The Complete Guide to the History of Hawkman and Hawkgirl (1940-2023)

   Hawkman and Hawkgirl are two of the most iconic characters in American comics history. In the 80+ years since their first appearances, there have been over 600 comics that featured one or both heroes. They have also been a part of many superhero teams and numerous crisis/crossover events that DC Comics has specialized in over the last few decades. They have been through many reboots, rewrites, and restarts. For a new comic book reader, it's natural not to know where to start with a character that has been around for 80+ years. That's where I come in! I have been a Hawk fan since 1977 when I discovered Hawkman on the back of an out-of-date 1976 DC Calendar. I have followed the twists, turns, flips, and flops over the years to keep it in order. This article is to help you see the amazing journey that these two characters have been on. I'll post a link to the list of comic books that they have a prominent role in, so if you want to look for something and the dates, you'll probably find it there. Enjoy the journey! 

Prelude: The Origin of Hawkman and Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman
Chapter 1: Carter Hall I and Shiera Sanders (1939-1994)
Chapter 2: Katar Hol I and Shayera Hol I (1961-1987, 2015)
Chapter 3: Katar Hol II and Shayera Thal (1989-1996, 2003-2005)
Chapter 4: Carter Hall II and Kendra Saunders I (1999-2010)
Chapter 5: Katar Hol III and Kendra Munoz-Saunders (2011-2018)
Chapter 6: Carter Hall III, Shayera Hol II, Kendra Saunders II (2018-present) 

Prelude: The Origin of Hawkman and Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman

Cover/Center page by Bryan Hitch / Art on right by Fernando Pasarin

   Before we start with the first appearance of the Hawks in 1939, let's look at the origin that was revealed in the Hawkman series by Robert Venditti (2018-2021). This origin is vital because it helps us understand the story of the Hawks as we go through their history. The true origins of Hawkman and Hawkwoman are revealed in Hawkman Vol. V No. 7 and No. 25. 
   At the beginning of man, Ktar (Hawkman) was created by an evil entity called the Lord of the Void to conquer planets and sacrifice lives to his lord. He was the general of the Deathbringers, an army of winged soldiers and giant robots that killed and destroyed as they went. They conquered many planets; Thanagar, Earth, Rann, Krypton, Qward, Starhaven, and countless others. Ktar and his army murdered billions and billions of people as a sacrifice to his lord. But then two things happened. First, Ktar suddenly began to question his existence and why he was endlessly killing innocent lives. Although he had been created to serve his lord, he was starting to question it. Second, a red-haired woman named Shrra (her name is revealed in Hawkman No. 22) mysteriously began to appear before Ktar on each planet. Her presence was what pushed Ktar away from the control of his master and made him realize that the killing must be stopped. In issue No. 25, it is revealed that Shrra (Hawkwoman) was a herald angel who served a being that appears to be God. She saw something good in Ktar and interfered with God's plans by helping Ktar defeat the Deathbringers and send them into another dimension, preventing the Lord of the Void from entering their universe and destroying it. 

Art: Bryan Hitch / Writer: Robert Venditti

   During the battle with the Deathbringers, Ktar was mortally wounded. With Shrra at his side and holding his hand, he died and awoke to find himself standing in a vast field of skulls, all his victims. A god-like entity (identity is never revealed) appeared before him and said that he had sensed something good in Ktar, so he gave him a choice; pass into the unlife or receive the power of reincarnation. He would live to save lives and he would continue to reincarnate until he had saved as many lives as he had taken, no matter how long it took. Ktar accepted the power and his cycle of reincarnation began. 
Note: writer Robert Venditti has mentioned in interviews that he thought of Ktar as a "reverse-Lucifer," Instead of being made to serve God and then turn evil, Ktar was created to serve a demon-god but rebelled and turned good. 

Art: Marco Castiello / Writer: Robert Venditti 

   Hawkwoman first appears in the Hawkman Vol. V series in issue No. 18 and her true origin is finally revealed in issue No. 25. Shrra was a herald of God and she had been assigned to watch over Ktar so that he would not interfere with God's plans (never revealed). However, Shrra saw something good in Ktar and helped him find the will to go against the Lord of the Void and defeat the Deathbringers. As punishment for disobeying God, she was stripped of her wings and turned into a mortal. She was also condemned to follow Ktar through reincarnation, dying over and over again, until he atoned for all the death he had caused. Shrra vowed to complete the task with Ktar and stand before her God once again. This is how the reincarnation cycle of Hawkman and Hawkwoman began. 

The Ocean Theory and Memory Triggers

   Over the years, there have been times when there were two different versions of Hawkman in the same story. There have also been times when there were new revelations about his past lives, or Hawkman never made any reference at all to his past lives. How can this be? Why wouldn't he remember? How could there be two Hawkmen talking to each other? There are two theories to keep in mind as we read Hawkman's stories. 

Hawkman Vol. V No. 5 (2018)

   In Hawkman Vol. V No. 5 (2018), Atom (Ray Palmer) explains how Hawkman is able to visit with his past selves. Instead of the river theory, where time flows in only one direction, Atom describes the Ocean Theory. Basically, each life is on the surface of the ocean and an event or trip back in time can cause ripples in the water so that the two lives interact with each other. This theory would explain how the Golden Age Hawkman and Silver Age Hawkman met each other during the JSA/JLA crossovers. Atom even says that Hawkman's lives may not have happened in chronological order. Let that bend your mind. 

Hawkman Vol. V No. 5 (2018)

   Atom also describes how Hawkman has left behind a part of his consciousness in each life which explains why he can't remember some of his lives. An item or a place would act as a memory trigger and help him remember a past life. We saw this happen in the very first story of Hawkman in Flash Comics No. 1 (1940) when Carter Hall remembers his past life as Prince Khufu when he comes into contact with a Nth metal knife.
   With these two theories in mind, let's go through the histories of Hawkman and Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman. There have been six main stages of the Hawks over the years. 
Note: In the article, I have placed links to the comics where certain events happened. The link logo is (*). Clicking on the (*) link will take you to the issue the event happened in. 

Chapter 1: Carter Hall I and Shiera Sanders (1939-1994)

First Appearance: Flash Comics (January 1940)
Origin: Prince Khufu and Chay-ara of Ancient Egypt

Base: Earth-2, New York City, Chicago

Team: Justice Society of America, All-Star Squadron

Sandy Jarrell

   Carter Hall was a wealthy artifacts collector and research scientist in New York City. An archaeologist sent him a package that contained an Nth metal knife which caused Carter to fall into a deep sleep. He dreamt about his past life as an Egyptian prince named Prince Khufu. Through the dream, he remembered his past, his eternal love for Chay-ara, and his death by Hath-Set. Carter Hall awoke from his dream and realized the power of the Nth metal. He believed that the Nth metal had given him the power to reincarnate and that it connected him and Chay-ara to Hath-set forever. During a subway disaster, he was reunited with Shiera Sanders, the reincarnation of Chay-ara. He also discovered that Hath-Set (now Anton Hastor) was behind the disaster. He designed a costume after the god Horus and used the Nth metal to fly. After defeating Hastor, Carter went on to develop many weapons with the Nth metal. (*) Shiera also joined his side as Hawkgirl.(*) Carter was a charter member of the Justice Society of America and served as its chairman for over eight years. In a retrospective series, Carter and Shiera were also members of the All-Star Squadron.

   Carter and Shiera were soon engaged and later married (never shown in the comics). During World War II, Carter joined the U.S. Air Force and served as a pilot while Shiera joined the Nurses Corp. It was also revealed that Shiera had inherited a fortune and owned a mansion where Carter and Shiera sometimes used to enjoy their time off together. (*) During a fight with the villain Ian Karkull, Carter and Shiera as well as the other members of the Justice Society were blasted by a strange energy that slowed down their aging process, keeping them young until the end of the 20th century. (*) Hawkman and Hawkgirl continued their adventures until 1951 when they were forced into retirement when the Joint Un-American Activities Committee ordered them to reveal their true identities.(*) 
   Carter and Shiera had one son, Hector. Hector joined the Infinity Inc. as the Silver Scarab, but he later adopted the identities of Sandman and Doctor Fate as well. He married Lyta Trevor, the daughter of the Golden Age Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. They had a son named Daniel, who is now the Dream of the Endless in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. (*) Carter and Shiera also had a godson named Norda Cantrell. He was a Human-Feitheran boy who was living with the Feitherans, a bird-like people in Iceland that the Halls often visited. Norda would eventually become Northwind. More on them later! 

Mike Machlan / Mike Machlan / Greg Capullo

   After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Carter and Shiera found themselves on a new Earth. Soon afterward, they were transported to Ragnarok with the other Justice Society members. They would remain there in an endless battle until 1992. (*) In 1992, they were finally able to escape and return to Earth during the Armageddon Inferno event. (*) Soon after, they met Katar Hol II and Shayera Thal of Thanagar in a brief battle. They would meet again in 1994 during the Zero Hour Crisis in Time. (*) During this event, Carter, Shiera, Katar Hol II, and a Hawk god were merged together. This formed a new Katar Hol but Shiera was killed in the process, while only Carter's consciousness remained in Katar. Carter and Shiera's story was not finished, but this ended the continuity of the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

Dan Jurgens

   The family of Carter and Shiera did not expand during the Golden Age, but it has been growing over the years. Speed Saunders, the adventurer/detective from the Golden Age of Detective Comics, was retconned as Shiera's cousin and Kendra Saunders' (Hawkgirl) grandfather. (*) The family has even reached into Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and other heroes' histories. With their reincarnation cycle reaching back thousands of years, there is a lot of potential for other heroes to have some kind of connection to the Hawks. The Hawk Family will continue to grow and expand as more about the Hawks' past is revealed. 

