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Issue: Brightest Day #8 Title: "Defiance" Published Date: Aug 2010 Generation: Modern Carter, Modern Shiera Retcon Status: In Continuity, Summary: On Hawkworld, Hawkman is shown around by Tonrarr, the alpha male of the Lion-Mane Pride he has fallen in with. Hawkman says that he has met "his kind" before, but Tonrarr says no Lion-Mane has ever left Hawkworld. They enter the base of a large statue and Tonrarr explains the history of this strange land. Centuries ago, man found the gateway to Hawkworld from Earth, and eventually made himself the ruler of it but pitting the various beasts against each other. Eventually, Man grew listless, and found the portal to Thanagar, and left Hawkworld to be ruled by Queen Shrike. The history lesson is cut short, but the arrival of a huge host of Beast Men outside the statue, who want to see the "healer." Up in the Manhawks city, Hawkgirl has been put into a gladiatorial pit by Hath-Set, where she makes short work of her foes. Tearing herself out of the cage, she attacks Hath-Set, but is put down by Queen Shrike. Shrike admonishes Hawkgirl, saying she always had her father's temper and her mother's resolve. The Queen then removes her helmet and reveals herself as... Shiera's mother?! Review: Okay, now I don't know what to think. It really seems like Johns and Tomasi are trying to link Thanagar and Earth on much stronger terms than what was done with the modern revamp of Carter Hall. In that story, the main connections between Thanagar and the Hawks were the Nth metal itself and their spaceship. But this reveal supposes a much deeper connection between not only Thanagar and the spirits of Khufu and Chay-era, but of Thanagar and Earth itself. Were the ancient Thanagarians actually Earthlings? Now that we know that life started on Earth, wouldn't the Thanagarians have to be some sort of descendant of Earthlings? Other questions are raised, too: What is the connection between the Lion-Mane Pride and both of the terrestrial Lion-Manes? How do the Manhawks fit into this? Just who the heck was Shiera referring to as "mother?" (My money has got to be on Chay-era's mother, especially given Shrike's bronzed skin tone.) If this is the setup for the new status quo for the Hawks, color me intrigued. It's almost as if the brass at DC wanted a Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl but Johns didn't want to let go of his modern Hawks. Either way I am totally digging it. The thought of Carter leading a charge of Beast Men against the Manhawks city in the sky has me itching with anticipation. And you have got to like Shiera kicking butt and taking names! Side Note: I am going to have to scan the two page spread of Tonrarr detailing the history of Hawkworld, because I don't think I really did it justice with my synopsis. Image: Brightest Day #8, 2010, David Finch.
From DC's The Source blog, we have a preview of Brightest Day #9, which is due in stores tomorrow. I can't imagine we will get much of the Hawks in this issue after their bigger role in #8, but Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Aquaman and Mera seem to be stepping up, so it's not like we won't have some cool folks to read about. I am going to try to get a review of Brightest Day #8 up today, so we can all be caught up! Image: Brightest Day #9, 2010, David Finch.
Let's get the week started off with a nice piece of Hawkman collectable merch. This is a painted animation cell (along with a background plate) of the Winged Wonder from the Filmation DC superhero cartoons. I have always liked animation cells, but really can't afford them. A nice clean cell looks amazing when displayed, and the bright colors on this piece make it no exception. The green bracer on Hawkman's wrist is an odd touch, but it does break up the flesh tone monotony. Notice also that the hawk's head symbol is absent, because something like that would have been quite literally impossible to animate at the time this was drawn. Notice the Filmation stamp on the upper left hand corner, with Lou Scheimer's signature! I saw this guy on eBay, and let's just say that the opening bid was, uh, a little out of my range, if you catch my drift. Image: Filmation Hawkman cell, ????, image retrieved from eBay.
A big thanks to Bearer Of The Honor Wings Rick, who runs several worthy comic book blogs, including Mail It To Team-Up and personal favorite Comic Book Letterheads, for sending in this picture. Take it away, Rick! My wife and I were at K-Mart and saw this in one of those machines where you can get stuffed dolls... Hope you like it! How could I not? I have a fodness for claw grabber plushie toys (one of my favorite items in my entire nerd collection is a plush Kamen Rider from a Japanese claw grabber game), and this Hawkman looks fantastic. I absolutely love the big grin on his face! Have something Hawk-related you want to share? Then send it along and you too can earn your Honor Wings! Image: Hawkman plushie, 2010, image obtained from Rick.
When we all head down to our collective LCSs today, can we expect to see any new Hawk-related merchandise? Let's check it out and see! Blackest Night Series 5: Black Lantern Hawkman -- DC Direct will eventually make a plastic representation of every single Black Lantern, I am sure of it. I mean, how many of their lines get to 5 waves, let alone 6 or 7? There's too much money at stake not to make as many Black Lantern toys as possible. I think my brother ordered me one of these guys, so eventually he will end up on my Hawkman shelf, where the Winged Wonder shares space with other winged warriors -- including Falcon and the original Buzz-Off from Masters Of The Universe.
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.
