Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Read: Flash Comics #18

Issue: Flash Comics #18 (reprinted in The Golden Age Hawkman Archives v.1)
Title: "The Gold Rush of '41" (suggested title)
Published Date: Jun 1941
Generation: Golden Age Carter
Retcon Status: In Continuity

Summary: In Alaska, Hank Sanders finds gold, and suddenly he and his minig crew are sitting a huge strike.  Back in New York, Shiera reads about her cousin's success, but also learns that the miners are now cut off.  What she doesn't know is that this is due to the supply company owner Joe Harrel, who intends to force Hank's hand into giving up the strike in order to escape alive.  Against Carter's advice, Shiera charters a plane to Alaska; the Hawkman, armed with a quarterstaff, wings after her.

In Alaska, Hawkman finds Harrel's men who are sitting on the food.  They refuse to deliver the supplies, and take off when a large snowstorm moves in.  Using his quarterstaff, Hawkman is able to deliver the supplies to Hank and his men.  Shiera, meanwhile, has done some investigating, and discovers that Harrel is behind everything.  She doesn't make it far, though, and is kidnapped by Harrel's hulking Inuit henchman.  Hawkman comes to her aid, "convincing" the henchman to testify against his boss, and allowing Hank and the miners to leave safely.

Review: A very minor story, with Hawkman not given much to do.  Mostly of interest for the use of Nth Metal ("Ninth Metal") to generate an aura of heat around our hero, to keep him warm in the arctic.  This trick would later become pretty standard for the Hawks in cold environments.

The Shiera-love from Moldoff continues in this issue, as he flexes his glamour muscles to make her look gorgeous, adorned in several different flashy outfits.  It's odd though, as Carter is uncharacteristically mean to Shiera, referring to her as an "idiot" at one point.  But, it was the 40s, so what can you do?

Image: Flash Comics #18, 1941, Harold Wilson Sharp.

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