Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

Hope you had a great day and get to enjoy some delicious food!

Strange World Trailer, My Thoughts

It is said that family is stronger when it is together. That when a family stands together can handle about anything. The Clade family seem to be proof of that. The Clades are a family of explorers and adventurers. The family could tell stories about the things they discovered and the adventures they said. However, Searcher Clade never had that desire to chart the unknown. He just wanted to farm. But it looks like he may have to take up the family business when the family takes on a mission to the land of Avalonia.

Directed by Don Hall and written by Qui Ngyuen, Strange World will be the 61st film in the Disney Animated Canon. It'll also feature the voices of Lucy Liu, Gabrielle Union, Dennis Quaid, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Let's look at the trailer!

"Ah, a nice day on the farm. Perfectly normal, no crazy stuff happening. I love this."

Have you ever wondered...how Mick Foley is not dead? I've thought about that a lot.

That's a nice-looking compass. I want it.

An airship? Ah, this must be Cid's doing. 

"I just want to grow my vegetables, lady!"

This reminds me of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I would not be surprised if that movie was an inspiration for this.

That dude needs a punch.

From what I understand, the character of Ethan Clade (voiced by Jaboukie Young-White) will be the first LGBTQ+ character in the Disney Animated Canon. Awesome.

That dude's got the right idea.

Man, what did the Clades do to make Avalonia that mad?

And of course, you have to have your cute mascot character. A Disney tradition.

Well, this looks like a fun little film. I get the feeling this film will use an epic adventure to explore the theme of generational trauma. Which I can imagine would happen to a child of a legendary adventurer. The film's cast looks solid, and I think this will be a great watch. 

Thanks for reading this blog entry. If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Black Panther #1 (January 1977)

In honor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's 30th film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being released, I thought that this week, it would be neat to take a look at a comic starring the titular character. T'Challa has graced this blog before. Back in August 2020, I took a look at the first issue of his 1998 series. The next month, I looked at the follow-up. And back in June 2017, I looked at Jungle Action #6 (September 1973), the beginning of the epic "Panther's Rage" story.

The comic we're looking at here is the first issue of his first ongoing series. At this time, Black Panther had most recently appeared in the Jungle Action series after serving a tenure in the Avengers. He had been the protagonist of an epic multi-issue critically-acclaimed adventure known as "Panther's Rage". Sales of the Jungle Action series were low, but the book did find an audience among college students. This drove Marvel to relaunch the Panther into his own ongoing solo. But instead of bringing Don McGregor (the writer of "Panther's Rage") on board to write the book (or any of the artists who worked on "Panther's Rage": Rich Buckler, Billy Graham, Gil Kane), Marvel brought in the Panther's co-creator Jack Kirby to write and draw the book.

Kirby had been working for DC for a while at this time, and he wasn't the happiest about doing this series. This was because he wanted to create new characters and not revisit some of his old hits. This series would last 15 issues, with Kirby writing, drawing, and editing 12 of them. Ed Hannigan (writer), Jerry Bingham (penciler), and Roger Stern (editor) would work the remaining three. So, with that out of the way, let's look at Black Panther #1!

The cover is a Jack Kirby and John Verpoorten piece. 

"King Solomon's Frog!"
Writer: Jack Kirby
Penciler: Jack Kirby
Inker: Mike Royer
Colorist: Dave Hunt
Letterer: Mike Royer
Editors: Jack Kirby, Archie Goodwin
Editor-in-Chief: Archie Goodwin 

The story begins with Black Panther and a new friend of his encountering a man holding what looks like a small golden frog statue.

His eyes had seen some things...

The Panther notices that the holder of the little frog is dead, clearly due to a sword being thrust through his chest. That'll do the job.

The Panther's new friend takes the frog. He identifies the dead man as a Mr. Alfred Queely, a reclusive collector...and a thief. Abner Little, the Panther's new friend, believes that Queely died because of the frog. Our man T'Challa notices that the wound is fresh. Fresh enough that Queely was killed only moments before Panther and Little arrived. Sure enough, the perpetrator strikes, eager to take T'Challa's head.

Talk about going in over the head...

The King of Wakanda fights off the assilant, who flees with the aid of a window. As in he jumps through it. Little believes that Queely's killer was from the past. How does he know that? Because he knows about the little frog. You see, this frog was not just an adorable little trinket. It was once owned by T'Challa's grandfather Azzuri the Wise. And the frog itself is actually a time machine.

He gives T'Challa an eyepiece to examine the frog. T'Challa discovers that the eyepiece is a scanner, revealing that the frog contains advanced Kirbyian technology.

I think there's a flux capacitor in there.

Befitting his name, Azzuri was wise enough to know such a device was not to be messed with. He had the frog buried. However, it got exacavated again and passed to various owners over the years, leading to disaster for all of them. They alert the police to Queely's fate, then leave in a jetcopter that Little owns. Little had been seeking the frog himself. Like Azzuri the Wise, he has no intention of messing with the little trinket. He wants to return it to its original home: the burial chamber of one King Solomon. As in the Biblical figure.

A strange craft flies up to the jetcopter, intent on literally plucking it out of the sky.

However, Abner Little is not one to be caught with his pants down. His little jetcopter is armed with some missiles, which he uses to blow the craft out of the sky.

With a reprieve now granted, Little is able to explain the history of the brass frog. Its creator is unknown, it's known first appearance was a royal gift to King Solomon. The group of thieves to raid his tomb found the frog. One of them summoned a monster from another time, which ended up causing a rampage.

This is what happens when you don't let a monster have their coffee...

Little explains that this inspired the legend of Aladdin and the Genie (The comic mistakenly refers to 'Ali Baba'). The frog is also the reason that a monster is believed to reside in a certain lake in Scotland. But whoever is after the frog has more than just a big plane-eating flying machine at their disposal. As is demonstrated.

"This is the sky police! Pull over on that cloud!"

The jetpack troopers surround the ship, but Little and T'Challa escape thanks to the jetcopter going to supersonic speed. 

The jetcopter then lands inside a giant pit carved by the forces of Mother Nature herself. T'Challa senses there are others here. Little thinks it's impossible, but he doesn't doubt the Wakandan's words. After all, it's not his fellow Collectors don't have the resources to find this place as well... 

T'Challa sees his companion get shot, and brawls with the killers. A woman then blasts the Panther from behind, revealing herself to be a Princess Zanda, who herself is after the time-traveling frog.

"Now I just need the golden lizard, and my diorama is complete!"

It's revealed that King Solomon's Tomb contains the control code needed to control the frog's time-travel capabilities. Zanda asks T'Challa to join her, but he refuses. She tries to convince him that Abner Little was lying to T'Challa about wanting to return the frog to the tomb to keep its power out of humanity's hands. She claims that he wanted the control code from himself and would have killed T'Challa once he got it. The Black Panther still refuses, kicking the frog out of her hand. He catches the frog, threatening to destroy it. Then it would not matter who gets the frog, or their motives. It gets shot out of his hand, and the landing triggers the frog's time-travel mechanism. The story ends with the trinket bringing to the present a surprise from the sands of time.

Pizza deliverers in the future are WEEEEIRD...

Well, that wasn't quite what I expected. 

I admit, I enjoyed this comic. It's neat seeing T'Challa playing the role of the globetrotting adventurer. Although I admit, having had read Panther's Rage before this, I did feel a bit of whiplash. It seems like a radical tone change. I can't help but wonder what it would have been like if Don McGregor had been given the writing job. On its own, this comic is an action-packed adventure tale with our man Panther playing the role of sidekick to the quest of Abner Little. And speaking of Little, it is pretty neat seeing an adventurer who is also a dwarf, even though his surname is a bit...on the nose. It is a fun story with Kirby's art being as dynamic as ever.

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2020 trade paperback Black Panther Epic Collection Vol. 2: Revenge of the Black Panther. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Shazam: Fury of the Gods Trailer, My Thoughts

In 2019, the world got to experience the Power of Shazam on the silver screen in the form of the DC Cinematic Universe's 7th film: Shazam! Starring Asher Angel and Zachary Levi as Billy Batson/Captain Marvel, it told the tale of his debut battling Mark Strong's Dr. Thaddeus Bodog Sivana as he planned to unleash the Seven Deadly Sins on the world.

The film was a box office success, making $366 million on an $80-100 million dollar budget. Critics praised the film for its fun tone and performances by Angel and Levi, as well as the directing of David F. Sandberg. I personally agree, it's a very fun film. Between this, Aquaman, and the first Wonder Woman movie, I felt the DC Cinematic Universe was getting on track. Let's look at the trailer!

Aww, don't feel bad, Billy. You're doing fine so far.

You did help stop those monsters and put Sivana in jail in the last movie, Billy. You did contribute that.

True, Billy. But you don't suck. And you don't look like a goof when you run like he does.

...I ask again, why couldn't the DCCU Trinity be Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Captain Marvel? I am not calling it the DC Extended Universe. What is it an extension of?!

(explain it)

Ow. Good thing you got the Stamina of Atlas and the Strength of Hercules there, buddy.

The Justice League really need a psychiatrist.

Somebody told them Billy owed them money, didn't they? 

You see, Helen Mirren, who plays Hespera, was in the Fast films. Get it?

The Saga of the Original Human Torch #1 (April 1990)

When you think of the modern Marvel Universe, who do you think of? Teams like the Avengers, maybe? The X-Men? The Fantastic Four? Individual heroes, like Spider-Man? Wolverine? Captain Marvel? It's understandable. After all, the Marvel Universe is filled with heroes from a wide variety of walks of life. 

But even the fictional Marvel Universe had to start somewhere. And for the Marvel Universe, its start came with a man of flame. The first Human Torch: Jim Hammond. "But wait!", you may ask. "Isn't Johnny Storm the Human Torch?" Well, yes. He is. But he was arguably Marvel's first legacy hero. He was actually the second Human Torch. Jim Hammond, the first Human Torch, debuted in Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939). Created by writer/artist Carl Burgos, the Torch was originally portrayed as a Frankensteinian monstrosity, but quickly evolved into a superhero. In the Golden Age of comics, Hammond was one of the heroes that regularly fought criminals and Nazis alongside other Timely Comics (Timely was Marvel Comics' predecessor) heroes like Captain America and Namor the Sub-Mariner. 

In the 1960s and 1970s, Hammond would be revived as a member of the Invaders, who in-universe was a superhero team who fought in WWII. You can learn more about them here. Unlike his fellow Invaders Cap and Namor, Jim Hammond would not play much of a major role in the MU post-WWII. He would be around, having been a former Hero for Hire and a West Coast Avenger, but the man never seemed to reach as high a profile as his fellow Invaders. Heck, in the MCU, the only mention of him was his being seen in his tube in Captain America: The First Avenger as an Easter egg. So, I thought that this week, it would be cool to take a look at a comic starring him.

The comic we're looking at today is the first issue of a 1990 miniseries that basically retold the history of Jim Hammond's life up to that point. At the time, the character had been revived and joined up with the West Coast Avengers. I have no idea how this miniseries came about; I couldn't really find anything about it. Sorry about that. Anyway, let's take a look at Saga of the Original Human Torch #1!

 

The cover is a Rich Buckler and Danny Bulanadi piece. It's really cool. It depicts our man Jimmy burning his way through a steel plate to get at the viewer. What I didn't realize when I first looked at this cover a long time ago is that this is an updated take on the classic cover to Marvel Comics #1.

In the original version of the cover, the viewer sees the Torch menacingly approaching a gunman. It was like we were a witness to the Torch's actions. But this cover gives us it from the gunman's point of view. The pose is changed, but the look on his face and the change in view helps continue the feeling of menace from the original cover. 

"The Lighted Torch"
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciler: Rich Buckler
Inker: Danny Bulanadi
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Editors: Ralph Macchio, Mike Rockwitz
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with a man. A man named Phineas Horton. 

The year is 1939. Horton has spent much of the year on a labor that he has grown obsessed with: the creation of a synthetic man. A man who would be at first glance just another ordinary person, but would be made of steel and wires instead of flesh and blood. Later, Horton calls a press conference, where he unveils his creation. The reporters are not impressed. After all, Horton's synthetic man looks like a blond dude in red pajamas. Nothing special.

Horton then puts some oxygen in the tube the man is inside, and an age starts with a burst of flame.

The reporters point out that the artificial man could fall into the wrong hands, that he could get someone killed. Horton refuses to destroy the Human Torch, as he's an incredible scientific wonder. The reporters vow to use the power of the press to make him destroy the Torch. Horton isn't worried. After all, there's a big crisis coming, and surely that would take all the press's attention.

However, the reporters' vow ends up prophetic. Horton is forced to bury the Torch in concrete. He prepared for this. The Torch's tube is equipped with a radio and a recording device, so the first Marvel hero wouldn't be left unaware of what was going on around him. Notably the fires of World War II consuming Europe.

Thanks to a crack in the concrete, and a leak in his tube, oxygen slowly seeps in, allowing the Torch to reignite himself and escape.

The Human Torch...lives again!

Horton hears the explosion and tells the Torch to stay still. The future Invader and West Coast Avenger isn't listening. He flees into town. He sets alight everything around him because he isn't able to control his flames. Some firemen try to blast him with a hose, but all it does is create a lot of steam. The Torch makes his way to a pool and dives in, hoping the pool will be able to do what a fire hose could not. It's here another player makes his move.

Meet Anthony Sardo. He's a gangster and racketeer. He has his men put the winter cover over the pool, trapping the now-inert Torch. Sardo sees the Torch as a bit of a godsend. You see, Sardo is running a protection racket. Basically, if a business doesn't give him money, he has their business attacked. And the Torch could be the potentially best enforcer Sardo could have. Sardo and his men take the Torch to a warehouse and unleash him. The Torch wonders why Sardo would leave him there. He realizes Sardo was not a good guy and flees, discovering that he can fly.

A furious Torch spots and flies after Sardo, pursuing him to his home. Torch searches for the racketeer, not realizing that the man has fled to a bomb shelter. The Torch ends up unintentionally setting Sardo's house ablaze. Remember, at this point, he can't control his power. The artificial man deals with Sardo's men, then returns to Sardo's burning home. 

Sardo thinks he's safe in his bomb shelter, the only way in or out being a thick steel door. But he learns the hard way that the Human Torch is not stopped so easily.

Sardo tries to shoot at the Torch, but the bullets melt before they can do any damage. He tries to hide behind a tank of what is presumably nitrogen. Sardo says "Nitro" in the comic, but since he fears it making him explode, I was thinking that he meant nitroglycerin. But then the Torch gets exposed to a gas in the tank. Nitrogen is a gas. Nitroglycerin is a liquid.

The Torch absorbs the nitro, his flames going out. Sardo tries to make a deal, but the Torch is not interested. Sardo tries to throw a container of sulfuric acid (the comic misspells it as "sulphuric") at him. But the heat the Torch puts out makes the tank explode, splashing and killing Sardo. Which makes sense, sulfuric acid is very corrosive. It causes severe chemical burns when exposed to flesh. 

The Torch tests out a theory. He further exposes himself to nitrogen gas and discovers that it's now allowed him to control his flame powers. He can even create and throw fireballs. He makes his way out of the mansion, to see some of New York's Finest at the scene.

The Torch surrenders and demonstrates that his powers are under control now. The police return the Torch to Horton. Horton believes he can make a fortune with the Torch. However, the man of fire is not fond of the idea. He's seen firefighters and police officers in action, willingly risk their lives to help others without desire for fortune. It's lit another kind of spark in the Torch's fiery heart. He wants to do the same himself. He wants to be a hero. With a goodbye, he flies out of Horton's home, unknowingly setting it ablaze, too.

And with that, a new age of superheroes is born, and it's looking bright!

I admit, I enjoyed this comic. I think Roy Thomas does a rather good job updating the events of Jim's story in Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939). It still does have a bit of that Golden Age goofiness, though. But that's fine here. It doesn't break the story for me. Rich Buckler's art was also really well-done. I have pointed out in my review of Giant-Size Invaders #1 (June 1975) that Frank Springer's art helped fit the Golden Age style, which fit a series set in the 1940s. Buckler's art also gives me a similar vibe, but it feels more like a modernized take on the art styles of that era, if that makes any sense.

Jim Hammond's origins had been retold in stories before and since this comic. Often, these retellings were from different perspectives and added new details. For example, it was revealed in Invaders #22 (November 1977) that Horton worked alongside Fred Raymond (the father of the Torch's sidekick Toro) to develop Jim. Which is funny because that comic was written by Roy Thomas as well. Yet Raymond's involvement is not mentioned here. Weird. Maybe he forgot. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2014 trade paperback Sub-Mariner and the Original Human Torch. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Veterans' Day

Today is Veterans' Day.

On this day, we celebrate and thank those in the United States armed forces who served the country. The reason why Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th is because on this day in 1918, the Armistice with Germany went into effect, signaling the end of World War I. 

Hawkworld #1 (August 1989)

In the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC saw an opportunity to revamp and update many of its iconic heroes. One of those heroes was the high-flying mace-wielding alien avenger known as Hawkman. 

Hawkman, like many of DC's most iconic characters, has been around for a very long time. The original version of Hawkman debuted in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940). This Hawkman was Carter Hall, an archaeologist who was the reincarnation of an Ancient Egyptian prince named Khufu. This Hawkman used ancient weapons (most iconically a mace with a spiked head) and a winged harness made of a special material called Nth Metal (originally "ninth metal") to fly. He would go on to be a member of the Justice Society of America.

In the 1960s, Hawkman was one of the heroes DC revamped for the Silver Age. As such, a new Hawkman debuted in The Brave and the Bold #34 (February-March 1964). This Hawkman was Katar Hol, an alien policeman from the planet Thanagar. Like his Golden Age counterpart, Hol would end up a museum curator, using the alias "Carter Hall" to live amongst humans. And also like his Golden Age counterpart, he would be a member of a superhero team: the Justice League of America.

After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, many characters would get revamped to take advantage of the newly-unified singular DC Universe. Hawkman was one of them. Hawkman's Post-Crisis revamp was a three-issue prestige format miniseries called Hawkworld. The miniseries sold well, leading to an ongoing series of the same name. The Hawkworld ongoing (1990-1993) would last 32 issues and 3 annuals. Timothy Truman, the writer/artist of the miniseries would contribute plotting to the first six issues of the ongoing alongside John Ostrander, who would go on to write the rest of the series solo. 

The comic I'm looking at here is the first issue of the 1989 miniseries. Did this do a worthy job of reviving the Winged Warrior for the Post-Crisis DCU, or did it crash and burn like a badly-built spaceship? Let's find out in Hawkworld #1!

The cover is a Tim Truman piece. It's a bit basic, depicting Hawkman in a snazzy uniform and holding a gun. It gives me the vibe of a pulp novel cover. 

"Flashzone"
Writer: Tim Truman
Penciler: Tim Truman
Inker: Enrique Alcatena
Colorist: Sam Parsons
Letterer: Tim Hawkins
Editors: Mike Gold, Katie Main, Brian Augustyn
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins on naturally...a bird. A bird being consumed by a lizard-like alien residing in a slum/poor village-like area of the planet Thanagar. He is sent scattering by a helicopter in the sky. 

"Yeah, helicopter!"

The occupants are military men, there to perform an operation. One of these soldiers is a young ensign named Katar Hol. Hol notices a large statue in the area, and realizes that the statue is of Kalmoran, an ancient Thanagarian hero. His commander reminds him that he's not an academic anymore. Hol has a small statue of the man himself around his neck. The helicopter arrives at its intended location. Another soldier, named Kragger, offers Katar a pill to help with some presumed nausea. But Katar's good. 

He and Katar fly out on their antigrav wings alongside their squad, and they find their target.

"I just wanted some cheese, man!"

Katar is a bit puzzled.

You see, humans live "topside". Hol was unaware there were any down here. Kragger basically tells him, "Oh there are plenty, but he got no wings like us, so he's a dead man." The target puts a gun to a child's head. The commander, Byth, orders a full assault on the building. Kragger and Hol make their way inside and find their man. The man tries to peacefully surrender, saying he just wants to see Byth. Kragger just blasts him, thankfully missing the child. Kragger takes some children out of the building, while Hol looks around. He notices a blank poster on the wall, and it gets him suspicious.

Hol tears it away, revealing a hidden arms cache. Byth compliments Hol on the find. Hol asks who the man was, as he seemed to know Byth. Byth tells him that he's just some psycho, and he's known to a lot of these people down here...because he killed many of their friends. Welcome to Thanagar's police force, Katar Hol. Welcome to the Wingmen.

Byth points out that Hol came from Thanagar's aristocratic class. He's the son of Paran Hol, a major figure on Thanagar. He comes from a world of no crime and suffering. Living in peace and plenty. But there's a price for that: The Downside. And Hol does not belong here. Katar leaves on a craft, clearly haunted by what he saw. 

The Wingman heads home, his domicile filled with artifacts and books. He finds some nice clothes hanging. 

Threads by Karlus Torn of Polara.

They were pressed for him as Paran wants him to attend a party. Katar ends up taking a pill Kragger offered him to get him through it. At the party, Paran introduces Katar to some other people: Commissioner Andar Pul, Administrator Thal Porvis...and his daughter Shayera.

Thal offers the Hols some Polaran wine. Katar asks if Thanagarians make their own wine anymore. The group engages in some small talk about Katar's potential future in the Wingmen. Shayera asks Katar if he's a collector, and Paran brags about his son's home being a practical museum of Thanagar's past. Shayera remarks that she is a collector as well and asks to dance. Katar finds himself dancing with her. She asks if Katar resents offworlders, but it's...not that simple.

Katar points out to her that everything around them is made by offworlders. The music, the wine, the goblets they're drank in, the clothes they wear. None of it Thanagarian. Paran Hol created the wings the Thanagarians use, the last innovation they can call their own. While they dance, the two accidentally bump into an alien waiter, causing him to spill the contents of his tray. 

"YOU HAVE TO PUT WET FLOOR SIGNS ON FRESHLY MOPPED FLOORS!"

Shayera's dress gets stained, and she is infuriated. The redhead attacks the waiter, screaming that her dress is basically worth more than him. The manager assures Shayera the waiter will be punished for this, despite it not being his fault. As she returns to her table, Andar and Polvis grumble about the alien species the waiter is from. Paran is more sympathetic to the waiter's plight, though. 

The next day, Katar goes on patrol with Kragger. The Wingmen have discovered that someone has been passing down weapons to the people in the Downside, and they're looking into who is doing so. The two find a potential lead. 

Meet Kutch'm "Kutchie" Ht'tar. Katar wants to ask him a few questions, but Kutchie is in no mood to do so.

Kragger takes the phrase "shoot in the foot" literally with the green alien. he then starts trying to beat some answers out of the alien...only for the two Wingmen to get ambushed. The two Wingmen fight back, only for Kragger to end up shot and killed. Katar takes his body away, much to the delight of the weapon supplier.

Yeah, Byth himself is the supplier. We then switch scenes to an island where Carter, Shayera, and Porvis are doing a bit of hunting. Provis provides a rifle to Carter, but he's got one of his own. An Impirium model Thanagarian-made rifle. Porvis flies off, leaving Shay and Carter to bond a bit. The two find a statue of Kalmoran on the island. Shayera's never seen it before. Carter explains the island they were standing on was where Kalmoran died. 

Back then, Thanagar was part of an empire as well, but not as the head...as one of the member planets. He was a slave of the Polarans. He killed his master, raised an army, and razed the Polaran homeworld. He had no interest in ruling the planet, he just wanted freedom. He came back to Thanagar and built a wonderous city. An elderly Kalmoran came to the island Katar and Shayera are on now. Joined by his beloved queen, he laid in her arms, looked back on all he had achieved, and then died. 

Shayera snidely calls it romantic, and then offers him a pill. He turns it down. The two find some ape-like beings on the island. Katar notes that they're foraging. He's fascinated by it, as it's something he's never seen before. Shayera shoots at them. She wounds one of the beings, and Katar goes to finish it off. He tracks the wounded creature to a cave. he finds the creature's mate and child...as well as wall drawing implying to be made by the creatures.

The story ends with a horrified Katar leaves the cave, and he leaves his gun and the little necklace of Kalmoran he wears on the statue.

I really like this comic. I think it's a fantastic, modernized take on the origins of the Silver Age-era alien Hawkman. I liked that the comic touched on themes of class inequality, and also touched on the irony of Thanagar, once an enslaved planet, now enslaving other worlds itself. The post-Crisis Katar Hol is shown to be a child of privilege, an avid student of history, fond of studying the past of Thanagar. One thing I did notice was characters like Kragger and Shayera casually using and offering various drugs to Katar, as if the Thanagarians' lives are so empty that they need drugs just to actually feel anything. It's...somewhat sad.

Truman also did the art for the comic. It's really nice, with a very moody vibe. The details in it kind of remind me of Murphy Anderson. I don't really talk about colorists often, but the colors also help contribute to the moody vibe of the art. 

Hawkworld would unintentionally end up causing some problems with Hawkman's history. You see, in the late 80s, a lot of characters were being given revamped origins. John Byrne's The Man of Steel, Miller and Mazzucchelli's Batman: Year One, Jones, Giffen, and Priest's Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn, etc. Hawkworld was intended to be set in the past, like those miniseries. However, DC decided to use the mini to reboot the Hawkman mythos, much like they did with Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel. Problem was, by the time this miniseries came out, Hawkman had already spent time briefly in the JLI. This reboot would render not just all of Hawkman's Silver/Bronze Age history non-canon, but his Golden Age history non-canon as well. 

Future creators tried to fix it, but it got so bad that for a time, the character was considered "radioactive" by DC editorial. That meant creators were not allowed to use the character in anything. This is what led to the introduction of the angel Zauriel in Grant Morrison's JLA run. They had originally intended him to be Hawkman. Hawkman would properly return in Geoff Johns's JSA book.

In my opinion, the Hawkworld miniseries is a hidden gem of 80s DC. If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2014 trade paperback Hawkworld. Thanks for reading this blog entry!