Important Moments:

1940: First appearance of Carter Hall/Prince Khufu, Shiera Sanders/Chaya-ara (*)
1940: First appearance of Nth Metal, Anton Hastor/Hath-Set (*)

1940: First appearance of a mace (actually a flail) (*)
1940: Poseidon gives Hawkman the power to breathe underwater (*)
1940: Hawkman joins the Justice Society (*)
1941: Shiera becomes Hawkgirl for the first time (*)
1941: Hawkman becomes the chairman of the Justice Society (*)
1941: Hawkman learns the bird language (*)
1941: Big Red's first appearance (*) 
1943: First appearance of an actual mace (*)
1945: First appearance of The Monocle (*)
1946: First appearance of the Feitherans (*)
1947: First appearance of The Gentleman Ghost (*)
1948: Hawkman wears the Yellow Cowl for the first time (*)
1963: First Justice League-Justice Society crossover (*)
1976: Justice Society returns in All-Star Comics (*)
1978: First appearance of Hawkman's metallic helmet designed by Shiera (*)
1981: Carter helps start the All-Star Squadron (*)
1982: Shiera joins the All-Star Squadron (*)
1986: Carter, Shiera, and the Justice Society trapped in a never-ending Ragnarok (*)
1992: Carter and Shiera return from Asgard (*)
1994: Carter is merged with Katar Hol II and a Hawk god, Shiera is killed (*) (*)

Comics series to find Carter Hall I and Shiera Hall I
   Flash Comics 1940-1949
   All-Star Comics 1940-1951
   The Big All-American Comic Book 1944
   JSA/JLA Crossover 1962-1986
   All-Star Comics 1976-1978
   Adventure Comics #461-466, 1978-1979
   All-Star Squadron 1981-1987
   Infinity Inc. 1984-1988
   America vs. the Justice Society of America 1985
   Last Days of the Justice Society of America 1986
   Justice Society of America 1991
   Armageddon Inferno 1992
   Justice Society of America 1992
   Sensation Comics 1999
   Thrilling Comics 1999
   All-Star Comics 80-page Giant 1999
   JSA Strange Adventures 2004-2005
   Convergence Justice Society of America 2015

Chapter 2: Katar Hol I and Shayera Hol I (1961-1987, 2015) 

First Appearance: The Brave and the Bold #34 (February-March 1961)
Origin: Katar Hol and Shayera Hol of Thanagar

Base: Earth-One (also known as Earth-1985), Midway City

Team: Justice League of America

   Katar Hol was born on the planet Thanagar, a utopian-like planet that had not seen any crime for centuries. His father was Paran Katar, a leading scientist and ornithologist. Nth metal gave them the power to negate gravity, so Paran invented wings to be able to fly with more speed and agility. When Katar was 18 years old, the planet was attacked by Man-Hawks, giant Hawk creatures with masks. Patar devised a helmet to help Katar and others defeat them, and this led to the creation of the winged forces of Thanagar. (*) A few years later, Katar was an officer on the winged police force, and he was paired up with a rookie officer named Shayera Thal. They gradually fell in love and Katar proposed to her in front of the Veil of Vallmora, a giant waterfall on Thanagar. (*)

   A few years later, a criminal named Byth escaped to Earth, and Katar and Shayera, who were now married, were assigned to capture him and bring him back. During their trip to Earth, they used the Absorbascon to learn Earth's culture, languages, and history. Byth was a shapeshifter so Katar figured it would take them a long time to capture him. With the help of Midway police commissioner George Emmett, they went undercover as Carter and Shiera Hall, museum curators for the Midway City Museum. They eventually captured Byth, but Katar was impressed by Earth's police force, so he decided to stay and learn more about their police methods. (*)
   They eventually caught the attention of the Justice League and Hawkman joined them in 1964 (*), but Hawkgirl was not invited until 1977 because of their similar powers. (*)

Justice League of America #31 (November 1964)

   In 1974, Hawkman and Hawkgirl were called back to Thanagar and Katar resigned from the Justice League. (*) After they returned, Thanagar was hit by the Equalizer Plague, a disease that stole everyone's individuality. Hawkman and Hawkgirl eventually got help from the other Justice League members to be cured of the disease and returned to Earth. (*) In 1978, they were caught up in a war between Thanagar and Rann. During the war, they discovered that the villain Hyathis had cured the Thanagarians of the Equalizer disease but had also become their ruler. During the battle, Hawkman saved Hyathis' life and ended the war. Hawkman refused to accept her as his ruler and the Hawks were banished from Thanagar. They settled on Earth permanently. (*)

Justice League of America #109 (Jan-Feb 1974)

   In 1982, Hawkman enlisted the help of Superman and Batman to finally overthrow Hyanthis (Hyathis). After defeating Hyanthis, the Thanagarians wanted Katar to take her place, but they wanted a dictatorship, so Katar refused the offer and returned to Earth. (*) Thanagar lost most of their science and technology during the Equalizer plague, so a group of Thanagarian spies came to Earth to steal the Thanagarian technology that Katar and Shayera had brought with them. This started the Shadow War of Hawkman and eventually led to the ruling council of Thanagar being overthrown again. The people of Thanagar once again asked Katar to be their ruler. Katar refused and left Thanagar for good. (*)

   At the same time, the Crisis of Infinite Earths threw everything into chaos. Katar and Shayera were on Earth-One (later retconned as Earth-1985). They discovered the coming Crisis (and the Convergence event). After stopping the enemies from destroying Gotham, they saw the apparent end of all things and flew up to meet it. This ended the story of Hawkman and Hawkwoman of the Silver-Bronze Age (1961-1987). (*)

Convergence Hawkman #2 (July 2015)

   This version of Hawkman and Hawkwoman is considered the most difficult to fit into DC continuity mainly because of two events: the Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985) and Hawkworld (1989-1993). The Crisis on Infinite Earths was published after The Shadow War of Hawkman and the Hawkman Special had been written. After CoIE, Hawkman Vol. 2 was released. Writer Tony Isabella has said that he wrote this as a stand-alone, with CoIE having no effect on the story. 
   Then in 1989, the Hawkworld series by Tim Truman was released. It was meant to be a darker, retro retelling of the Silver-Bronze Age Hawkman. The 3-issue series was a hit, so Hawkworld Vol. 2 started in 1990. But instead of being placed in the 1960s when the Silver Age Hawkman began, it was placed in current times. So now we had two Hawkmen from Thanagar. Since then, DC Comics has done four things to make it fit. (sorta)

Doomsday Clock #12 (February 2020)

1. The Golden Age Hawkman (Carter Hall I) and the Silver-Bronze age Hawkman were the same guy. He came out of retirement in the 60s to serve as an adviser for the Justice League. Paran Katar came to Earth in the 1930s and met Carter Hall I. Paran showed Carter how to use the Nth metal, and Carter inspired Paran to create the winged police force after returning to Thanagar. Paran also married a Cherokee Indian woman named Naomi and took her back to Thanagar with him, where she gave birth to Katar Hol II (the Hawkman of the Hawkworld series). (Source: Hawkman Vol. 2 Annual #1, 1990)

2. The Hawkman and Hawkwoman who appeared on Earth between 1987 and 1992 were revealed to be Fel Andar, a Thanagarian spy, and Sharon Parker, an Earth woman whom Andar brainwashed into believing they were the true Hawks. She was also the mother of New Earth's Golden Eagle. She discovered the truth and was murdered by Andar, but not before she revealed everything to the Martian Manhunter and Amanda Waller. (Source: Hawkworld Vol. 2 #23, 1992) 

3. Parts of Hawkman Vol. 2 now overlapped with the Fel Andar story, so Hawkman from the Vol. 2 series was placed on Earth-85, a non-continuity Earth. 

4. In the Doomsday Clock series, Earth-One which appeared during the Silver-Bronze age is now called Earth-1985, another reboot. (Source: Doomsday Clock #12, 2020)

Note: My own interpretation is that Earth-One (Earth-1985), Earth-85, and Convergence Hawkmen are one character. It's also good to remember that all of the Hawkmen and Hawkwomen are connected through the reincarnation cycle of Ktar the Deathbringer and Shrra the Herald. 

