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The place where Hawkgirl ended up at the end of this series isn't bad, but my gawd what a convoluted way to do it. I tried to put out a review for issues #1-4, but I finally just skipped issue #5. I'm doing this review more as a way to wrap up what has turned out to be the absolute worst series involving any Hawk character in history. So if you thought this series was in any way good or competent, you might want to skip this review. I'll try to make it brief.
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The friendship of Hawkman and Atom (Ray Palmer) is well-known among DC Comics fans. Ever since they first met back in Atom #7 in 1963, the heroes' friendship has been one of the strongest in the DCU. Hawkman values his friendships greatly. We have seen it in his friendships with Adam Strange and Barry Allen as well. But something very unexpected was revealed in Hawkman Vol. V #16 (Nov. 2019).
Through reincarnation, Hawkman is practically immortal. He has lived life after life through thousands, possibly millions of years. He has had to say goodbye to countless friends and family, again and again and again. That much loss has to take a toll, even if he is Hawkman.
In the issue written by Robert Venditti, Carter Hall teamed up with The Shade (Richard Swift) to defeat the Gentleman Ghost. After their victory, Carter presents Richard with a gift, a cane with a handle that looks like a Hawk. At first, Richard refuses, but Carter insists he take it and calls him a friend.
Venditti mentioned in an interview that Carter desired a friend who wouldn't die on him. A friend that would be around as long as he will be. When they defeated the Gentleman Ghost, Carter sensed some good in Richard, and here was someone who could be a friend whom he would not have to say goodbye to. Carter's desire to have a long-lasting friendship and his gift to Richard Swift is an unexpectedly endearing moment in the long history of Hawkman.
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| Hawkman Vol. V #16 (November 2019) |
#003: It's All in the First Story
Hawkman and Hawkgirl first appeared in Flash Comics No. 1 (released on November 20, 1939), and they have evolved in many ways over the years. Yes, their costumes, weapons, and even origins have changed in some ways, but if a comics fan ever wants to understand the basics of the characters, they can go to the very first story by Gardner Fox. In this very first story, we can find the origin and keys to every Hawkman story. Carter Hall (Prince Khufu) and Shiera Sanders (Chay-ara) appeared together and reincarnation was introduced as a focal point of their story. A variation of similar-sounding names has continued to connect them to the silver age of comics and beyond. Carter Hall was introduced as a wealthy research scientist and archaeologist who owned a huge collection of ancient weapons and artifacts. We were also introduced to the origin of Hawkman's costume, powers, and weapons. Hawkman was the first DC Comics hero to fully have the power of flight, even before Superman or Green Lantern. The Nth Metal (Ninth Metal) which gives Hawkman his powers also made its first appearance in the very first story. It served as a memory trigger that would later be used in future stories. Their very first villain made his debut here as well. Hath-Set (Anton Hastor) would continue to show up and battle the Hawks over the years. Seeing how the foundation of Hawkman has remained mostly intact throughout the decades, you can see the genius of the creator.
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The updates on Hawkman and Hawkgirl during the week of November 5-11!
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On November 10, 2020, Hawkman Vol. V by Robert Venditti came to a close. It started in June 2018, ran for 29 issues, and gave Hawkman (Carter Hall III) and Hawkwoman (Shayera Hol II) a fantastic reunion and a wonderful future. It expanded on Hawkman and Hawkwoman's origins, their relationship, Hawkman's friendship with Atom and even The Shade, and gave new abilities and even a new ship. It has become many Hawkfans' favorite Hawkman series of all time. So what has happened during the last three years?
It all started on Facebook on January 15, 2016. I started Hawkworld Twitter (currently 7600 members) and it just...took off. I was expecting/hoping for 500 members, but the Facebook site reached 8000 members today. It's great for characters like Hawkman and Hawkgirl to see that much support while DC is practically ignoring Hawkman while putting out what is arguably the worst Hawk series in their 84-year history. Hawkfans are resilient if nothing else. There have been many highlights over the last eight years. Many thanks to all the members, Hawkfans, creators, and even the family members of the creators (GardnervFox, Joe Kubert, etc.) for such an amazing flight. Let's keep soaring!
