Now Just a Hawkworld Minute! #003: It's All in the First Story

#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.

Flash Comics No. 1  (January 1940)

Golden Age Archives Hawkman No. 1 (February 2006)

Famous First Edition (August 1975)

Secret Origins No. 11 (February 1987)

Now Just a Hawkworld Minute: Wings!

#002: Wings! Strap-On or Organic?

   Hawkman's wings have been different over the years. From 1939 -1994, they were strapped on his back. the Golden Age Carter Hall I, Silver to Bronze Age Katar Hol I, and Hawkworld's Katar Hol II all had strap-on wings. When Katar Hol II merged with Carter Hall I and the Hawk avatar, he had organic wings that emerged from his back for the first time. New Earth's Carter Hall II (Geoff Johns' version, 2001-2011) also had strap-on wings. The New 52 Katar Hol III (2011-2017) had the Nth metal in his body, much like Venow in Marvel Comics, and his wings, costume, and weapons automatically came out whenever it sensed that he needed it. 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl News and Info (November 5-11)

The updates on Hawkman and Hawkgirl during the week of November 5-11!

Ranking the Best and Worst of the Total Justice and JLA Action Figure Lines (Batman News) 

The Hawkman figure of the line comes in at No. 23 and No. 9. The No. 23 version is everywhere. I've never seen the No. 9 version. 

No. 23!

No. 9!

8000 members! (Hawkworld Facebook)

Hawkworld Facebook reached 8000 members a few days ago. Hawkworld has several groups on multiple sites, but this is the first group of Hawkfans to reach 8000 members! It took eight years, but the group is as active as ever. 

Three Years since Hawkman Vol. V ended (Hawkworld) 

November 10 was the third anniversary of the final issue of Robert Venditti's Hawkman series being released. There has been very little for the Hawks in the last three years. Click the link to see where they have appeared during the last three years. 

Hawkman Day (Hawkworld) 

Hawkman Day was started back in the first year that I started Hawkworld (2016), and many sites have acknowledged November 20 as Hawkman Day since Hawkman appeared for the first time in the comics on November 20, 1939. Hawkman Day has even been mentioned in the biography of Gardner Fox by author Jennifer DeRoss. DC Comics has yet to acknowledge it in any way shape or form. While numerous DC heroes and villains have received a 20th, 75th, or 80th-anniversary issue to celebrate the special day, Hawkman and Hawkgirl have not. I doubt DC even realizes that it passed them by.  Click the link for the article I posted on the 80th anniversary 4 years ago. Also, the collage is what I put together to celebrate the event. 

That's it for this week. There have been some sites going over the same James Gunn Hawkgirl news but right now, the pickings are slim for Hawkfans. However, there are always back issues! Here are the series I definitely recommend for you to dive into if you haven't yet. Good luck in finding them! 

Hawkman Vol. 1 (27 issues) 1964-1968	The Shadow War of Hawkman  and Hawkman Vol. 1 (22 issues) 1985-1987
Hawkworld Vol. 1 (3 issues) 1989	Legend of the Hawkman  3 issues (2000)

Three Years Ago: The Hawkman Vol. V Run Came to an End

    

   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? 

Hawkworld Facebook Reaches 8000 Members!

 

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! 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl News and Info (October 29-November 4)

 Here are the articles and sites that Hawkman and Hawkgirl showed up last week! 

Art by Stjepan Sejic

10 Most Powerful Weapons Used In The Justice League Comics, Ranked (CBR) 

Here are my articles on Hawkman's Nth metal mace and for a bonus, my article on Hawkman's other weapon, the Claw of Horus. 

Nth Metal Mace 
Claw of Horus

And...that's it for this week. It's been extremely quiet for the Hawks. Here are some review videos on Hawkgirl #4. Caution: The comic doesn't get good reviews. 

Weird Science Comics

Thinking Critical

That's it for the week. Hopefully, we'll have some more during this week. 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl News and Info (October 22-28)

 

Here are the places Hawkman and Hawkgirl showed up this week! 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl News and Info (October 15-21)

Here are the news and articles that featured or included the Hawks this week. 

Hawkgirl #4 Review by Tim Board

 

   (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. 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl News and Info (October 8-14)

 

Here is where the Hawks showed up this week! 

