be. That final crossover featured the Detroit squad and crossed over to Infinity Inc. CoIE ensured that Earth-2 would be a distant memory and that the JSA now had to be retrofitted into a universe where Superman and Batman didn’t fight during the Second World War. This would lead the JSA in the Last Days of the Justice Society of America. In that special, the JSA gathers to mourn their comrades fallen during the Crisis. A new threat approaches, however, calling the JSA out of their misery and into action once more. Roy Thomas has touched on the Last Days in his All-Star Companions, but for succinctness, the Last Days established the Ragnarok cycle for the JSA. They would find themselves locked into the bodies (such as those would be) of Norse gods, fighting the good fight against evil for an endless cycle towards eternity. Eventually, the cycle would be broken and the JSA returned to the one, true Earth.
Above: A George Pérez rendered cover, courtesy of Andy Mangels, for one of the final team-ups between the JLA and the JSA. This one would also include the All-Star Squadron and cross over into their title. Below: A panel from The Last Days by David Ross and Mike Gustovich. ™ & © DC Comics
During Infinite Crisis, it was revealed that Superman and his bride, Lois Lane of Earth-2, both survived Crisis on Infinite Earths. Not only that, but they remembered that was where Power Girl was from. Following that event, the DCU was tweaked again in the pages of 52.
™ & © DC Comics
The DC mega-event, 52, re-opened the potential for more than one Earth. Not an infinitude as before, but a more manageable, controllable 52 Earths. In the waning issues of the weekly series, it was revealed that an Earth-2 was numbered among the 52 Earths. The JSA had an encounter lined up with this Earth in the July 2008 Justice Society of America Annual. How this newly minted version of Earth-2 stacks up to the original is a story certain to fill the adventures of the JSA in their title in the months to come. Given the very nature of the multiverse, and its profound effect upon the legend of Hawkman, the emergence of a new collection of Earths promises unique encounters with different interpretations of Winged Wonders. 69
the Shadow War During the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1980s, political paranoia stretched into the lives of everyone’s favorite Hawk-couple. Katar and Shayera Hol, already exiled from their beloved homeworld of Thanagar also faced a menace that threatened their adopted planet of residence— Earth. As with all great thrillers, our homeworld was threatened by a scheming intangible evil—an evil that wanted to use our planet for its own sinister purposes. Tony Isabella opened the series with the sentence, “The first battle in the invasion of Earth will be fought in the shadows.” One can almost see movie credits to a sci-fi thriller as we follow an unknown character through the shadows of alleys and rundown buildings to a place of solitude, only to find that solitude invaded by beings who literally melt out of the shadows, thanks to some highly rendered creepiness from the pencil of Richard Howell, deepened by the inks of Alfredo Alcala.
The beginning of… well, a new beginning! The Shadow War of Hawkman hit in early 1985. ™ & © DC Comics
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Following the adventures of the Silver Age Hawkman and his bride in the hustle and bustle of Midway City, The Shadow War of Hawkman reintroduced readers to the world of Hawkman, or rather the worlds of Hawkman. A threepage sequence introduced new readers to the legend of Hawkman and established why Hawkman and Hawkwoman remain on Earth rather than return home to Thanagar.
Reminiscent of the classic Hawkman foe, the Shadow-Thief, a force of warriors emerge from the shadows, striking at Hawkman and Hawkwoman in a twopronged attack. Much like the unseen, intangible threat of the Soviet Union in the 1980s, these shadows are present, lurking around every corner and threatening the security, serenity and even the very sanity of Hawkman and Hawkwoman as well as those around Katar and Shayera Hol. As with any war, there are casualties, and this war hits home right away, striking our protagonist close to home. Perhaps astute readers would have seen this coming given the foreshadowing, perhaps alluded to in the title pasted on the cover of this book—The Shadow War of HawkMAN. That said, this series launches with a solid story, and it utilizes the most classic story element of comic books—the cliffhanger. The last page of issue one left many fans devastated in the era before the Internet and rampant spoiler access. Readers had to wait thirty full days to see what the negative silhouette was really all about. Surely this couldn’t be true—could it?! Aware that their attackers are in some way specifically interested in Hawkman and Hawkwoman, Katar destroys their Thanagarian weaponry, choosing once more to rely on the trademark ancient weaponry that has become so closely associated with these legendary characters. It is revealed in issue Shadow War #2 that the invasion force is led by Fell Andar, a fellow Thanagarian. Thanagar, according to Andar, is determined to conquer the universe, starting with Earth—because Hawkman holds knowledge critical to Thanagar’s success. That knowledge comes in the form of the anti-gravity technology that Hawkman and Hawkwoman use in their battle against evil. It seems that one of the critical stumbling blocks for Thanagar’s proposed universal domination is the fact that they lack the ability to adapt antigravity technology to be used in atmospheres other than Thanagar. Katar Hol is the key to that knowledge, as the anti-gravity equipment was developed by his father.
