Understanding Hawkman: Part 2.c – More Family

Welcome back to another installment of the Hawkmanology Project.  In our last part of this chapter we focused on the son of Hawkman, Hector Hall.  In this we will look at more members of his extended family.  One thing to remember with Hawkman and Hawkgirl (Sheira) through the years is that they did not have children until this past reincarnation, so the family aspect is new to their long lives.

 

Northwind – Norda Cantrell is the adopted son of Carter and Sheira Hall.  He comes from the hidden city of Feithera and is born of a native Feitheran mother and a human father.  The Halls often travelled to that hidden land and over time they eventually adopted Norda.  Norda was already caught up in the curse of Hath-Set, and he would stand in opposition to his eventual friend and teammate, Hector, the birth son of his adopted parents.  Norda along with several other sons and daughters of the JSA formed a group of their own called Infinity, Inc.  They eventually disbanded and Norda was not seen for some time.  He was next seen as an ally of Black Adam in Khandaq, his form radically changed to the appearance seen above.  We learn that Feithera was destroyed by the actions of humans and their entire race went through hyperevolution to survive.  His people still reside in Khandaq.

Fury (Lyta Trevor-Hall) – Lyta is the daughter of the Golden Age Heroine, Fury, and was raised by Derek and Joan Trevor (aka Joan Dale, Miss America).  Along with several other sons and daughters of the Golden Age heroes she joined the group Infinity, Inc, taking the name of her mother: Fury.  It was while a member of that group that she met and fell in love with Hector Hall, eventually becoming pregnant with his child before his death.  It was later revealed that Hector had gone on to take the mantle of the Sandman and had been visiting Lyta.  Eventually she joined him in the dreaming where they finally married.  She had a prolonged pregnancy while in the Dreaming before Hector’s spirit was cast away by a returning Morpheus of the Endless and Lyta was banished from the dreaming.  Their son Daniel was finally born, but his ties to the Dreaming were powerful.  He was kidnapped and Lyta was forced to play a part in the killing of Morpheus of the Endless, causing her son Daniel to take his place.  Lyta was lost for many years afterwards before Hector, now returned to life as Dr. Fate, found her and they enjoyed a short time of happiness together before they were killed by a rampaging Spectre.  Hector and Lyta’s souls were seen departing to the Dreaming once again, their family reunited.

 

Daniel, Dream of the Endless – The son of Hector and Lyta Hall spent most of the time in his mother’s womb while they resided in the realm known as the Dreaming.  Lyta was pregnant for far longer than a normal term as the child became connected with the Dreaming.  He was kidnapped shortly after being born and used in a revenge plot against Morpheus of the Endless, Lord of the Dreaming.  His ties to the Dreaming and his role in this plot marked the child, Daniel, as the new avatar of Dream of the Endless, replacing Morpheus.  A child who was never given a chance to grow up became one of the most powerful beings in creation, but he did reach out at the end of the lives of his parents to bring their souls to reside with him within the Dreaming.

OK, we’re going to end this part of the chapter now and next we’ll discuss the various close friends and allies of Hawkman.

Understanding Hawkman: Part 3.b – More Villains

 

Welcome back for another installment of Hawkmanology.  At this time we’re going to revisit the villains of Hawkman with a focus on a recent storyline.  A couple years back the creative team of Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Michael Bennett put together an ambitious, mulit-part story bringing back several of Hawkman’s enemies from years past; many of whom had not been seen since the Golden Age.  This storyline is collected in a trade paperback titled “Rise of the Golden Eagle.”

