DC History Club March 2022 Hawkgirl

Re Justice League

The comic book that got me interested in DC

1960 Brave and the Bold 30. Best of the early Justice League of America stories and Last tryout of the JLA before receiving their own book.

Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman Cameos by Superman and Batman.

Aside from Batman and Superman, these characters were unknown to me

And each were only in a panel of the story
(Why that was will be covered in the origin of All Star Comics and the JSA when we get to 1940s Hawkman)

The contrast between the sleek costumes of Flash and Green Lantern
And Diana and Jonn intrigued me, as the later two seemed out of place, as from a different era

And the artwork of GL flying and using his power ring, as well as the way Flash ran thrilled me.

Aquaman did not impress me and Jonn seemed only to fly and have super breath, as if Gardner did not know the character well

I decided at that point that I needed to know more about these characters and started to collect DC Comics.

The Hawkman Brave and Bold series was my favorite after JLA

When the Silver and Golden Age met and Jay talked about the last case of the JSA in All Star 57, I wanted to read that comic so bad

And now the All Star Comics are in our library

And issue 57 is not bad at all

So except from 1967 to 1974, I collected DC as part of my life, secretly for the most part, so I would not be embarrassed, until I got to Community.

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In the 1960s

The typical reader of comic was assumed by DC Management to be boys from 6 to 12 years old

Editor Julie Schwartz nevertheless gave the
‘girl friends’ of his super heroes

Respect and Significant Jobs

Hawkgirl was a very competent police officer, co director of a Major Museum
Partner to Hawkman and a super hero in her own right

Iris West was a successful reporter

Carol Ferris was the head of an aircraft company (later in New Frontier, in charge of the entire US Space Program)

Jean Loring was an attorney (until, decades later, destroyed as a character in Identity Crisis, along with her fellow Schwartz creation, Sue Digby, who she murders)

Other DC Editors did not do the same

Women in the Batman Line were virtually non existent

Lois Lane was very annoying

Links

Secret Origins History of DC Comics

36 minutes in
Lois Lane in 1950s and 1960s

38 minutes in
Julie Schwartz
Len Wein meeting Julie

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Very nice, finely detailed art. And you don’t see many images like that final spread of the Hawks in Silver Age comics

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Schwartz’s autobiography is also a very fun, informative read. Don’t think it’s in digital, you would need to search secondary markets.

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The marriage and true partnership of
Hawkman and Hawkgirl
In the 1960s
Were unique in DC Comics

Two panels
Show the depth of that commitment

Even At their first meeting

A flashback in issue 42

And decades later
In Brightest Day

Ruth

It reminds me of the quote
From Ruth in the Bible
Often said at Weddings

Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD do the same to me [as He has done to you], and more also, if anything but death separates me from you."

Previous discussions in topic

Post 32

Post 57

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Hawkworld is on my list, read it in the day and liked it then, Don’t know how I’ll react to it whenever I get to it again.

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Back to issue 42

The flashback

Look at both sides

Hawkman is in a dangerous situation

He needs backup

He wants someone
He knows

Who has experience

And gets

A rookie, maybe 18, maybe only days from graduating from the Academy

She may have read about him in the newspapers

Surely she heard about him at Academy

"

He does handle it better than
Dirty Harry
1976

1.4 minutes in

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1989
Hawkworld is published

After that
Shayera Thal
Never married
Katar Hol

Ruining both characters

Shayera Thal would show up sometimes
With Hawkman
And she was always from Thanagar
And never his super hero partner

Edit
Exception

2000 Legend of Hawkman
Which involves the 1961 versions

In New 52

ALL Romantic relationships
NEVER existed

Lois and Clark
Iris and Barry
Wally didn’t exist, much less know Linda

Katar Hol was the Savage Hawkman from Thanagar on the main earth
While Kendra Saunders was on Earth 2, with an origin tied to Dr Fate of that world

Later

DC Comics And The War Against Marriage

JH Williams and W Haden Blackman publicly stated that, due to last minute editorial changes pushed on them, and DC’s decision not to go with the marriage of Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer in Batwoman, they would be leaving Batwoman after issue 26.

DC Comics clarified that they were against any marriage, not same sex marriage. But there was still quite an outcry. It got rather extreme.

Dan DiDio clarified that heroes shouldn’t get married, as they have to sacrifice their personal lives and personal happiness.

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I have recently read all of the Batwoman comics and let me just say the change of Williams to the new writer was jarring, to say the least. I won’t go into too much detail but it wasn’t for the better. It felt like everything I spent time reading and growing to love these characters just didn’t matter.

DiDio was very wrong, superheroes not being able to marry sacrifices their happiness.

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Hawkwomam

Shayera Hol

Young Justice

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Hawkworld 1989

Interview with
Writer
Editor

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Hawkworld
In our library

Note
Follow up series
Not covering

Garish Coloring and Art
Not appealing to me

Katar Hol and Shayera Thal go to earth like Brave and Bold 34

They are not married, just partners. That also is not interesting to me

Eventually fight Carter Hall and Sierra Sanders Hall

Then solo Hawkman series as
Shayera dies in final issue of above series

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Since this topic
Is Hawkgirl

Not Hawkman

It is easy to summarize
The two Shayeras
In Hawkworld

Shayera 1

Katar is arrested for her murder

And goes to prison

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Shayera 2

Ten years later

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Just given the pages
Shown

The Hawks will go to Earth to capture or kill Bly

But

Given their motivations
Which is more likely?

Stay on Earth to escape the corrupted world of Thanagar

Or

Go Home to fight for a just Thanagar?

The second is more intriguing

Also the Hawks are not romantically involved in this presequel

But there is nothing here to prevent that vital aspect of their lives together

(Aside from Shayera 2 looking identical to his murdered lover.

What was Truman going for?

The two sides of Thanagar?)

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Is Shayera Thal 2 from Hawkworld

DC Comics’ Little Orphan Annie

Except

She is hardboiled and likes to call people Meat

And was adopted by a corrupt Daddy Warbucks?

Isn’t Annie redheaded as well?

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In Hawkman 2002
Issue 15

Geoff Johns
Uses

Shayera Thal 2
To narrate
His version
Of the continuity
Of the various
Hawk people

This version
Says that
The JSA Hawkman
Was also in the JLA

And the 1940s Hawks
Disappeared
Before the
Hawkworld Hawks
Came to Earth

The press gave them
The same super hero names

As the 1940s Hawks

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Issues 15 16

More continuity fixing
From Johns

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Issue 17

A very satisfying conclusion

As
Shayera Thal 2
Kicks some major ass

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New 52
Savage Hawkman 0

Shayera Thal
Is the princess
Of the Thanagar Empire
Out for revenge
For the death of her brother
The King

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