The Secret Files and Origins: Hawkman (October 2002)

10 Most Surprising Professions of Justice League Members in DC History (Gobookmart)
   About 15 heroes were listed, and the Hawks as museum curators were on the list as well. This was kind of surprising because the Hawks' use of weapons and their knowledge of archaeology made them perfect for the job. Even Shayera says in a Superman team-up story that she knows more about archaeology than most of the Ph.D.s on the planet. But the article does note that the job was a perfect fit for them. 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl News and Info (October 1-7)

   Things are a bit slow in Hawkworld at the moment, so news-worthy updates are a bit hard to come by. The Hawks are still popping up here in there, mostly in CBR's Top Ten lists and updates-that-aren't-really-updates on Hawkgirl in Superman Legacy articles. If alert Hawkfans notice something in the news, throw me a message here or on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, or Mastodon and I'll add it to the next update! Keep soaring! 

Black Adam (2022)

Write an article and post it on Hawkworld!

 

Carter Hall, 40th Century Writer (Hawkman Vol. V #29)

  Write an article for Hawkworld! 
  Do you want to share your love and knowledge of Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Hawkwoman, and all things Hawkworld? Write an article about your topic and send it to me to be posted on the Hawkworld blog! I will also post it on Facebook (7300 members), Twitter (7600 followers), Instagram (1700 followers), Mastodon (over 200 followers), and Bluesky (just opened). An article posted here usually gets around 100-200 hits the first couple of days. Send me your idea for an article or the article you want posted to my e-mail account and I’ll respond as soon as I can. Let’s keep writing about the Hawks and keep them soaring!

Tim Board email: houseofhawkman@gmail.com

Hawkman and Hawkgirl in the News (September 24-30)

Here's the weekly round of the Hawks in the news and other places during the past week. 

Hawkman and Hawkwoman: The Changeling (various sources)

   The information for this has been like pulling teeth, but it appears that the story by Cavan Scott (script) and Fico Ossio (art) will finally be partially released in Superboy Man of Tomorrow #6 (October 10). But I'm also hearing that it will only be released on the digital version, which is not available to most countries outside of the U.S., and that only the first part will be released. I tried for an hour to find information about it on the DC Comics site but finally gave up and went to other sources and pieced it together. Extremely frustrating but at least we're getting something. 

Art by Fico Ossio

New Additions to My Hawkworld Gallery!

This month, I added a few more items to my Hawkman/Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman collection!

Follow Hawkworld!

   Give Hawkworld a follow! I've never made this request for the Hawkworld blog before, but with social media going through constant changes (ex. Xitter), I want to solidify Hawkworld's support so fans can keep up with Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Hawkwoman, and the other Hawkworld characters through this site. If you haven't done so already, I've provided some ways to show your support for Hawkworld. 

1. Subscribe 
    I've posted two Subscribe links provided by Blogger on the blog. There is a button near the top right and also near the bottom right. Try that and see how it works for you. 

2. RSS
    Many people still use their RSS feed to follow their favorite sites. Add Hawkworld for updates!

3. Follow 
    To show your support for the site, please click the FOLLOW button near the bottom right of the page. Before putting out the word a couple days ago, there were only eight followers, but after a post on some sites, the number has been going up! My goal (for now): 1000 followers! Let's show the comic community the Hawkfans' love for the characters! 

If there are other ways that you follow Hawkworld, let me know in the comments section and I'll add it to the list for other fans. As always, thanks for supporting Hawkworld! 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl in the News (Sept 17-23, 2023)

 

Here are some articles featuring the Hawks that came up across the Internet last week (Sept 17-23).

Cavan Scott and Fico Ossio's "Hawkman and Hawkwoman: The Changeling" has finally been released! Or at least the first few pages of it. Apparently, it's a backup story in Superboy Man of Tomorrow #6. I have not been able to find a version available online yet. Artist Fico Ossio posted some news about it on TwitterX. I'll post a link to read the comic where I find it. And great heads up from DC! (absolutely nothing) 

Posted on Fico Ossio's Twitter 

Hawkgirl #3 Review by Tim Board

 

   (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. 

The Timeline of Hawkman and Hawkgirl Comics

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. 

Hawkgirl #2 Review by Tim Board

 

   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.

CBR: The DCU Hawkgirl Has an Opportunity to Rectify a DCAU Mistake

   Finally. I've been waiting for someone to write this article, and CBR's Timothy Donohoo did it. The Justice League cartoon was popular, but it made an absolute mess of Hawkman. The show practically ripped everything good about him away to prop up their Hawkgirl-John Stewart romance. Thanks to this horrible version of Hawkman, many kids who grew up in the 2000s learned to love Hawkgirl but hate Hawkman. The only good thing this cartoon gave the Hawks was Hawkgirl's first costume, which is a classic look, but they even took that away and replaced it with a yellow jumpsuit. Let's hope the DCU stays far, far away from the DCAU version and bring the Hawks back together as they should be. Many thanks to Donohoo for writing this article. 

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