Important Moments:

1961: First appearance of Katar Hol I and Shayera Hol I (*)

1961: First appearances of Byth, Commissioner Emmett, Mavis Trent (*)

1961: First appearances of the Matter Master, Shadow Thief (*) (*)

1961: First appearance of the Absorbascon (*)

1962: Katar earns his Honor Wings (*)

1962: First appearance of the Man-Hawks (*)

1963: First meeting with Atom (Ray Palmer) (*)

1963: First meeting with Adam Strange (*)

1963: First appearance of I.Q. (*)

1964: Hawkman joins the Justice League (*)

1965: Carter Hall I and Katar Hol I in the same issue for the first time. (Don't meet!) (*)

1967: First appearance of Lion-Mane (*)

1974: Hawkman resigns from the Justice League (*)

1974: First appearance of the Golden Eagle (*)

1975: Equalizer plague hits Thanagar (*)

1975: Hawkman rejoins the Justice League (*)

1977: Hawkgirl joins the Justice League (*)

1978: Hyathis cures the Equalizer disease and becomes the ruler of Thanagar (*)

1978: Hyathis banishes Hawkman and Hawkgirl from Thanagar (*)

1979: Hawkman fights Superman with his Polaris Punch (*)

1979: Carter Hall I and Katar Hol I on the same cover for the first time (*)

1981: Hawkgirl saves Superman (*)

1981: Hawkgirl changes name to Hawkwoman (*)

1982: Hawkman, Superman, and Batman overthrow Hyanthis (*)

1986: First appearance of Deron Ved (Darkwing) (*)

1987: Thanagarians ask Katar Hol I to rule them but he refuses (*)

1987: First appearance of Hawk imposters Fel Andar and Sharon Parker (*)

2015: Katar Hol I and Shayera Hol I disappear with the apparent destruction of their universe (*) 

Crossover Events
   Zatanna's Search (1964): Zatanna debuts in Hawkman No. 4 (Oct-Nov 1964).
   Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985): Carter Hall I, Shiera Sanders, Katar Hol I and Shayera Hol I      end up on the same Earth after the event.

  

Comics series to find Katar Hol I and Shayera Hol I:

   The Brave and the Bold (1961-1982)
   Mystery in Space #87-90 (1963-1964)
   Hawkman Vol. 1 (1964-1968)
   Justice League of America (1964-1984)
   The Atom and Hawkman (1968-1969)
   Detective Comics (1972-1981)
   Showcase #101-103 (1978)
   World's Finest Comics (1979-1982)
   The Shadow War of Hawkman (1985)
   Hawkman Special (1986)
   Hawkman Vol. 2 (1986-1987)
   Convergence Hawkman (2015)

Chapter 3: Katar Hol II and Shayera Thal (1989-1996, 2003-2005)

 

First Appearance: Hawkworld Vol. 1 #1 (August 1989)
Origin: Katar Hol and Shayera Thal
Base: Thalrassa, Thanagar / Chicago, Illinois
Team: Justice League America

   Many centuries ago, the Thanagarians were enslaved by the Polara empire. One slave named Kalmoran rose up against the oppressors and led his fellow Thanagarians in a revolt. They eventually overthrew their rulers and returned to their homeworld of Thanagar. Kalmoran became their ruler and built great cities. Thanagar eventually became an imperialistic society and began conquering many worlds in the Polaris Galaxy. (*)

   In the early 20th century, a young scientist named Paran Katar traveled to Earth to scout the planet. While there, he met Carter and Shiera Hall, before they became the superheroes Hawkman and Hawkgirl. They had discovered the Nth metal from an archaeological site in Egypt but they were not sure how to use it. Paran showed Carter the powers it gave the wearer. (*) During this time with the Halls, Paran met one of their translators; a Cherokee woman named Naomi. They fell in love and were married. After a short while, Paran returned to Thanagar, taking Naomi with him. Paran went on to be a great scientist, using the Nth Metal to build the floating cities. Naomi hated life on Thanagar and when she became pregnant, she decided she would return to Earth with her child. Several months later, Naomi gave birth to a son and named him Katar after the Thanagarian tradition of giving the son the last name of the father. Paran refused to let Naomi take his son and he sent her back to Earth alone, and she was cut off from her son completely. (*)

From Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 6 (February 1994)

   On Thanagar, the winged forces were commanded by Commissioner Andar Pul. He became involved with a 13-year-old girl named Shayera Thal, the daughter of Thal Provis, the Administrator of Thanagar. Shayera became pregnant and gave birth to a girl. It would have been a huge scandal if the public found out, so Andar and Shayera abandoned their daughter in the Downside, the slum cities on the ground that were overrun by criminals and aliens who had been captured and brought in from other planets. (*) 

Hawkworld Vol. 2  No. 11 (May 1991)

   Katar grew up idolizing Kalmoran and desired for the authentic culture of Thanagar to be restored. He joined the wingmen police force and during his first mission in the Downside, he rescued a group of children from an arms smuggler. Drugs were rampant among those who lived in the floating cities, and Katar was no exception. At a party after his first mission, he was introduced to Thal Provis’ daughter, Shayera. She was a selfish, arrogant, and cruel woman who looked at the other aliens as worthless slaves. However, Paran and Thal hoped for Katar and Shayera to get together. (*) While the two were getting to know each other, Shayera was killed by a terrorist bombing. In trying to track down the killers, Katar mistakenly shot and killed Paran, his own father. It was revealed later that Byth, the commander of the wingmen, had set Katar up because he hated how Paran was always trying to help the aliens in the Downside and interfere with his smuggling operations. Katar was charged with the murder and sent to the penal island called the “Isle of Chance.” He would remain there for 10 years.

Hawkworld Vol. 1 No. 2 (September 1991)

   When Katar first arrived there, he noticed there were two aliens called Wingors living there. He discovered that one of them was building a set of wings. In a drug-addled state, Katar murdered the alien to take the wings for himself and escape the island, but the other alien revealed to him that his brother had been building the wings for Katar all along, as they already had organic wings on their back. The Wingor was a holy man named R’D Nar T’So and he became Katar’s teacher and mentor. Katar slowly recovered from his drug addiction, and he became skilled in the combat forms that T’So taught him. After a few years, T’So died, leaving Katar all alone on the island. (*)

   It was not long after, however, when he was finally released from the island. He was dropped off in the Downside, where he soon started an underground operation to help the aliens who were suffering under Thanagar’s rule. His operation eventually caught the attention of a winged officer named Shayera Thal.

Hawkworld Vol. 1 No. 3 (October 1989)

   Shayera Thal had been abandoned by her parents in the Downside but when she was still young, she was one of the children who was rescued by the police force during Katar’s first mission. She was taken to an orphanage in the high towers, but after her mother was killed in the terrorist bombing, her grandfather Thal Provis came looking for her. He gave her her mother’s name and raised her himself, but she had no knowledge of who her real parents were until much later. When she came of age, she joined the police force and soon became aware of Katar’s underground activities and suspected he was smuggling drugs and weapons.
   The two met for the first time when Shayera confronted Katar about his operation. She soon realized that Katar was working to help the sick and helpless aliens. Shayera discovered who Katar was and she revealed to him that she was one of the kids he saved during his first mission. Shayera gave a pair of wings to Katar so that he could finally confront Byth. After a massive battle, Byth was defeated but escaped to Earth. (*) Katar was celebrated as a hero on Thanagar and returned to the wingmen with Shayera as his partner. They were given the task of traveling to Earth to capture Byth and bring him back to Thanagar. (*)

Hawkworld Vol. 1 No. 3 (October 1989)

   After they arrived on Earth, they settled in Chicago where the Thanagarian ambassador to Earth was based. They joined Chicago’s police force and began to learn about America and its laws and customs. Katar was especially shocked by the Constitution of the United States. He wondered how such a fragile system with such lofty ideals could survive. A short time after they were there, they discovered the history of the Golden Age Hawkman and their connection to Paran Katar (see the Golden Age Hawkman/Carter Hall’s story). (*) Katar also discovered that he was half-human. They gradually rebelled against the Thanagarian government, so Andar Pol (Shayera’s father) sent Fel Andar (Shayera’s cousin) to kill them but they defeated him and sent him back to Thanagar. (*) Finally expressing their love for one other, Katar and Shayera wanted asylum on Earth, but the American government made a deal with Thanagar and ordered them to be arrested and sent back to Thanagar. Now fugitives, Katar and Shayera escaped into the Netherworld, a district in Chicago that was run by metahumans, psychics, and castoffs.

Hawkworld Vol. 2 No. 4 (September 1990)

   In Netherworld, they ran into the Count Viper, a villain with the ability to swap bodies with others. During a battle with the Count, Shayera appeared to have been killed and Katar was badly wounded. Carter Hall I came to Katar’s aid and took him to Naomi, Katar’s true mother. (*)

   

   Seven months later, Katar reappeared in a new costume with a deeper connection to animal avatars. (*) After defeating Count Viper, he was reunited with Shayera, but he began to struggle more and more with dreams of a Hawkgod, and the true nature of the being was revealed.

Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 6 (February 1994)

   According to Thanagarian theology, the beginning of Thanagar came from 14 gods; seven brothers and seven sisters who created Thanagar and the entire universe. Many millennia passed in harmony but the brothers and sisters began to fight and despise one another. After many centuries of war, they split into two groups, the seven virtuous beings chose realms of light and the seven sinful beings chose realms of darkness. The Thanagarians believed this to be heaven and hell, but Paran Katar believed them to be different dimensions that were held apart by time and energy. He also discovered that one of the virtuous beings, a Hawkgod, had been captured and chained in one of the dark realms, so Paran found a way to defy the laws of physics and make this Hawkgod the source of Nth metal’s anti-gravity power. (*) 

Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 12 (August 1994)

   About the time when the Zero Hour: Crisis in Time event started in 1994, everything started to get distorted. Disruptions in time began to be more frequent, and these disruptions caused the chained Hawkgod to start to gain back control. Anyone who wore the Nth metal was plagued by dreams and visions of the Hawkgod, as it started trying to use them to help him break free. Naomi buried Shayera’s wings and gravity belt in a pit as a ritual to appease the Hawkgod and save Katar and Shayera, but this gave the Hawkgod the power to finally break free and enter this realm. Katar used the full power of the Nth metal to draw the Hawkgod to him and the two begin to battle. During the battle, Carter Hall I and Shiera Sanders appeared with the Waverider who had discovered that some of the disruptions in time were being caused by the reincarnations of the Hawks over the centuries. Carter and Shiera joined Katar in the battle with the Hawkgod, as all the past forms of the Hawks were being pulled into one. As instructed by Katar, Mongrel, a mutant from the Netherworld with darkforce energy, blasted Katar, Carter, Shiera, and the Hawkgod to completely release it from its imprisonment. (*) (*) 

Zero Hour: Crisis in Time No. 3 (September 1994)

   This had several consequences. The Hawkgod passed through Katar, Carter, and Shiera and returned to its own Hawk realm. Carter and Shiera were apparently killed, but Carter’s consciousness was merged with Katar. Katar became a new version of Hawkman. He no longer needed metal wings but he had organic wings that grew out of his back as he needed them, and he also had the eyesight of a hawk which gave him the ability to read people’s auras. (*)

Hawkman Vol. 3 #0 (October 1994)

   Right after the Hawks were merged, Katar discovered that he was the sole beneficiary of Carter and Shiera Hall’s penthouse in the center of Chicago. He used this as his base for the remainder of the series. (*) But gradually, Katar’s ability to read other avatars drove him insane. In order to keep himself from killing others and to avoid going mad, Katar had the Martian Manhunter and Arion use their powers to send him to the Hawk realm. This essentially killed Katar Hol II. (*)

Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 33 (July 1996)

   As for Shayera, her relationship with Katar started to break down before Zero Hour. Katar became increasingly distant and unresponsive to Shayera. After he became a new Hawkman, he completely shunned her and she left Chicago. She moved to Detroit and joined the police force. She occasionally returned to Chicago but felt like she was just in his way. However, right before Katar was sent into the Hawk realm, they expressed their love for each other once again. (*) Shayera returned to Detroit and worked there as a police officer until 2004 when Thanagar contacted her to go to Chicago to recapture Byth. She got her wings back and appeared before Carter Hall II and Kendra Saunders I. (*) After capturing Byth, Shayera left Earth for good and returned to Thanagar. She joined the Thanagarian Army and fought with Carter and Kendra in the Rann-Thanagar War. During the war, she was betrayed by Blackfire (Komand’r) and died in the arms of Carter. Captain Comet sent her body into the Polaris sun, the traditional final resting place of Thanagarian heroes. And so ended the life of one of the most tragic heroes in DC Comics. (*) 

Rann-Thanagar War No. 5 (November 2005) 

   Note: As mentioned in Part 3, Hawkworld was originally intended to be a retelling of the Silver Age Hawkman and set in the 1960s, but DC Comics decided to put the story in the current year it came out (1989). This made it necessary to rewrite the Golden Age's Hawkman and Hawkgirl, introduce the imposters Fel Andar and Sharon Parker, and rewrite, reboot, and erase other stories of Hawkman's past. It was not until Geoff Johns and Robert Venditti actively brought in the reincarnation angle as a way to bring it all together in some form that helped the storylines connect. 

   The original Hawkworld series by Tim Truman is one of the greatest comic book series ever by DC Comics and one has to wonder how Hawkman and Hawkwoman's history would have changed if they had set the story in 1961 as originally planned. 

Important Moments:

1989: First appearance of Katar Hol II (*)

1989: First appearance of Shayera Thal (*)

1990: Carter Hall II is revealed to be the Hawkman during the Golden and Silver Age. (*)

1991: Hawkman uses the Katar weapon for the first time. (*)

1992: Fel Andar murders Sharon Parker (*)

1992: Katar Hol II Appears in the Justice League series for the first time. (*) 1993: Naomi Carter appears for the first time. (*)

1994: First appearance of the Hawkgod (*)

1994: Katar Hol II, Carter Hall I and Shiera Sanders are merged (*) (*)

1995: Shayera Thal separates from Katar Hol II and moves to Detroit (*)

1996: Katar Hol II is sent into the Hawk Realm (*)

Crossover Events
   Millennium (1988): In a reboot told in Hawkworld, it is revealed that Fel Andar and Sharon
      Parker (the imposter Hawkman and Hawkowman) appear in this series.
   Invasion! (1988): Fel Andar And Saron Parker (cameo)
   War of the Gods (1991): Katar Hol II and Shayera Thal help Wonder Woman
   Armageddon 2001 (1991): Event crossover in Hawkworld Vol. 2 Annual 2
   Armageddon Inferno (1992: Carter Hall I and Shiera Sanders return from Ragnarok
   Zero Hour (1994): During the event, Katar Hol II and Carter Hall I are merged with a Hawk
      avatar.
   Eclipso: The Darkness Within (1992): Katar Hol II and Vril Dox lead the Earth's heroes                against Eclipso
   Underworld Unleashed (1995): Event crossover in Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 26-27

Comics series to find Katar Hol II and Shayera Thal:
   Hawkworld Vol. 1 (1989)
   Hawkworld Vol. 2 (1990-1993)
   Hawkman Vol. 3 (1993-1996)
   Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (1994)
   Justice League America (1990-1996) 

Chapter 4: Carter Hall II and Kendra Saunders I (1999-2010)

First Appearance: Hawkman (Carter Hall II), JSA No. 23 (June 2001)
                             Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders I), All Star Comics No. 2 (May 1999)
Origin: Hawkman: Carter Hall II (Katar Hol II)
             Hawkgirl: Kendra Saunders I (Shiera Saunders)
Team: Justice League of America, Justice League of America

   After Hawkman Vol. 3 ended in 1996, the Hawks were set aside for a few years, only returning in some alternate universe stories. But in 1999, they were brought back in a way that had never been done before, and the reincarnation theme was heavily used for the first time in their history. Both of their origins for this era are pretty wild, so buckle your seatbelts. It's gonna be quite a ride.

   Shiera Saunders (Golden Age Hawkgirl) had a first cousin named Speed Saunders (*), who first appeared in Detective Comics No. 1 way back in 1937. (*) Speed had a family; Michael (son), Trina (daughter-in-law), and Kendra (granddaughter). When Kendra was 13 years old, she and her mother were almost raped by two corrupt policemen, but in the struggle, Kendra was able to grab an officer's gun and shot one of them dead. This traumatic incident started her downward spiral. She would start cutting herself and make a few suicide attempts from this time. She also gave birth to a daughter (Mia Mendoza) whom she gave up for adoption at about the age of 16. (*)
    When Kendra was 16 years old, her parents were murdered during a trip to St. Roch, and this led to her final suicide attempt.  She took an overdose of drugs but Speed found her and got her to the hospital. However, it was too late and they pronounced her dead. Ten minutes later, she miraculously regained consciousness. However, according to Speed, it was not Kendra anymore. Shiera Sanders' soul, which had been in limbo after being killed during Zero Hour, had entered Kendra's body. (*)

JSA No. 22 (May 2001)

   Shiera retained much of her knowledge and abilities but the shock of what happened may have confused her and caused her to keep much of Kendra's consciousness as well. So Speed trained her and Kendra became the new Hawkgirl. It appears that Kendra's initial motivation for becoming Hawkgirl was to find the murderer of her parents. 

   Why did it happen this way? My personal theory is that two things were the cause. One was Carter and Shiera's "deaths" during Zero Hour. When Katar Hol II merged with the Hawk avatar and Carter, Katar took on Carter's consciousness so Carter was not truly dead. However, Shiera was thought to be dead. Because of their reincarnation cycle, Hawkman and Hawkgirl probably are reborn at the same time. So if one dies before the other, the one who died first is in some sort of "stasis" or "waiting period" until the other dies and then they are reincarnated at the same time and on the same planet. 
   However, even when Katar was sent to the Hawk realm to stop his insanity, he wasn't dead. He was waiting for a way to come back to his reality. Shiera was the key. She would be the beacon for Hawkman to find his way back to this realm. But she was dead, with no way to help Carter come back. So when Kendra apparently died, Shiera took over her body. But throughout the rest of Kendra's story in the 2000s, she is in constant battle with herself, believing she is Kendra, but acting like Shiera at times. Even in her relationship with Carter Hall II, she flipped-flopped back and forth between a love for him and a desire to make her own destiny apart from Carter. 

JSA No. 22 (April 2001)

   Even the angel Zauriel appeared to tell Kendra that she was dead. But I think Speed and Zauriel misunderstood what had actually happened. Kendra didn't die that night. She was still Kendra. But she now appeared to have a split personality with Shiera, and for much of the beginning of the JSA and Hawkman Vol. 4 series, Kendra is confused, unsure, hesitant, and difficult to deal with. Shiera's memory and abilities flash in and out. Shiera's death in Zero Hour and Katar II's banishment to the Hawk realm, for all intents and purposes, threw a giant wrench into the reincarnation cycle that would last until the events of the Blackest Night. I told you it would be a wild ride!