The cliffhanger from The Shadow War of Hawkman #1 is shown above, while Fell Andar reveals his plot to Hawkman and Hawkwoman in the page from Shadow War #3 shown below. ™ & © DC Comics
The Thanagarian advance strike force is in possession of the Absorbascon, Thanagar’s “electronic brain” that allows Thanagarians to read the minds of other races. According to Tony Isabella, the Absorbascon is only functional for Thanagarians and allows them to read the minds of any other sentient species, effectively making the entire population of the planet Earth an open book to Fell Andar and his lackeys. Wherever that knowledge is stored, it needs to be purged. This leads Hawkman and Hawkwoman to launch an attack upon their allies in the Justice League, which is based in Detroit and led by Aquaman. The Hawkcouple invades the Justice League headquarters to purge the JLA computers of any and all information relevant to Andar’s quest. During their attempts to purge the JLA databanks, the Hawks’ efforts are interrupted by a transmission sent from their own ship. A transmission from Fell Andar. Fell Andar has led his goons onto Hawkman’s ship and plans to use it to attack Hawkman and Hawkwoman. Concurrent with the threat to Detroit and Hawkman and Hawkwoman directly, the Thanagarian strikeforce also begins enlisting humans to do their bidding in the Shadow War. In a desperate bid to eliminate the menace that threatens Earth, Hawkman and Hawkwoman find a relativity beam and teleport onto the ship. There they face down Andar and his bunch, 75
but the only way to save Detroit from being bombarded by the Thanagarian spacecraft is to destroy it. Hawkman keys the self-destruct process and uses his relativity beam to safely return himself and his bride to Earth from the doomed spacecraft. Thankfully, he had the foresight to program the cybernetics in his helmet to take them back to Earth. Unfortunately, Hawkman did not have enough time to adjust the specs of the relativity beam to allow any other beings to return to Earth with them. The Thanagarian strikeforce is left to perish on the spacecraft before it enters Earth’s atmosphere. With this action, Hawkman crossed a line that had heretofore remained uncrossed—he willingly claimed the lives of those who opposed him. The series has more than a few surprises, but most importantly, the series did something even more critical: it reminded people of the relevance of Hawkman and Hawkwoman. What makes Hawkman unique? At the time the series was produced, Hawkman and Hawkwoman were one of a very few married crimefighting duos. Their love brought them together and gave them hope when they were banned from their world. It provided them with the strength to fight a war only they could fight, as they were the only ones aware of the threat. To involve any others in their battle would be to place those in immediate harm’s way.
It appears as though Hawkman may have had a bone to pick with a few of his former Justice League teammates in these sketches and final cover from Richard Howell. ™ & © DC Comics 76
Furthermore, it added relevance to the use of archaic weaponry. Hawkman deemed it necessary to destroy the additional Thanagarian weaponry to keep it out of those who might use it for more dastardly means. The mini also reiterated the Hawks’ enhanced senses,
from the Absorbascon
Lion-Mane
Created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, Lion-Mane first appeared in Hawkman Vol. 1, #20 (July 1967). A colleague of Carter Hall and fellow archaeologist, Ed Dawson touched a mystical meteorite called Mithra by the locals where Dawson found it. Coming into contact with the meteorite transformed him into a were-lion. In the initial adventure in Hawkman #20, Lion-Mane battles Hawkman who restores Dawson back to normal. In the very next issue, however, Dawson accompanies Carter Hall (not realizing he is Hawkman) back to the Midway City Museum, following the “calling” of a meteorite similar in property to the Mithra. Here, he transforms once more into Lion-Mane and searches out other similar meteorites, gaining more power and becoming more fierce with each subsequent contact.
The cover from Hawkman #20 and an interior page from Hawkman #21 where Hawkman and Hawkgirl soundly defeat their foe by punching his pockets. A modern day appearance of the Lion-Mane from Hawkman (Vol. 4) #35 is to the right.
™ & © DC Comics]
In the second volume, Deron Ved and Corla expose Dawson to another meteorite, which triggers the transformation anew. The Hawks are seemingly no match this time around and Lionman manages to defeat Hawkman, hospitalizing the Winged Wonder. Hawkwoman ™ and © DC Comics steps up and defeats Lion-Mane by carrying him into the upper atmosphere where the intense cold jolts him back into his identity of Ed Dawson. Following the reinterpretation of the Hawks origin in Hawkworld, a new Lion-Mane was introduced post-Zero Hour in Hawkman Vol. 3, #20, as a female scientist named Karen Ramis was transformed into the new Lion-Mane. At this point it is revealed that Lion-Mane is the embodiment of the Lion Avatar, by way of the Mithra Meteor. Hawkman helps repel the avatar from her. The avatar eventually finds its way to a postZero Hour Ed Dawson, who is a glory hound and fortune hunter. In issue #25, it was revealed that previous hawk and lion avatars had battled each other. Hawkman defeats Dawson and the two are destined to tussle again. As part of Fadeaway Man’s cast of characters selected to wear down and defeat Hawkman, Lion-Mane wastes no time stepping up under the writing of Gray and Palmiotti. Part of the team that led to Hawkman’s apparent demise, Lion-Mane is caught completely unprepared as a seemingly resurrected Hawkman avenges himself upon those foes. Lion-Mane is eventually severely injured, including the loss of his right eye, at the hands of the winged hero in Hawkman Vol. 4, #43 (October 2005). The cover of Justice League of America Vol. 2, #13 shows a member of the Injustice League that appears to be Lion-Mane, although he does not appear anywhere in the main story. 89 89
from the Absorbascon
Byth Rok
Second only to the Gentleman Ghost, Byth Rok is the oldest recurring foe of Hawkman. Introduced in the same issue of The Brave and the Bold that saw Katar and Shayera arrive on Earth, Byth began his comic existence under the atmospheric artwork of Joe Kubert, in conjunction with the words of Gardner Fox.
Above: Byth’s origin as told in The Brave and the Bold #34. Below: Art for Byth’s original Who’s Who entry. Both images are drawn by Joe Kubert. ™ & © DC Comics
[Hawkman ™ & © DC Comics]
A master thief, the Byth presented in B&B #34 is a thrill-seeker, searching for the next big thrill, Byth as a Brontodon in his first not necessarily appearance (above) and his most the biggest monetary gain. Through a recent (below). ™ and © DC Comics flashback, we learn that Byth attacked Krotan, the developer of an experimental pill that would “empower the mind to control the molecular conformation of the body. . .” and took the pill himself. Byth decided to go elsewhere for new thrills and chose Earth. The Hawks would battle Byth a number of times, frequently returning Byth to Thanagar for reformation only to face him again in mere months. In Tim Truman’s Hawkworld, however, Byth is a drug runner, smuggler and arms dealer working under the pretense of a commander in the Wingmen. A cunning strategist, Byth uses his escape to Earth as an opportunity to establish a new crime empire. Again, he would tangle with Hawkman and Hawkwoman and eventually even cross paths with the Carter Hall Hawkman (and Hawkgirl), following Hall’s most recent reincarnation. Byth was defeated once more and extradited to Thanagar. 93 93
Hawkworld Tim Truman unwittingly caused quite a stir by “reinventing” the wings of Thanagar. In my research for this book, I learned that Hawkworld was originally intended to be a prequel of sorts to The Brave and the Bold #34, thus adding another layer to the comparison between the Hawk-franchise and Star Wars. This prequel, however, came in 1989—nearly thirty years after the character’s revitalization and 11 years before George Lucas managed to get his own prequels on-screen.