Leading this motley crew of hired thugs is a man who also plagued Batman and other heroes back in the Silver Age:

The Fadeaway Man – Dr. Anton Lamont was an art history professor who came into the possession of the Cloak of noted occultist Alessandro Cagliostro.  Lamont learned of the Cloak’s mystical properties and used it to lead a life of crime.  The Cloak of Cagliostro has many abilities, but most notable is it’s ability to teleport its wearer anywhere in the world.  Lamont used that particular ability to become a master thief, running afoul of the likes of Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Batman.  Looking to retire, Lamont took up an offer for one last job: to completely and utterly destroy his old foe, Hawkman.   He assembled a collection of villains from Hawkman’s past for the job and they seemed to succeed; but Hawkman returned with a vengeance, brutalizing the Fadeaway Man and his allies and taking the Cloak of Cagliostro as his own.  At last sighting, the Fadeaway Man managed to steal the Cloak back, but what he decided to do afterwards has yet to be written.

Lion-Mane – Ed Dawson was an archaeologist and a big-game hunter who came into contact with a meteorite with mystical properties called Mithra.  This turned Dawson into a were-lion, with the beast’s power and ferocity amplified a hundred-fold.  Lion-Mane would clash with Hawkman many times, and after the Hawkworld re-imagining we discover that Lion-Mane is a Lion Avatar, just as Katar Hol was a Hawk avatar.  The character went unused for years until he became one of the Fadeaway Man’s mercenaries.  Lion-Mane added his incredible savagry to that group, but he would soon find that his savagry was no match for an angry Hawkman.  The last time we saw Lion-Mane he was horribly beaten and possibly blinded in one eye.  His whereabouts since are unknown.

Hummingbird – Not much is known about this character, save for the fact that she is…well, not entirely sane.  That may actually be an understatement.  When she was a child she witnessed her mother kill her father (over pancakes…seriously), and she then tied her mother to her bed and set her on fire so that her father wouldn’t be lonely in the afterlife.  She is an absolutely brilliant inventor, but she makes a point to invent devices such as cluster bombs designed to bring as much pain, death and destruction as possible to her targets.

Lasso – I have to admit…I know little to nothing about this character, Lasso.  I know that he is  villain from Hawkman’s golden age.  He was one of the mercenaries brought together by the Fadeaway Man to take Hawkman down once and for all.  For all of his troubles, Lasso ended up a snow bunny.

Satana – She is as stylish as she is utterly evil.  She is one of Hawkman’s villains from way back in the day, brought together under Fadeaway Man’s banner to end Hawkman once and for all.  Satana fancies herself as a sort of modern day Circe, using her science to meld humans with animals, all under her control.  She, undet the guidance of Hawkman’s foes, used her science to breed a version of the dreaded Manhawks.

Manhawks – The Manhawks are vicious, carnivorous hunters who plague system after system in the galaxy.  They will find a world to conquer like locusts and then wear masks with the face of those that they are about to conquer.  This species cannot be reasoned with; they know no compromise; they exist merely to conquer.

Understanding Hawkman: Part 2.b – Hector

Continuing our examination of the character Hawkman, we go back to our chapter on Family, Friends and Allies.  In our first part we looked at the many loves of Hawkman’s lives.  In this installment we look at the family of Hawkman, beginning with their son. 

In all of the lives of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, the one thing that they never had was children…not until this lifetime.  The curse that gave them life immortal showed it’s first sign of strain with the anomalous birth of the son of Carter and Sheira Hall.  For the first time there was another part of their cycle of death and rebirth: one who soon showed that he was a lot like his mother and father.

Hector Hall (aka: Silver Scarab; aka Sandman; aka Dr. Fate)

Hector is the son of Carter and Sheira Hall.  He followed in their footsteps as a crime-fighting adventurer, taking a name with ties to his family’s Egyptian roots: the Silver Scarab.  He, along with other sons and daughters of the JSA formed their own team of super-heroes: Infinity, Inc.  It was while a member of this group that Hector fell in love with Lyta Hall, the heroine known as the Fury.  It was eventually revealed that he was caught up in the curse of Hath-Set, and was inteded to be a soulless vessel to destroy the Hawks.  He was killed in action while Lyta was pregnant, and the inherint goodness of the child he conceived was the curse’s undoing.  But like his parents, Hector was not one to be stopped by death.

