The Basic Foundation of Hawkman

 When I read an article, watch a YouTube video, or chat with someone about Hawkman, there is almost always the comment about how confusing he is. I don't dispute that, because there are different versions. There are the Golden Age Earth-2, Siver Age Earth-1, Hawkworld, Zero Crisis, Savage, and the current versions. They all have different origins and stories. 

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 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:

Hawkwoman by M.C. Wyman

 

Comic Art Gallery of MC Wyman at ComicArtFans.com 

Hawkman and Hawkwoman by Tom Grummett

 

The History of Hawkman and Hawkwoman by Tim Board

 Here is the history of Hawkman and Hawkwoman/Hawkgirl explained as simply as possible. I've tried to include all of the major events, reboots, changes, and series that the Hawks have experienced since their first appearance in 1940. I've also made an attempt to explain the current Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Hawkgirl as simply as possible. If you click the link, you can see the chart up close. I hope they help. If you notice something that is wrong or something you think I should include in the chart, feel free to leave it in the comments.
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Flashcards of Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman's Historic Moments!

 Hawkgirl first appeared as Shiera Sanders/Chay-ara in Flash Comics No. 1 which was published in November 1939. But she didn't strap on the wings until All-Star Comics No. 5 which came out on April 25, 1941. This month is the 80th anniversary of the first appearance of Hawkgirl, so I've made some flashcards of some of the historic moments from Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman's 80 years! 

Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman 80th Anniversary Tribute Collage

 Here is my collage to celebrate Hawkgirl's 80th anniversary. She first appeared as Shiera in Flash Comics No. 1 (November 1939), but she became Hawkgirl for the first time in All-Star Comics No. 5, published on April 25, 1941. I started making this collage during the summer of 2020, searching endlessly for pictures to use. As with the Hawkman collages, their wings always made it a challenge. After starting over numerous times, it gradually came together. I hope it is worthy of one of the greatest superheroines in comics. I've listed the artists whose work I used to create the collage down below. 

Art by:
Sheldon Moldoff
Joe Kubert
Irv Novick
Richard Howell, Bruce Patterson
Graham Nolan, Sam Parsons
Steve Lieber, Rick Magyar, Rob Schwager
Patrick Gleason, Christian Alamy, John Kalisz, Digital Chameleon
Alex Ross  
Nicola Scott, Trevor Scott, Alex Sinclair 
Yildiray Cinar, Trevor Scott, Alex Sinclair
Joe Bennett, Art Thibert, Guy Major
Ciara Renee 
Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia
Jim Lee, Sandra Hope, Tomeu Morey
Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez
Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Jeremiah Skipper
Fernando Pasarin, Oclair Albert, Jeromy Cox
Marco Castiello, Danny Miki, Jeromy Cox
David Marquez, Tamra Bonvillain 

Many thanks to all the amazing artists who brought Hawkgirl to life over the years! 

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)

Hawk Sketch Cards by Doug Zawisza

 During the month of January and February, Doug Zawisza did some awesome sketch cards of many of the characters, including Hawkman and Hawkwoman as well as their friends and enemies! They were so good that I collected them! I was lucky enough to receive four of these a few years ago when Doug sent me some Hawk figures from the States. 
Also, if you have never picked up "Hawkman Companion" by Doug, you're missing out on a great record of Hawkman and Hawkwoman history! This book is a must for any Hawkfan! I'll post links below for you to order your copy. Enjoy! 

Hawkman Companion (2008) by Doug Zawisza 

Links to order! 
Goodreads  
Amazon 

Check out Doug's Twitter account for sketches of many more heroes and characters! You might find your favorite! 

Beautiful Art from "DC Love is a Battlefield"

DC Comics put out a Valentine's Day special on February 9th called "DC Love is a battlefield." It had eight-page features of ten couples. Jose Luis, Jonas Trindade, and Rex Lokus gave us a beautiful shot of Hawkman (Carter Hal) and Hawkwoman (Shayera Hol) in the last panel of the story. 

I wanted a version without the panels and words, so I clipped the hawks out of the art to make a png file. I then add a new background of a blue sky. I had to look around for a while to find a png file of a sun to set behind their wings that would match the color of the rays on their wings. I also had to patch up a hole in Hawkman's left wing. I clipped a part of his right wing and added it to the left wing. I also added Hawkman and Hawkwoman logos. Pretty happy with the end result! 

Board Review: Love is a Battlefield: Together Forever

Love is a Battlefield
Together Forever
Writer: Cavan Scott 
Pencils: Jose Luis 
Inks: Jonas Trindade 
Colors: Rex Locus 
Letters: Carlos M. Mangual
Editor: Michael McCalister 
Cover: Kaare Andrews 

The Hawkman series ended three months ago, but we got a nice surprise in this year's Valentine's Day issue. 

