Rating the Hawkman/Hawkgirl Comics: Let the Debates Begin!

   Rating the Hawkman Comics! I approach this project with a bit of hesitation and preparation to accept some chastisement from some fellow Hawkfans, including myself. I say this because we all have differing opinions on the comics that have remained in our hearts over the years, so if someone sees how I have relegated their favorite series to Fair or below, they have every right to tell me to stick where the sun doesn't shine. I'll probably ask myself what the seven hells I was thinking when I look at the chart again tomorrow. There are some I will probably fold like a cheap napkin after a short debate. But then there are some series where I will stand steadfast in my belief as long as there are some comic critics who will continue to proclaim that Hawkman is confusing. I'll give just a short reason for each series to explain why I put it where it is. Let the debates begin!

Ten Pillars for a Great Hawkman and Hawkwoman Series

   Hawkman and Hawkwoman/Hawkgirl have the foundation any writer would need to create a great story and series. Over the last 87 years,  the story and legend of the Hawks have been greatly expanded. Many characters, places, items, and theories have been introduced, but very few have been allowed to become the rock-solid base that other major DC characters enjoy. Writers like Gardner Fox, Tony Isabella, Timothy Truman, John Ostrander, Geoff Johns, and Robert Venditti have given us many stories that are the pillars of the Hawks' legend. Here are the ten basic pillars, in my opinion, that any writer could and should expand on to create some amazing stories and adventures for Hawkman and Hawkwoman.

New Homepage Banner Montage for Hawkworld!

   Ever since I started Hawkworld almost ten years ago, I've always used two of the commissions I asked Prentis Rollins to do for me. They are absolutely amazing pictures by Rollins, and I proudly have them displayed on my wall at home. If anyone ever wants a commission, I definitely recommend Rollins! He is a very talented artist and will surely do an amazing piece for you! 

Recognition from Search Engines and AI Sites

Hawkworld started almost ten years ago, and since then, the number of visits to the site has steadily increased. Five years ago, I signed up for the Hawkworld.org domain, and it has really taken off since then. Five thousand views a month, then 10,000, and it has steadily increased. Currently, Hawkworld receives over at least 50k visitors/views a month, and sometimes it goes even over 100k. I have no idea how other heroes' sites do, but it's encouraging to see Hawkfans and other curious fans from all over the world come here to find out about Hawkman and Hawkgirl. 
Recently, I thought I'd see how Hawkworld is doing in search engines and AI chat sites. I was very surprised to find that Hawkworld was at or near the top of the lists. I was surprised to even see my name mentioned. This AI stuff is a bit scary to be honest, with all the info that is revealed, but it's nice to be able to keep Hawkman and Hawkgirl above water so to speak during times when they have no comics of their own. 

Just for fun, I collected the info that Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and ChatGPT had about Hawkworld. This wouldn't be possible if the fans stayed away, and I would just be shouting into the wind. So many, many thanks to all the Hawkmans and comics fans who keep Hawkman and Hawkgirl soaring by visiting Hawkworld! 

10 Years of Hawkworld

   Happy anniversary, Hawkworld! January 15, 2026, is the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the fan group called Hawkworld. It's hard to believe that it's been ten years. When I began the group on Facebook 10 years ago, I made it a personal mission to build Hawkfans a place that was active, informative, and fun. What a journey it has been. 

The Origins of Hawkman and Hawkgirl (YouTube Video)

 I've seen numerous articles and videos explaining the origin of Hawkman and Hawkgirl over the years, so I decided to create my own and share my take on their origin story. I've drawn on my experience of following Hawkman for almost 50 years, with a focus on the origins that Gardner Fox and Robert Venditti provided us. Subscribe to the Hawkworld YouTube channel if you can! Many thanks!

'Pinions and Rants (December 2025)

 

November 2025 has come and come, and it is now over five years since Hawkman has had his own series. Robert Venditti's series ran for 29 issues from 2018 to 2021 (cover dates) and left Hawkman and Hawkwoman in a really, really good place. They had been reunited, were completely devoted and committed to each other, and their reincarnation was over and done with. Hawkman was Dr. Carter Hall, renowned archaeologist on Earth, while Hawkwoman was Shayera Hol, Empress and Protector of the Thanagarians. They had a super awesome spaceship called the Soarship. They were members of the Justice Society. They were given an extremely long life span (as long as they don't get killed for the last time), and they were now ready to live their final life together...and then...nothing. 