Hector would next show up as the Sandman – a hero based out of a segment of the Dreaming which was cut off by two rogue nightmares during Morpheus’ absence.  He would visit Lyta in her dreams, eventually discovering that she was pregnant with his child.  She became aware of him and they married, and she followed him into the Dreaming.  They existed there for some time – far beyond the gestation time of a normal pregnancy.  When Morpheus eventually returned he dispatched the rogue dreams and Hector along with them.  He allowed Lyta to leave the Dreaming, noting that due to the development of the child in his realm, he would be eternally tied to it.

 Hector was reborn for the third time in the pages of Johns and Robinson’s initial storyarc of JSA.  Hector’s soul was reborn into a baby’s body which was the perfect balance of Order and Chaos.  The biological parents were eventually revealed to be Hawk (Hank Hall) and Dove (Dawn Granger).  The child was sought after by the dark lord, Mordru, but before he could possess it, Hank’s spirit took control as the new host for Nabu’s power: his champion, Dr. Fate.  Hector seemed destined to become the greatest bearer of Nabu’s power, but it was quickly set into motion that he and the giver of his powers would be at odds.  Constantly distracted from his learning by his desire to find his love, Lyta, again, the relationship between Student and Mentor was cleary strained.  Attempting to impose a level of control over his champion that he never tried with Kent Nelson or Eric and Linda Strauss, Nabu would become more of a hinderance to Hector’s development rather than a proper mentor.  Their antagonistic relationship came to a head during the JSA-Hawkman crossover, Black Reign, when Nabu took control of Hector’s body, trapping his soul away in the world inside his amulet in order to ally himself with an ancient ally: Black Adam.  It was then that Hector discovered that Nabu had been keeping Lyta prisoner, as to keep her out of the way of what he considered Hector’s proper learning path to be.  Other former bearers of Nabu’s power were also imprisoned, and equally fed up with the old, controlling wizard.  Working together they managed to subdue Nabu and restored Hector to power in his own body, and freed Lyta to be at his side.

Hector and Lyta’s time together would be brief as they fell victim to an editorial “new direction” for Dr. Fate.  They were essentially killed off unceremoniously in a distant, cold place.  While their bodies died, however, their souls lived on – returning to the Dreaming at the behest of their son, whom we shall discuss at a later time.  Since their death and the re-emergence of the Helm of Nabu in the DCU, not a mention has been made of Hector or Lyta by their friends, family or teammates.  Their bodies remain in cold, unknown place with only the snow to cover them.

At this point, DC does not seem interested in following up on this story.

Understanding Hawkman: Part 3.a – The Villains

Welcome to part one of our third installment of the Hawkmanology Project, in which we explore the character and history of DC Comic’s Winged Warrior: Hawkman.  As with every classic comics character there are three essential aspects to cover: their origin and personality; their supporting cast; and of course, their villains.  In our first installment we touched upon the various histories, and how they have been merged by Geoff Johns, James Robinson and David Goyer into the current background and origin of Hawkman.  In the second installment we began exploring the friendly supporting cast of Hawkman, starting with the many loves of his life.  In this installment we’ll begin looking at the many villains of Hawkman through his many incarnations.

While not as well-known as the villains of other heroes, such as Lex Luthor, the Joker, Sinestro, or even Captain Cold; Hawkman is not without an interesting cast of his own foes.  We’re going to begin with some of his better-known foes to the comics-reading community as a whole.  Long-time fans such as myself may not put these foes as high as others, but with this entire Hawkmanology Project I am trying to make it relevant to the character as he exists today.

