Review Across Time And Space: Detective Comics No. 428 (Hawkman Feature!)

Comics

Detective Comics No. 428
Cover Date: October 1972
Release Date: August 31, 1972
Script: E. Nelson Bridwell
Pencils: Dick Dillin
Inks: Joe Giella 
Colors: ?
Letters: Ben Oda 

Bird’s Eye View

    Note: This is a Hawkman review, so the main Batman story is not covered here. I'm sure you can easily find three dozen sites that review his story.
Hawkman is asked by Midway Police Commissioner George Emmett to find out who is stealing artifacts from the Bleakhill Manor museum. Only the fake duplicates of weapons displayed have been taken, leaving the valuable art behind. Katar quickly discovers that the rare pieces of art have been replaced with forgeries as well. Katar uses his knowledge of history and weapons to figure out the thief's next move and waits for him when the thief uses a secret passage in the manor to sneak in. In a quick fight, the thief uses an Egyptian boomerang to knock Hawkman out and escapes. After coming to, and with the help of Socrates the owl, Hawkman tracks the thief down again. Hawkman is ready this time and quickly captures the thief. 

Pinions

    Hawkman's first series ended in 1968, and after teaming up with the Atom for seven issues in The Atom and Hawkman, Hawkman was left without a place to call his own. At the beginning of the 70s, the only place to find Hawkman was in the Justice League of America series, and Hawkgirl was rarely used. Things started to change a bit when Hawkman finally got a back feature in Detective Comics, starting with issue No. 428. It wasn't every issue, and there were a few reprints from Vol. 1. Hawkman's back feature eventually moved over to World's Finest Comics and continued into the 80s. 
    The sporadic and rather short stories may have been hard to find, but for a young teenager who scoured the convenience stores' spin racks and used comics shops for anything with Hawkman, these issues were pure joy. 
    This particular story was nothing new, honestly. Hawkman, a police officer from Thanagar, uses his disguise as Carter Hall curator of the Midway City Museum, to study Earth's police methods. Hawkman uses his knowledge of history and his specific choice of weapons to defeat the bad guy. But it had it all: the Midway City Museum, Commissioner George Emmett, talking to birds, and Hawkman's fascination with ancient weapons. For a story that's only 8 and a half pages long, Bridwell did a great job of "reintroducing Hawkman" to the DC Comics readers. This being a feature in Detective Comics, it is also nice to see Hawkman's detective skills at work. I think many readers and even writers forget that Hawkman is one of the best detectives in the DC Universe. A simple and fun issue that takes you right back to the Bronze Age. 

Avian Artistry

    Dick Dillin! What else can you say? He was THE artist of the Justice League of America from 1968 to 1980. This was the Hawkman we saw for most of the 70s, so you feel right at home from the very first page. I love Dillin's work, so don't take this the wrong way, but it often seemed like he would forget to draw knees or allow the characters to bend their legs. I can't count how many times we saw the heroes blasted unconscious, but their legs would be splayed straight out. It was just his style, and it was one way I grew familiar with his work when I was a kid. Things like that stick with you for some reason. 
    Dillin always drew a great mask for Hawkman, and he was one of the best to do it. Some artists either drew the helmet wings too big or maybe too small, but Dillin always nailed it. He did the art for the last six issues of Hawkman Vol. 1 as well as four issues of The Atom and Hawkman, so  he was definitely the guy for the job, but strangely enough, this was the only backup feature and also the final solo issue of Hawkman he would ever do. We still got plenty of his Hawkman in the Justice League of America series, though. 

    One weird observation: Hawkman in his bare-chested harness outfit, standing among other people who wore regular clothes. Standing among the other heroes in tights never made him seem out of place, but seeing him among "regular people" always reminded me of the Tarzan series from the 70s. Ron Ely played Tarzan on the TV show, and he was often standing there in his tiny loincloth among "normally dressed" people. Yes, this is perfectly normal. Always made me laugh a bit. 

Ron Ely in the Tarzan series (1966-1968)

Memorable Wheet

Always love some good Hawkman one-liners! 

"Something could get broken...like your jaw!"
"You twang a mean bow....but another Green Arrow you're not!"
"No chopping spree for you!"
"When you fly, watch out for low ceilings!" (As he slams the thief against the ceiling.)

Aviary

    

Pecking Order

Verdict: A solid, average baseline issue to kick off the backup feature!