out justice as the judicial process on Thanagar is reserved only for those dwelling high in the towers. The late 1980s and early 1990s featured a trend towards the antihero, a protagonist who faced highly mounted odds and did so with a grimace. The anti-heroes frequently went to the extreme to achieve their ends. This era in comics was embodied most fervently in the form of the Punisher and Wolverine. Hawkman would try to take his place among them, in sales, if not spirit or content. Hawkworld provided a vehicle to put the Winged Wonder back onto the comic racks in a critically acclaimed series that would, therefore, put Hawkman into the forefront of people’s minds. While on the surface, this interpretation of Hawkman is brash in his approach and choice of weaponry, there truly is more to this series than the first cover depicts. Returning to the roots of what the Silver Age story of Hawkman was all about—a science-fiction interplanetary policeman— Truman humanizes Katar Hol. This humanization of a markedly alien character allows and encourages the reader to get more involved his life and his world. Rendered by Tim Truman with finishes from Alcatena and sharply colored by Sam Parsons, this new Hawkworld leaves the garish color palette of the Silver Age behind and takes on a duskier hue. The muted tones echo the muted morals of the ruling class and the morale of the Downside.
The cover to issue #1 of the Hawkworld mini. ™ and © DC Comics
Many fans upon reading this mini had high praise for what Truman did for the Hawks, bringing the legend of Hawkman into the latter half of the twentieth century. Thanagar became less idyllic under Truman’s pen (even though it wasn’t the most idyllic of DC’s planets to begin with) and the battles Hol fought alongside his comrades-in-wings were guerilla-fueled battles. The feathers of the Winged Warrior are replaced with metallic hang-glider-like plates. The wingmen are empowered to mete 96
Thanagar—the Hawkworld—is a collection of alien beings enslaved after the conquering armies of Thanagar attacked and devastated their worlds within the Polaran system. In the first issue of the prestige format series, Katar Hol laments that Thanagar has, perhaps, lost its identity in the mire of those who have been brought to Thanagar and the goods brought with them. “Thanagarians built beautiful things once upon a time, Shayera.” Hol’s lamentations focus upon the fact that Thanagar has virtually lost itself, and that the only thing Thanagar has left to distinguish itself are the wings his father created. Wearing those wings, the Thanagarian police force hammers the Downsiders with unquestionable, severe police brutality. The police, labelled Wingmen, are employed by the aristocracy who dwell in towers—towers dreamed of by Paran Katar, father of Katar Hol and inventor. When Thanagar had reached a population crisis and could expand no further, Katar looked up. He led the Thanagarians in a quest to scrape the skies. Using his own anti-gravity technology, Katar conceived of towers that would thrust beyond the very clouds themselves, enabling the true residents of Thanagar to live a life free of shadow.
Once the towers were established, Paran Katar devised a method of transportation between them—the wings. Anti-gravity harnesses allowed travel between the towers and enabled the ruling class to take themselves even higher. The conquered masses were not so lucky. The beings that Thanagarian armies brought back to Thanagar as servants or slaves were forced to live in the slums and shadows of the Downside. These conquered offworlders lived in slumlike conditions on or near the planet’s surface. Among the conquered races are reinterpretations of aliens originally depicted in the first volume of Hawkman—from Illorian Wingors to Lizarkons and Manhawks. Truman took the lush canvas placed into the DC Universe by Gardner Fox, Joe Kubert and Murphy Anderson and added a depth to it and gave it a modern flavor while making this series seem steeped in history. In a time when reprints were virtually unheard of, this provided an introduction to many of the flavors of the Silver Age adventures of Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Easily, DC could have collected this series and followed it up with a re-release of the original adventures of Katar Hol and his bride Shayera. From there, the adventures would have been reinvigorated and the interest in the Hawks renewed. Instead, DC found these new adventures to be a gateway into reinterpretation, much as John Byrne’s Man of Steel provided a reset button for new readers to appreciate Krypton’s last son. Opening with a cinematic feel, the series follows a bird as it wings its way back to its nest, bearing a load for the young awaiting there. That bird, As above… so below… the tagline from the unfortunately, Hawkworld mini. ™ and © DC Comics is not safe in the nest, as it is in turn consumed by a larger version of the very prey it attacked. The predatory nature of this strange world sets the table from the very beginning. This circle of life, predator becoming prey, all occurs on the arm of a statue... of Kalmoran. Truly, if a movie were to be made of Hawkman, one doesn’t need to imagine too hard to envision a modified version of this story on the silver screen. The statue of Kalmoran becomes a vehicle through which the camera pans and places us in the cab of an aircraft carrying winged and masked individuals. Those characters are none other than Wingman Byth, commander of this strikeforce; Captain Kragger, a grizzled older wingman who knows more than he lets on; and Ensign Katar, the protagonist of the series and the reenvisioned Hawkman—at a very influential point in his career. Son of Paran Katar (the chief scientist of Thanagar), therefore, a child of privilege, Katar Hol has enlisted in the Wingmen, seeking purpose. A collector of antiquities and a historian of Thanagarian culture, Katar has found personal inspiration in the legend of Kalmoran. And that is where the internal conflict strikes Katar Hol. During his mission Downside, Hol sees a world he never imagined, a world of people shed from society, left to lives of squander. As Hol’s superior officer, Byth presents it to Hol in a colorful metaphor, “For you and your aristocratic friends, life has always been a feast. But tell me, when you’ve felt the need to excuse yourself from the table, haven’t you ever wondered… where it all goes… when you flush the toilet?” His experience Downside plants the seed of doubt in Hol’s mind, as he begins to ponder the purpose of the Wingmen. Byth calls upon Hol,
The first of several confrontations with Byth. ™ and © DC Comics
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“…between the serpent and the hawk there can be no peace. We were created as foes. So alike are we, yet so fundamentally different. I take no pleasure in killing you Katar Hol.” Their skirmish destroys much of the Netherworld, wounds Hawkman and Hawkgirl and draws the curtain closed on Hawkworld. Three months later, DC Comics released Hawkman #1, the third attempt at such a title. Jan Duursema was on board for the pencils and John Ostrander returned to script the new flight of fancy, but the question posed to fans was “Who is Hawkman?”