The Evolution of Hawkman and Hawkgirl (1993-2001)

   The Justice Society accepted Kendra as a member but she continued to act strange and say things that only Shiera would know. At the same time, several members including Doctor Fate, began to sense that Hawkman was returning. Right after Kendra found out that she was "dead," the Flash (Jay Garrick) traveled to ancient Egypt and met Prince Khufu (the future Hawkman), Nabu (the future Doctor Fate), and Teth-Adam (the future Black Adam). They also predicted Hawkman's return and gave Flash the Claw of Horus, a powerful war gauntlet made entirely out of Nth Metal  It was to be handed over to Hawkman when he returned. Flash returned from ancient Egypt as Kendra was suddenly transported to Thanagar. (*)

   Thanagar had been taken over by the demon Onimar Synn and the high priests of the Downsiders wanted to bring back Hawkman to fight the demon. He was trapped in the Hawk Realm, and they could not bring him back without Kendra's help. Their past love and history with each other would act as a beacon for Hawkman to find his way back. Kendra stepped up to the Well of Spirits and extended her hand, and Hawkman immediately found her and emerged from the realm. After five years, Hawkman had finally returned. But there was a difference. (*)

Katar Hol II (1993) / Carter Hall II (2001)

   Back in 1993, when Katar Hol II merged with Carter Hall I and the Hawk avatar, he had black hair and organic wings. He basically kept his Thanagarian body but Carter's consciousness was with him. Katar had all of Carter's memories and experiences in his mind. However, when Hawkman returned from the Hawk Realm, it flipped. Hawkman now had brown hair and looked similar to Carter Hall I but with Katar Hol II's memories in his head. This new Hawkman is what we call Carter Hall II. (*)

Carter talking to Ray Palmer (Hawkman Vol. 4 #8. December 2002)

   There was also another major change but it was on Kendra's part. She had no feelings of love whatsoever for this new Carter Hall. For Carter, it was just another reincarnation cycle in a way, and he was once again with the woman that he had loved for thousands of years. But she wanted no part of a relationship with Carter because of "destiny." 

Hawkman Vol. 4 No. 1 (May 2002)

   For the next ten years, it would be an endless parade of moments like this; Carter wants his eternal love by his side, while Kendra doesn't want her destiny decided for her. When one finally wants to get close, they either push each other away or a crisis event gets in the way. They play each other like yo-yos again and again. Kendra later joined the Justice League and tried to start up a relationship with Red Arrow (Roy Harper), but all she would talk about was Carter this and Carter that, so Roy got fed up and left. Even Power Girl had a brief affair with Hawkman and got burned for it. She tried to warn Roy but he did not heed her warning and their relationship ended badly. (*) 

   The relationship between Carter and Kendra was never truly resolved. Shiera left Kendra's body at the end of the Hawkman Vol. 4/Hawkgirl series (*), but they still tried to get a relationship going until the Blackest Night event. More on that later. I don't know if writers of Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders will ever read these pages but for the sake of both Hawks, I would say just let these two keep a platonic relationship and be partners only, if they HAVE to team up, and it would be even better if they are kept apart and go their own separate ways. 

Justice League of America No. 9 (July 2007)

   

   In 2008, there was film called Hancock starring Will Smith and Charlize Theron. They obviously had a long history between them and in this case, Will Smith remembered nothing and Theron remembered everything and hated/loved him. It was a rather puzzling film that sort of explained that they had to be apart to survive. There was even a pointless battle scene between the two that always reminds me of Carter II and Kendra I. Many other fans noticed the similarities.

   

   Another important factor that Geoff Johns brought back into the Hawkman series in a major way was reincarnation. Since it was first introduced in Hawkman's first appearance in 1940, it was rarely referred to until the 2000s. It would occasionally pop up, like in the All-Star Squadron or Hawkman Vol. 3 series, but it was usually mentioned in passing and forgotten. However, Johns really leaned on it as a plot line for Hawkman Vol. 4 and as a way to bring Hawkman's continuity together. In the series, we discovered several past lives, besides the ones we already knew about. 

Prince Khufu / Chay-ara (16th century BC)
Brian Kent (The Silent Knight) / Lady Celia Penbrook (6th century)

10th-century Catholic priest
15th-century Japanese Samurai
Captain John Smith / Pocahontas (17th century)
Koenraad von Grimm (16th-century German blacksmith)

Hannibal Hawkes (Nighthawk) / Cinnamon (19th century)
Detective James Wright / Sheila Carr (early 20th century)

Katar Hol / Shayera Thal (From the Hawkworld series)

The Many Lives of Hawkman and Hawkgirl Revealed during the 2000s

   Reincarnation was now officially a major plot in Hawkman and Hawkgirl's story. Some of the best stories during the run were about his past lives. During this run and in the JSA series, it was established that Hawkman could speak thousands of languages. He had a history in almost every country on Earth. The legend and outreach of Hawkman began to grow further and deeper into the DC Universe. Through reincarnation and later series, Hawkman has many connections with other heroes in the DC Universe.

-Superman: It was revealed in the Brave and the Bold #10 (Apr. 2008) that the Silent Knight was Brian Kent, making Hawkman an ancestor of Jonathan Kent. (*) 

-Doctor Fate: From 1999 to 2006, Carter I and Shiera I's son Hector Hall was the wearer of the golden helmet. (*)

-Golden Age Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor: Hector Hall marries Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor's daughter, Lyta. They even share a grandson. (*)
-Neil Guiman's Dream of the Endless: Carter I and Shiera I's grandson was chosen as the successor to Morpheus, the original Dream in the Sandman series. (*) 

-Supergirl: It was revealed that in a former life, Hawkman was Catar-Ol, the curator of the Kryptonian Museum and also Kara-El's teacher. He perished when Krypton exploded. (*)

Batman: Carter Hall had a friendship with the Wayne Family, apparently before Bruce Wayne was born. Batman found Carter Hall's journal hidden in the Wayne Manor by his parents or another ancestor. (*) (*)

-Blackhawks: Carter Hall established a base on Blackhawk Island and led the Blackhawks (Also the Challengers of the Unknown, Red Tornado, Starman) in missions to discover the Dark Multiverse. There is even a statue of Hawkman in honor of him. (*)

Above: All-Star Comics #5 (Jun. 1941) / Below: All-Star Squadron #5 (Jan. 1982)

   We need to take a moment to look at Hawkgirl's name. Shiera's last name was Sanders (her last name appeared for the first time in All-Star Comics No. 5, Jun. 1941), but Speed's last name was Saunders (Detective Comics No. 1, Mar. 1937). How did they connect Shiera and Speed? In Flash Comics No. 86 (Aug. 1947), back in the 17th-century, there was a villain named the Purple Pilgrim. He was captured and sentenced to death by Judge Ely Sanders, an ancestor of Shiera. Before he died, the Purple Pilgrim vowed to return and kill all of the Sanders family's descendants. He came after Shiera during the Golden Age but was defeated. 

Left: Flash Comics #86 / Right: Hawkman Vol. 4 No. 42

   The Crisis on Infinite Earths wiped him out of existence, but writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray brought him back in Hawkman Vol. 4 No. 42 (Sept. 2005). Speed had found out about the curse of the Purple Pilgrim and changed the spelling of his family's name so that they wouldn't be found. Not sure how that would fool an evil spirit villain, but hey, comics. And that is how Shiera's last name was spelled differently from Speed and Kendra. 

Stonechat Museum (Hawkman Secret Files and Origins, 2002)

   After Carter Hall returned from the Hawk Realm, he rejoined the Justice Society and served as a mentor for the younger members. Hawkgirl went down to St. Roch to solve her parents' murder, so Carter joined her there and it became their base until 2011. They worked with the Stonechat Museum and Carter became a part-time professor at St. Roch University. Kendra eventually tracked down the corrupt cop who killed her parents but they kept St. Roch as their home. After finding the murderers, Kendra became a bit more stable and decided to break away from Carter and join the Justice League, although her base was still in St. Roch. And then the Black Reign event came along.

Black Reign: JSA #56-Hawkman #23- JSA #57-Hawkman #24-JSA #58-Hawkman #25

   Hawkman led the JSA in the battle against Black Adam over the country of Kahndaq. This was the series that the Black Adam movie was very loosely based on and it is one of the best-written events during the entire JSA and Hawkman Vol. 4 runs. Hawkman was becoming more violent and savage in the lead-up to the series and he pretty much stayed this way until the Flashpoint event (2011) wiped everything out. Then three months later the (infamous?) Identity Crisis happened.

Identity Crisis (2004-2005)

   Identity Crisis was a dark event that brought tragic real-life circumstances into the lives of the heroes and almost destroyed the Justice League. Sue Dibny, the wife of Ralph Dibny (The Elongated Man) was brutally murdered. In the course of tracking down the killer, it was revealed that Sue had been raped by Doctor Light a few years ago. After being caught, he threatened to kill the loved ones of the Justice Leaguers. Hawkman and several other heroes decided to have Zatanna basically perform a lobotomy on him to protect their families. While they were doing this, Batman came along and strongly opposed what they were doing. They ended up erasing ten minutes of Batman's memory to continue their plan. Some were hesitant about what they were doing, but Hawkman and others never wavered from doing what they had to do to protect their loved ones. The event tore apart the heroes for a while and strengthened the image of Hawkman as a hard-core character who would do anything, including killing, to stop evil. 

