A Guide Through the History of Hawkman and Hawkwoman/Hawkgirl (Part 3 is up!)

Cliff Chiang

Hawkman and Hawkgirl are two of the most iconic characters in American comics history. In the 80+ years since their first appearances, there have been almost 600 comics that featured one or both heroes. They have also been a part of many superhero teams and numerous crisis/crossover events that DC Comics has specialized in over the last few decades. They have been through many reboots, rewrites, and restarts. For a new comic book reader, it's natural not to know where to start with a character that has been around for 80+ years. That's where I come in. I have been a Hawk fan since 1977 when I discovered Hawkman on the back of an out-of-date 1976 DC Calendar. I have followed the twists, turns, flips, and flops over the years to keep it in order. This article is to help you see the amazing journey that these two characters have been on. I'll post a link to the list of comic books that they have a prominent role in, so if you want to look for something and the dates, you'll probably find it there. Enjoy the journey! 

Link: Hawkman and Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman Comics Lists 

Collection of Hawkworld Figures!

Discovering Nth Metal by Tim Board

Art by Adam Kubert

Thoughts on the Nth Metal!

We've always heard about the Nth Metal and how it gives Hawkman the power to fly. But how fast? How does he control it? What other abilities does it give him? These sorts of questions are always bugging me so I've been digging around. Here is a list of all the abilities that Nth metal has shown over the years. I will continue to add to the list as other abilities show. When I add some new information and repost the article to the top of the blog.

Podcast: The Hawkworld Report Episode #5

 The fifth episode of The Hawkworld Report podcast! Always covering everything Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Hawkgirl, or anything Hawk! Send me your questions and I'll answer them in future episodes!

Episode #005: Just Another Tease
Contents:
1. Comics News
2. Movie News
3. Best Series for New Hawkman Readers

LINK

"Leaving the Hawkman Toy Box Full"

Hawkman doesn't sell as well as some other comics. There's no denying that fact. There are several reasons for that of course. DC Comics barely promoted the recent Hawkman series after the first couple of issues. After starting with over 40k in sales, the lack of promotion, the uninspired Year-of-the-Villain event, the pandemic, and other things gradually pulled the series down to around 12k in sales and it was finally canceled after 29 issues. One of the reasons could be that many don't like the looks, background, or overall setup of Hawkman. There can be many reasons.
When a writer takes on Hawkman his job is to make Hawkman a relatable, exciting, attractive character. He can maybe give the character a new look, new powers, a new origin, a new base of operations, a new lover, new villains, etc. He can reach into that hero's past and change and "improve" him in a way that he thinks will make the character better than before. That's just common sense. That's what every writer wants to do. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. 

The Ultimate List of Hawkman Comics!

List compiled by Tim Board
You can find details for the issues on Grand Comics Database.
I've added notes to the important issues on an expanded list here.

A Guide through the History of Hawkman

DC Comics’ Hawkman is a character who has been around for over 80 years. During those 80 years, he has been rewritten, rebooted, and rebirthed. He has been given several different origins and names. He has been the victim of Crisis events, crossovers and tie-in stories. For the casual reader, it’s understandable that his continuity seems confusing, crazy and convoluted. After the Metal series in 2018, Robert Venditti was given the task of writing a new version of Hawkman. Venditti set out to give us a version with a new origin, but he figured out a way to include all the other past versions as well. Every Hawkman you have ever read can be included in his new origin. As a Hawkman fan and self-appointed guide, it’s my hope that comic book fans will pick up Venditti's series and discover what a fascinating hero Hawkman is. To help other fans understand the character as easily and as quickly as possible. I have made a chart to show where all of his past stories interact. To make it as simple as possible, I have divided all of the Hawkman versions into five categories:

The Story of Shayera Hol/Hawkwoman and Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl

By Tim Board

Since the release of the Dark Nights Metal series in 2017-18, Hawkfans have been wondering when Hawkman and Hawkgirl were going to get back together. The current Hawkman series kicked off in June 2018, but Hawkgirl was not a part of the series. We saw her in some of her past lives; Chay-ara, Shayera Thal, and Sherra, but we never saw her as Hawkgirl in the first 18 issues. That all changed in issues #19-26. This article is to explain who Hawkgirl and Hawkwoman are and their connection to Hawkman. Warning: This article contains spoilers, so if you have not read Hawkman No. 19-26, check those issues out first!

The Ultimate List of All Hawkman Comics!

Looking for Hawkman Comics?
Here are the three lists: Updated (March 12, 2021)
1. List of all comics important to Hawkman and Hawkwoman/Hawkgirl's history (includes other series)
2. List of only Hawkman series (Legacy Numbering)
3. List of all Hawkman trades, collections, and omnibuses (Includes content and in order of release dates)

A Flashcard Walkthrough of Hawkman's History!

 

Reviews of Hawkman No. 27 at Comic Book Round Up!

 

Check out the many reviews of Hawkman No. 27 (released September 8). The issue features the Justice Society and it is pure joy to read the book! Check out the reviews at CBRU and make sure you get your own copy! LINK

Don't forget to come over and sign the petition to keep Hawkman soaring! PETITION

Board Review of Hawkman No. 27: Final Justice Part One: Seems Like Old Times

The long-awaited issue of Hawkman No. 27 has finally been released. Ever since the jaw-dropping cover by Mikel Janin was released back in June, Justice Society fans have been waiting for this one. With the announcement of the ending of the series coming in November, this issue took on a whole different look and meaning. 

