Posted in: Comics | Tagged: all star comics, gardner fox, harry donenfeld, hawkgirl, justice society, Sheldon Moldoff, vintage comics

Hawkgirl Day: Celebrating The First Appearance Of One Of The First Female Comic Book Superheroes

Published Tue, 25 Apr 2017 19:33:41 -0500

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Wed, 26 Apr 2017 01:10:47 -0500

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There's nothing I like to post about more than the anniversary of a golden age comic book character, and here's one that's deserving of more attention: today, April 25, is the 76th anniversary of the sort-of first appearance of Hawkgirl in All-Star Comics #5, which hit the newsstand this day in 1941. I say "sort of" because this first app is not exactly a cut-and-dried situation — but then, that's not all that unusual. It's not the first appearance of Shiera Sanders (Flash Comics #1, late 1939), and it's arguably not the first 'official' appearance of Sanders as Hawkgirl (Flash Comics #24, later in 1941), but what this does have is Shiera putting on the hawk costume and wings, and taking part in an adventure by Gardner Fox and Sheldon Moldoff. So, if you're going to pick just one first appearance, this would be the one to pick.

We could debate the accuracy of my "one of the first female comic book superheroes" statement, and probably should. Who is really first? There's Invisible Scarlet O'Neil to consider of course, and Miss Fury. Jane Martin from Wings Comics. Catwoman (Batman #1) would be an excellent candidate, aside from being a villain. There's probably a fair case to be made for Sheena (Wags #1), and an even better case to be made for Fantomah (Jungle Comics #2). Sean MacDonald down in the comment section of this post reminds me that Bulletgirl (Master Comics #13) is another outstanding candidate. And perhaps most importantly, the astoundingly under-discussed case of Olga Mesmer, who had both super strength and x-ray vision, and appeared in a comic strip in a pulp published in 1937 by DC Comics publisher Harry Donenfeld.

All that aside, appearing before Wonder Woman, from a major publisher, and still going strong today qualifies as a pretty big deal.

I'm reminded of all this just now as I see a group of Hawkworld fans have put together a bit of a celebration to mark this occasion, which is a very cool idea. Coming as it does so soon after All-Star Comics #3 (first appearance of the Justice Society) and shortly before All-Star Comics #8 (first appearance of Wonder Woman), All-Star Comics #5 doesn't usually get much attention. So, at least for this one day, let's give the first appearance of Hawkgirl its due.

Announcing April 2017 as Hawkgirl Month!
Hawkgirl made her debut as a superhero in All-Star Comics No. 5! This issue was released on April 25, 1941, so we have decided to celebrate April 25th as Hawkgirl Day and we will dedicate

Hawkworld to our favorite superheroine for the entire month!
(*Disclaimer: Please note that this is not an official announcement and DC Comics is not a supporter of this event. This is purely a fan-made event.)

Here are the events for Hawkgirl month!
1. There will be a contest for a Hawkgirl figure! All you have to do to enter is to like this post! On April 25th, we will use a site that randomly picks a winner from the members who liked the post or made a comment below! The winner will receive a Hawkgirl figure, chosen by the admins. Once the winner is decided, the figure will be sent to the winner. The winner has 24 hours after the announcement to contact Tim Board by PM to claim his prize. If the winner does not claim the prize, another person will be randomly chosen. So make sure to check back on April 25th!
2. There will be a contest for a Mitch Foust Hawkgirl print! The print will be posted on the Hawkworld page so be sure to check it out. When the picture is posted, please like or post a comment to enter. Same rules as above. Check back on April 25th to see if you won!
3. We welcome all of our members who are artists to show off their Hawkgirl drawings! The admins will collect the drawings and put it in the Hawkgirl Gallery in the Photo Album page. The submitted art will also be shared on our Twitter account with a link if you provide one! Show us your Hawkgirl!
4. Please share your favorite Hawkgirl art, painting, drawing, comic panel, Hawkgirl quote, Hawkgirl figure, Hawkgirl video, and anything else Hawkgirl on Hawkworld! Even if it is one that has been posted before, no worries! We want to know your favorite Hawkgirl piece!
5. If you have any questions, please direct them to Tim Board in a PM. (NOT on the Hawkworld page! It will be deleted so we can keep the focus on the art and other posts.)