Comic Book Couples Going Strong

Love exists in comic books and there are many characters who prove it. Here are my choices for the top five comic book couples. Feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree.

5. Green Arrow and Black Canary: Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, is the world's greatest archer in the DC Comics universe. Dinah Lance, Black Canary, is an expert martial artist and is blessed with a sonic scream. As members of the Justice League of America, Black Canary met Green Arrow. They fell in love and have been a couple for decades. They married in the comics in 2007 and for a while had a series together, Green Arrow and Black Canary. According to the announcements of upcoming titles on the site DCComics.com, the title will revert to Green Arrow beginning with issue No. 31.

Reed and Sue joined the Avengers during Inferno.

4. Reed and Sue Richards: They have been married longer than any other superhero couple. They are members of Marvel Comics team the Fantastic Four, going by the names Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman. Many fans forget, but the Fantastic Four is Marvel Comics' first superhero team in the Silver Age and was very popular in the 1960s. Adding to Reed and Sue's importance is the fact Sue was Marvel's first female hero in the Silver Age. Reed and Sue married in Fantastic Four Annual #3 from 1965.

In the late 1980s, Reed and Sue tried retiring from the Fantastic Four to lead a more normal life and raise their son, Franklin. However, they were drawn into the event called Inferno and ended up joining the Avengers for a very short time (about six issues) after being invited to join by Steve Rogers, Captain America. They ended up returning to the Fantastic Four after Crystal left the team and the Thing became human again, leaving the group with two members, the Human Torch and the second Ms. Marvel (Sharon Ventura).

3. Hawkman and Hawkgirl: Whether we are talking about the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl (Carter and Shiera Hall) or the Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl (Katar and Shayera Hol), Hawkman and Hawkgirl are among the most famous of comic book couples. I like all the hawks, but am slightly more interested in the originals from the 1940s.

The Golden Age Hawkgirl was Shiera Hall, the reincarnation of the Egyptian princess Chay-Ara, and partner of Carter Hall, the Hawkman. Centuries ago, Chay-Ara and Hawkman (Prince Khufu) were killed by Hath Set with a knife forged from an alien substance called Nth metal. The properties of the metal affected them strangely, causing them to be reborn over and over again, life after life. They are the current hawk couple in DC Comics stories.

2. Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson: Spider-Man, Peter Parker, actually dated other girls throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but eventually he settled down with Mary Jane. They were married in the 1980s and have also been immortalized on film in the Spider-Man movies. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst played Peter Parker and Mary Jane perfectly. It will be interesting to see how new actors take over the characters in the upcoming Spider-Man film. Although, it appears Dunst will not return as Mary Jane in Spider-Man 4; but, it is a fact Andrew Garfield plays Spider-Man. Garfield has appeared in theater, film, and television.

Clark and Lois continue to grow closer on Smallville.

1. Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane. There is no doubt in this comic book reader's mind that Clark Kent and Lois Lane make up the most famous comic book couple. Throughout the comic books, movies, and television shows, this is the hottest comic book couple. It was a treat to see the couple finally married in the 1990s and they remain married to this day. The wedding of Clark and Lois in the 90s was planned to coincide with the wedding on the TV series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Personally, I enjoy Tom Welling and Erica Durance (from the television series Smallville) as Clark and Lois more than other incarnations.

Agree with my choices? Disagree with my choices? Let me know your thoughts.

Hawkman History Makes Character Unique

We are taking a detour from Woody Woodpecker again to visit another bird...Hawkman! I posted this article I wrote at Ezine Articles earlier this week.

Many people feel that Hawkman is a confusing comic book character and that hurts his appeal. I disagree. Hawkman's history is one thing I find appealing about the hero. Let's revisit Hawkman's history and also why he is a rocking super hero.

Hawkman is a superhero who appears in DC Comics. He was created by Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville; the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (1940) in the Golden Age of comics. The first Hawkman was Carter Hall, an archeologist. His girlfriend (later wife) Shiera Sanders became Hawkgirl. Like most Golden Age heroes, Hawkman and Hawkgirl disappeared from comics after World War II.

In the Silver Age, DC introduced new versions of several characters. Hawkman and Hawkgirl were revamped and became aliens from the planet Thanagar. Hawkman and Hawkgirl were interesting because unlike other heroes getting a revamp, their names were very similar to the original Golden Age hawks. The alien hawks were named Katar and Shayera Hol. On earth they went by the more earth-like names Carter and Shiera Hall.

I can certainly see why people get a little confused about Hawkman's history, given the Golden Age and Silver Age hawks were different people yet very similar. However, it was pretty cut and dried in the Silver Age. The alien Hawkman and Hawkgirl lived on Earth-1 and it was revealed the Golden Age heroes from the 1940s lived on Earth-2, a parallel world!

The problems with Hawkman happened after 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths series. You see, at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986, DC merged the parallel worlds in their stories into one world. So, all their Golden Age and Silver Age characters came to live on one earth. That meant that some characters who had duplicates either died or disappeared. For instance, the Golden Age Superman went off to live in a paradise world while the Silver Age Superman lived on.

