Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Waiting In The Wings -- 9/30/2009


Any new Hawk-ish stuff coming out this week?  Let's take a look.

Superman/Batman v.1: Public Enemies TPB -- Hawkman is featured as one of the various combatants which the "world's finest" pair have to tackle in this reprinting of the Loeb and McGuiness epic.  Also, the new DCAU DTV movie, appropriately titled Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, was released yesterday and also features Hawkman, voiced by Michael Gough... though not the Michael Gough who played Alfred Pennyworth.  You got that?

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Pop Funk DC Originals Hawkwoman T-shirt


Figured it was about time I showcased this nifty t-shirt, the only one I have ever seen to feature Shayera and only Shayera.  I am torn on the use of the Hawkwoman moniker; in one sense, it is a little more mature sounding and she did sport it for a long time, but on the other hand, more people know her as Hawkgirl.  So that's a toss up.

The light blue is an interesting color choice, but I think it works.  Perhaps not as well as the sand color on Pop Funk's Hawkman t-shirt, but I think the blue will look better on the ladies.  The image is a classic Hawkgrrrr... Hawkwoman pose, and the presence of the mace and the birdies are both nice touches.  I like also how her costume is feminine without being a bikini or something, but that's a general compliment to the character and not this shirt specifically.

Maybe if I order the Hawkman one for myself, I'll get this one for my wife?  Yeeeeeeeaaaaaah, I think not.

Image: DC originals Hawkwoman t-shirt detail, 2008, retrieved from Pop Funk.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Image: Australian Happy Meal Box


Novel little item here from the Land Down Under, where women glow and men plunder.  Can you hear, can you hear the thunder?  You'd better run, you'd better take cover.

Errr.  Anyways.  This Happy Meal box features several DC heroes of the day, including our own Katar Hol.  Actually, considering this is art for a fast food promotional box, I rather like the way that Hawkman is portrayed here.  Of course, I am partial to this uniform so I'm probably just more prone.  Wonder Woman and Flash look sharp too, though notice that the artist did not bother to fill in the white space in Diana's lasso.  Aquaman and GL's 90s looks really haven't aged as nicely as Hawkman to my eye.  Unfortunately, Hawkman is not the hero who wins the Speed Challenge.  

I picked up this image from rob over at The Aquaman Shrine,  who in turn got it from one of his F.O.A.M. members Jay Hernandez.  rob can hunt this stuff down with his network of informants like nobody's business.  I swear, this guy is like The Shadow if The Shadow was a superhero blogger.

Image: Australian Happy Meal box, 2003, retrieved from The Aquaman Shrine.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Weekend Hiatus


Well, my wife and I have packed up seemingly everything we own and are heading down to Myrtle Beach with our son for his first family vacation.  (He didn't really help with the packing.)  Should be back and blogging for your reading pleasure on Monday.  Have a good weekend!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Waiting In The Wings -- 9/23/2009


Any Hawk-stuff shipped to our local comic shops this week?  Let's take a quick peak.

Wednesday Comics #12 -- The finale to DC's superior summer series should wrap things up for Kyle Baker's Hawkman strip, which now features the King Of the Seven Seas as well.  (Makes you wonder: with two cameos in this edition, if there is a second edition of WC, will Aquaman rate a feature?)  This series has been a ton of fun for me, as I am right in the target audience, I think.  In the coming weeks, I am hoping to do a wrap-up review of the entire Hawkman story here, which should be interesting reading all at once.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Image: JLU Warhawk Toy


An interesting item today, one which I have never seen in stores.  I know, JLU toys being hard to find in retail outlets.  Unheard of!  Anyways, this three pack features a trio of Batman Beyond characters, who figured into the second part of the JLU episode "The Once And Future Thing."  Besides Terry McGinnis Bats and "old as dirt" Bruce Wayne, we also get Warhawk, who eventually is revealed to be the son of Green Lantern John Stewart and Hawkgirl.  

Now, I am not sure exactly how an Earthling and Thanagarian can have a kid, but that setup worked for Mr. Spock, so who am I to complain?  I do like that the toy evokes a vaguely Wingman-ish sort of look with the armor.  Not a bad looking figure from this picture, but I doubt that I will ever see it in a Target.  Besides, what good is Old Man Bruce without Ace?!

Image: Justice League Unlimited Three Pack: Bruce Wayne, Batman, Warhawk, 2009, image retreived from ???.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Read: Shadow War Of Hawkman #3


Issue: Shadow War Of Hawkman #3
Title: "My Worlds Opposed"
Published Date: Jul 1985
Generation: Silver Age Katar
Retcon Status: Out Of Continuity

Summary: The Thanagarian who killed Hawkwoman against orders is installed as the "permanant monitor" by having his brain wired directly into an Absorbascon, putting him in mental contact with every single human being on Earth.

