DC Comics’ Hawkman and Hawkgirl (Hawkwoman) easily have one of the most complicated, muddled histories in all of superhero comics.
The Hawk’s history extends all the way back to the Golden Age of Comics, with Hawkman’s debut in 1940. The lengthy comic book continuity grows from there, with Hawkman’s deep ties to the Justice Society of America, the Silver Age reinvention of the Hawks as Thanagarian alien space-cops, and then Crisis on Infinite Earth’s confusing of it all.
Few heroes with a profile this size have been held back by continuity as much as Hawkman and Hawkgirl, with Geoff Johns work as writer on JSA and Hawkman in the early 2000’s finally untangling some of the many nasty knots in the Hawk’s backmatter.
Below you’ll find a complete history of Hawkman and Hawkgirl comics, from Golden Age through present day!
HAWKMAN READING ORDER
Golden Age Hawkman Archives Vol 1
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Collects: Flash Comics #1-22
Flash Comics #1 introduced the character of Hawkman in 1940, and the winged hero appeared in every issue of Flash Comics until #104 in 1949. Some firsts from this era include Hawkman’s first use of the mace (Flash Comics #8), Shiera’s first appearance in the Hawkgirl armor (Flash Comics #24), and the first time Hawkman wears his famous hawk mask (all the way until Flash Comics #85)
ALL STAR COMICS ARCHIVES VOL. 1
Collects: All-Star Comics #3 To #6
Carter Hall is the only member of the JSA to appear in every Golden Age story. Hawkman was a charter member of the Justice Society of America, beginning with All Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940). In issue #8 he became the JSA’s chairman, a position he would hold until the end of the JSA’s run in All Star Comics.
All Star Comics Archives, Vol. 2
Collects: All-Star Comics #7 To #10
All Star Comics – Archives, Volume 3
Collects: All-Star Comics #11 To #14
All Star Comics – Archives, Volume 4
Collects: All-Star Comics #15 To #18
Collects: All-Star Comics #19 To #23
All Star Comics – Archives, Volume 6
Collects: All-Star Comics #24 To #28
All Star Comics – Archives, Volume 7
Collects: All-Star Comics #29 To #33
All Star Comics – Archives, Volume 8
Collects: All-Star Comics #34 To #38
All Star Comics – Archives, Volume 9
Collects: All-Star Comics #39 To #43
All Star Comics – Archives, Volume 10
Collects: All-Star Comics #44 To #48
All Star Comics – Archives, Volume 11
Collects: All-Star Comics #50 To #57
Note that the below 75th anniversary collection of Justice Society comics includes overlapping issues of the above All-Star Comics appearances, as well as future renditions of the JSA. This is my recommended fast track for those more interested in the highlights of Hawkman’s time in the Justice Society.
Justice Society of America: A Celebration of 75 Years
Collects: Part 1: For America And Democracy! (Introduction By Roy Thomas)
“For America And Democracy” From All-Star Comics #4 (1941)
“The Injustice Society Of The World” From All-Star Comics #37 (1947)
“The Man Who Conquered The Solar System” From All-Star Comics #55 (1950)
Part 2: The Silver Age Of Crisis (Introduction By Roy Thomas)
“Crisis On Earth-One” From Justice League Of America #21 (1963)
“Crisis On Earth-Two” From Justice League Of America #22 (1963)
“The Most Dangerous Earth Of All” From Justice League Of America #30 (1964)
“The Bridge Between Earths” From Justice League Of America #47 (1966)
“Peril Of The Paired Planets” From Justice League Of America #82 (1970)
“Where Valor Fails… Will Magic Triumph?” From Justice League Of America #83 (1970)
Part 3: Bronze Age And Beyond (Introduction By Roy Thomas)
“The Defeat Of The Justice Society” From Adventure Comics #466 (1979)
“All-Star Squadron” From Justice League Of America #193 (1981)
“The First Case Of The Justice Society Of America” From All-Star Squadron #67 (1986)
Part 4: The Jsa Returns (Introduction By Ivan Cohen)
“Jsa No More?” From Justice Society Of America #10 (1992)
“The Jsa Returns, Conclusion: Time’s Arrow” From All-Star Comics #2 (1999)
“The Return Of Hawkman: Seven Devils” From Jsa #25 (2001)
“What A Wonderful World” From Justice Society Of America #10 (2007)
Part 5: Revamp (Introduction By Ivan Cohen)
“End Times” From Earth 2 #6 (2012)
Hawkman Returns in DC’s Silver Age
Hawkman: The Archives – Volume One
Collects: The Brave And The Bold #34-36, #42-44 And Mystery In Space #87-89, This Volume Also Includes The Heroes’ Team-Up With The Spacefaring Adam Strange From Mystery In Space #90
DC’s revampled Silver Age of Superheroes kicked off with the Flash in 1956’s Showcase #4, and continued with Hawkman and Hawkgirl in The Brave and the Bold #34. It’s during the Silver Age reintroduction when Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s ties to Thanagar as off-world space cops begins to truly take hold.
