Blackhawk Vol 1 50

"The Killer Shark": The synopsis for this issue has not yet been written.

"The Killer Shark"
Cover
Blackhawk Vol 1 #50
March, 1952
Publisher	Quality Comics
Executive Editor	Everett M. Arnold
Cover Artists	Reed Crandall
The Killer Shark
Pencilers	Reed Crandall
Inkers	Reed Crandall
Editors	Al Grenet
Chop Chop: "Chief Chop Chop"
Writers	Paul Gustavson
Pencilers	Paul Gustavson
Inkers	Paul Gustavson
Letterers	Paul Gustavson
The Lost Express
Pencilers	Bill Ward
Inkers	Bill Ward
The Flying Octopus
Pencilers	Bill Ward
Inkers	Bill Ward
Previous Issue	Blackhawk # 49
Next Issue	Blackhawk # 51

Let them have it, gang! Show no mercy to killers like them!

— Blackhawk

Blackhawk #50 is an issue of the series Blackhawk (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1952.

Appearing in "The Killer Shark"

Featured Characters:

• Blackhawk Squadron
  • Andre
  • Blackhawk
  • Chop Chop
  • Chuck Wilson
  • Hans Hendrickson
  • Olaf
  • Stanislaus

Antagonists:

• Killer Shark (First appearance) (Apparent Death)
  • his pilots

Other Characters:

• Mayor Rolt (Apparent Death)
• street photographer

Locations:

• Europe
  • City of Kamard
• Balcor
  • Balcor Bay
  • Balcor City
    • Balcor Docks / submerged supervillain hideout

Vehicles:

• Killer Shark's submersible jet fighters, at least four (one destroyed)
• Blackhawk Lockheed F-90Bs, at least three
  

Appearing in Chop Chop: "Chief Chop Chop"

Featured Characters:

• Chop Chop

Antagonists:

• two rustlers

Other Characters:

• Indians

Locations:

• Out West

Vehicles:

• propeller-driven scouting plane
  

Appearing in "The Lost Express"

Featured Characters:

• Blackhawk Squadron
  • Andre
  • Blackhawk
  • Chop Chop
  • Chuck Wilson
  • Hans Hendrickson
  • Olaf
  • Stanislaus

Other Characters:

• President Grome, of Brovia (reinstated)

Antagonists:

• Dictator Lastin, of Brovia (arrested)
  • his military forces
• Mala (arrested)

Locations:

• Europe
  • Prelna
    • Prel-Bro Tunnel
      • (w/ secret, removable, RR track switch & concealed side tunnel)
  • Brovia

Vehicles:

• six Blackhawk Lockheed F-90Bs
• many Brovian tanks and armored cars (plenty destroyed)
• Prelnan Presidential Express Train (stolen and recovered)
  

Appearing in "The Flying Octopus"

Featured Characters:

• Blackhawk Squadron
  • Andre
  • Blackhawk
  • Chop Chop
  • Chuck Wilson
  • Hans Hendrickson
  • Olaf
  • Stanislaus

Antagonists:

• Corvik (Apparent Death)
  • his Flying Octopus crew (Apparent Death)
  • his ground troops (left leaderless, in Larovia and Banglow)
  • his fighter pilots (some survive)

Other Characters:

• Larovian civilians (gassed)

Locations:

• South America
  • Banglow
    • a valley deeply entrenched in high mountains
  • Larovia
• Blackhawk Island

Items:

• Corvik's will-sapping gas

Vehicles:

• Corvik's Flying Octopus (Destroyed)
• Corvik's escort jet fighters, at least five (Destroyed)
• Blackhawk Lockheed F-90Bs, six

Notes

• Killer Shark:
  • Blackhawk gets head-konked with a rifle stock, which breaks, and he is knocked down, but does not black out. This is his forty-eighth concussion.
  • Killer Shark, and his small gang of town-looting jet fighter pilot pirates, has exactly the same modus operandi as Baron Blood, and his small gang of hench-aviators, from the last story of the previous issue.
  • Also like Baron Blood, and like Valkyrie before him, the origins or sources of his "fish planes" are not revealed. A review of Killer Shark's later career, however, credits him with the invention of a wide variety of fantastic vehicles and weapons; thus it seems likely that these flying submarines were created by him also.
  • Unlike almost all prior Blackhawk villains, Killer Shark will return, more than once. But at this story's end, he falls into a tank that's stocked with a shark and some carib fish, so the Blackhawks understandably think he's done for.
• Lost Express:
  • Dictator Lastin addresses his troops as "Comrades," and his tanks have Red Stars on their turrets.
• Flying Octopus:
  • Corvik and his troops all wear bright red uniforms. Star-shaped insignia on Corvik's uniform are black, stars on enlisted uniforms are yellow. His jeeps and jets have no painted insignia, but one jeep flew a "flying octopus" flag. This all implies that Corvik was an independent supervillain, rather than a Red pawn.
  • Corvik knows where Blackhawk Island is, and he didn't learn it in this story.
  • Corvik is aboard the Flying Octopus when it is shot down over the Pacific Ocean; we do not see a body or other confirmation of his death.
  • On Blackhawk Island, the singing Blackhawks celebrate their victory by hoisting some beer steins.
• This issue's Chop Chop story is reprinted in Blackhawk #86
• Also featured in this issue of Blackhawk were:
  • "Origin of the Blackhawks" (text story)
    • This story establishes Blackhawk as an American, and Hendrickson as a concentration camp escapee.
  • "Naombi's Skull" (non-Blackhawk text story)

See Also

• Cover gallery for the Blackhawk series
• Images from Blackhawk Vol 1 50

Links and References

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