Showcase Presents: Hawkman, Vol. 2

Showcase Presents: Hawkman #2

by Gardner Francis Fox, Bob Haney, Murphy Anderson (Illustrator)

"Katar Hol and his wife Shayera, winged law officers from the planet Thanagar, visit Earth to learn about terrestrial police methods. To fit into human society, they adopt the civilian identities of Midway City Museum curator Carter Hall and his assistant, Shiera. But in Midway City police work involves battling a host of bizarre creatures and deadly villains! Hawkman and Hawkgirl take to the skies to confront the airborne evil of the Manhawks, the Robbing Ravens, the Flying Gorillas, and a flock of other foes, armed with an array of alien weaponry and superior scientific knowledge--and the training of the legendary Thanagarian wingmen!"--P. [4] of cover.

Genres: Comics, Superheroes, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction

556 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

Gardner 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

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some great Murphy Anderson art in this collection of stories from the 60s, but the ones written by Gardner Fox (most of them in this book) simply aren't very good. They are less stories than plot puzzles Fox set for himself.

[Adam Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book collects the rest of Hawkman's solo Silver Age series, a cross-over with the Atom in his comic, an appearance in Batman Team-up book Brave and the Bold, and the Hawkman stories in The Atom and Hawkman.

The Hawkman stories are fine for the most part, if a bit formulaic. Hawkman and Hawkgirl fought a lot of Monsters of the Month although they also took on some ordinary Earth gangsters. The stories are okay okay, but almost totally forgettable. What does stand out in the Hawkman solo series is Shayera. She does emerge as one of the strongest female characters in the Silver Age. Even though her portrayal isn't perfect, it certainly beat the way that Sue Richards was being handled over at Marvel. She's smart, resourceful, and capable of saving the day and really the book would have benefitted had the series been called Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

My one favorite stand out story is Hawkman #13, "Quest of the Immortal Queen" where Hawkman's kidnapped by the interdimensional Queen of Asgard to become her latest husband until she gets bored with him. It was wild and it was too bad the rest of the book couldn't measure up.

The Atom and Hawkman books were of two types. First there were issues in which you got a short story with each and then you had team-up issues. We only get the Hawkman side of the solo stories. I thought the Solo Stories were fine. The Phantom Ghost two-parter was engaging. The team-ups didn't do anything for me. They never quite meshed or seemed to make sense as a team. The logic for the book seemed to be that you had two titles that weren't selling, so why not mix them together and see what happens.

The last story was interesting as it was campy, kooky, and no doubt the basis for a lot of "Jean Loring is crazy" stories to come over the decades.

Overall, these comics aren't bad, but for the most part, they're typical DC Silver Age comics. Shayera really does save the book from being dull, but there is better silver age material out there.