Product Description: Instantly recognizable among comic fans, Hawkman is one of the most iconic heroes ever created. Inspired by tales as old as mankind and those much more recent, this four-color legend has left an indelible mark upon the comic industry. Behind a fabulous CLIFF CHIANG cover, this collection contains interviews and commentary from many who have helped Hawkman soar through the ages, including JOE KUBERT, GEOFF JOHNS, SHELLY MOLDOFF, TIMOTHY TRUMAN, JUSTIN GRAY, JIMMY PALMIOTTI, RAGS MORALES, STEPHEN SADOWSKI, DON KRAMER, BEN RAAB, TONY ISABELLA, DAN JURGENS, ROY THOMAS, STEVE LIEBER, MURPHY ANDERSON and many other top comics creators. Also included is a copious image parade, profiles on the Hawks through the ages, as well as their allies and adversaries, and a timeline of Hawkman's storied existence throughout the DC Comics Universe. With insight into the character and the creators who made him what he is, the HAWKMAN COMPANION is certain to please any Hawkfan. Written by Doug Zawisza.
Hawkman Flies High The "Hawkman Companion" is a very good book that tells of the history of Hawkman from the very befinning of the original conception of the character in the Golden Age, the 1940's, at DC Comics subsidiary publishing company All America Comics for the first issue of "Flash Comics."
It gives a good background on the original Golden Age Hawkman who was Museum Curator Carter Hall, a reincarnation of an Egyptian Prince. Hall finds this ancient Egyptian metal with the mystical properties of flight called the Ninth Metal. As an Egyptian Prince in ancient Egypt he and his people worshiped a hawk god. Fashioning a costume with large wings and with the use of the ninth metal to allow him to fly, Carter Hall becomes the masked mysterious crime fighter Hawkman.
He was later to be joined by girlfriend Shierra, who was the reincarnation of his wife in ancient Egypt. She becomes his partner the original Golden Age Hawkgirl.
The book then goes on to tell of and give background to the creation of the new Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl in the early 1960's at DC Comics by Editor Julie Schwartz.
Hawkman and Hawkgirl are taken out of the mystic realm of ancient Egypt and updated and put in the realm of science fiction.
The new Hawkman is a Thanagarian police oficer named Katar Hol accompanied by his wife and partner Sheirra Hol a Thanagarian policewoman, the new Silver Age Hawkgirl.
They come to Earth and take up residence in Midway City There to Earth police methods. Katar Hol takes up the identity of Midway Museum Curator Carter Hall assisted by his wife Shierra Hall. They secretly aid the Midway police in fighting crime as Hawkman and Hawkgirl.
This is a book worth looking into.
How the Hawkman protagonist emerged to influence the comic world Hawkman is a notable comic and this collection of Hawkman adventures and insights blends new interviews and commentary from those who have created Hawkman. Black and white illustrations throughout pack a survey revealing how the Hawkman protagonist emerged to influence the comic world.
Enjoyable read for Hawkman fans I'll preface my review by saying that Hawkman (and Hawkgirl/woman) has always been my favorite comic book character, so picking this up wasn't a tough decision. That said, I had modest to low expectations but thought it would be fun to flip through.
To my surprise, the "behind the scenes" information was really enjoyable and, in some case, eye opening. The interviews with creators like Richard Howell, Joe Kubert, Tony Isabella, etc. all contained interesting tidbits - creative, political, historical, etc. The character's convoluted continuity and uneven (often poor) sales history is more understandable after reading the book. Many of the interviewees were very candid (Timothy Truman's and Sheld Moldoff's in particular).
In addition to the many interviews, the book covers the history of the characters - both major and relatively minor appearances. Fairly detailed synopses are provided for most story lines, though the many appearances in the "Justice League of America" title are given little coverage (with a pointer to another Companion book instead). Some time is also spent on animated appearances (Superfriends, Justice League Unlimited, etc.) as well as merchandising.
The book isn't perfect, but the shortcomings are minor:
*Lack of color interiors is a little disappointing in a book about color comics. *There are a fair number of typos, grammatical errors, etc. (I admit I'm a bit nit picky when it comes to these things.) *I would have preferred a slightly different organization scheme. The book sprinkles bios of Hawkman friends and foes throughout the book (e.g., a "side-bar" page about the Atom, Adam Strange, etc.) - I would have preferred a more flowing narrative with appendixes for that type of information. I hesitate to include this is a "flaw" - it may be nothing more than personal preference, but I found it a bit disruptive.
Despite the minor flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to any fan of the character.
Anything Goes Trivia
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Trevor
