Issue: Flash Comics #7 (Reprinted in The Golden Age Hawkman Archives v.1)
Title: "Czar, The Unkillable Man" (suggested title)
Published Date: Jul 1940
Generation: Golden Age Carter
Retcon Status: In Continuity
Summary: Scultper Boris Nickaloff has discovered a special clay, called plasm clay, which allows him to bring his sculptures to life. He sculpts a hulking man named Czar, which he uses to commit crimes for him. Czar's golem-like body allows him to shrug off normal weapons. Hawkman's first thought is that the being is a vampire, but his silver bullets have no effect. So the Winged Wonder tracks Czar's creator, where he overhears his one weakness: that the artificial man needs to breathe. Armed with this knowledge, Hawkman picks a bolas from his arsenal, and sets out just in time for Shiera to be kidnapped by Czar. Meeting again, Hawkman throws his bolas at Czar, but Boris dives in the way, saving his creation but at the cost of his own life. Czar tries to make his escape, but another well-placed throw takes down the unkillable man for good.
Review: We're back in the city for this adventure, which is nice after the change-up in the desert for the last two issues. Another strong villian in Czar (who, like the Thought Terror, would never appear again, sadly) makes this B-movie like story very fun. Czar's look, while simple -- he is an albino-pale, bald humanoid wearing red shorts and boots -- is really brought to life by Moldoff, who imbues the baddie with plenty of menace. We continue the trend of killing off the villians, although whether Czar was truly alive or not is debatable. It's nice to see Shiera again, although she has little to do; it's almost as if Fox wanted to remind us of her after two months of Ione Craig. Hawkman also takes the showcase spot on the cover, the first time since Flash Comics #2
Image: Flash Comics #7, 1940, Sheldon Moldoff.
1 comment:
Hmm, while hardly ground breaking, Czar does seem like a pretty cool villain. It's a real shame how many villains are wasted with only one or two appearances...just take MOST of Aquaman's foes. This sounds like a cool story, and that cover really is beautiful!
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