Showcase Presents: Hawkman, Vol. 1
Collects: The Brave And The Bold #34 To #36, #42 To #44, #51, The Atom #7, Mystery In Space #87 To #90, Hawkman #1 To #11
Note the pre-solo series overlap between the Showcase collection and the Hawkman Silver Age archives.
Showcase Presents Hawkman TP Vol 02
Collects: Hawkman #12-27, Atom & Hawkman #39-45, Atom #31, The Brave And The Bold #70
Brave and the Bold issue #70 includes a team-up with Batman fighting a non-Marvel villain known as the Collector. Hawkman’s solo series debut would last twenty-seven issues, before jumping (quite confusingly) to The Atom and Hawkman #39.
Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 1
Collects: Justice League Of America #21-22, #29-30, #37-38, And #46-47
The Silver Age Hawkman joins the Justice League of America in JLA #31. The Crisis series of clashes between Earth-1 and Earth-2 are particularly strange for Hawkman, given his appearances on both the JLA and JSA. It’s written in these stories that Carter Hall and Katar Hall are separate heroes from separate Earths.
Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 2
Collects: Justice League Of America #55-56, #64-65, #72-73, #83-84
Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 3
Collects: Justice League Of America #91-92, #100-102, #107-108, And #113
Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 4
Collects: Justice League Of America #122-124, #135-137 And #147-148
Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 5
Collects: Justice League Of America #159-160, #171-172, #183-185
Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 6
Collects: Justice League Of America #195-197 & #207-209 And All-Star Squadron #14-15
Collects: Detective Comics #428, #434, #446, #452, #454 To #455, #467 To #468, #479, #480, #500
Bronze Age Return of the Justice Society
Justice Society, Vol. 1 (Justice Society of America)
Collects: All-Star Comics 58-67 + Dc Special 29
The late 70’s All-Star Comics revival returns Carter Hall (not space-faring Katar Hall) to a role as the chairman of the Justice Society of America.
Collects: All-Star Comics #68-74 And Adventure Comics #461-466
Collects: Brave And The Bold #139, #164, #186
Collects: Showcase #101 To #103
The first Rann-Thanagar War.
America Vs. The Justice Society
Collects: America Vs. The Justice Society #1-4
Collects: Shadow War Of Hawkman #1 To #4
In a plot that will sound familiar to fans of the animated Justice League cartoon of the 2000’s, Thanagar plots to take over Earth!
Collects: Crisis On Infinite Earths #1-12
Post-Crisis Hawkworld
THE LAST DAYS OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
Collects: The Last Days Of The Justice Society Special #1, Plus Stories From Secret Origins #7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 24, 25 And 31
Collects: Hawkworld #1 To #3
Collects: Animal Man #6
Written by Grant Morrison
Justice Society of America (1991)
Collects: Justice Society Of America #1 To #8
Collects: Hawkworld #1 To #32
Written by Suicide Squad architect John Ostrander.
Collects: Showcase ’94 #8-9 And Zero Hour: Crisis In Time #4, 3, 2, 1, And 0
In an effort to correct the continuity muddling of Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC’s early 90’s mini-Crisis, “Zero Hour,” basically made Hawkman continuity unnavigable.
Collects: Hawkman #1 To #33
Collects: Miniseries
Hawkman Returns In The 2000’s
Collects: Jsa #1-25, Jsa All-Stars #1 To #3, Jla/Jsa: Virtue And Vice, Jsa All-Stars #4-8, Jsa Our Worlds At War #1, Jla/Jsa Secret Files #1, Jsa Secret Files #1, All-Star Comics #1-2, All-American Comics #1, Adventure Comics #1, National Comics #1, Sensation Comics #1, Smash Comics #1, Star Spangled Comics #1 And Thrilling Comics #1
Collects: JSA #16 To #25
Collected in the above JSA omnibus, but “The Return of Hawkman” paperback is of course the most essential starting place for Hawkman’s time in the new millenium’s Justice Society.
