CBR Article: DC's Couples Ranked (Guess Who's No. 1?)

Mikel Janin

    DC Comics has many iconic couples, most going back decades. Their love and commitment to each other is a constant theme through their stories. There may be times when they fall away from each other, but they always find their way back to each other. Hawkman and Hawkwoman are one of those couples. Geoff Johns (JSA, Hawkman Vol. 4), Bruce Tim (Justice League Unlimited) and other writers have tried to destroy their love story and put them with other heroes, but it hasn't worked. Carter Hall/Katar Hol and Shiera Sanders/Shayera Hol have always ended up back together. 
    As with Superman and Lois Lane, or with Oliver Queen and Black Canary, you cannot tell the story of Hawkman and Hawkwoman without the other. Their story started together back in 1939 (Flash Comics No. 1) and it continues 84 years later. DC Comics may be ignoring one of their great love stories and promoting Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders, who may or may not be bisexual with no real partner in her new mini-series, but when a writer who respects their history and the fans of the characters writes Hawkman and Hawkwoman, you can be sure that they will be together again. 
    In a recent CBR article, Cailyn Szelenski attempts to rank the couples of DC Comics. This is a bold attempt, and it may ruffle some feathers of fans of other heroes, but it's nice to see the Hawks be spotlighted in this way. Let's hope that DC Comics will wake up and give them a home for fans to go visit them once again. 

ARTICLE LINK

CBR Article: DC Comics with the Best Fan Service

 

   We got an interesting article by Ashley Land of CBR. Here she has put together a list of comics that gave fans what they wanted, and it's a great list. Of course, Hawkman is in there! It's the usual light reading and doesn't go real deep, but it's good to see the Hawkman series recognized. And it truly did satisfy a lot of Hawkfans! Check out the article here. 

CBR: 10 DC Comics That Still Need A Sequel

    CBR lists 10 comics that deserve a sequel, and the Hawkman series by Robert Venditti is right in there. The series started out really great, but got derailed a bit by the ridiculous Year-of-the-Villain event in 2019-20. Venditti still was able to keep it going by bringing in Hawkwoman, Atom, and Adam Strange. The last six issues are just as good as the first 13. Vendiiti provided Hawkman and Hawkwoman with a huge setup that could have gone on for years, but DC prematurely ended it in November 2020. It's been almost three years since Hawkman has had his own title now. Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) will be getting her own title this month, so let's hope a Hawkman and Hawkwoman series is not far behind. As Venditti said in an interview, he left the toy box full, so let's hope a writer will take advantage of what Veditti left behind. Check out the article to see the other titles that need a sequel! LINK

CBR: Best DC Superhero Friends (including Hawkman and the Atom and the Justice Society!)

Art by Bryan Hitch 

   CBR put out a list of "Best DC Superhero Friends" and a friendship that always makes these lists is Hawkman and Atom. These two have been close pals since 1963, when they first met in Atom #7. I wrote an article about the history of their friendship and why the two of them are so close. I hope this friendship will get some spotlight someday. CW's Legend of Tomorrow completely whiffed on that one. 

CBR: The Year-of-the-Villain Tie-In Almost Ruined Venditti's Hawkman

Hawkman Vol. V No. 17 (December 2019)

 

   CBR put out an article today about the ridiculous amount of tie-ins that come with events in recent comic events. Instead of helping the event, the tie-ins are mostly unnecessary and ruin other series. The article brings up as an example, Robert Venditti's Hawkman run in 2019. During 2019, DC Comics had a year-long event going on called the Year of the Villain. It started with a group of six heroes who turn evil. Hawkman was one of them. There was a 4-issue miniseries called Hell Arisen that was supposed to feature the six heroes, but it completely flopped and DC lost so much interest that Hawkman (Sky Tyrant) didn't even show up in the last two issues. 

Ten Best Underrated DC Comics of the 2000s (CBR)

 

   Back in 2006, a new Hawkgirl series picked up where Hawkman Vol. 4 left off, starting at issue No. 50 and continuing for 17 issues. Walter Simonson wrote all 17 issues, and the art was shared by Howard Chaykin (7 issues), Renato Arlem (7 issues), Joe Bennett (2 issues), and Dennis Calero (1 issue). 
   The series picked up after the Infinite Crisis event. Hawkman had decided to stay on Thanagar to help rebuild, so Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders went back to St. Roch to run the Stonechat Museum until Carter Hall returned. Hawkman eventually returned and the ending seemingly resolved the Shiera/Kendra conundrum, until the Blackest Night event brought it right back.

10 DC Comics Powers That Doomed Their Users (CBR)

   Hawkman shows up on this list with his "power" of reincarnation. I've never really thought of Hawkman's reincarnation as an actual power. It's more of a curse, but it does give Hawkman the ability to continue through time. Reincarnation has made him practically one of the immortals. He even showed up at a meeting of the Immortals in the Dark Night Metal event back in 2017.

Ten Best DC Heroes with Confusing Origins (CBR)

               

   "Confusing" is pretty much synonymous with Hawkman. If you read an article about Hawkman, confusing is usually in the very first sentence. As a Hawkman fan, it gets monotonous and boring to continue to see it, but for the comic book fan who hasn't really read much Hawkman or gone into his history, I suppose it can't be helped. 
   CBR gave us a whole article about confusing characters, and of course, Hawkman is in there. I found myself actually pleased that Hawkman wasn't listed at No. 1, although I sometimes get the impression the CBR rankings are done randomly or by popularity. 
   The article mentions Robert Venditti's origin, which I would recommend everyone read, which brings a great center to bring Hawkman's history together. The rest of the article was also light reading but a lot of fun to read/ Check it out! LINK

Ten DC Heroes Who Created Their Own Worst Enemies (CBR)

    Today's article brought to you by CBR includes Hawkman and Hath-Set. To be honest, when I saw the title, I thought that Hawkman and Hawkgirl would be on the list with the Gentleman Ghost. GG was hanged by Nighthawk (a former life of Hawkman) back in the 19th century and became stuck in a ghost-like state until the Hawks' reincarnation cycle is finished. For me, this one would fit the article better, but I suppose Hath-Set is the original Hawkman villain and therefore the more obvious choice. 

Hawkman, the Pulp Comic Hero

    CBR's Ashley Land put out a ranking of the top pulp comic heroes, and Hawkman showed up on the list. It's not too surprising, since Hawkman is a good example of how something was created from pulp fiction. LINK 

Here's part of what she says, 

CBR Article: 10 Best Supernatural DC Heroes

CBR's Ashley Land put out an article today on the 10 best supernatural heroes from DC. It's the usual light reading and very debatable, but guess what number Hawkman comes in at! LINK

Hawkman's books walk a line between adventure, science fiction and the mystical. His main supernatural element stems from his power of reincarnation, with the hero having lived dozens of lives across time and space. His unending existence is credited to a godlike entity who gave him his ability. cont.