The Hawkworld ongoing series lasted 35 issues (32 monthly issues and three annuals), adding a modern flavor to the concepts introduced in the 1960s. Additionally, the series served as a platform to investigate concepts that might be perceived as questionable or fantastic to aliens confronting them for the first time—the core concepts the United States of America are founded upon. Readers would find themselves faced with a cross-examination of the tenants the USA is built on and would almost certainly roll the concepts over in their own minds.
Thanagarian Terms
These terms are mostly collected from Hawkworld. Tim Holtorff originally compiled this list for The Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe website, used with permission.
THANAGARIAN SLANG
BULWAR
Just as you might think, this term pretty much means only one thing. “Bullcrap” is the only literal translation for “bulwar.”
DOWNSIDERS
While the hierarchy of Thanagar sits in their Towers and Floating Cities, the poor and downtrodden, those conquered peoples brought back to Thanagar as slaves, live “Downside.” Residents of the lower realms are referred to as the “Downsiders.”
FLASH
This means “kill.” Simple as that. The word is often used in the term “flash zone” or “kill zone.”
FLAT
The meaning of this word is short and simple. “Flat” basically means “fact,” as used in “That’s flat,” or “That’s a fact.”
HAWKWORLD
This is a slang term, simply to describe Thanagar. It has also come to mean “a harsh, violent and seemingly lawless place.” In other words, there are laws, but only for the poor.
HELL’S DEVILS
See “Seven Hells.”
JAM
The word on its own can be translated into any number of expletives. Essentially, to say “Jam!” is to express frustration. Now it starts to get a little more complicated. Putting “jam” into a sentence, such as “Jam it,” can mean something close to “Shut up,” or “Screw it.” By the resulting translation, it can have two meanings, and really depends upon how it is spoken.
JAMMIE
This means, essentially, to escape, scatter, or run.
JAMMY
Another variation of the original “jam.” This one simply put means “crazy,” as in “things have gone jammy,” or “crazy.”
LIP
To “lip” something is to “swallow” it. As in, “Here, lip this pill.” The term is used most often with illegal narcotics.
MAGPIE
A loving term more than anything. Katar Hol coined this as his nickname for Shayera Thal, in that she nags him.
MEAT
Any number of insults in the English language can be substituted for “meat.” Suffice it to say, it is a less than flattering term used toward an individual.
PEACOCK
Remember that loving term “Magpie?” Well, this is where it all started from. When coming to Earth on a trade delegation, Shayera Thal first saw television and a documentary on birds, particularly the peacock. This became Thal’s loving nickname for Katar Hol. “The male peacock has the more glorious plumage, with which it attracts the female, who will actually do most of the work,” the documentary stated. To which Thal told Hol, “Hey Katar. They have birds here just like you. Only here they call them peacocks.” One can only assume her dig meant that Hol struts his Thanagarian diplomacy, while Thal, his partner, does all the work.
SEVEN DEVILS
See “Seven Hells.”
SEVEN HELLS
This is derived from Thanagarian religion. The term is used like we say “hell.” It’s literal term makes reference to the seven different hells which are opposites of the seven different heavens. “Seven Devils” is often said in its place. Again, literally, it refers to the seven devils which rule the hells, as the Thanagarians believe in seven gods in their religious circles. The term “devils” and “hell’s devils” is also used.
SQUEEKERS
The term is used to describe children.
TOPSIDE
The more regal developments. As Thanagar grew, architecture went upwards, making the higher property more desirable. “Topside” and “upside” are interchangeable and reflective of everything the Downside is not.
TWERL
A derogatory term equivalent to nimrod or jerk.
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Tim Truman Interview Interview conducted via e-mail by Doug Zawisza.
Tim Truman HC: What made 1989 the right time to launch Hawkworld? TT: I think it was pretty much a given. They’d done some successful relaunches at that time—Batman, Superman , and some others. They wanted to revamp all of the original Silver Age DC cast. HC: Please describe how Hawkworld came about. TT: About a year or more before, I’d been in communication with Gardner Fox, and I’d even talked him out of retirement to do a swords-and-sorcery story for me which was later published in my first book for Eclipse Comics, a pre-Scout compilation of black-and-white short stories called Killer Tales. Gar was such a fine gentleman. I wanted to work with him again, and one of the first things he mentioned doing was a Hawkman mini-series, set on Thanagar—something in the spirit of Edgar Rice Burrough’s John Carter of Mars stories. Finally, a hole opened in my schedule so one night, while
I was on vacation at my parents’ house in West Virginia, I drafted a letter to him asking if he’d still be interested in doing the Hawkman tale he’d mentioned. When I got home I found out from Mr. Fox’s wife that, on the very night I’d drafted the letter, Gar had died. I became determined to do the story as a tribute to Gar. ™ and © DC Comics Sometime after, I got a call from Mike Gold, who was editing Hawkman at the time. He asked if I’d be willing to take on a Hawkman revamp as a three-issue prestige series. I gave it some thought and agreed. Of course, I’m sure that my take on the concept was quite different than anything Gar would have concocted. A bit seedier and more modern, to say the least. Still, I approached the material with much reverence. People who read the first issue were shocked, but by the third and last issue they got what I was trying to do. HC: The biggest change was the appearance of the characters—the wingmen went from having a sleek minimalist gladiator-like uniform to hodgepodge cobbled together guerrilla armor and equipment. What fueled that move? Was this simply an attempt to update the appearances or was there some reaction to the state of the market and the product therein at that time? TT: Well, the old costume was still there. I just changed his battle costume—his “street uniform,” as it were. The old costume became a ceremonial outfit. I wanted to do a solid science-fiction story, and part of the process for doing that was to think of things a little more naturalistically and realistically. Thanagar was a technocracy—a highly advanced civilization—so it made little sense to me that guys running around with blasters and high caliber weapons would be running around barechested. I keyed in on the obvious bird-connections in the story and started considering the various uniforms as variations of plumage. Just as birds shed and molt in various seasons, the hierarchy of Thanagar have different uniforms for different occasions. Heck, people do that in real life.