Justice League of America #116 (Mar. 1975) / The New Titans #72 (Jan. 1991) / Hawkman Vol. 4 #38 (May 2005)

   In Hawkman Vol. 4 No. 38 (May 2005), a rebooted version of Golden Eagle shows up. In 1975, the first Golden Eagle (Charley Parker) arrived after Hawkman and Hawkgirl (Katar Hol I and Shayera Hol I) returned to Thanagar. He was a fan of Hawkman and made his own wings to imitate Hawkman, but an encounter with Matter Master gave him the ability to transform and fly.  After Hawkman returned from Thanagar, he even gave Charley a pair of his own wings. He soon became the Golden Eagle and eventually joined the Titans West. After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, he was rebooted as a California surfer/coaster and a member of the Titans West. (*) That didn't last long though, as he was killed by Wildebeest. (*) 
   The new version of Golden Eagle (Charley Parker) was another wild tale that ended rather bizarrely. As it turns out, he was actually the son of the Hawkman and Hawkwoman imposters Fel Andar and Sharon Parker and his Thanagarian name was Ch'al Andar. He was abandoned by his parents but grew up in foster homes on the West Coast. He became the Golden Eagle to get his revenge on Hawkman for sending his father to Thanagar's prison. Carter defeated him in a final battle by breaking his arm and putting his left eye out. Hawkman sent him back to Thanagar where he was pardoned on Thanagar and then joined the Thanagarian army. During the Rann-Thanagar War, he was reunited with his father Fel Andar right before Blackfire killed Fel. He commanded his own ship for a time until he was defeated in battle by Viza Aziv and became her sex slave on her ship. He was eventually freed but he has not resurfaced since. (*) 
   Since his first appearance in 1975, Golden Eagle had the potential to be Hawkman's sidekick but sadly, DC wasted that potential. With everything being rebooted after Flashpoint, it is very possible we could see a better story for Golden Eagle someday. 

Rann-Thanagar War #1-6 (2005)

   Soon after the Black Reign and Identity Crisis events, war broke out again between Thanagar and Rann. A rogue group of Thanagarians transported Rann into the Thanagarian star system to conquer them but the plan backfired and caused Thanagar's obit to become unstable. Many Thanagarians were able to make it over to Rann and now the bitter enemies were living on the same planet, blaming the other for what happened and ready to go into all-out war. Adam Strange asked Carter and Kendra to come to help him prevent the war. On Rann, they once again met Shayera Thal who had joined the Thanagarian army. War eventually broke out and Shayera was killed by Blackfire, the sister of Teen Titan's Starfire. Onimar Synn was revealed to be behind the war so the Rannians and Thanagarians were forced to work together to defeat him. Just as the Rann-Thanagar War appeared over, the Infinite Crisis began. (*) 

Hawkman #49 (Infinite Crisis Tie-In, 2005)

   The Hawks did not have a very big role in the Infinite Crisis event. They worked to bring Rann and Thanagar together to fight the threat of the Infinite Crisis. Afterward, Carter decides to stay on Thanagar and help rebuild Rann as well as capture Blackfire and avenge Shayera Thal's death. Kendra decides to go back to Earth and take over the job of running the Stonechat Museum until Carter returns. 
   Hawkman Vol. 4 ends here at issue No. 49, making it the longest-running Hawkman series to date. The series continued as a Hawkgirl series from issue No. 50 and it picks up one year after the events of the Infinite Crisis. (*) 

JSA Classified #22 (March 2007) / Hawkgirl #65 (Aug. 2007)

   During the Hawkgirl series (2006-2007), Hawkman eventually became commissioner of the Thanagarian police while Kendra was running the Stonechat Museum in St. Roch. Blackfire attacked both Carter and Kendra but they were able to defeat her and nullify her powers. (*)  As mentioned previously, the Hawkgirl series closed with the defeat of Hath-Set and Shiera leaving Kendra's body for good. Or so we thought. (*)

Hawkgirl #66 (September 2007)

   In 2006, the JSA series and the JLA series came to a close. There was one important event that happened towards the end of the JSA run. Hector Hall's run as Doctor Fate came to a close. The story of Hector Hall is a long one and you can read about it here. Here are just the basics. Hector Hall (son of Carter Hall I and Shiera Sanders I) and Lyta Trevor (daughter of the Earth-2's Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor) had a son named Daniel. The Dream of the Endless, Morpheus took Daniel from them and set it up for Hector and Lyta's son to become the new Dream of the Endless. Hector's soul was trapped in the Dreaming but after the birth of Daniel, he was reincarnated and chosen to become the new Doctor Fate. (*) 

JSA #24 (July 2001)

   Hector made many appearances as Doctor Fate in the JSA and Hawkman Vol. 4 series. Towards the end of the JSA series, the Spectre went on a rampage and tried to destroy all magic. He threw Hector and Lyta on top of a mountain, where demonic creatures attacked them. They were both about to die when Lyta accepted Daniel's offer to go into the Dream, Lyta and accepted the invitation, leaving their frozen bodies on the mountaintop, never to return. (*)

Northwind / Infinity Inc. #37 (Apr. 1987) / Hawkman Vol. 4 #19 (Nov. 2003)

   While we're here, let's take a closer look at the third member of Hawkman's son/sidekicks; Norda Cantrell, also known as Northwind. Norda's parents asked Carter and Shiera parents to be his godparents so Norda and Hector spent a lot of time together as kids. Eventually, Norda joined the Infinity Inc. with Hector Hall (Silver Scarab), Lyta Trevor (Fury), and others. After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Norda returned to Feithera and took his place as their leader. While there, the Feitherans gradually evolved further into a bird-like creatures and lost the ability to talk. For some undisclosed reasons, New Feithera was destroyed so the Feitherans went to Kahndaq to help Black Adam overthrow the military and bring freedom to its people. He confronted Hawkman a few times but did not acknowledge his relationship with Carter. Last we know, he is still with his fellow Feitherans in Kahndaq. You can read up on Northwind's history here. 

Justice Society of America #1 (Feb. 2007) / Justice League of America #5 (Feb. 2007)

   In 2007, Carter rejoined the Justice Society (*) and Kendra was accepted once again into the Justice League. (*) Carter's time with the Justice Society ended when he had a disagreement with Jay Garrick and Alan Scott that divided the team. They decided to suspend Carter but he resigned and never came back to the series. On an interesting note, we learn that Hawkman built the famous Justice Society round table. (*) 

Justice Society of America #23 (March 2009)

   After Hawkman left the Justice Society, there were other events such as the Rann-Thanagar Holy War, the Trinity saga, and then the Final Crisis. 

   At the end of the Final Crisis, Hawkman and Hawkgirl are seen trying to save people from a dimensional tunnel that is collapsing but it appears that they are killed in the blast. We later find out that they were hospitalized and released. Kendra leaves the Justice League after this event and does not return. (*) (*)

Blackest Night (2009-2010)

   In 2009, the Blackest Night event took place. Carter and Kendra are at the Stonechat Museum, once again squabbling over whether they love each other or not when they are attacked and brutally killed by the Black Lanterns Elongated Man and Sue Dibny. They are turned into Black Lanterns themselves and join the Black Lantern Corps of the undead. (*) In the end, the Black Lanterns are defeated and the dead are brought back to life, including Hawkman and Hawkgirl. However, when Hawkgirl took off her helmet, it was revealed to be Shiera, not Kendra. The Hawks embrace, finally truly back together since the Zero Hour event in 1994. Kendra I disappears after this event and is never seen again. (*)

Blackest Night #8 (May 2010)

   Before they departed for home, the Star Sapphire gave Shiera a shard of a crystallized bone, telling her that it was from the power battery of the Zamarons. When they return to St. Roch, the shard attaches itself to Carter's Claw of Horus and leads them to Hawkworld, a place in another dimension between Earth and Thanagar. They battle Hath-Set and Queen Shiva (Shiera's mother), and after Shiera kills Hath-Set, Queen Shiva escapes to Zamaron.
   In Green Lantern #46 (Nov. 2009), it was revealed that Prince Khufu and Chay-ara's remains were the power source for the Zamaron's power battery. Their love for each other was so powerful that it was used as a power source for the Star Sapphire Corps. As mentioned earlier, Star Sapphire had given Shiera a shard from their crystallized bodies in the power battery, leading them to Hawkworld. They followed Queen Shiva through a portal and ended up on Zamaron. With Star Sapphire's help, they defeated Queen Shiva and returned to St. Roch, hoping they could live the rest of their lives in peace.

Brightest Day #18 (March 2011)

   As soon as they returned, the White Lantern appeared before them and told them that they had to be apart from each other (Remember that Hancock movie?), with no explanation given. Carter and Shiera refused and were immediately turned into dust and killed. A little while later, they are brought back as air elementals and after defeating the dark entity, only Carter is brought back and it appears that Shiera remains as an air elemental. In the last scene, we see Carter trashing the Stonechat Museum as he screams in anger over the loss of Shiera. (*) 

Brightest Day #24 (June 2011)

   That ends the story of the Hawks that began in 1999 and continued through 2011. Kendra Saunders was dead and gone and she would not return until a rebooted version shows up in Dark Nights Metal in 2017. Hawkman would soon be rewritten as the Savage Hawkman in the New 52 series. Shiera has not returned since. It was a very weak ending to the 13-year adventure that expanded the Hawks' story in many ways. A month later, the Flashpoint event takes place and the continuity of the New Earth that began with the Crisis on Infinite Earths ends. The events that happened between 1985-2011 are either erased or placed on an alternate Earth. The New 52 was about to start. 

