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For the UK comic character, see Blackhawk (UK comic).
Blackhawk, a long-running comic book series, was also a film serial, a radio series and a novel. The comic book was published first by Quality Comics and later by National Periodical Publications, the primary company of those that evolved to become DC Comics. The series was created by Will Eisner, Chuck Cuidera, and Bob Powell, but the artist most associated with the feature is Reed Crandall. Future Justice League of America artist Dick Dillin succeeded him in the 1950s, continuing on through DC's acquisition of the series. The Blackhawk Squadron, usually called the Blackhawks, are a small team of World War II-era ace pilots of varied nationalities, each typically known under a single name, either their given name or their surname.
[edit] Characters[edit] Original TeamThe original team, who first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941) and last appeared in Blackhawk #273 (November 1984), included:
Other short-term members are Zeg (Polish), Boris (Russian), Baker (English), who disappear after their initial appearances in the original 1940s issues. Lt. Theodore Gaynor, USMC (American) is a short-term member of the team introduced in the 1980s series, which takes place early in World War II. Another significant character is Miss Fear, who never formally joined the team but appeared repeatedly as an ally in the 1940s. The Blackhawks are each depicted in ways that are very stereotypical for the 1940s. Andre, wearing a thin mustache and speaking with a strong French accent, is renowned for his love of beautiful women. Olaf is typically depicted as a big, dumb Swede who speaks English poorly. Hendrickson (sometimes depicted as a German) is heavyset, wears a thick, Germanic mustache, and speaks with a strong Dutch or German accent. Stanislaus' speech is peppered with Polish epithets. Blackhawk and Chuck are the least stereotypical, both speaking in ordinary U.S. English. Over the course of the series, each character also developed his own catchphrase. [edit] Chop-ChopChop-Chop is both the youngest member of the team and the most stereotypical. The character is originally the team's cook, depicted as fat, buck-toothed, and comical, wearing a knot-top hairdo and stereotypical coolie garb instead of the Blackhawk Squadron uniform and speaking in broken English. This original version of the character is essentially Blackhawk's sidekick, riding in his plane instead of piloting his own like the other Blackhawks. A popular character at the time, he also appears in his own humor feature in the Blackhawk series from 1946 to 1955. His initial depiction—although now considered offensive by many—was not atypical of World War II-era depictions of Asians. This depiction, which remains the same from his first appearance in 1941 until the mid-1950s, slowly transforms from 1955 to 1964 until he finally becomes a full-fledged member of the team who not only wears a Blackhawk Squadron uniform but also pilots his own plane.Some later stories reference the fact that for decades he is not given enough respect even to wear the same uniform as his teammates. After DC Comics' company-wide crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earths revamped and streamlined many of DC's properties, Chop-Chop's old depictions are suggested to be those of a comic-book-within-a-comic-book style format that features the team's adventures, with Chop-Chop playing the role of sidekick. He is subsequently a more realistically drawn character in a standard uniform. [edit] Blackhawk IslandBlackhawk Island was the base of operations for the World War II military air unit, the Blackhawks. The island contained the Blackhawks' airbase. The Blackhawks kept a secret armory of captured weaponry, some of which was incorporated into the island's defense systems. Blackhawk Island was the unknown location of the former homebase of the Blackhawks. Its location changed from time to time. Lex Luthor, The Key, and Dr. Polaris broke into the armory and stole the Spear of Longinus. Appearance
[edit] Chaykin TeamIn 1987, comics innovator Howard Chaykin updated the Blackhawks with more adult characters and story in a Prestige Format, three-book limited series. Chaykin’s revised team consisted of:
Other members added to the Blackhawks in the Chaykin inspired series that followed were Grover Baines (American), Quan Chee Keng, a.k.a. "Mairzey" (Malaysian), and Paco Herrera (Mexican). Chaykin’s version of the Blackhawks was successful enough that DC gave it a place in Action Comics Weekly and then a short-lived series of its own. The Chaykin version of the Blackhawks replaced the original team in DC continuity from that point on, with a few exceptions:
[edit] Publication history The Blackhawks debuted in Quality Comics' Military Comics #1, in August 1941, and featured in that publication for several years as well as in its own comic book.[2] Military Comics was renamed "Modern Comics" and eventually cancelled with #102 (October 1950), but their self-named book (which debuted in 1944) continued to be published by Quality until #107 in 1956. Quality itself had folded by then, but the title was integrated with the DC Universe and published continuously until #243 (November 1968), by which time its genre had become too anachronistic to compete with the rising superhero books. Time itself also played a role in the cancellation. The Blackhawks as a concept were heavily tied to World War II, and as the years passed by it became more and more difficult to suspend disbelief about the characters' contemporary adventures. This prompted a series of poorly-received efforts to update the comics: at first, the team started to fight more and more supervillain-like adversaries, and then later a disastrous attempt was made to turn the team themselves into superheroes, under the so-called New Blackhawk Era (#228-241). Although they would be restored to their original roots, the damage had already been done, and only two issues after the end of the New Blackhawk Era the comic was canceled for the first time.[2] A short 1970s run (#244 to #250) attempted an update, but since then nearly all Blackhawk sightings (few and far between) are of a flashback nature. A well received 1980s series, written by Mark Evanier and illustrated by Dan Spiegle (#251-273), was set in World War II. In the 1980s a mini-series by Howard Chaykin reimagined the WWII team (notably in reinventing the title character as a Pole rather than American), with their adventures continuing in post-war stories in Action Comics Weekly (issues #601-608, #615-622, #628-634, and #635) and then their own short-lived ongoing series in the early 1990s.[1] Since then, only modern hints of the team have appeared, usually with "Blackhawk Express" or the time-displaced Lady Blackhawk. One of the best examples of this is the 1990s appearance of Chop-Chop in a few issues of DC's Hawkworld series, which naturally enough depict him as an aged, resourceful and respectable man, long rid of his racial stereotype trappings. However, other Blackhawk air pilot groups have been shown during present time or alternate future events such as Our Worlds At War and Kingdom Come. It is unknown which connection beyond homage and inspiration, if any, those groups have to the classic Blackhawks. Blackhawk currently is an extension of Checkmate. Three weeks after 9/11, DC coincidentally reprinted the early pre-Pearl Harbor 1941 issues of Military Comics in The Blackhawk Archives, Vol. 1 (2001) as part of its hardcover DC Archive Editions. Blackhawk made an appearance in the Feb. 2008 issue of The Brave and the Bold teaming up with the Boy Commandos (issue #9). The Blackhawks appeared in Superman & Batman: Generations 2, in which they help Superman, the Spectre, and Hawkman battle a robot during the war. During the battle, Chuck sacrifices himself to destroy a missile. During the same storyline in 1997, a heroine named Blackhawk appears, battling Sinestro. She seems to be based on Hawkwoman, using a sonic mace in battle and being named "Janet". It is also mentioned that she doesn't get along with Hal Jordan. [edit] International incarnationsThe Blackhawk concept and characters proved to be popular on the international market as well as in the United States. Quality licensed the rights to Blackhawk, as well as many of their other characters, to London's Boardman Books which used them in a series of three-color reprints from 1948 to 1954. Boardman also reprinted Blackhawk stories in their Adventure Annual series of hardcover Christmas publications. Many of the British Blackhawk reprints were repackaged by Boardman art director Denis McLoughlin, who created at least one British original Blackhawk story as well as the illustrations for several Blackhawk text stories. After Boardman's contract lapsed, Strato Publications launched a square-bound 68-page Blackhawk series which ran for 37 issues between 1956 and 1958. [edit] Aircraft
[edit] Early crossoverIn 1942 Blackhawk was involved in one of the earliest examples of fictional crossovers when Kid Eternity summoned him in his second appearance (Hit Comics #26). [edit] Other media
[edit] ToysIn 2009, Mattel released a Blackhawk figure that is part of their Justice League Unlimited toyline. [edit] AwardsThe 1989 series of comics was nominated for the Squiddy Award for New Continuing Series in 1989.[3] [edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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