 The Shadow-Thief

Carl Sands, aka, the Shadow-Thief is probably the most recognizable villain in Hawkman’s rogue’s gallery.  He was a somewhat incompetant saboteur and thief who saw his fortunes changed when he came across Thanagarian technology known as the “Dimensiometer,” or simply the “shadow-vest” for us non-alien types.  This granted Sands with the ability to phase into a two-dimensional shadow-like state.  He can become two or three-dimensional at will, he can travel through shadows and across and through most materials.  He became an accomplished thief after acquiring these abilities, but the vest has had terrible side effects on his mental state as well as having become an addictive property to Sands.  He recently killed Ronald Raymond, who was the former host of the Firestorm Matrix.

 Gentleman Ghost

“Gentleman” Jim Craddock was the bastard son of a British aristocrat who turned to a life of the Highwayman, thieving his way across the ocean to America where he encounted the western heroes, Nighthawk and Cinnamon, who were that era’s incarnation of Hawkman and Hawkgirl.  In a fit of rage, Nighthawk killed Craddock, but due to their Nth metal exposure he became caught up in their curse and has haunted them in every lifetime since.  Sometimes a friend, sometimes a foe…the true nature of Craddock was not known to Hawkman util the past few years where he made it clear that despite sometimes appearing to be an ally, he harbors nothing but hatred for the Hawks and will continue to haunt them through their days.

 Byth

Byth Rok was a Wingman of Thanagar, who’s corrupt ways made him a criminal on his planet.  He acquired shape-shifting abilities through the use of illegal drug, Krotan, which he used to escape Thanagar, eventually hiding on Earth.  It was the pursuit of this criminal that led Katar Hol and Shayera Thal to Earth, where they became caught up in the Hawkman mythos.  When last seen, Byth had been taken down by Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Hawkgirl and Animal Man.  He is rumored to be an intergalactic arms dealer, and his outfitting of Carl Sands with the Dimensiometer fit in with those rumors.

 Blackfire

Kommand’r, Queen of the vagabond remnants of the Tamaranean race, has but two purposes in her life now: to find a home for her people; and to acquire great power and influence in the process.  She inserted her people into the middle of the Rann-Thanagar War, working both sides against each other.  When her duplicity was revealed she murdered Shayera Thal, better known as Hawkwoman.  This made her an eternal enemy of Hawkman, who spent the better part of a year trying to take her down (albeit in an uncharacteristic “by the book” way), which he succeeded in doing, while stripping her of her own solar energy based powers.  The burning animosity between the two all but guarantees that we have not seen their last conflict with one another.

  Onimar Synn

One of the Seven Devils of Thanagarian mythology – Onimar Synn has proven to be all-too real.  His complete mastery of the mysterious Nth metal has made him one of the galaxy’s most powerful beings, with the ego and pride to go with it.  He had conquered Thanagar, which directly led to the rebirth of Carter Hall as Hawkman on that planet.  After Hawkman and Hawkgirl (with the JSA’s assistance) defeated Synn, he waited until the moment was right to strike again, which led to the ongoing war between Rann and Thanagar.  Seemingly banished once again, there is little doubt that Onimar Synn will not only return, but return even more powerful than before.

OK – that’s closing this part of the chapter.  I know that some may question the rhyme or reason for selecting these five when discussing Hawkman’s villains, and not some of his more classic foes, but I will get to them soon.  I wanted to touch on the five that I feel are most relevant to the character as he stands now.

Understanding Hawkman: Part Two.a – Family, Friends and Allies

Welcome back to another lesson in Hawkology, where we will continue to open your eyes to the world of Hawkman.  In today’s lesson we begin our examination of the family, friends and allies of Hawkman.

As with all comics characters, there are there are three essential aspects that go towards making a hero great.  The first, obviously, is the hero him or herself.  After that the keys are a good supporting cast (friends, family, allies, etc); and then the last part, of course, are the villains.  Don’t worry – we’ll get to the bad guys soon enough.  We’re going to start with the good guys first…tho in the case of Hawkman, there are times where his friends, lovers or allies may be worse than his enemies!

We’re going to begin the exploration of Hawkman’s supporting cast by focusing on that greatest element of any story: the Lovers.  These are the women of Hawkman’s lives.  We’ll start at the beginnning…and as you know for Hawkman: the beginning is a long time back!

