Rating the Hawkman/Hawkgirl Comics: Let the Debates Begin!

   Rating the Hawkman Comics! I approach this project with a bit of hesitation and preparation to accept some chastisement from some fellow Hawkfans, including myself. I say this because we all have differing opinions on the comics that have remained in our hearts over the years, so if someone sees how I have relegated their favorite series to Fair or below, they have every right to tell me to stick where the sun doesn't shine. I'll probably ask myself what the seven hells I was thinking when I look at the chart again tomorrow. There are some I will probably fold like a cheap napkin after a short debate. But then there are some series where I will stand steadfast in my belief as long as there are some comic critics who will continue to proclaim that Hawkman is confusing. I'll give just a short reason for each series to explain why I put it where it is. Let the debates begin!

SUPERIOR

Flash Comics (1940-1949): 104 stories of watching the legend of the Golden Age Hawkman develop. Pure fun. 

The Brave and the Bold (1961-1962): 6 issues that introduced Katar, Shayera, Thanagar, and so many other wonderful characters and places that continue to this day. 

Hawkman Vol. 1 (1964-1968): Hawkman finally got his first solo series after 24 years. And you can't go wrong with Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson doing most of the series.

The Shadow War of Hawkman (1985): Tony Isabella gave us a series that highlighted the love between Katar and Shayera like no other series had before. That's how you make Hawkman and Hawkwoman work. 

Hawkworld (1989): This is the true Absolute Hawkman. It blew everything up and made us forget to take a breath while we read it. And dayum, Shayera Thal was a hot, beautiful mess. 

Legend of the Hawkman (2000): It's a non-continuity story, but it's one of the most beautiful Hawkman-Hawkgirl stories ever written. Sometimes less is more, but man, did I want more. 

Hawkman Vol. V (2018-2021): In 29 issues, Robert Venditti showed us how to put Hawkman's continuity together, reminded us how special the love of Hawkman and Hawkwoman is, introduced a whole bunch of fun ships, weapons, and powers, and even gave Hawkman and Hawkwoman a happy ending. That's worth at least a few Eisner Awards right there. 

GOOD

Action Comics (1940-1947): The first 36 issues featured solo adventures, but of the few issues I have been able to read, they just didn't add to the legend of Hawkman in the way the Flash Comics series did. Although it did give us the debut of Shiera as Hawkgirl. 

The Atom and Hawkman (1968-1969): The Atom and Hawkman series were combined for seven issues at the end of the Silver Age. I just wish it could have gone on a couple more years. 

Showcase presents Hawkman (1978): We get one of the first Rann-Thanagar battles and the rise of Hyanthis as Thanagar's ruler. A wild and crazy wild through three issues, including the iconic Joe Hubert covers. 

Hawkman Vol. 2 (1986-1987): Tony Isabella had a great five-year plan for the series, but DC had other plans, and sadly, Isabella left after just nine issues. The series lasted only 8 more issues, but it was fun while it lasted. 

Hawkworld Vol. 2 (1990-1993): John Ostrander took over from Tim Truman and did his best to iron out the wrinkles in Hawkman's story caused by the DC events of the mid to late 80s. Katar and Shayera's rebellion against Thanagar was gripping, but I wish they had just left Thanagar and Earth behind and joined the Man-hawks in their search for a new home. 

Hawkman Vol. 4 (2002-2006): An absolutely outstanding series by Geoff Johns that really brought reincarnation into Hawkman's story. Rags Morales was born to draw Hawkman and Hawkgirl. He is one of the best ever. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray continued the high level of writing even after Johns left, giving Hawkman his longest-running series to date. The weird relationship between Carter and Kendra that kept dragging on endlessly, and Carter's slow descent into a rage-monster keeps it from the top level. 

Hawkman Secret Files and Origins (2002): A one-shot that reintroduced Prince Khufu and Chay-ara and the story of their reincarnation. Rag Morlaes' art pulls it up from fair to good. 

FAIR

Hawkman Special 1986: A one-shot connecting the Shadow War series and Vol. 2. Lots of Gentleman Ghost in here, but the story isn't as memorable as the other series, and I have to go back to it from time to time to remember what the story was about. Can't go wrong with a Tony Isabella-Richard Howell story, though. 

The Savage Hawkman (2011-2013): The art in this series was absolutely amazing. Philip Tan and John Bennett did most of the art and it was stunning. Story-wise, none of it made much sense, and it never really clearly explained who this Hawkman was. There was a ton of potential and it gave us a whole new cast of interesting villains, and those scenes of Thanagar were beautiful. But it just didn't click. 

Convergence Hawkman (2015): Unless you were following the whole Convergence story, it was extremely difficult to figure out what the heck was happening. But it didn't really matter because we saw Katar and Shayera back together, and Tim Truman was doing the art. That's all I needed at the time. 

Hawkman Found (2018): The cover by Liam Sharp was worth the price. A Hawk Kaiju?! Something big was getting ready to happen, and we just didn't know it yet. Hawkman wasn't fully back in this issue, though, and I remember feeling a bit frustrated by the mystery of it all.  The variant cover of Hawkman doing a chokehold on Batman was strangely satisfying. 

Death of Hawkman (2016-2017): When this series came out, Hawkman had been killed off numerous times in different times and it was getting old. So they are going to kill him off again. Shocker. The whole series had an ominous buildup to the end, and it felt like a goodbye to the Savage Hawkman, whom we never really got to know. The lamification of Adam Strange was also a bit off-putting. 

BELOW AVERAGE

Hawkman Vol. 3 (1993-1996): It started off well with Katar and Shayera's battle against the Count Viper, but the attempt to make one Hawkman in Zero Hour went nowhere. The greatest mistake of this series was writing Shayera out of the story and sending her off to Detroit. What a waste of one of the most awesome characters in Hawkworld history. This is the series that made Hawkman so toxic that DC refused to bring him back until 2001. 

Hawkgirl Vol. 1 (2006-2007): Hawkgirl finally got her own series but it was a huge disappointment. The art was awful. Maybe it was just me, but she looked pregnant for a lot of the series. And issue No. 56 gave us maybe one of the worst covers in Hawkworld history. Oh, and the melodrama of Carter and Kendra kept going and going and...

Hawkman Special 2008: DC editing office must have thought that comics readers were not confused enough about Hawkman, so they threw this little wrench in the works. I still have no idea to this day why this one shot was necessary or what they were trying to accomplish. Art was fantastic, though. 

POOR

Hawkgirl Vol. 2 (2023-2024): The writer's attempt to shoehorn her own character into a story that featured lesbians lusting after each other while they fight dragons from another dimension. I have nothing against lesbians lusting after each other, but not in a Hawkgirl comic. The whole comic felt out of place. The writer completely missed the dynamic between Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Hawkgirl. You forget what the story was about the minute you close the book. Easily the worst series ever featuring Hawkman or Hawkgirl. 

So that was just a quick rundown of my ratings. Feel free to give me your opinions on the issues and let me know where you think I'm wrong.