Tomahawk (comics)

Last updated
Tomahawk
Tomahawk15.png
Tomahawk #15 (Jan./Feb. 1953). Cover art by Bob Brown.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Star Spangled Comics #69 (June 1947)
Created by Joe Samachson
Edmund Good
In-story information
Full nameTom Hawk (also given as Thomas Hawk, Tom Hawkins and Tom Haukins)
SpeciesHuman
Place of originEarth
Team affiliationsTomahawk's Rangers
AbilitiesTomahawk is well versed in American Indian languages and customs from many tribes. He is an excellent hand-to-hand fighter, and well versed in the weapons of the era. He has a keen deductive ability and is an excellent horseman.
Tomahawk
Series publication information
Publisher DC Comics
ScheduleBimonthly:
#1-20, #57-140
Eight Times a Year:
#21-56
Format Ongoing series
Genre Western
Publication dateSept./Oct.  1950  – May/June  1972
Number of issues140
Main character(s)Tomahawk
Creative team
Writer(s) Ed France Herron
Artist(s) Fred Ray

Tomahawk is an American comic book character whose adventures were published by DC Comics during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s as a backup feature in Star Spangled Comics and World's Finest Comics and in his own eponymous series. [1] He was created by writer Joe Samachson and artist Edmund Good, and first appeared in Star-Spangled Comics #69 (June 1947). [2] Tomahawk's uniqueness stems in part from the time frame of his fictional adventures: the American Revolutionary War.

Contents

Publication history

Tomahawk was a backup feature in Star Spangled Comics from his first appearance, issue #69 (June 1947) [3] to issue #130 (July 1952), and in World's Finest Comics from issue #33 (Mar. 1948) until issue #101 (May 1959).

The Tomahawk series premiered in September 1950, and lasted 140 issues, until June 1972. [4] Most stories during this period were by writer France Herron and artist Fred Ray. The last ten issues of Tomahawk were titled Son of Tomahawk, featuring the character's son, Hawk Haukins, but the change did not slow the dropping sales which led to the book's cancellation. [5]

Fictional character biography

Known as either Tom Hawk or Thomas Haukins, depending on which of two versions of his published history the reader prefers, "Tomahawk" was a soldier who served under George Washington in the warfare between the British, French and Iroquois forces during the decades prior to the American Revolutionary War. He acquired his nickname due to the resemblance between his birth name and a trademark weapon of the Iroquois Confederacy's warriors, and to the skill he developed with that weapon. He's assisted by a young white friend, Dan Hunter. [6]

He subsequently achieved further fame as one of Washington's most capable operatives during the Revolution itself, leading a band of soldiers under the informal nickname of "Tomahawk's Rangers".

In issues 35 and 36 (Sept.–Nov. 1955), Tomahawk met a young Davy Crockett, who was very popular at the time. However, this was a historical error, as Crockett (1786–1836) was not born until after the Revolutionary War.

Issue #81 was also notable, introducing Miss Liberty (Bess Lynn), one of the earliest patriotic superheroes by the vague internal chronology of the DC Universe, who would make several more appearances in the series. Liberty Belle is a descendant of hers.

In the Time Masters mini-series, it is established that Tomahawk's associate Dan Hunter is actually Rip Hunter's cousin who travels back in time to stop the Illuminati during the Revolutionary War, deciding to stay in the past.

In 1998, Tomahawk appeared in a Vertigo Visions one-shot, written by Rachel Pollack. This issue retold his origin.

In 2008, he is featured in Bruce Jones' The War that Time Forgot .

During his quest to find a special stone, Haukins met and married an Apache princess named Moon Fawn, with whom he had two sons; Hawk and Small Eagle.

A new version of Tomahawk appeared in All-Star Western Vol 3 #13.

In other media

A version of Tomahawk appeared in the 1991 Swamp Thing TV series, voiced by Harvey Atkin. He is a Native American ally to the Swamp Thing that battles the Un-Men.

Related Research Articles

Pat Dugan

S.T.R.I.P.E. is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. S.T.R.I.P.E. is a powered armor suit invented and worn by Patrick "Pat" Dugan, the former adult sidekick to teenage superhero Sylvester Pemberton, the Star-Spangled Kid. "Stripesy", as he was originally called, is a gifted mechanic who built the Star Rocket Racer, a bubble-topped limousine with the functions of a rocket and helicopter. Together, they were members of the Seven Soldiers of Victory and the All-Star Squadron. Stripesy was created by Jerry Siegel and Hal Sherman, and first appeared in Star Spangled Comics #1.

Cyril "Speed" Saunders is a DC Comics character, first appearing in Detective Comics as the first featured character in the anthology series around the Golden Age of Comic Books created by E.C. Stoner. He is depicted as an adventurer and detective during the 1930s and 1940s. He would then later be revived in supporting character role as the retconned grandfather of the current Kendra Saunders, and first cousin to the original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall.

Doctor Occult Fictional character

Doctor Occult is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Doctor Occult is an occult detective and private investigator and user of magic who specializes in cases involving the supernatural. Doctor Occult first appeared in 1935 around the Golden Age of Comic Books. He was published by National Comics Publications and Centaur Publications within anthology titles. He is the earliest recurring, originally featured fictional character created by DC Comics that is still currently used in the DC Universe. He is commonly affiliated with the All-Star Squadron and has appeared occasionally in paranormal related stories by DC and Vertigo Comics titles. As of 2020, Doctor Occult has appeared in a few official tie-in comic books and has appeared in one DC based video game which is established as within DC's multiverse canon.