Important Moments:
1999: Hawkgirl's first appearance (*)

1999: Hector Hall, Carter and Shiera's son, becomes Doctor Fate (*)
1999: Hawkgirl officially joins the Justice Society (*)

2001: Hawkgirl's origin is revealed (*)

2001: Claw of Horus' first appearance (*)

2001: First appearance of Onimar Synn (*)

2001: Hawkman returns from the Hawk Realm (*)

2002: Hawkman and Hawkgirl settle in St. Roch, Louisiana (*)

2002: First appearance of Stonechat Museum (*)

2002: Hawkgirl joins the Justice League (*) 

2003: Kendra's daughter Mia Mendoza is introduced. (*)

2005: Black Reign (*) 
2005: Golden Eagle returns, but later is revealed to be Fel Andar and Sharon Parker's son. (*)
2005: Rann-Thanagar War (*) 
2005: Shayera Thal (Hawkwoman) is killed by Blackfire (*)
2005: Carter and Kendra start a relationship, only to split later.
2006: Fel Andar is killed by Blackfire (*)
2006: Hawkman Vol. 4 ends at No. 49 and Hawkgirl begins at No. 50 

2006: Carter stays on Thanagar after the Rann-Thanagar War and becomes police commissioner 

2007: Kendra starts a short-lived relationship with Red Arrow (*) 

2007: After defeating Hath-Set, Shiera leaves Kendra's body, making her whole. (*)　

2009: Carter and Kendra become Black Lanterns after they are killed by Elongated Man and Sue Dibny. (*) 

2010: Shiera returns instead of Kendra when the Hawks are resurrected. (*)

2011: Carter and Shiera are killed by the White Lantern. (*) 

2011: Carter is resurrected while Shiera supposedly remains an air elemental. (*)  

Crossover Events 
   Black Reign (2004): Hawkman and the JSA battle Black Adam in Kahndaq.
   Identity Crisis (2004): The Justice League searches for the killer of Sue Dibny.
   Rann-Thanagar War (2005): Several heroes band together to battle Onimar Synn.
   Infinite Crisis (2005): Hawkman and Hawkgirl are on Thanagar during the event.
   Rann-Thanagar Holy War (2008): Hawkman battles a religious cult on Rann. 
   Final Crisis (2008): Hawkman and Hawkgirl are thought to be killed, but survive.
   Trinity (2008-09): Hawkman leads the Justice Society International in a time-altered event 
   Blackest Night (2009): Kendra is killed and Shiera returns. 
   Brightest Day (2010-11): After being reunited, Shiera is killed by a White Lantern.  

Comics series to find Carter Hall II and Kendra Saunders I:
   JSA Secret Files and Origins (1999)
   JSA (1999-2006) 
   Hawkman Vol. 4 (2002-2006)
   Hawkman Secret Files and Origins (2002)
   JLA (2003-2005) 
   JSA All-Stars (2003-2004)
   DC Comics Presents Hawkman (2004)
   Identity Crisis (2005)
   Rann-Thanagar War (2005)
   JSA Classified (2005-2007)
   Hawkgirl (2006-2007)
   Justice League of America (2006-2011)
   Justice Society of America (2007-2010)
   Rann-Thanagar Holy War (2008)
   Hawkman Special (2008)
   Trinity (2008-2009)
   Blackest Night (2009-2010)
   Brightest Day (2010-2011)

Chapter 5: Katar Hol III and Kendra Munoz-Saunders (2011-2018)

First Appearance: Hawkman (Katar Hol III), The Savage Hawkman No. 1 (November 2011)
                             Hawkgirl (Kendra Munoz-Saunders), Earth 2 No. 2 (August 2012)
Origins: Thanagar (Hawkman), Egypt (Hawkgirl)
Base: New York (Hawkman)
Team: Justice League of America, Justice League United

   The New 52 Hawkman began with Carter Hall trying to get rid of the Nth metal by burning it in a forest outside of New York City. The Nth metal comes flying out of the blaze and attaches itself to Carter, much like the Venom character does in Marvel Comics. Carter gives up and returns to his apartment in New York. It is revealed that he is Carter Hall, a cryptologist who lives alone in New York and works for Professor Ziegler. It appears that he has some sort of amnesia and cannot remember much of his past. He also has a love interest named Emma, the daughter of Ziegler. His memory returns when Shayera Thal and the Thanagarians come looking for him. 

The Savage Hawkman #1 (November 2011)

   It is revealed that his true name is Katar Hol. He was a gladiator champion of Thanagar who was taken in by Lord Thal Provis, the ruler of Thanagar, as one of his advisers. Katar soon falls in love with Provis’ daughter, Shayera and they are betrothed. During a peace conference with other planets, the Daemonites release a virus on the Thanagarians and it causes many of them to lose their wings. It also kills Lord Provis, so his son Corsar takes over and vows to take revenge. The Thanagarians begin to mine for the Nth metal and many lives are lost. Corsar and Katar are like brothers but they begin to disagree on how the Nth metal should be mined. During a quarrel, the Nth metal attaches itself to Katar and he regains his wings. Corsar tries to take it from him but is accidentally killed. Shayera calls Katar a traitor and orders his arrest. Katar escapes Thanagar in a ship that crashes in the Hudson River on Earth. When he is rescued. he only vaguely remembers his name but his rescuers mistake Katar Hol as Carter Hall, so he goes by that name on Earth.

The Savage Hawkman #0 (November 2012)

   The Thanagarians finally catch up to him and begin the journey to take him back to Thanagar. Corsar is revealed to still be alive and tries to extract the Nth metal from Katar’s body but is unsuccessful. During a battle on the ship, Shayera realizes that her brother is mad and helps Katar escape as the ship crashes into the sun, killing Shayera, Corsar, and everyone else on board. 

The Savage Hawkman #12 (October 2012)

   Soon after returning to Earth, Hawkman is invited to join a new Justice League that is set up by Amanda Waller. This league is set up to be a guard against the real Justice League, and Hawkman is added as a member to fight Aquaman if necessary. The league soon falls apart and Hawkman decides to return to Thanagar. Hawkman's time with this version of the Justice League was short but it gave a page that is one of the favorites of many Hawkfans. 

Justice League of America #2 (May 2013)

   During his journey back to Thanagar, he joins the Justice League United in the battle against Byth and sacrifices himself to save the Rannians from destruction. The Nth metal in his body eventually brings him back to life and he returns to Thanagar where he joins the police force.

   At the beginning of the Death of Hawkman series, we find Hawkman living a miserable existence; butting heads with the officers over his brutality, drinking at bars, and having one-night stands. Adam Strange appears before him and tells Katar how he has discovered that Despero is trying to pull Thanagar and Rann into another war. Despero destroys Thanagar during the battle, once again forcing Thanagarians and Rannians to live on the same planet. In the battle to stop him, Katar shoots all of the Nth metal in his body into Despero’s head as Adam Zeta-beams them to the edge of the universe. The last we see of Katar are his bones floating in space. 

Death of Hawkman #6 (May 2017)

   In an alternate universe, Kendra Munoz-Saunders was regarded as one of the best treasurehunters in the world. During a mission in Egypt for the World Army, an unidentified entity attached wings to her back for a reason yet to be revealed. She broke away from the World Army and met the new Flash (Jay Garrick). During a fight with Solomon Grundy, they also ran into the new Green Lantern (Alan Scott). Together with Green Lantern, the Flash, and Doctor Fate, Hawkgirl formed the Wonders of the World. Their world was eventually destroyed by Apokolips and they settled on a new Earth, with only two million of the former Earth 2's survivors. Hawkgirl joined the Wonders on the new Earth and tried to make a new life there. 

Earth 2 #4 (October 2012)

   Kendra Munoz-Saunders is considered one of the best treasure hunters and detectives on Earth 2. She is easily able to track down whoever she is looking for. She is also able to handle many weapons, but she was often seen with a handgun and a crossbow. She's basically a combined version of Hawkgirl, Batman, and Dawnstar in this series. 

Earth 2 #12 (July 2013)

   The New 52 Hawkman and Hawkgirl never actually met, but they were one series together. The New 52 Futures End was a series about an alternate future where Brother Eye takes over the world. Hawkman and Hawkgirl both had a part in the story and even appeared in the same issues at times but Hawkman was in outer space and was killed before he made it back to Earth, while Hawkgirl was on Earth so they never meet. (*)

Sept 2014

Oct 2014

Nov 2014

   The story of Munoz-Saunders ends in early 2017, right as the Rebirth event was getting ready to take off. Katar Hol III as well as Shayera Thal of the Savage Hawkman series was rewritten for the Rebirth event. We'll cover that in the next section. 

Important Moments:

2011: Hawkman (Katar Hol III) first appearance (*) 
2012: Hawkgirl (Kendra Munoz-Saunders first appearance (*) 
2012: Shayera Thal first appearance (*)
2012: Origin of Savage Hawkman revealed (*)
2013: Hawkman joins the Justice League (*)
2014: Hawkman dies saving the Rann and the Justice League United (*)
2014: Hawkman is resurrected by Byth with the Nth Metal (*) 
2017: Hawkgirl (Kendra Munoz-Saunders) last appearance (*)
2017: Hawkan dies to defeat Despero (*) 

Crossover Events 
   Justice League Throne of Atlantis (2012): Hawkman joins the fight against Atlantis
   Justice League Trinity (2013)
   Forever Evil (2013) 
   The New 52 Futures End (2014) 

Comics series to find Katar Hol III and Kendra Munoz-Saunders:
   The Savage Hawkman (2011-2013)
   Earth 2 (2012-2015)
   Justice League of America (2013-2014) 
   The New 52 Futures End (2014-2015) 
   Justice League United (2014-2016)
   Earth 2: World's End (2014-2015)
   Earth 2: Society (2015-2017) 
   Death of Hawkman (2016-2017)

Chapter 6: Carter Hall III, Shayera Hol II, Kendra Saunders II (2018-present)

First Appearance: Hawkman (Carter Hall III) August 2017 
                             Hawkwoman (Shayera Hol II) February 2019 
                             Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders II) October 2017
Origins: General Ktar (Hawkman), Shrra the Herald (Hawkwoman), Lady Blackhawk (Hawkgirl)
Base: Various, Soarship (Hawkman), Thanagar Prime (Hawkwoman), Metropolis (Hawkgirl)
Team: Justice Society of America (Hawkman and Hawkgwoman), Justice League (Hawkgirl)

   With the unpopularity of the New 52 series, DC decided to reboot their universe yet once again. In May 2017, DC Rebirth kicked off. Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and Hawkgirl got a major reboot to bring them into the new DC universe. I'll go through the comics and all the revelations in chronological order with some explanations and add some theories as we go. 