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Third Flight Hawkman’s third flight into the realm of solo titles came in 1993. Shepherded through the printing process by legendary editor Archie Goodwin, and sporting a cardstock gold-embossed cover, Hawkman Vol. 3, #1 jettisoned the Winged Wonder seven months into the future following the wholesale devastation of the Netherworld and the Thanagarian lineage of Hawkman and Hawkwoman. Following a minor debut with the Hawks in the waning issues of Hawkworld, Jan Duursema disappeared as that series wound down. John Ostrander meanwhile wrapped up the loose ends in Hawkworld and found threads to carry into Hawkman’s new adventures. Previous Hawkman series had not performed well, but this series was loaded for bear, armed with a trendy glamorous cover and a hero with methods and motivation that were as dark as the air of mystery surrounding his identity. The Hawkman on the cover bears the katar—signature weapon of the previous Hawkman—in his right hand and a set of claws similar to those of a marvelous mutant. The early 1990s market certainly played a role in the push this newest set of adventures received. Goodwin stresses this in his letters page at the back of issue #1, “The character you follow through these pages will not be the character anyone’s father or mother used to read. The world has changed [since the debut of Hawkman] a whole lot; so has the person under the hawk mask.”
armor is being tested, a metahuman assassin is hired to draw out Hawkman and this new Hawkman is plagued by dreams that are almost cliché in their metaphor. By the midway point of issue #2, Hawkman’s identity is revealed, to, of all people, Hal Jordan. The irony, here is that scant months from this issue, Hal Jordan will experience his own mysterious identity crisis as he attempts to understand the disaster that claimed his hometown of Coast City. His fury and desire to rectify the wrongs placed upon his city drive him to the brink of insanity and across. He will continue on to become one of the DC Universe’s most vile villains: Parallax. As Parallax, he will find his path crossing that of Hawkman’s again, but for now, he seeks to understand why Hawkman has made the choices he has. Not only does Katar Hol return to action in this issue, but we also see the return of Shayera Thal. Twice. Thal was manning the Marauder suit, which during the ensuing skirmish with Green Lantern and Hawkman is detonated. Hawkman assures GL that Shayera did not perish, as that was not Shayera. The readers know he’s right as we discover that Shayera is apparently responsible for sending the Marauder after Hawkman.
Calling upon native North American wildlife in his adventures, this new Hawkman is clad all in black, with wings of sculpted metal, akin to the wings worn by Katar Hol and Shayera Thal in the pages of Hawkworld. Throughout the first issue, as the “new” Hawkman remains shrouded in mystery, and while we see him without his uniform, we never truly are given the full reveal about his identity. Not only are the readers left in the dark on the identity of Hawkman, but the media within the book begins to question it as well. By the end of the first issue, we find that there are more than a few questioning the motives and moniker of this latest winged champion of the oppressed.
™ and © DC Comics
The series jumps around as it establishes the plots and subplots. A Marauder suit of
Page 3 from issue #1 of Hawkman (Vol. 4) by Jan Duursema. ™ and © DC Comics 113
Hawkman finds new foes and returned foes during the course of this series. Similarly, the Netherworlders that survived are present to support Hawkman. Among the new foes is Airstryke, a test subject of the Meta|Tech labs, which are headed up by former Sunderland CEO Windsor. Airstryke is a former convict who has had Nth metal grafted to his body which sports prehistoric DNA merged with his own. He is a pterodactyl-man facing Hawkman, a match that hearkens back to the Gardner Fox-Murphy Anderson days. Windsor, it seems is just a puppet of the new corporation, which is run by that wonderful foe of Hawkman’s—Count Viper, who manages to jump bodies into that of Katar Hol. In doing so, Viper forces Hol into Shayera’s body. Now convinced that his dreams are visions, Hol sets off to find the true Shayera before Viper can do anything drastic.
however, is that Hol’s body is now under the possession of Viper. To unseat Viper from the body of Hol, Hol, in Shayera’s body takes both Viper and Shayera (in an elderly man’s body) to see his mother—a medicine woman named Naomi Carter who had befriended the Golden Age Hawkcouple and married their friend Perry Carter (a.k.a. Paran Katar, but you knew that from the Hawkworld section, right?). Naomi sends Katar, Shayera and Viper to the “spirit level.” Katar assumes his role as a hawk and battles Viper, who is represented in spirit by a large snake. Needing to tip the scales against Viper, Hol calls upon Shayera to make her change, but she cannot channel the hawk. Instead she finds the wolf to be her totem. They defeat Viper and return to the mortal coil in their own bodies.