Hawkman: Decades Old, Forever Young

Art by Adam Kubert

   

   Celebrating Hawkman Day has been a tradition at Hawkworld for a decade now. This month we are celebrating the 86 years of Hawkman, and in January we are also celebrating the 10th annniversary of our Hawkman/Hawkgirl group called Hawkworld. Our Hawkman Day celebration has gradually become recognized, and it has even been mentioned in The Forgotten All-Star: A Biography of Gardner Fox by Jennifer DeRoss. 

   Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics No. 1. The cover date is January 1940, but the release was in November 1939. There is some debate about the exact day when the comic was released. The house ad from 1939 says "About Nov. 10th," but the Grand Comics Database says the following; "The on-sale date of November 20, 1939 is the publication date reported in filings with the U. S. Copyright Office. However, a house ad in Action Comics #19 states the issue was to be on sale on November 10." So either date works. At Hawkworld, we've settled on November 20th. 

Hawkman/Hawkwoman/Hawkgirl Updates (November 2025)

         Hawkman               Hawkwoman             Hawkgirl

Over the last few weeks, I've read some articles and seen videos about the Hawks, and many of them have mentioned that they don't know what is going on with Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Hawkgirl at the moment. Admittedly, it has been five years since Hawkman's last series ended, Hawkgirl's mini-series from 2023 has been completely irrelevant, and sightings of Hawkwoman have been extremely rare. So, here's an update to where they are and what they are doing at the moment. 

First, I have written the Hawks' history in seven chapters, and you can read up on the current versions and where they came from here. 

Hawkman was Set Up Beautifully, and DC Comics Put It Away

Art by Stjepan Sejic, Bryan Hitch, Mikel Janin

  The day was March 15, 2018. That was an exciting day in the history of Hawkman. Washington Post announced the return of our favorite winged wonder. It was going to be written by Robert Venditti and drawn by Bryan Hitch. It was the beginning of a wonderful adventure that lasted almost three years. Hawkman Twitter blew up that day, with many Hawkman fans talking about the new series that was announced. Even Venditti and Hitch were surprised by the reception the news received. 

DC Comics' Destruction of Hawkman

This is my reaction to Absolute Evil so if you liked the issue, and many did, it might not be worth your time reading this article. Straight upfront, I did not for various reasons. Just call it a theraputic ketchup-throwing rant and we'll buckle up for tomorrow's release of the first issue of DC KO. 

DC Comics destroys Hawkman. Again. They just wrecked him for the current generation of comic book readers. They ruined Hawkman for a generation back in the 2000s with the Justice League cartoon by making him a schizophrenic stalker who intruded on Hawkgirl and her romance with GL John Stewart. The kids who grew up hating Hawkman are now writing the comics and articles for comic book sites. This is why we get Jeremy Adams teasing Shayera-John Stewart in the Green Lantern Corps seies and Isabela Merced declaring she wants to see John Stewart in the DCU. It's rare when you come across an article that looks favorably at Hawkman now. I realize there will be many who disagree with my take on this development and will advise me to calm the heck down. I'm calm but it's a simmering calm, and after numerous stories by writers who have made Hawkman a character to hate, this is my current state.

Hawkman's Super Spaceship: The Soarship

   Every superhero has a lair of some sort. Superman has his Fortress of Solitude. Batman has his Batcave. Hawkman has his lair as well. It's never really been acknowledged, but it's been there since the beginning of the Silver Age. In the most recent Hawkman series, Hawkman Vol. V (2018-2021), Rovert Venditti brought back Hawkman's spaceship and made it into such a lair that even Batman would envy. 

   Ever since Hawkman entered the Silver Age as a Thanagarian, he has had a spaceship in many of his stories. These spaceships have played an important role in his adventures. Some lasted for years, while others only showed up briefly. Before we get into the main topic, here's a quick rundown of the spaceships that Hawkman has used in the past. 