Meanwhile, Hawkman is not impressed by Fell Andar and his invasion force, and lays into his fellow Thanagarian.  Eventually, however, Hawkman is overcome by sheer numbers and restrained.  But, he is saved by the timely arrival of none other than... Hawkwoman!  Shayera saves and frees her husband and partner, and the two wing off in a tactical retreat.

Shayera reveals that it was, in fact, Mavis Trent who had dressed up in her uniform back at the museum, and was intent on breaking into their office to play a cruel joke on them when she was spotted and murdered.  Shayera quickly disguised herself as Mavis Trent to avoid tipping any humans off that she was still alive -- for if any humans knew she still survived, the Absorbascon-wielding invaders would know immediately.  The Hawks regroup and figure that they need to destroy any data of theirs held in the Justice League's computer banks, so that Fell's group does not get their hands on it.  They head off to Detroit and infiltrate the League's new HQ.

The Hawks come up on Aquaman on moniotr duty, but the King Of The Seven Seas is subdued with Shayera's stun gun from behind without putting up a fight.  But their intrusion is met by the Elongated Man, who demands to know why they have broken in and attacked a member of the League.  But the Hawks cannot tell Ralph the truth lest he unwittingly tell Fell's invaders.  Finally stunning the Stretchable Slueth, the Hawks beging deleting their data from the computers, just in time to receive a transmission from Fell: he is on their ship, coming to kill them with their own vessel.

Review: Another very strong issue in what is a definitely strong miniseries, featuring not only the shocking (well, at the time I am sure) return of Hawkwoman as well as beat-down of two old school members of the Justice League.  Actually, the fight is somewhat tame; Aquaman is shot with the stun gun in the back, and Ralph puts up a good fight but he too succumbs pretty quickly.  How insane would it have been to have the Hawks fight the whole Detroit League?

That notwithstanding, the reunion between the Hawks is very touching, and me being a big married softie, I rather appreciated the emotion on display.  (Although, how did Shayera know that if she told a human she was alive the invaders would find out?)  Furthermore, the nature of the "shadow war" is spelled out in logical terms and the rising action clearly handled by Isabella.  Howell's pencils continue to impress, and Alfredo Alcala's inks look great, especially in the early stages in the caverns where he gets a chance to crazy feathering the shadows.  I can't imagine reading this and not being overly eager for the conclusion.

The big swerve comes after halfway through the issue, and comes after a "Continued on Third Page Following" note, which I thought was appropriate.  Also, when we see that Rab Mekir is connected to every human mind on Earth, amongst those pictured is Tony Isabella's most famous creation, Black Lightning.

Image: Shadow War of Hawkman #3, 1985, Richard Howell.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Acquired: Charlotte Comic Con


Well, this past Sunday I was able to make it up to Charlotte for the Charlotte Comic Con, and I am happy to report that I now possess even more Hawkcomics!  Let's take a look at what I found.

Hawkworld -- The big hit this time out.  I have never had much luck in tracking down issues of Hawkworld, but thanks to the good folks at Heroes Aren't Hard To Find, I was able to pick up most of the series, including issues #2-10, 14-21, 23, 25-26, and Annuals 1 and 2.

The Brave And The Bold -- I was able to find #186, which features Hawkman and Batman taking on the Fadeaway Man.

DC Comics Presents: Hawkman -- From the mid 00s, this one-shot features Hawkman fighting a winged ape on the cover, so how could you go wrong with that?

Legend Of The Hawkman -- Joe found these quite by accident and I snapped them up.  Hawkman never got much in the way of "Prestige Format," so I am very much looking forward to reading these.

Hawkman v.4/Hawkgirl -- Continuing on buying up those issues which are uncollected, I was able to find (quite on the cheap) v.4:no.26 and 47.  I've only got a handful of these uncollected issues left.  And I was able to find quite a number of issues from when the title changed over to Hawkgirl, including #50-55, 57, 59-60, 62-63, and 65.  At this point, I can just get the singles and not worry about buying the collected editions of the Hawkgirl era.

All in all, one heck of a Hawk-haul!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Waiting In The Wings -- 9/16/2009


Any new materials with the Winged Wonders coming out this week?  Let's take a look!

