Why HAWKMAN Matters

Almost ten years ago, I wrote this piece about why Hawkman matters to me, and I used to post it on social media on the 1st day of the month for a while. It's been a few years, so I thought I'd share it again. Dan Greenfield of 13th Dimension graciously shared it on his comics site and added a few comments. Check it out if you like.

"Tim wrote a piece recently that laid out exactly why Hawkman matters so much to him. I found it genuinely moving because his points are universal. When he says Hawkman, you’ll think of your favorite character. Thing is, though, you’ll be struck by how much he loves this second-tier superhero in particular.
Tim readily agreed to allow me to publish his piece here. He even selected the 13 superb covers you see spread out across this post. With Metal hitting this week, the timing is perfect. And hopefully all this augurs, dare I say it, a new life for Hawkman:"

 Article Link

Dearest DC Comics, 

Please watch this video. Kudos to NatrixNate for putting it together. 

Reviews Across Time and Space: Convergence Hawkman No. 1

 

Comics

Convergence Hawkman No. 1 
Cover Date: June 2015 
Release Date: 22 April 2015
Script: Jeff Parker 
Pencils: Timothy Truman
Inks: Enrique Alcatena
Colors: John Kalisz
Editing: Marie Javins, Brittany Holzherr, Michael Kraiger
Cover: Rafael Albuquerque 

Bird’s Eye View

   When Hawkman (Katar Hol) and Hawkwoman (Shayera Hol) were visiting Gotham City, Brainiac plucked the city out of the timeline and placed it under a dome on the sentient planet Telos. Brainiac is collecting cities from dead timelines (in this case, the Silver/Bronze Age before the Crisis on Infinite Earths). There were many domes of other cities from erased timelines, placed all over the planet. The domes took away the powers of the heroes trapped in the domes.
   The dome did not have an effect on Hawkman and Hawkwoman, since their powers mostly came from their Nth metal, but they were trapped inside.
   A group of rioters attacked the city, and Hawkman and Hawkwoman discovered that they were using Thanagarian weapons. Katar and Shayera suspected that the dome was created by Thanagar, but as they tried to investigate, the group of Thanagarians hiding in the mountains sent the Manhawks to attack them. The Hawks easily defeated them and sent one of the Manhawks crashing into the Thanagarians' hideout. The Thanagarians tell the Hawks that they are not the cause of the dome, and they created a massive Absorbascon with the minds of several Thanagarians to find a way out of the dome. 
   Lyros, one of the Thanagarians connected to the Absorbascon, suddenly predicted the future. He said that all realities would be gathered into one, and that the current universes would cease to exist. Just at that time, the sentient planet Telos gained control over the domes and said that "The captivity would now become a competition." All of the cities would be forced to fight one another, and only the victorious city would survive. All of the losers' timelines would be erased from existence. Hawkman and Hawkwoman then realize that whatever they do, their reality would soon come to an end. 

DC Comics Solicitations January 2027 for Hawkman and Hawkgirl

 

DC Comics solicitations for January 2027 have been released. Not much to report. There were zero mentions of anything Hawkworld-related. Just one compact collection with Hawkgirl in the background. But it doesn't come out until June. So nothing for January.
I heard there was something about Thanagar in a Green Lantern series, but the solicitations had no art or mentions. 
If you're looking for Hawkman and Hawkgirl stories, check out the complete list of Hawkan and Hawkgirl trades and collections.
Here are the details for the compact collection.

Justice League: Heroes United: DC Compact Comics Adventures 
Release date: June 27, 2027. 

That's it for January! 

Rags Morales Gallery!

Hawkman by Rags Morales (Inks by Michael Bair)

When you list the greatest Hawkman and Hawkgirl artists of all time, there is one name that no one can leave off the list: Rags Morales. For over 25 years, Morales has created many pieces of amazing art, and his Hawkman and Hawkgirl are instantly recognizable. One of my goals as a Hawkman fan was to own a Hawkman piece by Rags Morales, and I was able to acquire the piece posted above a few years ago. I've collected Morales' Hawk art posted on the Internet over the years, and I tried to gather it all together and list it here. Enjoy the amazing art and check out Morales' media sites as well! 

Click the banner to go to his art page! 