Collects: JSA Secret Files #1 And Jsa #1-15
Collects: JSA #6-20, Secret Origins Of Super Villains #1
Additional collected options for the 2000’s JSA.
Collects: JSA #26 to #75, JSA Annual #1, JSA Secret Files#1
If you want to merge the readings of JSA and Hawkman, you can jump into Hawkman issues #1 to #8 shortly after the return of Hawkman.
I’d call out as well that JSA #67 is an “Identity Crisis” tie-in, which is included slightly further down the guide.
Collects: Hawkman #1-25, JSA #56-58 And Hawkman Secret Files
The Hawkman omnibus includes the six issue JSA crossover titled “Black Reign” (ordered and collected separately below).
Collects (in order): Jsa #56, Hawkman #23, Jsa #57, Hawkman #24, Jsa #58, Hawkman #25
Hawkman by Geoff Johns Book One
Collects: Hawkman #1-14 And Hawkman: Secret Files And Origins #1
Hawkman by Geoff Johns Book Two
Collects: Hawkman #15-25 And Jsa #56-58
Additional collected options for Geoff Johns’ time writing Hawkman.
Collects: #26 to #36
Pay particular attention to the overlooked Hawkman #27, which is a standalone story from Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips!
Collects: Identity Crisis #1 To #7
Hawkman: Rise of the Golden Eagle
Collects: Hawkman #37 To #45
Infinite Crisis and Hawkgirl
JLA Volume 18: Crisis of Conscience
Collects: Jla #115 To #119
Collects: Hawkman #46
Countdown to Infinite Crisis: Rann-Thanagar War
Collects: Rann-Thanagar War #1 To #6
Collects: Hawkman #47 to #49
Collects: JSA #76-87, Justice Society Of America #1-28, Justice League Of America #8-10, Justice Society Of America Annual #1, Jsa Kingdom Come Special:Superman #1, Jsa Kingdom Come Special: Magog #1, Jsa Kingdom Come Special: The Kingdom #1
The final issues of JSA (prior to relaunching as a new Justice Society of America) are heavily tied in to the events of Infinite Crisis below.
Collects: Infinite Crisis #1 To #7
Collects: Hawkgirl #50 To #55
Following Hawkman #50 and Infinite Crisis, the series retitled to Hawkgirl.
Collects: Hawkgirl #56 to #60
Collects: Hawkgirl #61 To #66
Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
Collects: Power Of Shazam! # 48, Catwoman # 83, Suicide Squad # 67, Question # 37, Phantom Stranger # 42, Weird Western Tales # 71, Atom And Hawkman # 46, Starman # 81
Collects: Brightest Day #1 To #24
Hawkman in The New 52
The Savage Hawkman Vol. 1: Darkness Rising
Collects: The Savage Hawkman #1 To #8
There is a mini New 52 Hawkman crossover, covering Savage Hawkman #13, Green Arrow #14, and Deathstroke #14
The Savage Hawkman Vol. 2: Wanted
Collects: The Savage Hawkman #0, Savage Hawkman #9 To #20
Collects: Earth-2 #1 to #6
Earth 2 Vol. 2: The Tower of Fate
Collects: Earth-2 #7 to #11, Earth 2 Annual #1
Collects: Earth-2 #12 to #16
Collects: Earth 2 #17-20, Earth 2 Annual #2
Justice League of America Vol. 1
Collects: Justice League of America #1 to #6
Collects: Justice League United #0 To #5
Collects: Convergence: Hawkman #1 To #2
DC Rebirth Hawkman
Collects: Death Of Hawkman #1 To #6
Death of Hawkman is an odd title for a series that is very much weighted towards the perspective of Adam Strange. The two space-faring heroes reunite in another take on the Rann-Thanagar war.
Dark Nights: Metal: Deluxe Edition
Collects: Metal #1 to #6
In addition to delivering my favorite DC Comics event of the 2000’s, Metal brings Hawkman and Hawkwoman back to the center of the DC Universe.
Collects: Hawkman Found #1
Collects: Hawkman #1 to #6
Ongoing series by Robert Vendetti and Bryan Hitch in the wake of DC Metal!
JSA: The Golden Age Deluxe Edition
Collects: The Golden Age #1-4
Justice League of America: The Nail
Collects: JLA: The Nail #1-3 And JLA: Another Nail #1-3
Collects: Injustice Year 5 #1 To #14