Hawkman #11 (Dec 1965)
"The Shrike Strikes at Night"
Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Murphy Anderson
The eStragand Comic Vaults contain maybe nine Hawkman comics, tops. Four of those are from the Big Bro, who spent some of his busboy money on
1984's "Shadow War of Hawkman". I'm guilty of buying the other five-- the 1989 "Hawkworld" miniseries, and two issues from the 1993 "Hawkman" series, when he had a mullet and piercings (coincedentally, I also had a mullet at the time). It's peculiar that I have more Captain Planet and Black Hood comics than I do Hawkman comics. So when I saw this 1965 issue on the cheap, it was time to expand my horizons.
The story kicks off with an anti-Hawkman, the Shrike, stealing relics and jewelry from around the world. Shrike's costume resembles Hawkman's, only Shrike has the decency to wear a shirt. Plus Shrike has an extra long nose-piece on his mask! Basically, he's a villain with inadequacy issues. WIth the big-ass nose, he kinda' looks like WoodpeckerMan, compared to Hawkman.
Shrike can also shoot any weather element from his wings. Helpful in a fight, since he can zap you with a tornado or lightning. Helpful around the house because he's an instant air-conditioner and garden hose.
Shrike's thefts lead him to Hawkman's museum, where he tries to steal some Yucatan artifacts. Hawkman and Hawkgirl manage to catch the rascal and he gives the Obligatory Villain Monologue. Turns out, Shrike was discovered as an infant by Comoc people when his spaceship crashed in the Yucatan. The Comocs raised him in seclusion and sent him out to steal stuff for them. There's a Mexican immigration or a Bobby Heenan joke there, but I'll pass on it. Shrike's also shocked that he's run into the Hawks, as he's always believed he was the only person in the world with wings. The Hawks agree to help Shrike find his true nature. Shrike shows them a mysterious amulet that he's always carried. It's suddnely Science Lasson Time, as Hawkman fires up a zeiss projector and determines that the amulet is actually a map of the stars surrounding Shrike's home planet. The Hawks put on their all-purpose story plot helpers, the Absorbascons, toss Shrike into their spaceship and head off into outer space.
When they arrive on Shrike's planet things get really weird.
The three pass through a random cosmic storm/time shift/mirage that makes them invisible. But since the Hawks
know it's a mirage, they snap out of it. But Shrike is still distraught over finding out he's not special and remains stuck in the mirage. Here's a bonus: Shirke's planet is named Moronon. Apparently some explorer passed the planet and said "hey, there's MORONS ON there".
All of the militaristic Moronians have wings and are under the control of the EVIL Boros Bron. You can tell Bron is EVIL...cuz' he has a goatee and pointy eyebrows!
Since they're not fighting earthmen, the Hawks
go EXTREME and whip out Thanagarian rifles. To subdue the Hawks, the Moronians fire their secret weapon-- The Vibrator! Obviously, Hawkgirl wastes no time in getting zapped by the Vibrator.
Hawkgirl vs. the Vibro
The Hawks
are then sent to the Valley of a Thousand Perils...where they meet dinosaurs. Nice that somebody was able to take a census of the valley and get a headcount of the Perils. Dinosaurs are knida' like gorillas, in that no Silver Age DC comic could go for more than 10 issues without bumping into one or the other.
Really, the rest of the plot is just fluff. We've already had a science lesson, a cosmic storm, a giant vibrator and dinosaurs. So it's time to
toss in the TIME BALL! The Hawks find a big shiny ball that can replicate the effects of the previous cosmic storm/time shift. Much explanation
follows! They fly back to their ship, fight Boros Bron, punch people and resolve Shrike's true heritage. Shrike was actually heir to the throne
of Moronon, but the EVIL Bahn sent him to Mexico, so he (Bahn) could rule the Moron...onians. Shrike becomes the GOOD ruler of Moronon and
Bron is sent to prison. Hawkman remarks that this story of a alien who crashed on Earth will amuse Superman at the next Justice League meeting.
There's another peculiar element to this comic-- it has pop-up ads. In the middle of a few panels, drawn into the scene, is a line saying "The Spectre is coming!". House ads are typical, but I don't think I've ever seen an in-panel ad for a new comic. DC was apparently decades ahead of modern TV and Internet advertising.
The usual ads have some nifty promos for the original GI Joe, a set of 100 Magnets (100! Think of all the COOL STUFF you can do with 100 MAGNETS!! Gee whiz!), Rocky & Bullwinkle pimping Cheerios, a TYCO Petticoat Junction train set, an Aurora hobby kit with Johnny Unitas, and the recurring "Cap's Hobby Center". The Unitas ad is pretty cool-- it features a comic-panelled recreation of the 1958 NFL Championship, which the Colts won in overtime, 23-17. I need to add this to the "Old Comic Books Ads" section of the gallery.
I don't believe Shrike made many more appearances. He seemed like a good foil for Hawkman, but after 8 pages he did a good turn and became a monthly plot device. In the 40-some years since Shrike appeared, he's still maintained the distinction of having the Longest Nosepiece on a Superhero Costume (The Defenders' Nighthawk is a distant second).
The well-endowed Shrike
So, uh...yeah.. lots o' weird Silver Age cheese in here. This is probably about as "cool" as Hawkman ever was. That's not necessarily a bad thing.
Summary: Hawks meet guy with nose piece and funny wings. Fly to alien planet, get zapped by a vibrator and meet dinosaurs.
Cover price: .12
Rating: 1.25
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