Blackest Night #3 -- If nothing else we should see the Black Lantern Hawks throw down along with the other members of the "Black Lantern Justice League" as teased at the end of the last issue.  I am eager to see them in action, especially since Johns always portrayed both Carter and Kendra as viscious beasts in combat -- I can only imagine what they will be like as Black Lanterns.  Also, perhaps the fate of the Atom?

Wednesday Comics #11 -- Last week, Hawkman sure got left in a tight spot, huh?  I think he'll figure a way out of it, and it should be fun to see how.  Will Aquaman pop up this week?  He's running out of time to do so!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Read: Shadow War Of Hawkman #2


Issue: Shadow War Of Hawkman #2
Title: "Fallen Angels"
Published Date: Jun 1985
Generation: Silver Age Katar
Retcon Status: Out Of Continuity

Summary: In the Heartland of America a young man with dreams of being a winged superhero named Icarus is brutally shot out of the sky by the alien invaders.  

Back in Midway City, Hawkman is busy mourning the death of Shiera the previous issue.  He buries his grief, though, and sets about with the work that has to be done.  Taking the new police chief into his confidence, Hawkman rounds up all of the Thanagarian gear stored in his office, and vaporizes them so that they cannot fall into the wrong hands.  Arming himself with Roman spiked gloves, Hawkman angrilly blows off Mavis Trent and then wings off to investigate at former Commissioner Emmett's house.

Meanwhile, the invaders deal with their member who attacked Hawkwoman, who claims that poor intelligence is to blame.  The commander, one Fell Andar, agrees, and repurposes the young man into the "permanant monitor."

At the Emmett place, Hawkman is pick up a trace radiation signal from the silhouette of Mousey Mason.  He tracks it to a craggy series of bluffs on the coast of Lake Michigan, and quickly infiltrates the invaders' base.  Quickly disabling most of their numbers, Hawkman is felled when struck from behind.  He awakens to find Fell Andar standing over him, and is horrified when Andar tells him that they are the vanguard from Thanagar for a full scale conquest of the galaxy, starting with Earth.

Review: Anyone who thinks the idea of Hawkman being filled with rage is a new idea needs to read this comic.  Various characters comment about the fact that Katar is about the burst with fury, and when he gets his hands on Fell's invaders, well, that fury gets released.  Looking back, that reveal at the end must have been pretty surprising, although really, it makes sense.

Interesting to note that the name is indeed spelled "Fell Andar" this issue, although in one instance it is "Fel."

All in all another really strong issue from Isabella and Howell, who have a very good grasp on the Hawkman story they want to tell and how they want to portray the character.  Strong all around.

Image: Shadow War of Hawkman #2, 1985, Richard Howell.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Waiting In The Wings -- 9/10/2009


Is there any new comics or merchandise featuring our winged heroes coming out this week?  Let's find out.

Wednesday Comics #10 -- As we enter the final stages of this event, I am very much looking forward to pulling out all of them, and laying them down in such a way that I can read the entire run of certain strips, much like one would get if they had a collection of Sundays in a hardcover.  I would very much like to see Wednesday Comics collected in such a manner -- one massive hardcover with each of the strips collected seperately in order.  Sales may not have been through the roof but this series has certainly lived up to my expectations and desires so far, and with Hawkman mixing it up with a T-Rex, I don't see that changing too much.  It may have taken me some time to warm up to Baker but now I am thoroughly enjoying his tale.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Read: Rann-Thanagar Holy War #4


Issue: Rann-Thanagar Holy War #4
Title: "Return Of The Prodigal"
Published Date: Oct. 2008
Generation: Modern Carter
Retcon Status: In Continuity

Summary: On Hardcore Station, Comet, Adam Strange, Weird, Animal Man, Tigorr, Starfire, and Chief Justice Max are outgunned and outclassed by Deacon Dark, his Inquisitor robots, and the temporaly-revived Synnar.  Weird tries to use his phasing powers, but Synnar shrugs him off and goes after other targets.  The fight is not going well, despite Comet being able to take out Deacon Dark, and Weird saving Strange from being fried by an Inquisitor.  Needing muscle to take out the Eternal Light Corporation's temporal circuits, Weird mentions Bizarro being on Throneworld...

On Throneworld, Prince Gavyn, intending to use Bizarro as a weapon against Lady Styx, walks in on Adam Strange about to Zeta-beam Bizarro back to Hardcore Station, and is caught up in the teleport.  Bizarro, mad at being taken away from his cartoons, is able to destroy the Inquisitors and turn the tide.  Strange and Gavyn are able to destroy the time circuits, though Adam disappears for a second.  