Slam Bradley

Samuel Emerson "Slam" Bradley is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. He is a private detective who exists in DC's main shared universe. The character concept was envisioned by DC Comics founder Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. The character was created by collaboration of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who both later became more well known as the co-creators of Superman. The fictional characer first appears in the Golden Age of Comic Books in the anthology title Detective Comics, being introduced in the first issue. He later commonly was associated with Batman and other spinoff Batman characters when revived.

Newsboy Legion

The Newsboy Legion are fictional characters, a kid gang in the DC Comics Universe. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, they appeared in their own self-titled feature which ran from Star-Spangled Comics #7 to #64. In 1970, Jack Kirby introduced a new Newsboy Legion, made up of the sons of the original Golden Age characters.

<i>More Fun Comics</i> Comic

More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine a.k.a. New Fun Comics, was a 1935–1947 American comic book anthology that introduced several major superhero characters and was the first American comic-book series to feature solely original material rather than reprints of newspaper comic strips. It was also the first publication of the company that would become DC Comics.

Pow Wow Smith

Ohiyesa "Pow Wow" Smith is a fictional Western hero published by DC Comics. Created by writer Don Cameron and penciler Carmine Infantino, he is a Sioux who is the sheriff of the small Western town of Elkhorn, where he is known as a master detective. He prefers to be addressed by his proper name, Ohiyesa, but people called him "Pow Wow" so stubbornly that he eventually gives up and accepts the nickname among them.

Roy Raymond is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He was introduced in "Impossible... But True!", a back-up strip in Detective Comics, beginning with issue #153.

Leave It to Binky is a teen-humor comic book series published by DC Comics that ran for 82 issues, first appearing in 1948 and wrapping up in 1977.

<i>Star Spangled Comics</i>

Star Spangled Comics was a comics anthology published by DC Comics which ran for 130 issues from October 1941 to July 1952. It was then retitled Star Spangled War Stories and lasted until issue #204.

Ultra-Man

Ultra-Man is the name of two fictional comic-book superheroes, father and son, that first appeared during the 1940s, the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. Both were characters of All-American Publications, which merged, in 1946, with DC Comics-predecessor National Periodical Publications.

Swing with Scooter was a DC Comics teen-humor American comic book published from 1966 to 1972. It starred a British teenage musician nicknamed Scooter who lived in the US.

Congorilla

Congorilla, originally a human character known as Congo Bill, is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and Vertigo Comics. Originally co-created by writer Whitney Ellsworth and artist George Papp, he was later transformed into Congorilla by Robert Bernstein and Howard Sherman. The character first appeared in More Fun Comics #56.

Tommy Tomorrow

Tommy Tomorrow was a science fiction hero published by DC Comics in several of their titles from 1947 to 1963. He first appeared in Real Fact Comics #6. He was created by Jack Schiff, George Kashdan, Bernie Breslauer, Virgil Finlay, and Howard Sherman. The comic was originally intended to feature non-fiction tales in the style of Ripley's Believe It or Not; Tommy Tomorrow's trip to Mars was presented as a future vision of space travel. The strip was a back-up feature in Action Comics from issue #127 to #147.

Merry Pemberton, also known as Gimmick Girl and Merry, Girl of 1000 Gimmicks is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe. She is the adoptive sister of Sylvester Pemberton. Merry Pemberton first appeared in Star-Spangled Comics #81 in June 1948, and ran through #90. She was created by writer Otto Binder.

Sylvester Pemberton, alternately known as The Star-Spangled Kid and Skyman, is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe. Sylvester first appeared in Star Spangled Comics #1 and was created by Jerry Siegel and Hal Sherman.

Scalphunter is a fictional character, a Wild West hero in the DC Comics Universe. Scalphunter first appeared in Weird Western Tales #39 and was created by Sergio Aragones and Joe Orlando.

Strange, in comics, may refer to:

<i>Western Comics</i>

Western Comics was a Western comic book series published by DC Comics. DC's longest-running Western title, it published 85 issues from 1948 to 1961. Western Comics was an anthology series, featuring such characters as the wandering cowboy the Wyoming Kid, the Native American lawman Pow Wow Smith, the Cowboy Marshal, Jim Sawyer, showman Rodeo Rick, and Matt Savage, Trail Boss. The masked Vigilante Greg Saunders appeared in the first four issues of the title, but was soon replaced by itinerant fix-it man Nighthawk.

Shining Knight is the name of multiple fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version was created by Creig Flessel and first appeared in Adventure Comics #66.

References

  1. ↑ Markstein, Don. "Tomahawk". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 51. ISBN   978-1-4654-8578-6.
  3. ↑ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 310. ISBN   978-1-4654-5357-0.
  4. ↑ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2010). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 61. ISBN   978-0-7566-6742-9.
  5. ↑ Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 82. ISBN   978-1605490564.
  6. ↑ Nevins, Jess (2013). Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes. High Rock Press. pp. 273–274. ISBN   978-1-61318-023-5.
← The Vigilante film serial was debuted. See The Vigilante for more info and the previous timeline. Timeline of DC Comics (1940s)
June 1947		The character Per Degaton was debuted by John Brown and Irwin Hasen. See Per Degaton for more info and next timeline. →
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.