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""The Shadow War of Hawkman"": A group of Thanagarians have come to Midway City on Earth. They break into the home of cat burglar Mousy Mason and force him to undertake the task of stealing the anti-gravity belts that belong to Hawkman and [[Shayera Thal (Earth-

Quote1 These frail Earthlings burn so brightly for so short a time. I find myself both awed by how far their tremendous spirit can take them -- and horrified by the evil they are likewise capable of. Quote2
Hawkman

The Shadow War of Hawkman #1 is an issue of the series The Shadow War of Hawkman (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1985. It was published on February 7, 1985.

Synopsis for "The Shadow War of Hawkman"

A group of Thanagarians have come to Midway City on Earth. They break into the home of cat burglar Mousy Mason and force him to undertake the task of stealing the anti-gravity belts that belong to Hawkman and Hawkwoman. Meanwhile, Hawkman and Hawkwoman use the Absorbascon to help aid them in the capture of a group of criminals. Police captain Stewart Frazier commends them on a job well done. Katar still feels uneasy over the moral question of using the Absorbascon to probe the thoughts of humans. They return to the Midway City Museum and resume their guises of Carter and Shiera Hall. But Carter finds himself swinging back into action as the intruder alarm inside the museum alerts him to a crisis at home. Leaving Shayera behind, he flies off towards their house. He finds Mousy Mason skulking about the place. Mousy is terrified and begs Hawkman to protect him from the strange shadow people. The black-clad Thanagarians appear from out of the shadows and attack them. Mousy is killed, but the Thanagarians are forced to retreat. Not having found the anti-gravity belts, they teleport to the museum. Hawkman frantically flies back towards the museum to warn Shayera. But when he arrives he finds cop cars outside and a scorching burn mark on the wall in the shape of Hawkwoman!

Appearing in "The Shadow War of Hawkman"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Henry "Mousy" Mason (Single appearance; dies)
  • Cats
    • Wolfie (Henry Mason's cat) (Single appearance)
  • Carangian Tigracat (Mentioned only)
  • Midway City Police Department
  • Thanagarians (Flashback only)
  • Justice League of America (Mentioned only)
  • Superman (Flashback only)
  • Batman (Flashback only)

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Notes

  • This limited series is no longer part of canon continuity. In the modern canon (as per Hawkworld (Volume 2)), Katar and Shayera did not come to Earth until the early 1990s.
  • This issue includes a brief re-telling of Hawkman and Hawkwoman's origin.
  • Flashback cameo appearances of Batman, Byth Rok, Hyathis and Superman.
  • Mavis Trent dies in this issue although it will not be revealed until The Shadow War of Hawkman #3.
  • The Absorbascon is a Thanagarian device that allows the user to tap into the alpha waves of other people – in effect, reading their mind. This is how Katar and Shayera learned Earth's language and customs.
  • Hawkman and Hawkwoman now reside in the house formerly owned by George Emmett.
  • Reference is made to the Equalizer Plague of Thanagar – an event that robbed all Thanagarians of their individuality and made them of equal intellect, appearance and spirituality. Although the Thanagarians eventually break through the confines of the plague, it ramifications set the stage for the Shadow War.
  • The identities of the Thanagarian agents are revealed in greater detail throughout the course of the series. None of them are provided with actual names in this issue.



See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

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