Here are the places Hawkman and Hawkgirl showed up this week!
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(Spoiler Alert)
OK, let me try to go through the basics of the story. Vulpecula goes into Galaxy's past for unknown reasons. She reveals her true form of a Fox and opens up a doorway to the Nth world to release a dragon. The dragon attacks Metropolis. Supergirl and Steel show up but the dragon easily wipes them out. Galaxy forms a protection around Hawkgirl with her past lives so that she can use some kind of light sword and cut off the dragon's head. Kendra is exhausted after the battle and suddenly furious at Carter and Shayera for getting their reward. Vulpecula suddenly shows up and goes into Kendra's past. To be continued.
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| The Secret Files and Origins: Hawkman (October 2002) |
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| Black Adam (2022) |
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(Spoilers! You have been warned.)
Just some random thoughts after reading the third issue of Hawkgirl.
Ever since Kendra Saunders appeared in 1999, she has been a bit of a tortured soul. She is that way for good reason, but after 24 years, you start to wish she could start to get a handle on things, especially the things in her head. That is not the case in this series. She is carrying all kinds of self-doubt and hard feelings. We keep getting shots of her curled up in a fetal position on the floor by a couch. The only things she seems to have going for her are her Nth metal and her anger.
Here is the timeline for Hawkman and Hawkgirl fans that I made today for my fellow Hawkfans. The print is a bit small, but I wanted to fit everything on it. If you click the pic, you can see it a bit better. If you want the original PDF file, e-mail me at houseofhawkman@gmail.com, and I'll send it to you the first chance I get.
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This review is full of spoilers, so if you haven't read it yet, then please come back after you do. Also, if you're a fan of the writer of this book, you might want to skip this as well. Sorry, gotta be honest. Anyway, let's take a look.
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If you want to read about Gardner Fox, Jennifer DeRoss wrote a fantastic biography on his life and work in 2019. "The Forgotten All-Star: A Biography of Gardner Fox" is a great account of not only Fox's life, but also a great record of the history of comics itself. Every comic book fan should own a copy. She even managed to mention yours truly in the book as well! An honor I'll never be able to wrap my head around! Here's a link to order the book!
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| Mikel Janin |
DC Comics has many iconic couples, most going back decades. Their love and commitment to each other is a constant theme through their stories. There may be times when they fall away from each other, but they always find their way back to each other. Hawkman and Hawkwoman are one of those couples. Geoff Johns (JSA, Hawkman Vol. 4), Bruce Tim (Justice League Unlimited) and other writers have tried to destroy their love story and put them with other heroes, but it hasn't worked. Carter Hall/Katar Hol and Shiera Sanders/Shayera Hol have always ended up back together.
As with Superman and Lois Lane, or with Oliver Queen and Black Canary, you cannot tell the story of Hawkman and Hawkwoman without the other. Their story started together back in 1939 (Flash Comics No. 1) and it continues 84 years later. DC Comics may be ignoring one of their great love stories and promoting Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders, who may or may not be bisexual with no real partner in her new mini-series, but when a writer who respects their history and the fans of the characters writes Hawkman and Hawkwoman, you can be sure that they will be together again.
In a recent CBR article, Cailyn Szelenski attempts to rank the couples of DC Comics. This is a bold attempt, and it may ruffle some feathers of fans of other heroes, but it's nice to see the Hawks be spotlighted in this way. Let's hope that DC Comics will wake up and give them a home for fans to go visit them once again.
After searching through an insane amount of Batman comics, I found two comics that Hawkfans can look forward to in October 2023! Here's the list and links to the League of Comics page!
Hawkgirl #4 (October 17): The fourth issue of the Hawkgirl series. We're already in the last half of the series. There appear to be one cover and two variants. LINK
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