His drastic actions lead him to attempt to mentally control the Justice League, which he does starting with Wonder Woman. As though flipping through bodies with Count Viper, the creative team begins to switch up with issue #5, as Jan Duursema’s penciling chair is filled by Steve Lieber. One Kubert School grad for another. Viper’s pathway to possession of Katar Hol is outlined in the fifth issue of this series, as Shayera recounts the missing pages from the end of Hawkworld to the current status of all in this series. Lieber is thrown into the deep end, as he has not only inherited a series with the story already in progress, but must account for a larger cast than anticipated, as Ostrander’s plot expands to include not only two members of the Justice League, but one of the Outsiders as well. Count Viper crossed paths with the Eradicator and added his mind to the collection of superpowered individuals he possesses. By rendering Hol’s body unconscious, the control he held over the League and the Eradicator is lost. The problem,
The untold ending after Hawkworld #32 by Steve Lieber. ™ and © DC Comics
Mongrel sketch by Jan Duursema. ™ and © DC Comics 114
At this point, John Ostrander leaves the title, choosing to focus on The Spectre (with Tom Mandrake) and other endeavors. Bridging that gap, and being released between the second and third issues of the series, the first annual was written by Ostrander, and sported pencils by both Duursema and Lieber. It also introduced Josh Xan—Mongrel, one of the litter to spring forth from the Bloodlines event that consumed the summer Annuals of DC Comics in 1993 and gave the comic world such characters as Hitman and Loose Cannon. These characters had each been attacked by an alien and had their metagene triggered at some point during or after the attack. Mongrel had the ability to project force blasts from his hands that he used as both an offensive weapon and as rocket-like propulsion to fly over small distances.
New Silver Age With the dawn of DC Direct, the company found that it had a vast wealth of promotional opportunity. One such opportunity presented itself in the form of the Winged Wonder and his bride. Originally conceived as a storyline for the Legends of the DC Universe series, Legend of the Hawkman by Ben Raab and Michael Lark really took flight and grew beyond its original expectations, which were to release a set of action figures alongside a relevant Hawkman story.
rest of the universe. Vol. 3 deepened the Hawkman concept, making Hawkman a unique character for the DC Universe by having him literally absorb the Hawkman legacy, resulting in a product similar to the Kyle Rayner iteration of Green Lantern. Gone was the world of winged warriors, gone were his namesake predecessor and his beloved—Katar Hol remained the one true hawk. The streamlining and levels of new concepts poured on top of one another gave Hawkman a continuity that scared away creators and editors, if you skipped a year of the Hawkman related titles, you skipped a dog year’s worth of information. When Grant Morrison sought to add a winged icon into his acclaimed take on JLA, he conceived of Zauriel, a fallen angel, and hoped to eventually dub him Hawkman. There’s more about that uphill battle later on in this book. At any rate, the Silver Age Hawkman fans had known was gone; the Golden Age Hawkman was gone as well. In 2000, a newly conceived Hawkgirl was among the cast that composed the JSA, but Hawkman had yet to hatch onto the scene. All that remained was the legend of Hawkman. The legend as dreamed by creators like Fox and Moldoff, Kubert and Anderson, Isabella and Howell, Ostrander and Nolan, Messner-Loebs and Lieber. All of them deepened the legend; many of them inspired more legendary tales. The Legends of the DC Universe series, however, was not affected by all of this. Telling stories from the history of the DCU, the series could pick and chose from wherever, whenever. The Legend of the Hawkman followed that lead and chose the Silver Age Hawks as the protagonists of this story. Given room to spread its wings in the form of a three-issue perfect bound (a.k.a. ™ and © DC Comics prestige format) series, Legend of the Hawkman offered readers an unencumbered, high-flying, two-fisted adventure.
Hawkman and Hawkgirl arrive on the scene of an archaeological expedition with links to the Hawks past and clues to their future. ™ and © DC Comics In 2000, however, a relevant Hawkman story was a scary concept. In 1996, the third volume of Hawkman closed its final cover. The character had been through Seven Hells and back, literally, figuratively and creatively. Hawkworld had been a high watermark for the character, providing a prequel and embellishing the legend. The resultant ongoing series added a bit of morass to the stew, but Gold, Ostrander and company did their level best to translate how the events would affect the
Set six months following their arrival on Earth in B&B #34, Legend of the Hawkman found Shayera longing to return to Thanagar. Katar, however, was more than content to remain on Earth, as he thrilled to the adventures their adoptive world presented. His position as the curator of the Midway City Museum has given him the ability to soak in the history of this world, one of this series’ strong points. Katar, in his guise as Carter Hall, has commissioned an exhibit of extraterrestrial pieces to be displayed at the Midway City Museum. During this he receives a summons for Hawkman 139
to help an expedition in Tibet that has come across a seemingly Thanagarian discovery. Borrowing from the history of Hawkman set by writers before him, Ben Raab added his own ingredients to the mix, stirring in religious mystery from Thanagar and coupling that with the hesitancy and quest for fairness newer relationships all encounter. The series has a flavor very similar to the tone established by Gardner Fox in the early adventures in The Brave and the Bold. It is a sci-fi thriller with an air of mystery and an Indiana Jones-size side of adventure. It’s not straight-out superheroics as other iterations of Hawkman attempted, but a healthy blend of all of the ideas that make Hawkman great. Michael Lark brings an equallyKubert influenced quality of line to these newly minted Silver Age adventures. Legend of the Hawkman gave nods to the rest of the His style DCU as well as those that helped make Hawkman a lends itself legend. ™ and © DC Comics to mirror Kubert’s inky depths, adding an even deeper sense of awe and mystery to this storyline.
™ and © DC Comics
The religious mystery focuses on Thasaro—a fallen god of Thanagar who can bend the very fabric of reality. He transforms the expedition team into birds—raven, vulture and owl—and strikes at the Hols in his quest for revenge. We discover that Shayera is the true descendant of Hol, the legendary warrior who imprisoned Thasaro in a mystic urn eons ago. Hol then transported the urn to Earth, where it has remained undisturbed until this expedition uncovered the burial site.
Lark adds a nod to frequent collaborator Ed Brubaker. ™ and © DC Comics
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Upon defeating this foe, the Hawks add the urn to the extraterrestrial collection. Thasaro’s power, however, is not limited to outside of the urn, as he is able to influence the Museum’s The council chambers bear a strong resemblance collection of mummies. Shayera feels to the Jedi council chambers in Phantom Menace, that Thasaro influenced the mummies also released in 2000. [Hawkman and Hawkgirl ™ & © DC Comics] while Police Commissioner Emmett has a feeling it may be Intergang related. The Hawks seek to return the urn to Thanagar, but are denied their request by High Mor Vat, as it would almost assuredly return Thasaro to full strength.