Shayera Thal: The Most Tragic Heroine in DC Comics History

   In 1989, comics fans were introduced to a new Hawkwoman in the Hawkworld series by Tim Truman. Shayera Thal was unlike any Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman we had ever seen in the 50 years since her debut in the 1940s. This Hawkman was brash, hot-tempered, and usually hit first before she thought to ask questions. She definitely kept Katar Hol/Hawkman on his toes and they often clashed over their very different ways of approaching a problem. She disappeared from comics in 1996, returned briefly in the mid -2000s before her death in the Rann-Thanagar War. Even after 20 years, Shayera remains one of the fans' favorite characters in the history of Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman.  

The Universe of Hawkman: Single or Multiple Timelines

The Hawk Universe by Tim Board

   "Hawkman is confusing." "Hawkman is complicated." "Hawkman is convoluted." The three Cs of Hawkworld continuity. Each statement has become a tiring cliche but articles about Hawkman often start with one of the three statements. Over the years, DC has tried (and failed repeatedly) to streamline their universe for whatever reason. Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinte Crisis, New 52, Flashpoint, Rebirth, Dawn of Dc and on and on it goes. 

   As a Hawkman fan, I have fully gotten on board with this idea of everything having to be continuous and connected. "Less important" heroes and other characters have often gotten the short end of the stick in these fix-it crisises, and stories like "The Last Days of the Justice Society," Zero Hour Crisis in Time," and "Metal" have been used as quick fixes to plug the holes that the Trinity-favored crisises left behind. 

How to tell the difference between Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) and Hawkwoman (Shayera Hol).

Kendra Saunders (Hawkgirl) and Shayera Hol (Hawkwoman)

   The differences between Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) and Hawkwoman (Shayera Hol)! Some fans appear to be confused by which is which so here are the basics. Side note: The Superman movie version has absolutely nothing to do with either of them. Completely unrelated Gunn version. So...sorry DCU fans. That's a whole unrelated matter entirely. It could have been, but the movies decided to go with a version completely new and unrelated to anything in the comics.

Have a Question about Hawkman or Hawkgirl?

Have a question or opinion about Hawkman or Hawkgirl?

Ask me anything about Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Hawkwoman, or anything else related to Hawkworld! I’ll do my best to answer and post the question and answer here on Hawkworld.org! Newest questions on the top!

How to add Hawkman and Hawkwoman to the DCU

  With Superman getting a successful kickoff to the DCU, there will probably be a lot more DCU news coming in the next few months. Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) got enough screen time to make fans want more. Currently, there is no news, rumors or anything else out there that involves the Hawks. The only thing we've seen is that Merced mentioned the desire to see Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders get involved with GreenLantern/John Stewart. What's the best way to get the Hawks involved in the DCU? 

Hawkman among Worst Ever Retcons

Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 13

Zero Hour: Crisis in Time No. 3

Retcons in comics are as common as fleas on a dog. They've been doing it forever and it seems like they need to do it once every two or three years lately. Hawkman has been a part of, and often a victim of that process. He has been retconned numerous times over the past few decades and it takes a comics book fan with a doctorate in Hawkology from the University of Thanagar to sort it all out. Seven hells, that's part of the fun of being a Hawkfan. 

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

By Tim Board

   Since the release of DC Rebirth and the Dark Nights Metal series in 2016-18, Hawkfans have been introduced to a new Kendra Saunders and Shayera Hol. After Flashpoint and then Rebirth, it has been explained that the current versions are new in some ways but retain parts of their previous versions. Fans and readers were wondering how there could be a Hawkgirl and a Hawkwoman at the same time in the new DC Universe. This article explains who Hawkgirl and Hawkwoman are and how each character is connected to Hawkman.

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever (Hawkman Comics)

 Doing some spring cleaning and decided to line up most of my Hawkman Comics for a group photo before putting them back on the shelf. A thing of beauty is a joy forever! 

Back on the shelf! 

Trades, too! 

Bonus! Signed Hawkman Vol. V issues 1-29! (Gift from Robert Venditti!)