Originally, Carter Hall and Katar lived on the same earth, and then Hawkworld came in 1989. The Hawkworld limited series retold Katar's origins. It was popular. When the ongoing series started in 1990, the decision was made to reintroduce Katar and Shayera as new characters and have them come to earth for the first time. This is where the confusion really begins. However, all the questions surrounding Hawkman's post Crisis history have been answered.

1. It was revealed in Infinite Crisis that the changes to Katar and Shayera's history happened because Superboy was punching on the walls of reality.
2. It was explained in the Hawkworld ongoing series that the Katar and Shayera who joined the Justice League after 1985, appeared in the Millennium series and other comic books, were really a Thanagarian spy and his wife, Sharon. It was later revealed in the last Hawkman series that Sharon was brainwashed into believing she was Hawkgirl.
3. It was also revealed in the Hawkworld ongoing series (Annual No. 1, to be specific) that the Justice League did have a Hawkman and Hawkgirl in the Silver Age. Carter and Shiera Hall joined the Silver Age JLA and served with them and the JSA.
4. It was explained in the Hawkworld ongoing series that Carter Hall was close to Paran Katar, Katar's father. When Paran left Earth to go back to Thanagar, he gave Carter and Shiera plans for a Thanagarian teleporter. Later, in the JLA Incarnations miniseries, we see Carter Hall building a teleporter on the JLA satellite.
5. All of these changes to Hawkman's history have been confirmed throughout the years and remain intact today.

Personally, I loved Hawkworld, the miniseries and ongoing series. I found the 1990s Katar and Shayera to be much more interesting that the original version of Katar and Shayera. I also found it interesting that Carter and Shiera (the Golden Age hawks) were now the JLA's hawk couple. It makes perfect sense that the JSA and JLA would have members who served as liaisons between the teams.

I find Hawkman's history to very clear today. I think many people who say his history is confusing either have not read the Hawkworld series or simply do not like that the Silver Age Katar and Shayera were reintroduced as new characters in 1990. Finally, I see Hawkman's history as a fascinating part of DC Comics and the changes have made the character more interesting than heroes who have straight-forward, boring histories.

Plus, Hawkman has wings and carries a mace. Who doesn't like a winged hero with a mace?

Being Carter Hall: The Hawks on Superfriends

Friends, be sure to check out this great pic of Hawkman and Hawkgirl on the old SuperFriends cartoon!

Being Carter Hall: The Hawks on Superfriends

Hawkman: Cool Bird and Longtime Hero

Although he may not be as famous as Superman or Batman, Hawkman has been a major DC Comics superhero since the Golden Age of comics. Not only is he a great character visually, he sports an interesting history, too.

I’m not going to spend hours explaining Hawkman’s history. A great place to read about it is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawkman
However, I need to sum up Hawkman a little. Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics in 1940. He was Carter Hall and, later in the series, his fiancée Shiera became Hawkgirl. They flew using wings and a metal—called ninth metal in the Golden Age and Nth metal in the Silver Age—harness that defies gravity. This was all courtesy of ancient Egyptian secrets. They were reincarnated Egyptians. In the 1960s, Hawkman and Hawkgirl were reintroduced as Katar Hol and Shayera Hol (Thal was her maiden name). They were alien police officers who came to Earth from the planet Thanagar. Although they have a different history, their costumes look almost exactly the same as the original hawks. There are twists and turns to the history of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, but basically these are the four main hawk characters.


Growing up in the 1980s, I was most familiar with the alien hawks. It was Katar and Shayera who were on the SuperFriends and featured in DC Comics at the time. Carter and Shiera Hall were still around in DC Comics, too, but not as prominently in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the entire Hawkman franchise was revamped, in a way, through the Hawkworld miniseries and the Hawkworld ongoing series. Although fans were split on some decisions made with the Hawkworld stories, I loved them. The Hawkworld ongoing series was excellent. Some issues featured all four hawks, which made for some great tales. 

Hawkman was once again reintroduced in the early 2000s. Nowadays, Carter Hall is back as the main Hawkman and Kendra Saunders (grandniece of the first Hawkgirl) is Hawkgirl. Carter is my number one choice for Hawkman. The reincarnation angle of his character makes for some good stories. His adventures are a mix of Indiana Jones and Mummy movies with science fiction thrown in.

Haters who say Hawkman is pointless because all he does is fly are missing the point. Sure, he flies. And while Superman can fly and do a hundred other things, Hawkman is unique. Hawkman is about adventures in ancient worlds, lost civilizations, and even on other planets. Also, unlike other heroes who fly, Hawkman embodies the idea of flight. His wings are a symbol of man’s dream of flight. And they just look darn cool!
 
Another important aspect of Hawkman has also been the equality and partnership between Hawkman and Hawkgirl (sometimes called Hawkwoman). But, that is fodder for another blog.