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Hawkman
Joe Kubert Showcase issues
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
1 person is currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Gardner Francis Fox
1,192 books90 followersGardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic book historians estimate that he wrote more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC Comics.
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 7, 2017
Diese Hawkman-Stories wurden erstmals zwischen Februar 1961 und November 1962 in THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD veröffentlicht. Gardner Fox, der zu dieser Zeit bei DC für etliche neue Reihen schrieb, hat die Origin-Story des Golden Age-Hawkman von Dennis Neville (1940) ein wenig überarbeitet. Katar Hol und seine Frau Shayera kommen vom Planeten Thanagar mit einem Raumschiff zur Erde. Ähnlich wie Perry Rhodan eine Hypnoschulung von den Arkoniden erhält, lernen auch die beiden Falkenpolizisten aus dem Sonnensystem Polaris mittels Druckbetankung alles, was sie über die Erde wissen müssen. Mir scheint, Hawkgirl hat dabei etwas besser aufgepasst:
Kriminalität gibt es nicht nur auf Thanagar, und bald gehen die tapferen Falkenmenschen dem Police Commissioner Emmett zur Hand, um mysteriöse Vorkommnise aufzuklären.
Die Abenteuer, die sie bestehen müssen, sind herrlich albern und abgedreht. Sie treten gegen Gestaltwandler, Schatten, Yetis Menschenfalken und andere Monster an.
Absurde Einfälle und Flugkünste ohne Propeller lassen unsere Winged Wonders natürlich immer als strahlende Sieger aus den Kämpfen hervorgehen.
Das alles würde längst nicht so viel Spaß machen, wenn die Artwork von Joe Kubert nicht so fantastisch wäre.
Der Silver Age-Hawkman ist ein klasse Stimmungsaufheller, der bestimmt nicht nur an trüben Herbstabenden funktioniert!
May 30, 2016
Nice reprint collection of first Silver Age appearance of this Golden Age character. Fox revamped and remade Hawkman for this relaunch and Joe Kubert's fantastic art gave it a gritter edge than most superheroes of the time. It's very nice to be able to read these stories from the early Silver Age of DC comics. Recommended.
December 31, 2016
I’ve always fallen solidly on the “Marvel” side of the Marvel/DC debate – and especially so as regards the Silver Age. It’s a cliché to say so, but Marvel’s classic characters really do seem more nuanced and human. Marvel’s Silver Age stories also seemed more epic (especially when Kirby was involved) and memorable, whereas DC’s often blended together to me. As I get older, though, I find it increasingly worthwhile to revisit older material and reassess my opinions. Thus, here am I, mulling over the earliest Silver Age Hawkman stories.
Why Hawkman? It’s the art, frankly. As I continually returned to “the old stuff,” I naturally picked favorite creators, and Joe Kubert is easily one of my all-time favorite artists from either company. His gritty style worked wonderfully with DC’s war books, but somehow, it seemed to work just as well with any story that he happened to draw. The guy was just plain good, and although he was generally not a super hero artist, he nonetheless proved a good fit on Hawkman, with its emphasis on high adventure and ancient weaponry.
How are the stories themselves? Honestly, they’re mostly enjoyable fare. My comments about DC’s Silver Age stories being generally less memorable than Marvel’s are true with these as well, but…they’re fun, and there’s a kind of a “comfort food” aspect to them. You know what you’re going to get, and Gardner Fox delivers it. In comparison to the Marvel yarns of the same era, Fox’s tales are actually more polished and more tightly plotted. His dialogue is not as entertaining as Stan Lee’s – and Hawkman and Hawkgirl are largely generic “noble hero types” - but Fox does devise the kind of fun, and occasionally silly and/or weird, plot gimmicks that you only see in the Silver Age. My favorite example of this is probably in “The Masked Marauders of Earth.” The titular villains here are actual giant talking alien hawks who disguise themselves by wearing masks of human faces! I wonder how they put on their masks when they have no fingers or opposable thumbs, but never mind. Embrace the strangeness, folks! Life is more fun that way.