Meanwhile, on Rann, Hawkman is about to be executed by Sardath and his crazed fellow Styx-worshippers, but is spared when the prehistoric volcano disappears (thanks to the end of the time circuits).  But, he is not out of the frying pan yet, as both he and Alana are taken prisoner by Sardath.

The heroes teleport back to Throneworld to find the entire planet devastated and the population gone... "processed" by Lady Styx in a matter of minutes.

Review: A very action-heavy issue, with not a lot of Hawkman but plenty of combat over on Hardcore Station.  Starlin crams a lot of information into what is tantamount to an issue-long fight, including putting Synnar over as a badass on the level of "Darkseid or Mongul," which I obviously enjoyed.  Lim's art is up to the task and looks great handling all of the battle sequences.  It's fun to see all of these characters interacting, including Comet's exceptionally low opinion of most of the people he is forced to work with.  Very enjoyable space opera comic book.
 
Note: The Adam Strange Special takes place in the second which Strange disappears while he and Prince Gavyn destroy the ELC's time circuits.  I will not be covering that here as it is an Adam Strange side-story and does not feature Hawkman.

Image: Rann-Thanagar Holy War #4, 2008, Jim Starlin.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

New Era "Hawk Man" Cap


I'm not sure that I am hip enough (or whatever the kids say these days) to sport this 59Fifty cap with the Hawkman logo, part of the many, many superhero style hats the company now produces.

I like that the designers stuck with Hawkman's established colors of green and red for this cap, and even snuck in a tiny bit of yellow on the New Era logo.  Not sure what you could wear this with, because it doesn't quite match any of the admittedly few Hawkman t-shirts out there... but a shirt and hat combo of the Winged Wonder might be a bit much, yes?

Image: New Era "Hawk Man League Basic" hat, 2009, retreived from Neweracap.com.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Original Hawkman Page from Flash Comics #97 By Joe Kubert


Continuing on the Golden Age streak for this week, we have the fourth installment of original Joe Kubert art from Flash Comics #97.  You can find the previous three pages here, here, and here.

Our heroes have found their efforts to fairly futile, as the bad guys get away and herd up the hostages, taking them inside a strange dome.  Luckily, they forget to lock the door, leaving the Hawks easy access!  Below, we learn that the so-called "aliens" are actually the last survivors of the lost continent of Mu, which sank beneath the ocean thousands of years prior.  

This page is not as flashy as the previous one, but it does showcase Kubert's storytelling strength.  You could very easily strip the lettering out of this page and still get the gist of what's going, which is always a plus in sequential storytelling.  Plus, Shiera looks pretty stacked in that first panel!  Yowza!

Much much thanks to Doug Zawisza of Doom Patrol blogging-fame for hooking me up with these pages!

Image: Page 5 from Hawkman feature in Flash Comics #97, 1948, Joe Kubert, provided by Doug Zawisza.    

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Waiting In The Wings -- 9/2/2009


Any new Hawk-stuffs coming to the local comic shops today?  Let's take a look and see!

Cosmic Odyssey TPB -- The Hawks don't play a role in this epic space opera by Jim Starlin and Mike Mignola, but Thanagar does.  Beyond that, I have always wanted to read this series, and this collection looks like a great avenue to do just that.  I have really gotten into Starlin's work over the last few years, so this is hitting at a perfect time for me.

JSA v.5 HC: Black Adam And Isis -- Hawkman does not feature long in this story, essentially being put on a Leave of Absence from the Society right at the start, but it's a pretty pivotal appearance in that one surmises that it leads into Rann-Thanagar Holy War (why he is off-Earth) and Blackest Night (why he is in St. Roch instead of with the Society).  Also, it's a pretty good story in it's own right, focusing on the Marvel family.

Wednesday Comics #9 -- The obvious pick-up, as usual.  Baker's Hawkman story percolated a little slowly at first, but now it's the first one I flip to (right there in it's spot on the last page, every week).  And with a guest spot from Hawkgirl and Batman last week, and one from Aquaman upcoming, it's all good in Hawkworld, uh, so to speak.  The other strips have continued on nicely for the most part, although I think I am one of the very few who seem to really like Deadman.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Image: Whip Mace Stamp, Flash Comics #9


We've got something of a Golden Age theme going this week, as today we are featuring the first of the stamps featured in the early days of Flash Comics.  The first of these little "collect and save" stamps features a whip mace, appropriate as maces of all kinds have of course gone on to become Hawkman's trademark weapon.  

Makes you wonder how many copies of Flash Comics #9 are out there missing this panel, doesn't it?  

Image: Whip Mace stamp from Flash Comics #9, 1940, Sheldon Moldoff.