Return of Hawkman After being the reincarnated inheritor of the legend of Khufu, a space cop from the Polaris system and an avatar-driven champion for good, Hawkman’s next step had to be a doozy. Someone had to take what went before, figure out what worked and move forward. Conversely, someone had to be willing to separate the chaff from the grain and throw the waste in the fire. David Goyer and Geoff Johns were those people. Initially plotted out from the very beginning of JSA planning, the return of Hawkman faced one delay after another. At Comic-Con International in 1999, a panel of folks pointed to 2000 as the year Hawkman would return. There, they announced that Hawkman would first appear in Legend of the Hawkman, with Hawkwoman by his side. Following that, they announced that the Hawkman Archives [Silver Age] would be released as well as the action figures. Finally, they said, Hawkman will return to present day comics in the pages of JSA, in a story written by David Goyer and Geoff Johns. At the time his return was slated to begin in issue #15 of JSA and be a fourpart story that teamed the Justice League of America and the resurgent Justice Society of America. When asked which Hawkman was going to make his return, Mark Waid said, “The one that was selling Baby Ruth [candy] bars.” A blend of what was before, the “new” Hawkman that emerged in the 2000 JSA storyline, “Return of Hawkman,” carried the identity of Carter Hall. His hair, however, was no longer the blonde hue it carried in his youth in Flash Comics. Johns and Goyer did supply the story and Stephen Sadowski was onboard for the art chores.
Pencil art from “The Return of Hawkman,” provided by Stephen Sadowski. ™ and © DC Comics
With help from their returned former chairman, the JSA was able to put down Onimar Synn. With a harness for his Nth metal wings and memories of those who had been Hawks before him as well as the memories of his own past lives, a reincarnated Carter Hall returned to his place as a member of the Justice Society of America, but this time around he was more than 146
happy to let someone else chair the team, as he still had so much to figure out in this time. Chief among his concerns was the affection of Shiera. Had he not sensed her soul summon him from Limbo? Kendra, denying her path as Shiera’s host, decided that if the Hawks were to become more than crime-fighting partners, that relationship would have to grow and evolve, not be presumed as a result of destiny.
Flying into a New Era Without a doubt, the time and team were right for the latest run of Hawkman. Re-introduced in the pages of JSA, the Winged Wonder did not have to wait long until he was able to fly solo again. Geoff Johns and James Robinson came together to put the words in place for the Winged Wonder, while Rags Morales and Michael Bair jumped on board for the artistic duties. The series carries the following opening and this is all readers need to know going in: “Thousands of years ago, an Egyptian Prince and his Princess discovered an alien spacecraft from the planet Thanagar. The ship was powered by a mysterious antigravity element they called Nth metal. The unearthly energies of the Nth metal, enhanced by the strength of their love, transformed the souls of the Prince and Princess. For centuries, they were reincarnated, life after life, destined to meet one another and rekindle their love… until today… today they are Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders, archaeologists and adventurers. The winged wonders known as HAWKMAN and HAWKGIRL!” Finally getting a breather after being inaugurated into the JSA, armed with the knowledge that she has lived previous lives, Hawkgirl—Kendra Saunders— begins looking for answers about the deaths of her parents. Her grandfather, Speed Saunders, directs her to seek help from Hawkman, but she tries to distance herself from Hawkman. Kendra knows that something went down in St. Roch, Louisiana and that, somehow, Stonechat Museum is involved. Hawkman and Hawkgirl enter a new era, not as husband and wife, but as crimefighting partners in this page by Rags Morales from the first issue of the fourth volume of Hawkman. ™ and © DC Comics Hawkman, after receiving a call from Speed Saunders, finds his way back to St. Roch, Louisiana—the city the saints forgot. As Kendra tries to squeeze blood from a stone through an aggressive demand to meet Danny Evans, Hawkman casually strolls in and plays it cool and collected. He knows Danny’s father Oliver Evans from his previous existence. Through this common link, Evans is quick to offer information regarding the whereabouts of his son, Danny. This Hawkman series brings mystery and adventure in equal parts. Much in the vein of the Legend of the Hawkman story, the Hawks quickly find themselves jumping into the fray and seeking out Danny Evans, who is half a world away on an archaeological expedition. The adventure is shrouded in mystery and involves a
STONECHAT MUSEUM
The Stonechat Museum of Art and History faces a private purchase in the opening pages of the fourth volume, and Oliver Evans is resigned to leaving the museum behind. Only one thing can help the Museum avoid forfeiture, and that’s the Eye of Shiva, which Danny Evans journeys to India to find. Once Hawkman and Hawkgirl become associated with the museum, it enjoys a renaissance of attendance and interest.
