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Pencils: Al Milgrom
Inks: Murphy Anderson
Colors: Adrienne Roy
Editing: Larry Hama
Cover: Joe Kubert
Note: The first Hawkman book I ever bought off the spin rack!
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When Rann is attacked by an unknown enemy, Adam Strange escapes to ask his friends Hawkman and Hawkgirl for assistance. After Hawkman's ship is sabotaged, Katar suspects Adam Strange until they discover the Shadow Thief aboard their ship. When they finally arrive at Rann, they are shocked to find Rann under attack by Thanagar, Katar and Shayera's home planet.
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Pinions |
Writer Jack C. Harris gives us a fun Hawkman space adventure with lots of Hawkcruiser action, which, in my opinion, we could never get enough of during the Silver-Bronze Age. Katar and Shayera have been forced to stay away from Thanagar because of the Equalizer disease that made every Thanagarian equal in physique and intellect. This is the first part of the story where they finally find a cure for the disease, but at a cost.
Hawkman and Atom's friendship is well known, but Katar's friendship with Adam Strange is just as long, coming only five months after the Hawkman-Atom meeting in 1963. Katar and Adam are both archaeologists and have an equal partnership with their wives. Their positions are reversed, with Katar staying on Earth, while Adam lives on Rann with his wife and father-in-law. Their similarities and differences were always fun to see. DC Comics has put them together from time to time with the Showcase series, the Rann-Thanagar War series, and the more recent Death of Hawkman 6-issue run. It’s been ten years since the last one, so it would be great to see Katar and Shayera fighting alongside Adam and Alanna again.
Hawkman comes across as more gruff than he usually does, at least in this era, but I guess I would be pretty pissed off too if a friend blew a hole in my spaceship. We get to see the "5 minutes of protection in outer space" scene, with the clock ticking and Hawkman making it back just in time. What happens when he goes over the 5-minutes? Lose consciousness like Hawkgirl did? Freeze solid like Tim Robbins in Mission to Mars?
Good 'ol Shadow Thief also makes an appearance, and pretty early if you were paying attention. The poor guy can never defeat the Hawks, but he could be a pretty terrifying adversary if written with that goal in mind.
A fun story that showcased the Silver-Bronze Age Hawks very well, with plenty of tense moments that leave you looking forward to the next issue. I remember counting the days to get the next one.
On a personal note, this was the first Hawkman title I bought off the spin rack after Hawkman became my favorite superhero. When I was 13, I used to go up and down the road collecting bottles before heading to the convenience store at the corner of Bowden Rd. and Spring Park Rd. in Jacksonville, Florida to pick up my favorite titles. I was pretty excited when I came across this one. Those were the days. Still have it!
Hawkman and Atom's friendship is well known, but Katar's friendship with Adam Strange is just as long, coming only five months after the Hawkman-Atom meeting in 1963. Katar and Adam are both archaeologists and have an equal partnership with their wives. Their positions are reversed, with Katar staying on Earth, while Adam lives on Rann with his wife and father-in-law. Their similarities and differences were always fun to see. DC Comics has put them together from time to time with the Showcase series, the Rann-Thanagar War series, and the more recent Death of Hawkman 6-issue run. It’s been ten years since the last one, so it would be great to see Katar and Shayera fighting alongside Adam and Alanna again.
Hawkman comes across as more gruff than he usually does, at least in this era, but I guess I would be pretty pissed off too if a friend blew a hole in my spaceship. We get to see the "5 minutes of protection in outer space" scene, with the clock ticking and Hawkman making it back just in time. What happens when he goes over the 5-minutes? Lose consciousness like Hawkgirl did? Freeze solid like Tim Robbins in Mission to Mars?
Good 'ol Shadow Thief also makes an appearance, and pretty early if you were paying attention. The poor guy can never defeat the Hawks, but he could be a pretty terrifying adversary if written with that goal in mind.
A fun story that showcased the Silver-Bronze Age Hawks very well, with plenty of tense moments that leave you looking forward to the next issue. I remember counting the days to get the next one.
On a personal note, this was the first Hawkman title I bought off the spin rack after Hawkman became my favorite superhero. When I was 13, I used to go up and down the road collecting bottles before heading to the convenience store at the corner of Bowden Rd. and Spring Park Rd. in Jacksonville, Florida to pick up my favorite titles. I was pretty excited when I came across this one. Those were the days. Still have it!
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| The first Hawkman-titled comic I ever bought. It was back in 1978 when I was 13! |
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Avian Artistry |
Artist Al Milgrom was mostly known for his work in Marvel Comics, but he was an assistant for Murphy Anderson at the beginning of his career, and I think it shows in his work here. Of course, it helps that the legendary Murphy Anderson himself did the inks here. We don't get one in this issue, but the double-spreads in the following issues are amazing. Milgrom had a great feel for getting the chaotic action of a battle scene on the page, and that last page where he drew over three dozen Hawkcruisers was fantastic. This is one of my all-time favorite Hawkman stories, and I sometimes like to just open it up and look at the artwork again.
What can I say about the cover by Joe Kubert? It is one of the greatest and most iconic Hawkman/Hawkgirl covers of all time. Shayera is simply gorgeous here. I'm not an art expert, so my description of the art is sorely lacking, but Kubert had a way of drawing Katar that is very difficult to emulate. He is leading the attack against the aliens, but he is not in an all-out rage. He appears to be thinking and calculating his next move instead of just swinging the mace and smashing whatever gets in his way. This is an intelligent, strategic, and powerful Hawkman. What a concept. Kubert was truly the master.
What can I say about the cover by Joe Kubert? It is one of the greatest and most iconic Hawkman/Hawkgirl covers of all time. Shayera is simply gorgeous here. I'm not an art expert, so my description of the art is sorely lacking, but Kubert had a way of drawing Katar that is very difficult to emulate. He is leading the attack against the aliens, but he is not in an all-out rage. He appears to be thinking and calculating his next move instead of just swinging the mace and smashing whatever gets in his way. This is an intelligent, strategic, and powerful Hawkman. What a concept. Kubert was truly the master.
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Memorable Wheet |
"When the Hawkman wants something, he gets it!"
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Aviary |
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Pecking Order |
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