Dark Days The Casting (September 2017)

   In some time what appears to be between the1920s and 1950s, Carter Hall III and Shiera Saunders II are leading a research team to find out more about the Nth metal. The team includes the Blackhawks, the Challengers of the Unknown, Red Tornado, Starman, and others. They eventually discover that the Nth metal is from the Dark Multiverse. They succeed in opening a doorway to it but run into the dark entity called Barbatos. Hawkman is able to beat Barbatos back with his Nth metal mace and seal the opening. They make another attempt by sending research teams in, but they are all immediately killed or simply vanish. After years of research, Carter decides he must go in himself. He leaves a record of his research with the Wayne family (possibly Batman's parents or grandparents) and goes into the Dark Multiverse. 

Dark Nights Metal #4 (February 2018)

   We're not sure what happened to Shiera, but she died sometime around the time when Carter vanished. Her death may have been the push he needed to go on in (my theory). When she died, two things happened. When the Hawks die, they reincarnate. It appears that they reincarnate at the same time and same planet, so if one dies before the other, that soul remains in a kind of stasis until the other dies and then they are reincarnated together. Eventually, Shiera is reincarnated, which means that Carter either died when he entered the Dark Multiverse, or something else happened. When Carter went in, he was captured by Barbatos and transformed into the Dragon of Barbatos, a giant Hawk creature that watched over the Forge of Worlds. Entering the Dark Multiverse or the transformation into a giant Hawk kaiju (take your pick) may have been a kind of death. So when this happened, Katar Hol III aka the Savage Hawkman was born. And this brought about Shiera's reincarnation as well. 

   When Shiera was reincarnated, something strange happened. She was split into two people; Shayera Hol of Thanagar and Kendra Saunders of Earth. This was done by the villain Perpetua and the power of the Totality (the oldest form of power in the universe) to keep Hawkgirl from repairing the Source Wall, providing a way for Perpetua’s resurrection. It's never clearly revealed how Hawkgirl had this ability to make her such a threat to Perpetua. Perhaps it had to do with her origin as a Herald angel of the God-entity we later saw in the Hawkman series. 

Shayera Thal of the Savage Hawkman series became Shayera Hol of DC Rebirth

   The Shayera Thal character from the Savage Hawkman series (2011-2013) was rewritten by James Tynion IV and she became Shayera Hol. She is the Empress of Thanagar who was married to the Savage Hawkman. After Despero destroyed Thanagar and killed her husband, she took her people to their original home, Thanagar Prime, and rebuilt her world. So with the DC Rebirth reboot in 2016, the Savage Hawkman was now the husband of Shayera Hol and was based on Earth for a time until he returned to Thanagar and died fighting Despero. In her desperation to rebuild Thanagar, Shayera misused the absorbascon and even attempted to imprison Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and John Stewart when they discovered the truth. During their battle, the Justice League and Starman appeared. Starman explained to Shayera and Kendra that they had been split in two, so neither was a whole person, but he used his powers to separate them and make each woman whole again. This did two things. This cut Kendra out of the reincarnation cycle. She still had her memories of her past lives, but she was her own person with different desires and powers. Shayera was also made whole. She was the one who desired to be with Carter and continue with him in the reincarnation cycle. You can read the story of Shayera Hol and Kendra Saunders in full detail here. 

Thanagar Prime (Justice League No. 14, February 2019)

   Kendra's past is also a bit unclear. In the Metal series, she appeared as Lady Blackhawk, the leader of the Blackhawks. She joined the Justice League to defeat Barbatos but was transformed by him into Lady Blackhawk. The Nth Metal was fused into her body, making her incredibly powerful and giving her metallic wings on her back. With Wonder Woman's help, she was able to break free of Barbatos' control but she kept her powers. She became Hawkgirl and joined the Justice League after the Metal crisis. She had some sort of relationship with the Martian Manhunter and even had a son with him in an alternate universe, but that relationship appears to be over in the current DCU.

   In the Hawkman series by Venditti, Carter returned from the Dark Multiverse and set out to discover his true past and his past lives. During the series, Hawkman had two ways of remembering his past lives. One way was that he naturally retained some memories through each life. The other way was that he put his memories into artifacts or locations. When he came across those things or places in later lives, he would remember them. This is apparent in the very first story of Hawkman in Flash Comics No. 1 (January 1940) when he came into contact with an Nth metal knife and remembered his past life as Prince Khufu of Egypt. In Hawkman No. 7 (February 2019), he remembered his first life as Ktar Deathbringer.

"The Years will be as Days"

   In Hawkman Vol. V, Hawkman finally reunited with Hawkwoman in Hawkman No. 24, when she came to rescue him from the Sky Tyrant (an evil version of Hawkman) and they confirmed their love for each other. They were captured by the Lord of the Void but they defeated him with the full power of their lives over the years. The effort killed them and they once again appeared before the god-entity. The entity told Hawkman that he had finally atoned for all of the deaths he had caused and that he could now finally pass into eternity and be at peace. Shrra was to be returned to her position as a Herald. He was ready to send Hawkman into the afterlife, but he sensed Carter and Shayera's desire to live one last life together. The entity sent the two Hawks to the time when they were the happiest, and they ended up back in the 1940s as members of the Justice Society and began their final life together, finally free from reincarnation.

   The final issue of Venditti's run shows how Carter and Shayera were given an extremely long life. The entity that gave them their final life told them that the years would be like days. They lived through the 20th century and beyond and we finally see them in the 40th century. Both are gray-haired and old. Hawkman has many battle scars over his body. He is now a historian, keeping records of all they have seen and experienced. Hawkwoman is still as sprite as ever, training the younger generations how to fight. They embrace as they watch the sunset, happy that they have had this long, final life together. 

Hawkgirl Vol. 2 #1 (September 2023)

   In the Dawn of DC era, Carter and Shayera have rarely shown up, but Hawkgirl has been given her own story. She has moved her base to Metropolis and appears to have split with the Martian Manhunter. Her adventure continues as she looks to forge her own destiny apart from Carter and Shayera. 

Important Moments:

2017: Carter Hall III enters the Dark Multiverse (*)

2017: Kendra Saunders II appears as Lady Blackhawk (*)
2017: Kendra is transformed into an evil Hawkgirl but rescued by Wonder Woman (*)
2017: Carter Hall is transformed into the Forger of Worlds (*)

2018: Hawkman is rescued from the Dark Multiverse (*)

2018: Kendra joins the Justice League (*)

2019: Hawkman discovers his true origin of Ktar Deathbringer (*)

2019: Shayera Hol II first appearance (*)

2019: Kendra reveals her feelings for the Martian Manhunter (*)

2019: Starman makes Shayera and Kendra separate and their own complete person (*)

2020: Shayera is reunited with Carter (*)

2020: Carter and Shayera die while defeating the Lord of the Void (*)

2020: Carter finally atones for his sins and they are released from reincarnation (*)

2021: Carter and Shayera are revealed to still be living in the 40th century (*)

2023: Kendra moves to Metropolis and begins her new life (*)

Crossover Events

   Dark Nights Metal (2017-2018) 
   Doomsday Clock (2017-2019)
   Year of the Villain (2019-2020) 
   Dark Nights: Death Metal (202-2021)

Comics series to find Carter Hall III, Shayera Hol II, Kendra Saunders II:
   Dark Days The Forge (2017)
   Dark Days The Casting (2017)
   Dark Nights: Metal (2017-2018)
   Hawkman Found (2018)
   Justice League (2018-2022)
   Hawkman Vol. V (2018-2021) 
   Dark Nights: Death Metal 
   

DC Database Profiles 
Carter Hall I / Carter Hall II (1939-1994, 2001-2011)
Katar Hol I (1961-1988, 2015)

Katar Hol II (1989-1996)
Katar Hol III (2011-2018)

Carter Hall III (2018-present)

Ktar Deathbringer 

Shiera Sanders (1939-1994, 2010-2011)

Shayera Hol I (1961-1988, 2015)

Shayera Thal (1989-1996, 2003-2005)

Kendra Saunders I (1999-2010)
Kendra Munoz-Saunders (2012-2017)

Kendra Saunders II (2018-present)

Shayera Thal-Hol (2019-present)

Shrra the Herald 

   Hawkman is a character that has been in American culture for almost 100 years. As the years have gone by, the character has evolved in many ways, but the core of the character that Gardner Fox created so many years ago remains the same. Here's to hoping that the characters will continue to soar and capture the dreams and fascination of comics fans all over the world. As Robert Venditti wrote in Hawkman Vol. V, Hawkman was made to soar.

Art by Neal Adams