Straight from DC's The Source, we have all of the White Lantern variant covers, arranged to show their full image! This is a detail showing just Hawkgirl and Hawkman -- you can see the full image here. Much like I said with the Hawkman cover previously, our Winged Wonders certainly look the part of the barbarian king and queen, although the aesthetic of the entire piece is pretty plainly based on the Greco-Roman pantheon. I won't be buying all of these covers, but man, this would make for a cool poster, don't you think? Image: White Lantern Hawkgirl and Hawkman, 2010, Ryan Sook, image retrieved from The Source.
Thanks to Frank over at the Idol-Head, I figured we'd start the week off with some fine superhero geek attire. Check it out, front and slightly above center. That's right, the Winged Wonder is rocking it hardcore. Then, down on the left-hand side, next to Darkseid, is Hawkgirl. Great to see both of the Hawks represented on one shirt, which I can't think of another example of. I like this one because it includes a whole mess of characters, both good and evil, a lot of which who don't get a lot of love in the apparel domain. Mary Marvel, Mera, Captain Marvel Jr., Riddler, Zatanna, Dr. Fate, Cheetah! Is that Harley Quinn above Green Arrow?! Yeesh! This shirt appeals to everyone! Image: DC Comics Stacked Group shirt, 2010, image retrieved from The Idol-Head Of Diabolu.
Issue: Brightest Day #7 Title: "The Secret Of Life" Published Date: Aug 2010 Generation: Modern Carter, Modern Shiera Retcon Status: In Continuity Summary: On Hawkworld, Hawkman talks with the Cat-Men about the strange place he has found himself in, and vows to rescue Shiera. Right as he does, he is hit with a strange psychic vision from The Entity (thanks to Boston Brand's activity on Earth). Now glowing bright white and wearing the uniform of a White Lantern, he is told to "stop the Queen" and shown a vision of a giant forest floating high above a city. As soon as the vision comes, it goes, leaving Hawkman and his companions confused. Up higher in Hawkworld, Hawkgirl is bound and being looked over by the Man-Hawks and Hath-Set. She too glows white and receives a vision, showing her Hawkman being crucified and murdered by Hath, and hearing a voice telling her that if they die on Hawkworld, there will be no resurrection. Afterwards, Hath-Set says that he will present her to his Queen... Review: Mysteries wrapped in enigmas wrapped in White Lantern uniforms! The Entity does as promised and answers the questions of why the resurrected have been brought back, but the answers are questions in and of themselves (of course). I don't mind this kind of literary sleight of hand because this being a limited series, we are pretty much guaranteed to get our answers at some point. There is massive speculation going on as to the identity of the "Queen" The Entity referred to. Could it be the Queen of Hawkworld? Oliver Queen? The new head of Queen Industries over in Green Arrow? Someone else? Right now we don't have enough information. On a side note, both Hawks look fantastic in their White Lantern costumes -- I am sure that DC Direct will be bringing us plastic representations of them soon enough! Image: Brightest Day #7, 2010, David Finch.
It's Back To School time here in South Carolina, so get your Triple Lindy ready! Err, wait, not that Back To School, I mean the "back to school" where the streets are clogged with parents driving their kids to school to avoid all of the school buses which are also clogging the streets! But nevermind that, instead check out this awesome notebook featuring the cover to Justice League of America #217 with the League, including the Pinioned Powerhouse himself, Hawkman! If you are going to use a JLA image for a piece of schoolgear, this has got to be on the shortlist. About the only complaints I have is that Hawkgirl is not on the cover as well, and that we never had anything even remotely as cool as this when I was in school! Thanks to Bearer of the Honor Wings Shag (whom you can find over at Firestorm Fan and Once Upon A Geek) for hooking me up with this image! Image: Justice League Of America #217 notebook, 2010, image retrieved from Firestorm Fan.
Straight from The Source, the preview of Justice Society of America #42 features the variant Ryan Sook cover of White Lantern Hawkman! The skull and bones motif on the throne is a little ominous, but not really surprising considering the amount remains which Hath-Set used to build his portal over in Brightest Day. Hawkman's White Lantern costume is simple but effective (much, I may add, like Martian Manhunter's WL threads), and I really like his "barbarian king" pose, which seems appropriate. Justice Society of America #42 is in stores now! Image: Justice Society of America #42 variant cover, 2010, Ryan Sook.
Straight from The Source, check out a preview of Brightest Day #8, which if you read the last post you know goes on sale today! Dig the Hawkgirl cover! Looking good, Shiera! Image: Brightest Day #8, 2010, David Finch.
New Hawkstuff? You got it! Brightest Day #8 -- Last issue we found out the missions of both Hawkman and Hawgirl -- both seemingly tied to the strange Hawkworld they find themselves trapped on after entering Hath-Set's portal. I have heard some speculation that the "Queen" who must be stopped is Oliver Queen, and that Hawkman and Green Arrow are going to face off before this is over. I suppose that is possible, given that Johns loves the feuding between those two, but I still think this will be a Hath-Set and his "queen" (as he told Shiera in #7) turn. After all, it seems that the Martian Manhunter is going to be dealing with Green Arrow anyway. I'd also like to say that the storyline which I had no interest in at all when this series launched -- Hawk & Dove -- really has my attention and my interest. I think I am finally understanding the H&D dynamic and how that works in a superhero setting.
