Gardner Fox: Visionary

I love Hawkman. There, I said it. Large swathes of fandom seem to think the one-time Thanagarian crime-stopper is a risible leftover from the Golden Age who still looked ridiculous in the equally crazy Silver Age, what with his silly helmet and bird-shoes. They are wrong. Hawkman kicks ass, sometimes mid-air ass, and doesn't bother taking names while he does it. Though yes, the recent Hawkgirl comic written by Walt Simonson and drawn by Howard Chaykin (for a couple of arcs) was possibly the worst comic being published by DC. I'll grant you that. Otherwise, he is all hard-rocking awesomeness.

Gardner Fox introduced him in Flash Comics, and retooled him for the Silver Age in Brave and the Bold, in which his introduction of the futuristic world of Thanagar proves him to be a true visionary. Check out these Thanagarian inventions:


Is that QVC? Or is Shayera a big fan of Ugly Betty and its in-show promotions?


They have TiVo! Except boring Thanagarians use it to tape Fox News. Carter, if you want to know what O'Reilly's been saying for the last few months, here's a recap: "It's all the fault o' derr imigants." Now switch over and watch Lost or Friday Night Lights. They're good for your soul.


"As long as we have a favourable balance"? You mean Thanagar hasn't invented debt yet? Can I move there tomorrow? That said, there are still some Thanagarian doohickeys we've yet to invent, but if Fox's strike rate is anything to go by, it's only a matter of time before we get this wonderful idea:


Hmmmm, tube food. Pneumati-tube food, no less! Actually, to be honest, the thought of Thanaldar City being criss-crossed with gravy-smeared plastic tubes is pretty unappealing.

[All pictures from DC's Showcase Presents: Hawkman, which is highly recommended.]