Reviews Across Time and Space: Hawkworld Vol. 1 No. 1

COMIC

Hawkworld Vol. 1 No. 1
Cover Date: August 1989
Release Date: June 15, 1989
Script: Timothy Truman
Pencils: Timothy Truman
Inks: Enrique Alcatena
Colors: Sam Parsons
Letters: Tim Harkins
Editing: Mike Gold, Brian Augustyn, Katie Main
Cover: Timothy Truman

BIRD'S-EYE VIEW

   Katar Hol is an ensign for the Thanagarian wingman and the son of Paran Katar, the famous scientist who created the Nth metal wings and floating cities of Thanagar. He idolizes the great Thanagarian hero Kalmoran and hopes to bring back Thanagar's original glory and culture. His commanding officer is Byth, a cruel man whom Katar despises. The Thanagarian society has descended into dystopian chaos; the Thanagarians live a life of luxury and decadence in the floating cities above the planet's surface, while the outcasts of Thanagarian society live in the slums called the Downside with the aliens who have been brought to Thanagar as slaves and laborers. Katar slowly begins to lose his love and hope for Thanagar. 
   As Katar struggles with the cruelty and imbalance of the dystopian culture, he also fails to control his addiction to the drugs that are available to the members of high society. His father has high hopes for him and wants him to be more ambitious, but Katar weakly resists his father's desire for him to take advantage of his high standing. One night, Katar is introduced to Shayera Thal, the beautiful daughter of Administrator Thal Porvis. 

Reviews Across Time and Space: JSA No. 23 (The Return of Hawkman Part 1)

COMIC

JSA No. 23: The Return of Hawkman Part 1
Cover Date: June 2001 
Release Date: April 18, 2001 
Script: David S. Goyer, Geoff Johns 
Pencils: Stephen Sadowski 
Inks: Michael Bair: 
Colors: John Kalisz, Heroic Age 

Letters: John Lopez
Editing: Peter J. Tomasi, Mike Carlin
Cover: Andrew C. Robinson (art), Todd Klein (letters)

BIRD'S EYE VIEW

   Flash (Jay Garrick) traveled back to ancient Egypt and was told that Hawkman is returning. Meanwhile, JSA member Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) had been remembering things from a past that wasn't hers. The angel Zauriel shocked her by revealing to her that the spirit of Shiera Saunders now dwelled within her. Shortly after, she was transported to Thanagar. The priests of Thanagar brought her there to help them bring Hawkman back from the realm he was banished to so many years ago (Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 32). When she reached into the Well of Spirits, Hawkman (Carter Hall) was able to find his way back home.

Superhero Silhouettes By Steve Garcia

   Over the years, I've come across Steve Garcia's silhouette art of the superheroes many times. Each hero's silhouette is in a certain color, and another smaller image is in white. These were all fun to look at, but what caught my attention was the theme that the artist gave each character. 

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

Reviews Across Time and Space: The Savage Hawkman No. 1

COMIC

The Savage Hawkman No. 1 
Cover Date: November 2011
Release Date: September 28, 2011
Title: Hawkman Rising
Script: Tony S. Daniel 
Artist: Philip Tan
Colors: Sunny Gho 
Letters: Travis Lanham
Editing: Janelle Asselin, Eddie Berganza, Bob Harras

Cover: Philip Tan (Art), Colors: Sunny Gho

Hawkworld's DC Finest Update!

    It's time for another update on the DC Finest books that include stories with Hawkman and Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman! If you haven't been collecting these books, you are really missing out! They are beautifully put together, easy to read, and fun to collect. Since my last update almost a year ago, DC has announced the next releases. Sadly, there isn't a second Hawkman book yet. I was really hoping that they would put together The Shadow War of Hawkman/Hawkman Vol. 2, because that run has never been in any collection in any form. It's a shame because it is one of the greatest runs in Hawk history. But I guess we'll have to continue our wait on that one. 

In the meantime, DC has announced books to be released up through June 2027. A few books have issues with Hawkman or Hawkgirl, so if you're a completist like me, you'll want to get these! Also, you can catch up on the other books already listed HERE. Happy Hawk-hunting!

Reviews Across Time and Space: Showcase Presents Hawkman No. 101

 

COMIC

Showcase Presents Hawkman No. 101
Cover Date: June 1978
Release Date: March 14, 1978
Script: Jack C. Harris
Pencils: Al Milgrom
Inks: Murphy Anderson
Colors: Adrienne Roy 
Editing: Larry Hama
Cover: Joe Kubert 

Bird's Eye View

   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. 

Hawkworld Discussions: Does Nth Metal work the same for everybody?

This Week's Discussion: Over the years, we've seen DC Comics' Nth Metal give Hawkman and Hawkgirl various powers.

Does the power of the Nth Metal vary with who is wearing it?
How much of the individual's will is involved?
Does the power increase with how much they are wearing?
Can Hawkman and Hawkgirl absorb the nth metal into their bodies? 

Collection of Nth Metal info HERE

I'll post the best replies from the various Hawkworld communities below!

Reviews Across Time and Space: The Shadow War of Hawkman No. 1

Comic

The Shadow War of  Hawkman No. 1
Cover Date: May 1985

Release Date: January 15, 1985

Script: Tony Isabella (Jenny Blake)
Pencils: Richard Howell

Inks: Alfredo Alcala
Colors: Michele Wolfman

Letters: Milt Snappin

Editing: Alan Gold, Dick Giordano

Cover: Richard Howell, Don Heck, Todd Klein

Note: This was the first Hawkman title since The Atom and Hawkman ended 15 years and 5 months prior. 