Issue: Hawkman v.3:no.2 Title: "Dead End" Published Date: Oct 1993 Generation: Modern Katar Retcon Status: In Continuity Summary: In his dingy apartment, Hawkman dreams of two hawks battling death, and after the male hawk is wounded, the female hawk is swallowed by the reaper and caged. Meanwhile, at Metatech HQ, Dr. Moon and an associate put the armored Marauder suit through its paces, and it performs admirable. Metatech had hired local mobster Johnny Van to hire Deadline to attack the Netherworld, so Van must be eliminated to break all ties between them. Johnny Van gets tipped off that the police are looking for him right when Hawkman finds him instead! He threatens Van into giving up who hired him, when he is interrupted by the arrival of Hal Jordan! GL wants to take them both into custody to sort things out, putting Hawkman into a light-construct cage; he doesn't count on Hawkman's golden wings cutting right through it! Hawkman says he will explain to GL, who covers Van's eyes and ears. This leads to Hawkman taking off his helmet and revealing himself to be Katar Hol, who needs his enemies to think that he is dead so that he can find the thought-to-be-dead Shayera, whom he suspects is alive somewhere. Marauder, who has observed the entire exchange (much to the delight of Moon and Moon's boss), attacks, trying to kill Van. Hawkman fends off the attack, and Van makes an escape in his sports sedan. Marauder attacks the Loop and blows up Van's car, killing him. Green Lantern helps the other motorists while Hawkman mixes it up with Marauder. Calling upon "Brother Hawk" to enhance his vision, he picks out the Marauder's weak spot and attacks, disabling the suit. The pilot removes the helmet and reveals herself to be apparently be Shayera Thal! Right at the time, Moon triggers the self-destruct and the suit explodes. Hawkman tells GL that it was not Shayera, just someone made to look like her. A quick analysis shows that the Marauder armor was built using Nth metal, further evidence that someone has taken Shayera and her technology. Back at Metatech, Moon's boss is revealed as... the real Shayera?! Review: Ostrander starts Hawkman's fourth series in motion here, establishing what Katar is out to do (find Shayera) and the shadowy figures moving against him. Pretty prototypical early 90s DC comic, with good mix of action and dialogue. Hal Jordan is in his salt-and-pepper look from before Emerald Twilight, which is a funny flashback considering his current appearance. I really like Durrsema's character work, which is very expressive. When Hawkman threatens Johnny Van with his katar, his face and helmet look amazing -- it's only marred by the oh-so-1993 inclusion of an earring. Reading this now I know why I may have not gotten #3 back in the day, since I didn't know my Hawk-history and thus the Shayera stuff is totally over my head. Pretty decent read now, though. Image: Hawman v.3:no.2, 1993, Jan Duursema.
From Newsarama's preview of DC's November 2010 solicits, check out this cover to the second issue of the 6 issue mini JLA/The 99, with art by Felipe Massafera. I don't know The 99 from The 100 (little bit of Black Lightning humor there), but I do know Hawkman on a cover when I see him! Looks like the Winged Wonder will be taking part in this crossover! This cover has a strong sort of Silver Age vibe to me, like something you might see on an oversized comic or something along those lines. JLA/The 99 #2 hits stores November 24. Image: JLA/The 99 #2, 2010, Felipe Massafera.
Well, I guess some explanations are in order. Last week was a perfect storm of crap, between work and extra-curricular and life. Needless to say the blog ended up taking a backseat to that, but I should be back on track this week. Sorry for the inconvenience and letting you folks down.
Any new Hawk-stuff available at your local comic book retailer today? Let's check it out! Brightest Day #7 -- The previews promise answers as to why this group was brought back to life, but to be honest I will believe that when I see it. The Hawks were in a bad way the last time we saw them, so I am waiting with bated breath to see how they can get out of that one.
I came across this Foxtrot comic strip pretty much by accident, while poking around the Superman Homepage. I really like how Hawkman is depicted in his then-current (it's hard to tell but the copyright date looks like 1995) costume rather than his more well known traditional look. (Same goes for the Kyle Rayner GL suit.) Although I have to wonder what the heck is with the big demonic-sorta-looking thing he is swooping down to fight! I also like how the Thing has apparently punched some guy so hard his teeth have come out of his head! Also, note the picture of the correctly named Apatosaurus on the wall in the last panel. I'm sorry, but that'll always be a Brontosarus, dammit! Image: Foxtrot comic strip, 1995?, Bill Amend.
I'll let the crew over at DC's The Source blog take it away: You've been wondering why they're back — what their purpose truly is. Well, prepare to learn the answer, as the White Light takes us on a journey of discovery. Well, even if the Hawks don't show up in this issue ala issue #6, we should hopefully learn some more about the purpose for which they were brought back. Of course hopefull they'll be in the book as well but we'll see soon enough! Also, Hawk breaking the jukebox for playing the Dixie Chicks? Well played, Mr. Hall. Well played. Brightest Day #7 hits stores this Wednesday.
