Blackhawk #48 is an issue of the series Blackhawk (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1952.
Synopsis for "Hawks of Horror"
The United World Council has gathered the greatest scientists of the world at the Citadel of Science on a remote island. Dr. Ivander is shot while taking a phone call in his office, however he is soon seen unharmed. Meanwhile, Blackhawk has invented a robot dog capable of tracking someone by their brainwaves. He has recorded the brainwaves of all the Blackhawks to test it. Blackhawk takes the robot and the recordings to the Citadel, where he is knocked out and the inventions are stolen. Blackhawk has compound skull fractures and it takes him several days to recover. When he returns to Blackhawk Island, he is attacked by a robot hawk with a jet engine. Blackhawk shoots the hawk, but another appears. Blackhawk determines the hawks must be tracking their brainwaves and have bombs set to go off when they get close to their targets. He orders the others into the cellar and disarms the other hawk. They then hear a radio broadcast from someone calling himself the Hawk Master. Within the hour he will kill the leaders of Saigonia, then kill the leaders of one country every hour until the world surrenders to him. In Saigonia, a flock of robot hawks enter the capital building and explode. Blackhawk determined that the metal used in the robot is a new kind developed at the Citadel of Science. They fly to the Citadel and gather the scientists. Blackhawk tells them that one of them is an imposter, but he previously recorded their brainwaves and can detect the imposter that way. Dr. Ivander calls for guards, but the Blackhawks defeat them. Blackhawk reveals that the real Dr. Ivander is dead and the imposter is his twin brother who recently escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane.
Appearing in "Hawks of Horror"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Other Characters:
- Dr. Ivander (Dies)
Locations:
- Citadel of Science
- Blackhawk Island
- Saigonia
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Chop Chop"
Chop Chop has lost his wallet and is need of money, so he agrees to deliver a suitcase to a hotel room. Unknown to him, the suitcase contains a new dummy for a ventriloquist. After entering the room, the suitcase comes open. Chop Chop thinks it is a dead body, so he hides it behind the radiator. When the ventriloquist arrives, the dummy's wax face has melted, so he forces Chop Chop to take its place. The audience complains because the "dummy" is so unrealistic.
Appearing in "Chop Chop"
Featured Characters:
- Chop-Chop
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items: Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Confessions of the Blackhawks"
The Blackhawks receive a radio message that Stanislaus' mother is dying. He parachutes behind the Iron Curtain to see her. Arriving at her house he finds that it is a trap. His mother actually died several months ago. Stanislaus is put on trial, charged with attempting to plant an atomic bomb on a busy street. Surprisingly, Stanislaus confesses. When the other Blackhawks hear this, they assume that Stanislaus has been tortured and fly to rescue him. However, the army is watching for them and the Blackhawks are quickly captured. After they are fed, the Blackhawks seem listless. The next day, they are all placed on trial. When told to confess, they suddenly refuse and attack, surprising everyone in the courtroom. They grab Stanislaus and escape on motorcycles through the subway. The Inquisitor who was behind the plan is sent to Siberia. On the flight home, Blackhawk reveals that the food was too spiced for Stanislaus' home country, so he realized that it was drugged. They tossed the food out the window then pretended to be drugged in order to surprise their captors.
Appearing in "The Confessions of the Blackhawks"
Featured Characters:
- Blackhawk
Supporting Characters:
- Blackhawks
Villains:
- Inquisitor
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Blackhawk Island
- Poland
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Feathers of Justice"
Jim Bagsby is a successful trader in South Africa. Travelling up the Gwadi River through Matebeleland, he arrives at the village of Swali. Chief Walambi tells Jim that a young warrior has been murdered. They have two suspects, but cannot judge between them. As both sons of leading warriors, the village has become divided. Jim tells them each to go into the jungle and capture the White Ibis. They should take one feather from each wing and place them in their right hand. The soul of the deceased will take one of the feathers from the guilty man. When they return, the guilty man is discovered because he has three feathers in his hand.
Appearing in "Feathers of Justice"
Featured Characters:
- Jim Bagsby
Supporting Characters:
- Chief Walambi
Villains:
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Gwadi River
- Matebeleland
- Swali
- Swali
- Gwadi River
Items: Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Port of Missing Ships"
Returning from a mission, the motors on the Blackhawks’ planes die. Coming down through a fog, they discover the fabled Sargasso Sea, port of missing ships. This area has thick sea weeds which affects the atmosphere. Motors do not work, but the people are kept young. The Blackhawks meet Captain Cutlass, a former associate of Captain Kid; Erick the Viking who is almost 1000 years old; and Ezio, who sailed with Columbus. Also, there is a supply of wood which allows the inhabitants to build walkways between the ships. Within a few days, the Blackhawks have settled into the relaxed, stress-free life of the Sargasso Sea. Soon a new ship arrives: a Nazi submarine! The subs crew had refused to surrender at the end of World War II, and turned pirate until a new fuehrer would arise in Germany. The old conflict resumes, but the Nazis are better armed than the Blackhawks. The Nazis kill Erick, the Viking, then imprison the Blackhawks on Captain Cutlass’ ship. Sensing trouble, Cutlass hid on his ship and now frees the Blackhawks The pirate ship attacks the sub while the Blackhawks cover themselves in seaweed to approach the sub unseen. The Nazis are defeated and Cutlass assures Blackhawk that the atmosphere of the Sargasso will soon make them peaceful. Blackhawk reasons that the subs’ motors should still work since they are underwater. They build rafts for their planes to sit on, then use the sub to tow the rafts away from the seaweed.
Appearing in "The Port of Missing Ships"
Featured Characters:
- Blackhawk
Supporting Characters:
- Blackhawks
Villains:
- Fritz von Hunte
- Nazi submarine crew
Other Characters:
- Captain Cutlass
- Erick the Viking
- Ezio
Locations:
Items: Vehicles:
Notes
- Feathers of Justice is a text story.
- Stanislaus' home country is not mentioned by name in this issue. Other stories identify it as Poland.
- Hendrickson calls one of the Nazi sub crewmen his fellow countryman, possibly contradicting his normal identification of Dutch.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- World War II Recommended Reading
- Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (Volume 1)
- Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (Volume 2)
- All-American Men of War (Volume 1)
- All-Out War (Volume 1)
- Blackhawk (Volume 1)
- Blitzkrieg (Volume 1)
- Capt. Storm (Volume 1)
- Four-Star Battle Tales (Volume 1)
- G.I. Combat (Volume 1)
- Men of War (Volume 1)
- Military Comics (Volume 1)
- Our Army at War (Volume 1)
- Our Fighting Forces (Volume 1)
- Sgt. Rock (Volume 1)
- Sgt. Rock (Volume 2)
- Star-Spangled War Stories (Volume 1)
- Unknown Soldier (Volume 1)
- Weird War Tales (Volume 1)