[Hawkman ™ & © DC Comics]
Carter Hall lives at the Stonechat. In exchange for living there, he gives seminars on various collections and works as a field agent for hire. He travels the globe for Oliver Evans, claiming that there is not a corner of the globe he has not been born in. 147
Rann-Thanagar War Like so many Earth-based conflagrations, the Rann-Thanagar War has been a battle of the ages and across ages. While some of this may be attributed to the universal reset button that was pushed following Crisis on Infinite Earths, there have been more battles, skirmishes and conflicts between these two planets than between any other two worlds in the DC Universe. Although their respective champions are frequent allies and, depending upon the instance, good friends, Adam Strange and Hawkman seem to be stuck in the middle, like children between feuding parents. The Showcase issues—written by Jack C. Harris, with art by Al Milgrom and Murphy Anderson, under Joe Kubert covers—team Adam and the Hawks again, following their team-up in previous issues of Mystery in Space. Initially on edge due to Strange’s sudden appearance, Hawkman eventually outs a lurking Shadow-Thief, but not before the Thief sabotages the ship the trio are travelling in. Adam’s dilemma is that Rann has been attacked and conquered. The attacking forces conquer the capital of Ranagar and banish Sardath and other Rannians as they prepare for all-out war against, “the world now ruled by the leader’s hated enemy.” That enemy is Hyathis, the planet Thanagar and as #102 reveals the “leader” or “High Deleon” is Kanjar Ro. Evidently the Deleon has a dealio (sorry, had to be done) with the ruler of Thanagar stemming from their exile after their first battle with the Justice League of America (waaaay back in JLA #3). With a course set for Rann, the ship breaks out of hyperspace, crash-landing on Rann. As happens in comics, they crash-land exactly where Sardath and his army of insurgents has set up. They offer assistance in repairing Hawkman’s ship. Once the ship is repaired, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Adam Strange and his bride Alanna, along with her father Sardath, fly off to Thanagar in an attempt to warn Hyathis of the impending Kanjar Ro-led attack. Upon reaching Thanagar, Adam Strange challenges Kanjar Ro while Hawkman seeks out his commander, Andar Pul. En route, however, Hawkman is attacked by Manhawks, Byth and Jarl. Once he reaches Pul, Hawkman learns that Hyathis is now the ruler of Thanagar, due in large part to her ability to vanquish the Equalizing Plague. Hyathis, plotting as all good despots do, sends Shadow-Thief and four Thanagarians, under the label of the Shadow Squad, after Hawkman. Ro, meanwhile, intends to assassinate Hyathis, as Hawkman must run a gamut against former foes and allies to prevent Hyathis’ assassination. He makes it into Hyathis’ throne room just in time. Following this, Hyathis allows the Hawks to live, but as they refuse to pledge their loyalty to Joe Kubert’s Showcase covers. Hyathis, she banishes them to space. ™ and © DC Comics
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Hawkgirl Flies Solo Hawkgirl first flew alongside Hawkman in Flash Comics #24, although Shiera Sanders had been introduced in Hawkman’s first appearance in Flash Comics #1. Her first cover-appearance alongside her crime-fighting partner was Flash Comics #37. When the Hawks were reintroduced in 1961’s The Brave and the Bold #34, both Hawkman and Hawkgirl were introduced side-by-side as police officers from Thanagar. In the reimagined prequel, Hawkworld, Hawkman was introduced first, but both characters met their Earth audience at the same time, in Hawkworld #1, when the monthly series hit the stands. When the fourth volume of Hawkman wound down, Hawkman flew solo. Shayera was alive, but had not worn the wings since early in that series.
on the cover, specifically issue #19, wherein Shayera Thal not only stole the cover, but she also received top-billing on the logo. All of that aside, Hawkgirl had never been in place without Hawkman. Was DC fully aware that Bruce Timm and company were planning on making a similar assignment in their animated effort, or was it simply serendipity hitting the Hawk-legacy? Truly, it matters little, as it was beneficial for Kendra to be given
Preceding her animated counterpart’s explosion into the public consciousness through the Justice League animated series on Cartoon Network, Kendra Saunders joined up with the JSA in the August 1999 JSA Secret Files and Origins. In the Origins story, it is revealed that Kendra as been training for her new role for her chance to strap on the winged harness of her great aunt, Shiera Sanders. IF YOU ENJOYED
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Her grandfather, Speed Saunders has been the one training her for this moment. Hawkgirl character development sketches from Stephen Sadowski. ™ and © DC Comics Pulling on the wings and donning the helmet, Kendra plunges from a rocky outcropping and casts some of the spotlight. Granted, from the onset of the JSA title, Instantlymountainside recognizable among comics fans, Hawkman is all one of theNth most metal iconic heroes Inspired doubt to the wind. The doesever as created. it always hasbyand David Goyer and James Robinson planned to bring Hawkman as old as mankind and those much recent,and this carries her aloft,tales placing Hawkgirl among the more legends back in an event worthy of the first-ever crossover between four-color legend has left an indelible mark upon the legacies in the 1999 of JSA. Justice League and Justice Society titles. Mark Waid was onboard comicrelaunch industry. Behind a fabulous CLIFF CHIANG cover, this collection contains interviews and commentary from to bring his JLA title to the table for the party. For whatever Hawkman through thePinioned ages, DC chose a newmany roadwho forhave thehelped return of thesoar legendary reason, whether it was editorial meddling or creative delays, the including JOE KUBERT, GEOFF JOHNS, SHELLY Paladins. Hawkman had,TIMOTHY to this point, always stars did not align for the two books to cross. Kendra enjoyed MOLDOFF, TRUMAN, JUSTINbeen GRAY,DC’s JIMMYfocus. PALMIOTTI,had RAGS MORALES, STEPHEN SADOWSKI, Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman always been the second half of autonomy a little while longer. BEN RAAB, TONY ISABELLA, DAN that “Hawkman and,DON ” butKRAMER, sometimes she didn’t even warrant JURGENS, ROY THOMAS, STEVE LIEBER, MURPHY much respect. ANDERSON and many other top comics creators. Also Hawkgirl had room to spread her wings. She continued to included is a copious image parade, profiles on the Hawks appear monthly in the adventures of JSA. Therein the readers the ages, as wellefforts as their in allies andpast adversaries, and a timeline ofwould Hawkman’s storied existence Collectively, DCthrough had made some the to push continue to learn of Hawkgirl’s past. A troubled youth, throughout the DC Comics Universe. With insight into the character and the creators who made him Hawkgirl/woman out In the Tony Isabellaisseries, whose full past has yet to be revealed—although pieces have what he front. is, the HAWKMAN COMPANION certain to please any Hawkfan. By DOUG ZAWISZA. Hawkman sustained massive injuries from a tussle with his old shone through in both Hawkman (Vol. 4) and JSA, Kendra (208-page tradewas paperback) pal Ed Dawson (a.k.a. Lion-Mane) so Hawkwoman given$24.95 lost both of her parents to a tragic accident. At one point in her the cover of issue #6. Again, in Vol. 3, Hawkwoman had a turn teenage life, Kendra Saunders attempted to claim her own life, http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=95_71&products_id=667
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