Family Ties - Part Deux

Family Ties – Part deux

Hawkman/Hawkwoman

Now I know one of the items I said I liked was “well-done” connections and the Winged Wonder (yes they actually called him that) has NOT, I repeat, NOT been well handled most of the time.  So much so that I could not and did not bring myself to even peek at the New 52 version.  Just the cover image itself was awful; he looked like he was infected with some sort of spiky disease... 

Anyway, IMHO the best and most cohesive/connected story of Hawkman begins in ancient Egypt where Prince Khufu and his wife Chay-Ara discover a crashed Thanagarian spacecraft.  Investigating, they locate and begin to use the (what seems to them) mystical Nth metal.  Now Nth metal is very convoluted so I’ll just say it gives them the ability to fly and also somehow connects their souls (Khufu and Chay-Ara) to the far-off alien Thanagarians.  Khufu is joined in his adventures by Nabu, his vizier, and Teth-Adam, the possessor of the power of SHAZAM who is from the country of Kahndaq.  Teth-Adam left his homeland when his wife and children were murdered by the villainous Ahk-Ton.

Khufu and Chay-Ara are murdered with a cursed Nth metal dagger by the evil priest Hath-Set, but their connection to the Nth Metal causes them to be reincarnated throughout DC history, always searching for each other, yet always being killed by the reincarnated Hath-Set.

Nighthawk and Cinnamon

The other lives of Hawkman and Hawkwoman/Hawkgirl

Now, as we move into the modern reincarnations the connections begin…

Khufu and Chay-Ara are reincarnated as Carter and Shiera Hall.   As archaeologists they rediscover Nth metal, take on the guises of Hawkman and Hawkgirl and for the first time in their neverending lives, defeat Hath-Set.  They join the Justice Society of the 1940’s where they are reunited with Nabu who now inhabits a mystical helmet and battles evil as Dr. Fate.

Since the Hawks do not die at the hands of Hath-Set the cycle is broken.  Another first, the pair have a child, Hector Hall, who when he grows up, adopts the name Silver Scarab, wears a suit made of Nth metal and forms the superhero team Infinity, Inc.

At some point in time, Carter and Shiera die and are replaced by the Thanagarian police, Katar Hol and Shayera Hol…

Confusing things take place in continuity for a number of years….

Katar and Shayera Hol die, Shayera is reborn but Katar is not…

Then there is Charley Parker, AKA the Golden Eagle, who apparently is the son of a renegade Thanagarian, was a member of Titans West and (I believe) was Hawkman’s sidekick for a very, very short while…before he betrayed him.

Teth-Adam is freed from a semi-eternal prison and becomes the villain Black Adam.

Hector Hall, the former Silver Scarab, marries Fury II.  Hector dies, becomes the new Sandman in the Dream Dimension.  Fury joins him in the Dream Dimension and becomes pregnant.  Hector dies again.  Fury II becomes depressed and gives birth in the Dreaming.  Their son Daniel becomes the new Sandman – Dream.

Hector is reborn (on Earth this time) and becomes the new Dr. Fate wearing the helm of Nabu.

Carter is reborn on Thanagar and recalls all of his past lives, the new Hawkgirl rejects him because no one can tell her what to do.  Not even destiny.

Oh, and the power of Ahk-Ton’s (the one that conquered Kahndaq and killed Teth-Adam’s family) power is found and used by the hero Metamorpho.

And this…

Is the ultimate Hawkman - all of the lives combined into the Hawk-god persona.

And so…

Hawkman is:

The husband of Hawkwoman/Hawkgirl

The friend of Teth-Adam and Nabu and probably Shazam (in ancient Egypt)

By his friendship with Teth-Adam is an enemy of Ahk-Ton (who is connected to Metamorpho)

Is the father of Dr. Fate

The father in law of Fury

The grandfather of Dream

and I almost forgot, the godfather of Northwind (a winged member of Infinity Inc)

Now if only they would let Peter David write him...

ONWARD!

Family Ties - Part 1

Family Ties

There are three things I like in my comics: Friends, Family and Legacy, in short, Connections.  In my humble opinion, DC does this fairly well most of the time, Batman, Hawkman, and Aquaman all have (or had, before the New 52) well-made and definitive Connections. 

The Bat Family is the one of the best example of this.  Batman, Nightwing, Red Robin (I hate the name), Red Hood (hate the name even more), Robin, Batgirl, Huntress, Batwoman.  They are a family, dysfunctional but a family nonetheless; Batman and his four sons, his daughter from another reality, the daughter of one of his closest friends who is also the longtime/sometime girlfriend of his oldest son, and his cousin (which might have changed with the onset of the New 52). 