  Chay-Ara

Told you we were going way back!  Chay-Ara is where this whole love story began.  She was the wife of Prince Khufu in Ancient Egypt.  She and her husband crafted armaments from the Nth Metal recovered from the crashed Thanagarian ship.  She and Khufu were killed by the jealous traitor, Hath-Set – stabbed with a knife crafted from Nth Metal.  This began the Hawk’s blessing and curse, as they would be reborn time and time again to fall in love, only to die at the hands of Hath-Set.  This leads us to…

   Hawkgirl (Sheira Hall)

The Golden Age Hawkgirl was the wife of Carter Hall.  They fought side by side during World War II, and continued to operate long after the rest of their JSA allies hung up the tights.  She is the best-known re-incarnation of Chay-Ara, and it was during her life (and her death) that the things that would break the curse would be set in motion.  She and Carter had a son, Hector, and they adopted a son, Norda.  Hector was the first child they have ever had in all of their lives.  Sheira was “reborn” after dying in Zero Hour by possessing the body of her niece, Kendra Saunders, who had killed herself.  The transferrence was jarring, and she believed that she actually was Kendra.  Before passing on to her final reward, Sheira helped Kendra break Hath-Set’s curse and reclaim her own soul.

   Hawkwoman (Shayera Thal)

Shayera Thal and her partner, Katar Hol, were police officers from the planet Thanagar who came to Earth in pursuit of the villain, Byth.  They decided to remain on Earth to learn about it’s culture, and the media dubbed them as the new Hawkman and Hawkgirl…but Shayera took issue with being called a girl, hence “Hawkwoman” was born.  Shayera and Katar did develop a relationship (he was her “peacock”), and when he was killed alongside the Halls during Zero Hour, Shayera left Earth.  Upon the return of Hawkman, Shayera came back to Earth to find out what had truly happened to her old partner.  She was later killed at the hands of Blackfire during the Rann-Thanagar War.

Shayera Thal is the basis for the “Hawkgirl” character from the animated “Justice League” and “JLU” series.

 Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders)

 The modern-day Hawkgirl is Kendra Saunders, niece of Sheira Saunders.  She was a film student in Austin, Texas when she took her own life.  Her uncle, Speed, took her to the hospital, but when green-eyed Kendra died…then opened her eyes again 10 minutes later with Sheira’s brown eyes, Speed knew that Kendra was gone and Sheira was back.  The shock of the rebirth was too much for Sheira, who went on to believe that she was Kendra.  She was instrumental in the return of Hawkman, but very resistant to the idea of their immortal love.  Eventually, Kendra accepted the truth about her soul, and Sheira helped Kendra’s soul return to it’s body by defeating Hath-Set and breaking their curse.  Kendra is once again fully herself, and she and Hawkman are no longer romantically involved, even though a deep, genuine friendship has developed between them.  She has stepped out on her own as a member of the Justice League of America, where she is now seeing fellow teammate, Red Arrow.  Kendra has a child whom she gave up for adoption when she was much younger, that tragic event was part of what led her to suicide in the first place.  Now, for the first time in her life, Kendra is at peace with herself.

OK – those are the major ones, but there are a few more whom we will discuss briefly as they are notable in Hawkman’s past…and possibly his future.

  Cinnamon

Cinnamon was a DC comics character from the Old West boom in comics.  She was revealed to be a former incarnation of Chay-Ara, with Khufu being the hero from that era known as Nighthawk.  Cinnamon and Nighthawk are the most notable incarnation of Chay-Ara and Khufu before the Halls came onto the scene in the Golden Age.

