Here we go again. This time out, Im doing more art, thanks to getting my
scanner working, again. And Im playing with two of my favorite characters.
For this edition, I dug out my copy of Famous 1st Edition FLASH COMICS #1
to re-read the origin of Hawkman. Hawkman has always fascinated me. I think
its probably the Daedalus and Icarus aspect, a man makes himself a pair of
wings because he needs to be able to fly to accomplish whatever it happens to
be. In Daedalus case, it was so he and his idiot son could escape from Crete, in
Carter Halls, Hawkmans, case it was to save a girl hed just met, but to whom he
felt some strange connection. In ancient Egypt, that had been star-crossed
lovers, both murdered by the evil wizard Hath-Set.
Fast-forward to 1940 and we meet Carter Hall, a true Renaissance Man,
hes not only an archaeologist, but also an inventor who has discovered a
miraculous anti-gravity metal.
Things happen pretty fast from this point on, so try to keep up:
First Carter receives a mysterious package containing a glass knife that
shines with a eerie radiance. He is seized by a powerful vision of his former life as
Prince Khufu in ancient Egypt. In it, he relives his own murder, at Hath-Sets hand
and issues a dying prophecy, promising that he and Hath-Set will both live again,
and "then I shall be the victor!"
Carter Hall regains his senses and decides to take a walk around the
block, to clear his head. While passing a subway entrance, he investigates a
commotion and runs into a girl bearing a striking resemblance to the Princess
Shiera from his vision, her name too, is Shiera. What a coincidence!
Carter Hall, moving much more quickly than was proper for the time,
takes Shiera back to his place. He leaves her resting in an easy chair while he
goes and plays dress-up. Between panels, he dons the costume that will
become his trademark, green tights, red trunks and boots and the hawk-mask
mistakenly attributed to the god Anubis in this story. This story is not credited, as
was common in that day, so I dont know who deserves the blame for mixing up
Egyptian gods, like this. Presumably, the god was meant to be Horus, the falcon-
headed god of Egyptian myth, but in the interest of accuracy, Ill continue using
Anubis, as it is in the story.
Tracing the source of the disturbance at the subway, he comes to the
home of Dr. Hastor "Electrician Extraordinary", as he puts it. Peering through an
open window, Hawkman spies Hastors equipment and overhears Hastor
scheming. Hastor spies him, in turn, mistaking him for "Anubis--hawk-god of the
ancients" and tries to blast him with his lightning generator.
Hastor realizes that Hawkman is not a god, but is Khufu, reborn, and then
reasons that Shiera must also be reincarnated. Using ancient magic, Hastor
manages to entrance Shiera and commands her to come to him.
Returning home, Hall finds Shiera (no last name given in this whole story)
gone, and leaps to the conclusion that she has been abducted by Hastor. And
they call Batman, "The Worlds Greatest Detective"!
Needless to say, he wastes no time flying back to Hastors place and
defeats Hastor, saves the girl, you know the drill.
Pretty basic stuff for the time period, but then they went and broke the
mold. Not content merely to sit and wait, Shiera made her own costume and
took the name Hawkgirl, fighting crime alongside Hawkman. While Batman was
showing questionable judgement in teaming up with a young boy (not to
mention the rumors he started) Hawkman was partnered with a grown woman
with a mind of her own.
When the Golden Age gave way to the Silver Age, and DC Comics was
creating new versions of the classic Golden Age characters, such as The Flash,
The Green Lantern and The Atom, it was only natural that a new Hawkman and
Hawkgirl would appear.
This time, instead of an earth-born scientist, Hawkman was one Katar Hol
of the planet Thanagar. Both he and his wife, Shayera Thal were members of
Thanagars police force whose uniform bears a more-than-passing resemblance
to the Golden Age Hawkmans uniform. At the time, there was no explanation
given for this, it was merely a coincidence, since the Golden Age heroes
inhabited a different universe from the Silver Age. Later, when DC had merged
their alternative universes into one, it was explained that Katar Hols father, Paran
Katar had traveled to Earth in the 1940s and had aided Carter Hall in the
development of the antigravity ninth metal. Paran Katar took this discovery
back to his homeworld, along with the inspiration for the Hawk-police.
In the later revision, the look of the Hawk-police uniform took on a more
authoritarian style, as did the Hawk-police themselves.
Later, still, in a bizarre and, in my opinion, terrible storyline, Katar Hol
merged with a so-called "hawk-god", absorbing the hawk-gods power, he now
had wings of his own, which he could apparently extrude from his shoulders, at
will. It was about this time that I stopped reading the series, Im sure it was no
coincidence that the book was soon cancelled. I suppose I cant take the credit,
but its obvious that many fans were as put off as I was.
Now, heres where I flash my artistic license and go to work. Ever since
they took the man out of Hawkman, I knew there had to be a new Hawkman. In
the story where Katar Hol merged with the Hawk-god, Shayera Thal (in this
version, not his wife, but his partner in the police force) disappeared, and was
thought dead, as I recall.
I dont know whats become of her, but I like to think shes working as a
police officer in some medium-sized city, somewhere, perhaps its Midway City,
where the Silver Age Hawks fought crime, back in the day.
Lets go with that, for a start and lets add a new face, I figure hes related
to Carter and Shiera Hall in some way, maybe hes Shieras nephew. Hes a
technical guy, who likes to play with machines of all sorts. I think he probably
does consulting work for the government in the field of technical analysis of
foreign or alien technology. There were a lot of these guys, during the Cold War.
Following the event known as INVASION, there was a lot of extraterrestrial
technology lying around and, since the Thanagarians were part of the invasion
force, Im sure there is more than one set of Thanagarian flight gear and thats
what I based my design around.
I tried to incorporate something of the style of the original costume with
the good sense of covering a little more of that bare skin. Also, keeping more of
the color-scheme of the original designs, since I want to evoke more of the
classical tradition, as well as to bring them back to the superhero "fold" where
bright colors are always in vogue.
Also, Ive added a couple of touches that are not apparent in the art,
since they are part of the technical explanation of the antigravity devices,
themselves. Previously, the Hawks had always had a slight problem with
locomotion. I recall a mention of Carter Hall flexing his shoulders to cause his
wings to flap. More than a little tiring. The rest of the time, they were at the mercy
of the winds. One modification I have in mind would have the antigrav device
generate a small disturbance in the local gravity field, akin to a gravity wave,
and ride it, like a gust of wind. One other thing I have added is a weapon that
both of them could carry, patterned on the katar dagger that Katar Hol favored.
Its a long-range weapon that allows them to stun adversaries and even smash
walls, at its most powerful setting. Lovely thing, alien technology.
Thats it for this month, Im tired and Im happy to have been able to
include so many drawings, this time. See ya next month!