Nightwing – Everybody’s big brother.  Before the New 52, I read an article about how Dick Grayson was the most respected hero in the DC Universe.  He grew up amid heroes, he took the best his father/mentor had and jettisoned the grim and gritty worst.   He learned something from all he came into contact with, hence the name – Nightwing – originally a Kryptonian hero that Superman told him stories about.   He’s dated Batgirl on and off forever, and she’s a much better fit for him than Starfire from the Titans ever was.  Even though Dick Grayson has been around since the 50’s, I feel like he and I grew up together, he got rid of his short green pants and became Nightwing at the same time I moved out and began to actually grow up.  Nightwing is a big brother to the other Robins and my favorite issues are the ones with all of the family together.  The brothers competing against each other and Batman looking on, proud even though he doesn’t show it.

One day, and this was shown in the fabulous Generations mini-series by John Byrne, he WILL become Batman, continuing the family tradition.

Damian Wayne – While Damian was never one of my favorite characters, he sort of grew on me, much like he grew on Grayson.  When Dick takes on the mantle of the Bat, he takes on his little, slightly psychotic brother Damian as the new Robin and the kid DRIVES HIM NUTS, and he did me as well, just like my younger brothers did.  As the relationship evolved and Damian becomes socialized it makes the end even more tragic and poignant.  Let me say, I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with killing him off, not only because they already killed off (and brought back) one Robin but they threw away a Robin that was entirely different from the rest and the story potential from that is now gone.  And of course I fear that some other writer will bring him back – using his mother or his grandfather and the Lazarus Pit I’m sure.  I will say the scenes leading up to the death, with Damian and Dick discussing how they were the best Batman and Robin was fantastic and the two of them just having a good time together made Damian’s death even more heartwrenching.

Batman is the ultimate foster father, and the good thing is each Robin is different from the last; Dick was already a trained acrobat, Jason, a burgeoning criminal, Tim, a Tech genius and Damian, trained assassin at the age of 10.  The brotherly bond is shown and, realistically, the father-son bond is shown more through the brotherly competition the four have with each other than dialogue with Bruce. 

Batgirl -   I was disappointed when they pulled Barbara out of the wheelchair.  As Oracle she created more of a name for herself, and I think was more popular than ever.  Stephanie Brown (Tim Drake’s former girlfriend, daughter of a villain, and one-time Robin) had done a great job as Batgirl and with Barbara as her mentor was beginning to come into her own.  That being said, Batgirl/Barbara is being written better now than she ever has been and is almost as fun as the version of her that appeared in Batman: The Animated Series.

I am interested to see more how Huntress will fit into the New 52, maybe she’ll show up as the new Robin, since she was Robin on Earth 2, maybe she still has her costume.  The daughter replacing the son. 

Probably not, but it would be pretty cool to see them work together.

Batman Beyond, a possible future for the Batman has Terry McGinnis, a younger clone of Bruce Wayne being mentored by the aged Dark Knight.

Another of my gripes is the names.  If you are a son or a protégé of the Bat then your name should reflect that connection in some way.  Nightwing works, Batgirl works, Huntress works (barely), Red Robin sucks, and Red Hood sucks worse.  The not-too-bad name of Talon was wasted on some poor schmuck whose book won’t last two years.  I’ve tossed a few around but haven’t come up with any I really like, but come on, Red Hood?  Red Robin?

Let’s work a little harder people!

Uggggh - Super Saturday

Just can't seem to get into the groove lately.  Haven't posted anything in almost 3 weeks and its driving me nuts!  I have several items I want to put out there...

I just don't.

My goal is to post at least 3-4 times per week...FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS.

In the meantime...

Super Saturday

For me, Byrne's run was iconic.  He redefined the Big Red S for my generation.  Ma and Pa were both alive and he (Clark) had been born on American soil from the Kryptonian "birthing matrix", making him an honest to goodness American - Thank you founding fathers!  Many fans didn't like this and its gone away with the (Ugggh) New 52, but if Byrne had simply gotten rid of the red underwear here...It would have been perfect.

If you haven't read it, I recommend it along with Byrne's Generations, which frankly in my mind is the way comics should be done. 

Like I said, I'm planning a post on this one, really and truly the way I think comics should be done...

Until then...

Onward!