  Mavis Trent

 Ahh…Mavis!  This vampy co-worker has appeared in several versions of Hawkman over the years.  She was usually a co-worker with Carter, a fellow archaeologist, I believe, who made no secret of her lust for both Hawkman and Carter Hall, usually making the moves on him in front of his wife.  Not exaclty a lover of Hawkman…but she just wanted him so badly that I had to include her!  I was introduced to Mavis in the Shadow War of Hawkman back in the 80s, and I have always liked the character.  No list could be complete without Mavis trying to sink her claws in!

  Power Girl (Kara Zor-L)

What is the exact nature of this relationship?  Undefined at the moment.  We do know that they had a fling, and it’s been hinted that it may be ongoing in some sense.  Personally, I’m cheering for this one as they are great together.  I encourage all of you to write to Geoff Johns, Dan Didio, DC Comics, your House Representative, your Senators, your President and your Pope (or Pope-equivalent) demanding to see this become a reality!  Viva la Revolucion!!!

OK, when the rabble-rousing begins, that means that it is time for this portion of the lesson to come to an end.  In our next installment we will begin our look at Hawkman’s rogues gallery before revisiting this topic with more friends and allies.  Thank you, and make sure that you tip your waitress.

Understanding Hawkman: Part One – the new origin

 

 Hawkman – why is he so difficult for some to understand?

Sure, he’s had a bit of a convoluted history with all of the reboots and re-imaginings, but Hawkman as he exists today, who was “fixed” by Geoff Johns, James Robinson and David Goyer, is not too difficult to understand at all.  But before we break down the current history, let’s get a general overview of this character. 

Hawkman debuted in 1940 in Flash Comics #1, created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville.  He was named Carter Hall, an archaeologist by trade who realized that he was the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian prince.  He fought crime as the winged warrior, Hawkman, and became a member of the Justice Society of America, serving as it’s chairman for a long time alongside his girlfriend, Sheira Sanders, who became Hawkgirl.

Like most other war-era mystery men comic characters, Hawkman fell off the radar, but was introduced later in what came to be known as the “Silver Age” where several mystery men were re-introduced with science fiction influences popular at the time.  This Hawkman was Katar Hol, a policeman of the planet Thanagar.  Along with Shayera, also known as Hawkwoman.  We discovered that the first Hawkman, Carter Hall, existed on a planet called Earth 2, whereas Katar existed on Earth 1.

After Crisis on Infinite Earths destroyed the concept of the Multiverse in the 80s, Hawkman was one of the most profoundly affected characters.  In an attempt to shoehorn him back into the DCU, writer Tim Truman re-imagined the Silver Age origins of Hawkman in the pages of the miniseries, Hawkworld.  Thanagar was far more militaristic, and Hawkman was far more severe.  Later on they introduced the concept of the Hawk Avatar, essentially a god-like character who used Hawkman as it’s champion.

By this point, Hawkman had about 73 origin stories, give or take 26.  DC decided to simply do away with the character in the Zero Hour event, and Hawkman wasn’t seen again for a few years.

Then we get to the modern age of comics, and the title JSA, written by David Goyer and Geoff Johns; and later the new Hawkman ongoing comic written by Geoff Johns and James Robinson combined to take on the task of cleaning up the varying histories of Hawkman into one nice, neat package.   What follows is the result of that undertaking.

THE ORIGIN OF MODERN DAY HAWKMAN

 

Don’t worry – we’ll get to Hawkman caving in some Nazi’s faces soon enough!  Our story actually begins a long time ago, in a galaxy really, really close by.  We begin on Ancient Thanagar, one of the galaxy’s first star-spanning empires.  Mastering the mysterious “Nth Metal,” the Thanagarians spread amongst the stars.  One spacecraft made it as far as Earth, but it was damaged and it crashed into the sands of Ancient Egypt.  The craft and it’s dying occupants were found by the Prince Khufu, along with his court of Nabu (the future Dr. Fate) and Teth-Adam (Black Adam).  Coming in contact with the Nth Metal passed on the racial memory that all Thanagarians enjoy to Prince Khufu and he became aware of the potential power of this substance.  Fashioning a armaments partially inspired by his own religion, and paritally by the new Thanagarian memories he did not fully understand, Khufu and his bride, Chay-Ara used the Nth metal to become mighty champions of their empire, ruling with love and justice.  They were betrayed, however, by one of their closest allies, known as Hath-Set.  A combo of the Nth Metal and a curse placed upon them by Hath-Set put into motion thousands of years of re-incarnations of Khufu and Chay-ara, dooming them to meet, fall in love, but ultimately be killed by Hath-Set, who was also caught up in the curse.