On the one hand, we had Hawkman and Hawkwoman joining up with the Justice Society in the 1940s. Flash (Jay Garrick), Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Sandman (Wesley Dodds), and Wildcat (Ted Grant) appeared as they battled the Injustice Society. It was pure comic book fun that many of us grew up on. This issue is a perfect example of why so many fans are hoping for Robert Venditti to take on a JSA book someday. 

New Animated Movie Starring the Justice Society Coming Next Year!

Art by Alex Ross

A new animated Justice Society of America movie has been announced. Reports are saying that the movie will be coming next spring. It will feature the Justice Society during World War II. With this movie and the Justice Society getting some attention from the Black Adam movie, all we need is an announcement of a new JSA comic with Robert Venditti! Article link

Hawkman Vol. 3 Darkness Within Released in September 15!

The next volume of Robert Venditti's Hawkman series is out on September 15th! Hawkman Vol. 3 Darkness Within will include issues No. 13-19. Issue No. 19 has Hawkwoman's long-awaited return so don't miss this one!

Petition to Keep Hawkman Soaring!

SIGN THE PETITION 

Hawkman Vol. V was started in June 2018. Since then, the series has received outstanding reviews and has been steadily building a devout fan base. Through the Hawkworld fan group on Twitter and Facebook, many fans have expressed their love for the soaring odyssey that writer Robert Venditti has created. It has recently been reported that DC Comics is canceling the series with issue No. 29, which comes out in November, with no announcement of a replacement. This series cannot end now. Over the last two years, Venditti has revitalized one of the most iconic characters in comic book history and fans are hoping to see the story continue. This petition is for fans of the comic to express their support for the comic to continue, whether it be in paper or digital form. With this petition, we can show DC Comics how much the series is loved and enjoyed by fans who have followed Hawkman and DC Comics for many years. Let's keep Hawkman soaring!

SIGN THE PETITION

Hawkman Canceled With No. 29 in November

Hawkman Vol. V by Robert Venditti has been canceled. The series ends at No. 29 which comes on November 10, which just happens to be Hawkman Day.
DC November Solicitations 

Board Review of Hawkman No. 26: Hawks Eternal Conclusion: Death of a Thousand Hawks

The soaring journey of exploration and discovery across time and space with Hawkman and Hawkwoman has come to an end, and another has begun. What an amazing journey it has been so far. Starting from the islands of Greece, we saw ancient Egypt, the Feitheran's Dinosaur Island, the floating cities of Thanagar, Atom's Microverse, the Hawktastic Soarship, the destruction of Krypton, a battle for Earth over London, an endless war on Nebulen, the dark Shadowlands, the familiar Midway City, the gargantuan tomb of Titan Hawk, and finally the temple of the Lord of the Void on Qgga.

Preview of Hawkman No. 26!

DC Comics has released the first four pages of Hawkman No. 26. The issue is out on August 11th. You don't want to miss this one!
Click the picture to enlarge!

Hawkman Unleased Part Three: Soaring to New Heights

By Tim Board

Hawkman Unleashed Part One: The Reason and The Components of a Hero 

Hawkman Unleashed Part Two: Breaking Down Hawkman's History 

On March 14, 2018, the new Hawkman series by Robert Venditti was announced. About a month after the announcement, I had the huge privilege of joining Rob and Jace Milam on The Comic Source podcast to talk about the upcoming series.
During the podcast, Jace said, "...ten, fifteen years from now when someone asks Tim which Hawkman run he should read and Tim says, "Read Venditti's run. That's where it's at."
We're two years into the run and I'm there. Rob's run on Hawkman has become the definitive run for comic book fans to find out about Hawkman. There have been many great series in the history of Hawkman and this does not take anything away from those fantastic stories. But Venditti's run has brought it all together, connected everything, and explained the great characters of Hawkman and Hawkwoman. This is the fifth series titled Hawkman and usually, it would be Vol. 5, but since the very beginning, I've been calling it Vol. V in honor of Venditti. For the third and final article, let's take a look at what Venditti has brought to the origin/purpose, secret identity, love, powers, weapons, locations, villains, supporting cast, and death/reincarnation of Hawkman.

Hawkman Unleashed Part Two: Breaking Down Hawkman's History

By Tim Board

Hawkman Unleashed Part One: The Reason and The Components of a Hero
Hawkman Unleased Part Three: Soaring to New Heights 

   During Hawkman's 80-year history, he has had seven series, four mini-series, many special one-shot editions, and several runs in other comics. If we gave Hawkman comics a legacy count, we'll reach No. 250 in September 2020. (Check out the list here.) That's pretty low for a character that has been around that long. Hawkman seems to be a character that is impossible to ignore as a concept, but the concept has proved to be difficult to put onto the comic book pages for whatever reason. In Hawkman Unleashed Part One, I listed nine things that should be included in a Hawkman comic: origin/purpose, secret identity, love, powers, weapons, locations, villains, supporting cast, and death/reincarnation. In Hawkman Unleashed Part Two, let's take a look through the history of Hawkman comics and see how each series included the nine components.