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"Blackhawk Battles the Hangman": The Red aggressor nation of Transvania invades freedom-loving Ramonia. The Blackhawks, on foot, pitch in with the defending army. Blackhawk is seemingly killed by an artillery shell.

Quote1 He was a threat to Mankind! It had to be done! Quote2
Blackhawk

Blackhawk #73 is an issue of the series Blackhawk (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1954.

Synopsis for "Blackhawk Battles the Hangman"

The Red aggressor nation of Transvania invades freedom-loving Ramonia. The Blackhawks, on foot, pitch in with the defending army. Blackhawk is seemingly killed by an artillery shell.

After the fighting subsides, the fliers spend two days scouring the area, on foot and in the air, in search of Blackhawk's remains. After a few more days, Blackhawk's death is reported in newspapers all over the world. The team withdraws to Blackhawk Island and mourns. To their amazement, a Transvanian military jet approaches Blackhawk Island, and lands. The pilot gets out, claims that Blackhawk is alive, and is held hostage in Transvania. He relays his Queen's ultimatum: the Blackhawk Squadron must disband within 24 hours. The pilot warns that following him will result in Blackhawk's immediate execution, and departs, but not before Andre has had time to secret a miniature radar receiver disk onto his plane. It acts as a tracking device. An hour later, the pilot has landed, and Chuck is able to pinpoint his location using Blackhawk Squadron's radio and navigation equipment.

That night the team flies to Transvania, sets the remote controls on their F-90C interceptors, and bail out, over a gothic castle. In the airdrop, Hendrickson gets separated from the team. On the ground, they encounter some convincing resistance; the defenders are very well prepared for them. There is a big pile-on of a fist-fight, as the soldiers are ordered to capture the fliers alive. In her open-top touring car, The Raven personally supervises the operation. The five interlopers are captured and jailed; tomorrow they'll all be hanged.

Meanwhile outside, at night, Hendrickson pulls himself out of a swamp, lucky to be alive, with his hair and mustache all caked up with mud. He finds Raven Castle and sneaks inside, looking for the team. In the dungeon he encounters Hangman Redrum, who by a big coincidence, looks just like brown-mustache-&-hair Hendrickson. They fight. Hendy knocks out the Hangman and swaps clothes with him, then bluffs his way to the execution site and almost saves the day. But the real Redrum shows up and rats him out. Each tries to prove he is the real Hangman, until a soldier cries out to the Queen to tell them who to shoot! The Raven fingers the real Redrum as being the phony, and his own men gun him down.

The next morning, the prisoners are marched to the gallows, and set with nooses. Then Hendrickson opens fire with a submachine gun, and some Blackhawks slip themselves free and then set each other free, and to their surprise, the Raven pulls out a handgun and shoots at the soldiers! She's had enough of these Soviet interlopers, and has been secretly leading a Transvanian nationalist movement. She points out an ammo dump and tells Blackhawk that if he can destroy it, the Hangman's followers will be helpless to attack the free world. So Blackhawk set out on foot to do that, while ordering everybody else, plus the Queen, to leave the area. He blows up the dump, and survives doing so.

The Queen explains that she'd been playing along with the Reds, learning their plans. When the Blackhawk Squadron leaves Transvania, she leaves with them.

Appearing in "Blackhawk Battles the Hangman"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

  • The Raven, Queen of Transvania (First appearance)
    • Red Tyrants, military
    • Redrum, the Hangman (First appearance) (Dies)

Locations:

Items:

  • miniature radar receiver disk, tracking device

Vehicles:


Synopsis for Chop Chop: "Hominy an' Grits Mountains"

This story is reprinted from Blackhawk #34.

While the others are on a mission, Blackhawk drops Chop Chop off for a vacation in Hominy An' Grits Mountains. He is captured by a posse looking for Bandit Jake. The posse is led by Sarah, the Witch, who warned them that Bandit Jake had hexing powers and could change his appearance. They prepare to hang Chop Chop, but he convinces them to let him have a last meal. Chop Chop drugs the meal. When Sarah passes out, Chop Chop pulls her disguise off revealing the real Bandit Jake.

Appearing in Chop Chop: "Hominy an' Grits Mountains"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Hezzy
  • Sarah the Witch (secretly Bandit Jake)
  • oafish henchman

Locations:

  • Hominy an' Grits Mountains

Synopsis for "Blackhawk Retires"


Appearing in "Blackhawk Retires"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Secret Heads of the Terrorists
    • The Terrorists, a Galvian fascist movement

Other Characters:

  • Drago, former Galvian Air Commander

Locations:

Synopsis for "The Tyrannical Freaks"

Three mentally ill scientists accidentally evolve themselves into having superhuman powers, which they misuse to commit espionage and other crimes. One can become intangible, one absorbs and channels electrical charges, and the third is a telepath. The Blackhawks use technology to counteract their super powers. Two of the scientists die.

Appearing in "The Tyrannical Freaks"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

  • The Future-Men
    • intangible robber (Dies)
    • Human Dynamo
    • telepathic spokesman (Dies)
      • their well-equipped army

Other Characters:

  • national ruler

Locations:

  • Galvia
    • stronghold of the Freaks (Euro-style old castle)

Items:

  • New Atomic Cannon
  • Giant Tuning Fork (disintegrates the intangible man)
  • Lead Sheeting in Blackhawks' Hats (screens out the telepath)
  • Radar-like Image-Receiving Echo-effect Instrument (kills the telepath)
  • Liquid-rubber Insulation Cannon (captures the human electric dynamo)

Vehicles:

Notes

  • Hangman
    • Transvania is home to "Red Tyrants", but has a Queen, Her Highness, The Raven.
    • She is not the same Raven as Spider Widow's boyfriend the Raven.
    • The Transvanian Air Force knows the current location of Blackhawk Island. It is one hour's flying time away, for a Transvanian fighter plane.
    • When Blackhawk apparently dies, newspapers report it all over the world.
  • Chop Chop
    • This story is reprinted from Blackhawk #34, minus page 3, plus some new dialogue on page 2.
  • Blackhawk Retires
    • When Blackhawk apparently retires, newspapers report it all over the world.
    • In this story, the Blackhawks do no flying.
  • Tyrannical Freaks
    • The The Future-Men in this story are not known to be related to or affiliated with the "Men From the Future" that the Blackhawks encountered in Urovaya in 1951.
  • Also appearing in this issue of Blackhawk was: "Killer Raid" (text story, featuring Blackhawk)



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