Will I read more Silver Age Hawkman stories? Possibly. I believe that this volume contains all of Joe Kubert’s work on the character, but Murphy Anderson succeeded him, and I like Anderson’s work, too. Storywise – hey, there’s nothing wrong with comfort food once in a while. It’s always possible, too, that the series evolved in ways that I wouldn’t expect. That’s the great thing about comics: they often do surprise you.
Why Hawkman? It’s the art, frankly. As I continually returned to “the old stuff,” I naturally picked favorite creators, and Joe Kubert is easily one of my all-time favorite artists from either company. His gritty style worked wonderfully with DC’s war books, but somehow, it seemed to work just as well with any story that he happened to draw. The guy was just plain good, and although he was generally not a super hero artist, he nonetheless proved a good fit on Hawkman, with its emphasis on high adventure and ancient weaponry.
How are the stories themselves? Honestly, they’re mostly enjoyable fare. My comments about DC’s Silver Age stories being generally less memorable than Marvel’s are true with these as well, but…they’re fun, and there’s a kind of a “comfort food” aspect to them. You know what you’re going to get, and Gardner Fox delivers it. In comparison to the Marvel yarns of the same era, Fox’s tales are actually more polished and more tightly plotted. His dialogue is not as entertaining as Stan Lee’s – and Hawkman and Hawkgirl are largely generic “noble hero types” - but Fox does devise the kind of fun, and occasionally silly and/or weird, plot gimmicks that you only see in the Silver Age. My favorite example of this is probably in “The Masked Marauders of Earth.” The titular villains here are actual giant talking alien hawks who disguise themselves by wearing masks of human faces! I wonder how they put on their masks when they have no fingers or opposable thumbs, but never mind. Embrace the strangeness, folks! Life is more fun that way.
Will I read more Silver Age Hawkman stories? Possibly. I believe that this volume contains all of Joe Kubert’s work on the character, but Murphy Anderson succeeded him, and I like Anderson’s work, too. Storywise – hey, there’s nothing wrong with comfort food once in a while. It’s always possible, too, that the series evolved in ways that I wouldn’t expect. That’s the great thing about comics: they often do surprise you.
June 27, 2024
Along the way I wondered about DC's "other" iconic character, Hawkman. I thought that he was cool in the SuperFriends cartoon as a kid and was thinking that I would pick up a Chronicles trade paperback if they ever released one. One day I was out gallivanting around various comic book stores and stumbled across this old school trade, with Hawkman's earliest appearances and clocking in at 160 pages...just like a Chronicles trade! I was ecstatic.
The comparisons end there, though, because for starters this trade is a ripoff compared to my beloved Chronicles trades. While the paper is a nicer stock, the cover price on this book is $20, which is more than the current line (priced at $15-18). Even more appalling is the fact that they priced this book at the higher price over 20 years ago! Chronicles trades feature all of the covers in their correct place before each story, but not this book. DC has never had any rhyme or reason when it comes to cover placement in their trades. Some have them in the back of the book, some don't feature them at all. Here we get them 2 per page, 4 covers in all. The problem is that this book reprints 6 issues. The icing on the cake is that one of the 4 covers featured is to issue 45, which is not even reprinted in this book!
I love the faulty science and the charm of Silver Age comic books. DC was zany and borderline ridiculous during this era, especially when compared to their fledgling competitor, Marvel Comics. (Several issues in this book actually pre-date Fantastic Four #1, the start of the Marvel Age of Comics.) Gardner Fox writes this relaunch of his former Golden Age creation, and while I have the Golden Age Hawkman Archive, I have not read it yet. He really expands upon the character in a logical manner, first supplying Hawkman's origin and then the origin of his home planet Thanagar. Joe Kubert handles the artwork, and his artwork is serviceable for the era but is not really my cup of tea. He is sub-par when you compare him to the other heavyweights of this era, Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby.
The comparisons end there, though, because for starters this trade is a ripoff compared to my beloved Chronicles trades. While the paper is a nicer stock, the cover price on this book is $20, which is more than the current line (priced at $15-18). Even more appalling is the fact that they priced this book at the higher price over 20 years ago! Chronicles trades feature all of the covers in their correct place before each story, but not this book. DC has never had any rhyme or reason when it comes to cover placement in their trades. Some have them in the back of the book, some don't feature them at all. Here we get them 2 per page, 4 covers in all. The problem is that this book reprints 6 issues. The icing on the cake is that one of the 4 covers featured is to issue 45, which is not even reprinted in this book!