Reviews Across Time and Space: Hawkgirl Vol. 2 No. 1

Comic

Hawkgirl Vol. 2 No.1 
Cover date: September 2023

Release Date: July 18, 2023
Script: Jadzia Axelrod

Art: Amancay Nahuelpan 

Colors: Adriano Lucas

Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Cover: Amancay Nahuelpan (art), Adriano Lucas (colors)

Editing: Dave Wielgosz

Bird's Eye View

   Kendra Saunders (Hawkgirl) has resettled in Metropolis and is fighting alongside the Justice League. During a battle against some cute gas-fireball villains, she meets Galaxy, an "alien princess" who is "kind of a hero." Galaxy is able to sense energy and sees that the Nth metal is "energy that decided to be metal, like a cold sun," and it is infused into Kendra's body.
   After defeating the villains, Kendra meets up with an old college friend. Through this meeting, it is revealed that Kendra was quite the activist during her college days. Her college friend, who is gay, apparently has a crush on Kendra, but Kendra turns her down.
   Later on, Kendra contacts Batman to get some information about Galaxy. She finds out that Galaxy calls herself Taylor Barselay and is from the planet Cyandii. She has the power to manipulate energies like heat, light, and gravity. This also seems to give her the power to sense Kendra's Nth metal.  

   Meanwhile, a mysterious woman named Vulpecula is trying to return to a place called the Nth World. In order to do so, she needs the energy of the Nth metal, and she tries an experiment with a girl she has captured. It is enough to open up a tiny portal but not big enough for her to get through and return home. When she triggers her device, the connection to the Nth metal sends a shockwave through Kendra's body. Kendra falls unconscious and somehow crashes through the window of Galaxy's apartment. 

Hawk Alert! Joe Kubert: 100 Years - A Life in Covers

 The 100th Birthday of Joe Kubert was last month, and DC Comics has been releasing several special issues to commemorate one of the greatest artists in comics history. This week, a collection of covers was released, including several Hawkman and Hawkgirl covers. You can read all about the special issues in the DC Comics article, so check it out! 

I put together a gallery of Joe Kubert's work that I've come across over the years. LOTS of great Hawkman and Hawkgirl art! Gallery

Absolute Hawkman Figure by Mattel

Mattel announced a new line of DC figures at New York Comic Con, and Absolute Hawkman is apparently in the first wave. There isn't a clear picture of the figure yet, but you can get a pretty good idea of what it will look like from the display at Comic-Con. 

From '26 New York Comic-Con *

Absolute Superman No. 16 *

My first impression is that they totally missed the coloring of the figure, especially the wings and the legs. I hope this is a work in progress, but probably not. From what I could gather, they are going to start releasing their new figures on January 1, 2027 but there is no clear date for Absolute Hawkman. 
This comes when we are still waiting for a figure of the current mainstream Hawkman, which has been around since 2018. There have been a two or three Hawkman figures released during that time, but for whatever reason, it was a Hawkman Vol. 3 version from the 90s and another version of it in Silver Age colors. We also got a Batman Who Laughs with Hawkman's wings because he showed up just once on a variant cover of the last Hawkman series. I've seen some amazing custom figures around on the Hawkworld/Hawkman groups. I guess we'll just have to take what we can get and make it better. 

So what do you guys think? An "Absolute" yes or a definite pass? 

Here's an article by Dread Central with some details. 

Reviews Across Time and Space: Justice No. 1-6

Comic

Justice No. 1-6 
Cover Date: October 2005-August 2006
Script: Alex Ross, Jim Krueger
Pencils: Doug Braithwaite
Colors: Alex Ross (painting) 
Letters: Todd Klein 

Bird's Eye View

    The villains of Earth start seeing the same nightmare: the world being destroyed in a nuclear holocaust despite the Justice League's efforts to save it. They band together and begin their plans to save the Earth in their own way. They begin by attacking each of the members and discrediting them in the eyes of the public. The Justice League is caught off guard and completely knocked back on their heels. Many of them are captured, shot, attacked, and injured. By helping each other, they begin to figure out what is going on and slowly start to regroup. 

Art by Alex Ross

New Hawkworld.org Feature: On This Day in Hawkworld History!

New feature on Hawkworld! I've been sharing important moments in Hawkman and Hawkgirl's history, but I finally finished (for now) the full list of important dates, comics, events, and birthdays in Hawkman and Hawkgirl's history. It's always a work in progress, and I'll continue to add to it when I come across or remember important dates. If there are any dates you think I should include, let me know in the comments below! Just click the montage above or in the right column, and it will take you straight to the list!  
 Link: On This Day in Hawkworld History!