Tim Board's Hawkworld Gallery

 

Since I first started following Hawkman in 1977, I've gradually built up my collection of Hawkman and Hawkwoman comics, art, trades, figures, and other items. I've especially worked on building up my art collection in recent years. Here is a list of the items I have displayed in my collection. 

Five Years of Hawkworld

The first group head photo of Hawkworld / Art by Joe Prado

Five years ago, on January 15, 2016, I started the Hawkworld group on Facebook and the Hawkworld account on Twitter. It was just on a whim, to be honest. I had been bouncing around between groups and sites, looking for Hawkman, and it suddenly dawned on me to just start my own group. I had a bunch of ideas and things I wanted to do, and I didn't want to invade someone else's group, so I started Hawkman Winged Warrior.

Hawkworld 5th Anniversary Comic Giveaway!

Hawkworld is celebrating our anniversary on January 15th! To celebrate,
Altered Ego Comics is joining with me to offer a free copy of Hawkworld Vol. 4 (out on Feb. 9)! Just hop over to Hawkworld on Twitter and retweet this tweet to enter! I'll select a random winner on Jan. 15th!

The last trade of the series by Robert Venditti includes issues #20-29. 

Go check out Altered Ego Comics! They are based in Orange Park, Florida, but they mail comics to anyone who requests it! I have to tell you that they've been helping me for the last three years and they always go the extra mile for their customers!

The Complete List of Hawkman Trade Paperbacks, Omnibuses, and Collections

The books are listed by the title, the contents, and the release date.

1 Hawkman by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert

The Brave and the Bold #34-36, #42-44 

1989 January

Board Review of Hawkman No. 29: Final Justice Conclusion: In the End

“There is only one truth that I know to be certain…I was made to soar.”

The journey with Hawkman that began in June 2018 came to an end today. It’s a bittersweet feeling, because I feel disappointed that it has ended, but elated that it was better than it had any right to be. When the article in the Washington Post in March 2018 announced the upcoming new series by Robert Venditti, I had no idea what to expect. A couple months before the series started, I had the honor of “meeting” Robert in a podcast on The Comic Source. He talked about Hawkman being a story of exploration and discovery. And that is exactly what we got.

Hawkman Vol. V Tribute Collage 2020

Hawkman Vol. V kicked off in June 2018, and for two and a half years, Hawkfans were treated to one of the best series in the 81-year history of Hawkman and Hawkwoman. Sadly, the series has been canceled and will end with issue No. 29. The final issue will be released on November 10th, which just happens to be the 81st anniversary of Hawkman's first appearance in Flash Comics No. 1, released back in 1939. To celebrate a great series and the anniversary of two great characters, I've created a tribute collage to remember most of the great moments in the series. I started work on this back in April 2020, but after hearing about the cancellation, I sped it up and finally finished it. Under the collage is the list of all the artists who contributed to this great series. It's my way of saying thank you for giving us such a great book that the fans can enjoy for many years to come. 
Note: If you want a pdf file of the collage, post your email in a comment or send me a private message on Twitter or Facebook. 

Writer: Robert Venditti 
Pencillers: Bryan Hitch, Will Conrad, Pat Olliffe, Fernando Pasarin, Marcio Takara, Marco Castiello 
Inkers: Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Daniel Henriques, Paul Neary, Andy Owens, Norm Rapmund, Scott Hanna, Will Conrad, Tom Palmer, Oclair Albert, Danny Miki, Wade Von Grawbadger, Marcio Takara, Cam Smith
Colorists: Alex Sinclair, Jeremiah Skipper, Jeromy Cox 
Cover: Bryan Hitch, Alex Sinclair, Will Conrad, Pete Pantazis, Roger Robinson, Pat Olliffe, Tom Palmer, Jeremiah Skipper, Tyler Kirkham, Raymund Bermudez, Mikel Janin 
Variant Covers: Stepan Sejic, Dale Keown, Matteo Scalera, Julian Totino Todesco, Bill Sienkiewicz, Shane Davis, Cully Hamner, Inhyuk Lee, James Harren, Richard Pace, Dan Panosian, Paolo Pantalena, Trevor Hairsine, Rain Beredo, Gerardo Zaffino, Sebastian Fiumara

To every single person who had a hand in creating this series; Thank you. 

Board Review of Hawkman No. 28: Final Justice Part Two: The Nth Degree

What do you do when you're not immortal anymore? Do you cherish each and every moment more? Do you suddenly become aware of the clock as your life heads to the inevitable finish? Or does the thought of your life ending paralyze you; not because you are afraid for yourself, but because you are afraid for the ones you love? 

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. 

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!