skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I have had this one sitting on my work desk for a while, but every time I tried to post it, the scan would be pretty much awful. So with a new scanner, I gave it another shot. The verdict is still not great, but at least it's readable! Anyway, this Hawkgirl trading card comes from the good people at Post Cereal as part of their Postopia ad campaign. There were 7 cards in the series, one for each member of the Justice League as featured on the cartoon of the same name. The front features the well known piece of stock Bruce Timm-style art of Shayera getting ready to lay the smack down with her mace. The back side of the card features more stock art, and your standard-issue biographical information. Interestingly, there are some changes from her comics origin as part of her cartoon origin -- the use of a "dimensional transport beam" really smacks of Adam Strange and the Zeta Beam more than Katar and Shayera. Another nice touch is Shayera's role as an undercover police officer, which does not explain her uniform, but is a novel change none the less. This card came to me via my brother, who is always finding oddball stuff like this. Thanks, J! Sadly, I got this card long after the Postopia.com ceased to exist, so I do not know what entering the code "THANAGAR4" would have generated as part of your "Justice League on-line adventure." Anyone have any information on that? Image: Postopia Hawkgirl trading card, 2004, image scanned personally.
As the hype continues to build for DC's Convergence, the interviews have begun for the different creators working on the various miniseries. Here at Being Carter Hall, I've always got my raptor-like eyes peeled (yeah right) for new interviews with Hawk-creators, so when Newsarama posted this piece with scribe of the forthcoming Convergence: Hawkman mini, Jeff Parker, I was pleasantly surprised, as most Hawkman books don't get much (positive) attention from the comic book press nowadays. A couple of interesting exchanges: Nrama: Where do we pick up the story of the Hawks in the first issue? What has just happened in their timeline when we meet them in this story? Parker: This falls right after the Shadow War miniseries of the '80s, when we find that the Hawks' homeworld of Thanagar has agents throughout the galaxy looking to undermine other civilizations. And they're working on Earth, following Katar and Shayera Hol around, so they get pulled into the Convergence with the heroes. I think this placement is a good move in that it lets Parker and company play with the Shadow War setting without having to worry about some of the developments from the ongoing series which followed it, such as the stuff with George Emmett or Gerald Trent. Also, I find the idea that these Thangarian agents getting drawn into the Convergence accidentally to be really funny. I can just see Fell Andar flipping out over his agents' incompetence. As an aside, I wonder how many DC readers who came to the line in the 90s and 00s have no idea what the Shadow War is? I know when I first became interested in Hawkman, I had no clue. Nrama: As you mentioned, you're using Shayera Hol. How would you describe her? Parker: She's more upbeat and assertive. It's no secret that versions of Hawkwoman later usurped Hawkman in cartoons and comics. I try to infer that by beefing up her role. First off, a beefy role for Hawkwoman sounds just fine to me. I've always espoused that one of the aspects which make the Hawks unique is that they truly are partners rather than hero and sidekick. I also like Parker's acknowledgement of her status as a solo character thanks to Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, as well as Kendra Saunders' flying solo in JSA, JLoA, and her own title. Secondly, and perhaps more important to me as a nitpicking fanboy, is that Parker specifically calls her Hawkwoman. It seems like the interviewer (uncredited in the piece) sets him up by the phrasing of the question -- using "Shayera Hol" instead of either codename -- and Parker responds with "Hawkwoman." Previously I had touched on the fact that the solicits for this series had referred to her as Hawkgirl, despite Shayera using the Hawkwoman moniker by the era this story is based around (Shadow War). This is a very encouraging sign -- if the writer of the series is calling her Hawkwoman, I have to believe that there is a good chance she willbe called Hawkwoman in the actual book. (Speculation: Maybe the solicit used Hawkgirl as that name is more well known?) Mr. Parker also touches on working with Tim Truman and Enrique Alcatena, his use of humor in comics, and his thoughts on Convergence in general. Definitely a bit of a puff piece, but still appreciated!
One last Hawkman-related Convergence solicitation: the second issue of Convergence: Justice Society of America! Take it away, Newsarama: CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #2 Written by DAN ABNETT Art by TOM DERENICK and TREVOR SCOTT Cover by DAN PANOSIAN Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD On sale MAY 27 • 40 pg, FC, 2 of 2, $3.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! The original Justice Society is powered up and ready to fight the Weaponers of Qward – but with youth and power comes the ultimate cost! This extra-sized issue includes a sneak peek at what's coming up in the DC Universe! I am very excited by this series, if only to read Dan Abnett's take on the old school Justice Society of America coupled with Derenick's line work. Dan Panosian's cover has a similar style to the cover to the first issue, but I like his pulpy take on Hawkman, Flash, GL, and Doctor Fate, so that's cool with me. I have to wonder -- will the other Society members show up in this, or are these four our stars? What about Wildcat, Dr. Mid-Nite, Hourman, and so forth? I guess we'll have to wait and see! I am definitely going to be buying this series. What about you folks -- are you planning on picking up Convergence: Justice Society of America? Image: Convergence: Justice Society of America #2, 2015, Dan Panosian.
I am putting my order together for the first month's worth of Convergence comics, so you know what that means: time for the second month to be solicited! Up first is the second issue of Convergence: Hawkman, dropping on "Week 3": CONVERGENCE: HAWKMAN #2 Written by JEFF PARKER / Art by TIM TRUMAN and ENRIQUE ALCATENA Cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE / Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD On sale MAY 20 • 40 pg, FC, 2 of 2, $3.99 US • RATED T STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Thanagarian Shadow Agents set out to destroy the deadly bat people and rat people from the land of Kamandi! This extra-sized issue includes a sneak peek at what's coming up in the DC Universe! Not really tipping much off, is it? Pretty much what I would suspect given the short length of the series and the seeming emphasis on mash-up smash-ups in the tie-in miniseries. The cover is pretty darn awesome though! And I do like the mention of Thanagarian Shadow Agents! The "sneak peek of what's coming up in the DC Universe" is, I suspect, going to be the same for each issue. Which kinda sucks, but oh well. Maybe some of those pages will also be allotted to the main story in addition to the preview? Yeah, I doubt that too, but a guy can dream. Also solicited is the second issue of Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle, which features the Bat-kids fighting the Hawkpeople from Flashpoint! CONVERGENCE: NIGHTWING/ORACLE #2 Written by GAIL SIMONE Art by JAN DUURSEMA and DAN PARSONS Cover by JILL THOMPSON Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD On sale MAY 6 • 40 pg, FC, 2 of 2, $3.99 US • RATED T The fairy tale starring Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon tries to survive one more night – and a brutal attack by Flashpoint Hawkman and Hawkwoman! As I said previously, I don't expect much from the Flashpoint Hawks here, as it's Gail Simone writing Nightwing and Oracle. Got a feeling that it will be pretty obvious what to expect in this title. Still, have to admit the concept is a bit intriguing, and Simone has surprised me in the past with some of her more offbeat use of characters. Hope springs eternal. So, what looks good to you folks about the second month of Convergence? Image: Convergence: Hawkman #2, 2015, Rafael Albuquerque.