Hawkman / Hawkgirl / Hawkwoman / Hawkworld Logos

 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl have had many variations of their logos over the years. Here are the logos I've managed to collect over the last few years. I've added a button to the blog's homepage for fans to find them quickly. Just click the pic, and it will bring you here! 

New Hawkworld Feature! Reviews Across Time and Space

Comics

Flash Comics No. 1
Cover Date: January 1940
Release Date: November 20, 1939
Script: Gardner Fox
Artist: Dennis Neville
Letters: Not listed
Editing: M. C. Gaines; Sheldon Mayer
Cover: Sheldon Moldoff

Note: The on-sale date of November 20, 1939, is the publication date reported in filings with the U. S. Copyright Office. There is also a house ad in Action Comics #19 which states the issue was to be on sale on "about November 10." At Hawkworld, we go with November 20 and celebrate Hawkman Day on that day.

Tier List Ranking System for Hawkman/Hawkgirl Comics Reviews

 Hawkworld will be starting a new comic review for Hawkman and Hawkgirl comics! And what's a review without a good tier system to rate the comics? I made a new tier-list ranking system worthy of Hawkworld comics to add at the end of every review, so look for the reviews and the rating I give each comic going forward! There's no better place to begin than at the start, so I'll be posting a review of Hawkman's debut story in Flash Comics No. 1 (January 1940). Feel free to post your agreements, disagreements, and opinions in the comments! 

Hawkman/Hawkgirl Comic Tier List 2026

 

Here's my updated Tier List for Hawkman/Hawkgirl comics. The top five series are absolutely essential for comics fans. The stories and the art are top-notch. The best of the best. The A-ranked series are also very good, and I definitely recommend them. The art in every series is the best out there, but the writing suffers a bit for various reasons. I may have had Vol. 4 up in the S-rank back in the day, but it hasn't aged well. The art remains the best, though. 

DC's Hawk-Girl Summer Review

DC's Hawkgirl Summer 
Cover Date:  September 2026 / Release Date: July 26, 2026

Script Meghan Fitzmartin

Art: Meghan Hetrick
Colorist: Nick Filardi 
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editing: Andrew Marino
Cover: Guillem March

Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) scores the cover and leading story in DC's latest anthology, a pretty rare feat for a Hawk character. Anthology stories are usually just extremely light reading, but if the writer is good enough, they can add to a character's story and history within the 12 pages they have. Did DC accomplish that here? Let's take a look. Spoilers ahead, so come back after you've read the comic!

DC Comics Solicitations October 2026 for Hawkman and Hawkgirl

 Here are the two comics with Hawkman and Hawkgirl on the covers. There were zero mentions of the Hawks in any of the descriptions. 

Absolute Superman No. 21 (Absolute Hawkman) Review

 The King Shazam story, which includes the Absolute Hawkman, finally comes to a close in Absolute Superman No. 21. The action in this story was pretty insane, and Hawkman had a pretty big part of it, so here's a spoiler-rich review of the issue. If you haven't read it yet, come back later! 

New Hawkworld Feature: Finding Current Appearances

 One of the goals for Hawkworld is to give Hawkfans a way to find the comics featuring Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Hawkgirl. You often have to go over the solicitations with a fine-tooth comb several times to find comics with the Hawks. Even that is usually not enough. There are several ways, but here is one method that you can use to find the Winged Wonders in the comics. 

Hawkgirl in the DCU / News and Updates

   This post follows the journey of Hawkgirl in the DCU from July 11, 2023 ( the day Isabela Merced was announced as Hawkgirl)! It has been confirmed that Hawkgirl will be in the Superman sequel and may also make some more appearances in Peacemaker Season 2. 

Here are Isabela Merced's Instagram, IMDb, and Wikipedia pages! 

DC Universe Wiki  

Caution: There are spoilers ahead, so watch the movie and TV shows first! 

Click here for the Hawkgirl/Isabela Merced Gallery!

 

February 6: Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl Takes Flight Again in DC’s Man of Tomorrow

September 4: Man of Tomorrow Cast and Character Guide: Who’s Confirmed and Who’s Rumored

September 4: Hawkgirl Just Confirmed The Justice Gang's Comeback In Superman Man Of Tomorrow 

August 22: Peacemaker Season Two Replaces The Justice League With The DCU's Justice Gang 

Celebrating Impossible Day on July 4th!

   July 4th may be "Independence Day" in America, but it's Impossible Day at Hawkworld! Let's take a look at the Thanagarian tradition that first appeared in The Brave and the Bold No. 44 (November 1962). 

McFarlane Toys Releases "New" Hawkgirl Figure

 

 McFarlane Toys 7" DC Collector Edition 80s Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy And Hawkgirl First Look

    McFarlane Toys announced on June 25 that they would be releasing a Golden Age-era (sort of) version of Hawkgirl, along with Wonder Woman and Poison Ivy! They are currently on sale at Walmart. This version has one of Hawkgirl's Golden Age costumes, but the head is still Kendra, not Shiera. It looks like they just repainted the figure and didn't do much else.