I love the faulty science and the charm of Silver Age comic books. DC was zany and borderline ridiculous during this era, especially when compared to their fledgling competitor, Marvel Comics. (Several issues in this book actually pre-date Fantastic Four #1, the start of the Marvel Age of Comics.) Gardner Fox writes this relaunch of his former Golden Age creation, and while I have the Golden Age Hawkman Archive, I have not read it yet. He really expands upon the character in a logical manner, first supplying Hawkman's origin and then the origin of his home planet Thanagar. Joe Kubert handles the artwork, and his artwork is serviceable for the era but is not really my cup of tea. He is sub-par when you compare him to the other heavyweights of this era, Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby.
May 18, 2024
I’m never going to be able to pretend this kind of material speaks to me on a critical level, but it’s the building blocks on which an industry was made, with classic creators Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert collaborating on a new vision of a mid level creation, Hawkman, combining superheroes and science fiction into the storytelling this era understood as pure escapism and remedial education for young readers, which some still mistake, or embrace, as the medium’s best possible form. This was a miracle find in a discount graphic novel bin.
February 13, 2018
As a massive Gardner Fox fan, I am remiss to say it took me this long to read this version of one of my faves, HAWKMAN. I'm used to olden Age, reincarnated Egyptian Hawkman, and gritty, dark 90's Hawkworld Hawkman. BUT, this Silver Age smart, inventive, clever Katar and Shayera Hol take the cake. New favorite version. They should bring this one back. The tales are clever, quick but full of science and daring and trickery. And Joe Kubert, then a teen, killed it on the art. Loved. It!
January 5, 2024
Che dire di questo recupero d'annata?
Certamente i disegni di Joe Kubert valgono la pena; ancora oggi restituiscono una forza ed una interpretazione dei due poliziotti di Thanagar avvincente. Il problema sono le storie, le classiche insipide storie della DC di anni '60 e '70. Poco coinvolgenti, prevedibili e scontate.
Nulla di strano se la Marvel di Stan Lee &co. sbaragliò la DC sul mercato di quegli anni.
Nel complesso non andrei oltre le 2 stelle e mezza.
Certamente i disegni di Joe Kubert valgono la pena; ancora oggi restituiscono una forza ed una interpretazione dei due poliziotti di Thanagar avvincente. Il problema sono le storie, le classiche insipide storie della DC di anni '60 e '70. Poco coinvolgenti, prevedibili e scontate.
Nulla di strano se la Marvel di Stan Lee &co. sbaragliò la DC sul mercato di quegli anni.
Nel complesso non andrei oltre le 2 stelle e mezza.
March 20, 2017
I'm not usually a fan of pre-modern DC, but this was charmingly endearing. Space police who become superheroes as a cover story, and who randomly can talk to birds? It probably shouldn't work but it absolutely does.
Also, I like the fact that Hawkwoman is presented as being an equal partner to Hawkman. It's not something you usually saw in this area.
Also, I like the fact that Hawkwoman is presented as being an equal partner to Hawkman. It's not something you usually saw in this area.
January 4, 2024
A product of it's time. Some of the stories did not age well, but others are unique and interesting. All the various comic themes that Hawkman is known for are present.
May 16, 2020
Silver Age stories written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Joe Kubert introduced the comics world to the Thanagarian version of Hawkman and Hawkgirl. They are equal parts brilliant and insane. There's a lot of great ideas and some zany ones too. Like how Thanagarian police apparently have never seen a lasso or a stake-out and sandwiches were never invented on Thanagar.
Kubert is a master artist and every panel is gorgeous. It was fun to read these stories again after Tim Truman's Hawkworld which was originally intended as a revised origin like "Batman: Year One"
Kubert is a master artist and every panel is gorgeous. It was fun to read these stories again after Tim Truman's Hawkworld which was originally intended as a revised origin like "Batman: Year One"
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews