Hawkman: The Archives - Volume 2 — Gardner Fox

The Hawkman Archives, Volume 2 (DC Archive Editions). Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, January 1940, with a script by Gardner Fox and pencils by Denis Neville. Art chores were soon taken over by Shelly Moldoff, who in turn was replaced by Joe Kubert, who remained on the strip until its cancellation in 1949. At that time, the character was Carter Hall, a reincarnation of Egyptian Prince Khufu, whose previous life played a large role as a plot device, as with the heavy reliance on ancient weaponry and the ability to communicate with birds. He was joined soon by Hawkgirl in issue #24. A cornerstone member of the Justice Society of America, he appeared in All Star Comics from issue #1 until #57, its last. With the renewed interest in super-heroes at the beginning of the 1960s, Hawkman was revived by editor Julie Schwartz to flesh out his stable of new and updated super-heroes. A surprising number of elements remained the same, with solid scripts by Gardner Fox and classic art by Joe Kubert . . . Hawkman and Hawkgirl were back! This time, however, he wasn't exactly the Carter Hall readers remembered from comics' Golden Age; he was Katar Hal, visiting international policeman. Though now from another planet, he maintained an additional identity on Earth as a museum director, explaining his interest in ancient weapons that added to the strip's unique flavor. After a three-issue tryout period in The Brave and the Bold, Hawkman moved to Mystery in Space, to join DC's premier sci-fi hero Adam Strange. Hawkman at last gained his own magazine in 1964 with the character illustrated by the brilliant Murphy Anderson. And this is where we begin Volume Two.