The three were reborn time and time again.  Among the notable reincarnations for them were DC’s western heroes, Nighthawk and Cinnamon.

 The 20th Century saw Khufu reborn as Carter Hall, and like his original origin, he was an archaeologist by trade and a museum curator.  The Nth metal of the armaments that had been passed down through time drew the attention of a Thanagarian agent named Paran Katar, who recognized a sort of kindred spirit in Carter.  Like many of the day, Carter and his girlfriend (eventual wife) Sheira Saunders adopted costumed identities during the second World War: the winged heroes Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

They stayed active as heroes longer than most, being a part of the JLA as well as the JSA, and even had a son named Hector, who became a hero named the Silver Scarab.  This was the first time in their many lives that they had children.  During this time they met two police officers from Thanagar named Katar Hol and Shayera Thal.  The two Thanagarians became active on Earth as Hawkman and Hawkwoman for some time, but during the time crisis known as Zero Hour which saw many of the Justice Society die, the original Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Katar Hol were seemingly killed by the villain extant.  Only Shayera surived that event, but she would end up leaving Earth.

Zero Hour was essentially the end of Katar Hol, but not the end of Sheira or Carter.  Sheira was the first to return, but in an incomplete way.  Her neice, Kendra Saunders, a film school student in Austin, Texas, killed herself after a troubling life.  She was taken to the hospital by her uncle, Speed Saunders, who saw her die…but then be reborn.  He recognized that Kendra was gone and that the soul who came back was in fact Sheira Hall.  The rebirth was not fully complete, and Sheira woke up believing herself to still be Kendra.

“Kendra” would end up joining the reborn Justice Society of America, albeit somewhat reluctantly.  Always a confused, troubled individual she began to slowly open up to a few members of the team; notably then-chairman Sand (Sandy Hawkins), and Dr. Fate, who was actually Hector Hall reborn (having been killed years earlier).  She was eventually confronted by the angel, Zauriel (a replacement-character for Hawkman created during his long comics absence) who informed her that she was not Kendra, but rather Sheira.  Before she could even begin to process this she was whisked away to Thanagar, who needed her to help Carter Hall return from the grave.

It turned out that Carter, Sheira and Katar fell into a well of souls.  As previously stated, Sheira escaped first; and Katar was actually killed and had passed on, but not before his soul had somewhat merged with Carter Hall’s.  Using the centuries-old bond between them, the Thanagarian mystics used “Kendra” as a tether to pull Carter Hall’s soul from the well.  Hawkman, now with the memories of Carter Hall, Katar Hol and indeed every one of his previous lives, was reborn.  With the help of the JSA, Hawkman and Hawkgirl defeated the villainous god, Onimarr Synn and freed Thanagar from his tyranny.  Now a man of two worlds, Carter Hall returned to Earth…but unlike previous lives not all was familiar.

In this life they had a child, who like them had been reborn (in the form of his trusted advisor from ancient times); and “Kendra” did not love him, despite his attempts to reclaim her heart.   Eventually the two would become closer, and even feel love, but their millenia-spanning bond had been shattered.  Further breaking the curse, Hawkman and Hawkgirl defeated and banished the re-incarnated Hath-Set, and along the way Kendra’s soul returned and Sheira passed on to her final reward.  Now, for the first time in their many lives they are no longer slaves to fate.

 Why is that so hard to understand?

Coming up next, we’ll explore the friends, loves and allies of Hawkman