The Blackhawk Squadron (also known as the Blackhawks) is the name of a fictional team published by Quality Comics and later by DC Comics. Primarily created by Chuck Cuidera with input from both Bob Powell and Will Eisner, the team first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941) and regularly starred in the eponymous Blackhawk comic book series. Originally a small team of World War II-era ace pilots of varied nationalities, both its membership and overall purpose has changed over time.
The team originally operated from a hidden base known as Blackhawk Island, flying Grumman XF5F Skyrocket fighter aircraft, were known to shout their battle cry of "Hawk-a-a-a!" while battling foes, and were typically clad in matching blue and black uniforms with the a hawk or hawk-inspired insignia. While early stories pitted them against Axis powers, they also battled their own foes which included recurring foes such as King Condor and Killer Shark, femme fatales, or battled against fantastical war machines. Later versions have also alternatively operated as an elite military unit affiliated with the United Nations and a special anti-apocalypse response team. The team would usually be led by a male individual codenamed "Blackhawk", with Lady Blackhawk given to noted women who aided the team as honorary members despite not being formally allowed to be enlisted. Later versions of the team altered this dynamic, with Lady Blackhawk being a codename for a female of high-ranking or leading status.
At the height of his popularity in the early 1940s, Blackhawk titles routinely outsold every other comic book but Superman.Murry, Will, "An interview with Chuck 'Blackhawk' Cuidera", Comic Book Marketplace #68, May 1999. Blackhawk also shares the distinction of being just one of five comic book characters to be published continuously in their own titles from the 1940s up to the 1960s (the others being Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Phantom). The comic book series has spawned a film serial in 1952 which starred Kirk Alyn as Blackhawk himself, a radio series, a novel, and was once announced as a forthcoming Steven Spielberg feature film. A version of Blackhawk named Ted Gaynor appeared in the first season of the Arrowverse series Arrow, portrayed by Ben Browder.
Publication history Creation Like many of his Golden Age and Silver Age comic book counterparts, the creation of Blackhawk has been the subject of sometimes-contentious debate. Will Eisner has at times been considered the characters' primary creator, with Eisner himself acknowledging the contributions of Chuck Cuidera and writer Bob Powell.Yronwode, Catherine, "Who's Who: An Interview With Will Eisner", Blackhawk #260 (July 1983). DC Comics.
Over the years, Cuidera became increasingly vocal that he did much more work on Blackhawk than Eisner and that he had in fact already started creating the characters prior to joining Eisner's studio.Schumacher, Michael, Will Eisner: A Dreamer's Life in Comics (Bloomsbury USA, 2010). pp. 72–73. According to Cuidera, he and Powell fleshed out the concept, deciding on everything from names and nationalities, to the characters' distinguishing traits, uniforms, and the aircraft they would fly.Steranko, Jim, The Steranko History of Comics Volume 2 (Supergraphics, 1972). pp. 52–61.
In 1999, Eisner addressed his view of the matter during a Comic-Con panel:
The Quality Comics years
The Blackhawks debuted in August 1941 as the lead feature in the first issue of Quality Comics' anthology series Military Comics, billed as featuring "stories of the Army and Navy". Viewed by Will Eisner as "a modern version of the Robin Hood legend", the team's first appearance was co-written by Chuck Cuidera and Bob Powell, with art by Cuidera. Although the exact nature of Eisner, Cuidera, and Powell's individual contributions to the creation of the Blackhawks will never be known, it is confirmed that each performed some level of writing duties at different times during the first eleven issues, with Eisner working on early covers with Cuidera and Cuidera providing interior artwork.
When Cuidera joined the armed services in 1942, Reed Crandall took over as artist, beginning a long association with the characters that would last until 1953. Jim Steranko has observed, "where Cuidera made Blackhawk a best-seller, Crandall turned it into a classic, a work of major importance and lasting value". It was during Crandall's run that the series hit its sales and popularity zenith.
The Blackhawks' success earned them their own title in Winter 1944. That issue, Blackhawk #9, picked up the numbering of Quality's canceled Uncle Sam Quarterly. They meanwhile continued to be featured prominently in Military Comics, later renamed Modern Comics, until that book's cancellation with #102 (October 1950).
During the Quality years, a whole host of well-respected talent worked on the character, including writers Manly Wade Wellman, Bill Woolfolk, Bill Finger, and Dick French,Evanier, Mark (2001), The Blackhawk Archives Volume 1, Foreword by Mark Evanier, DC Comics. p. 9. as well as artists Al Bryant, Bill Ward, and Dick Dillin.
It was French, also an accomplished songwriter, who infused the team with the quirky desire to sing celebratory songs from their cockpits as they swooped in and out of battle.Misiroglu, Gina Renee Misiroglu; Roach, David A. (2005). The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes. Omnigraphics, Inc. pp. 87–90. Archived at Google Books. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
Quality Comics ceased operations with comics cover-dated December 1956, with Blackhawk #107 being the final issue published by Quality. The character and title trademarks were initially leased on a royalty basis to National Periodical Publications (now DC Comics) before eventually being sold in their entirety.
Acquired by DC Comics Blackhawk was one of the few Quality series that DC chose to keep running uninterrupted. Penciller Dick Dillin and inker Chuck Cuidera remained on the title, ensuring a near-seamless transition. The duo would stay with the title through nearly its entire first run at DC.
Steering deeper and deeper into the realm of science fiction, the Blackhawks found themselves confronting a steady stream of mostly one-off supervillain-like adversaries bent on world domination.
The Blackhawks also gained a new ally in Blackhawk #133 (February 1959): Lady Blackhawk, a pilot named Zinda Blake who was determined to become the first female member of the team. After a couple of appearances, she was granted honorary status and became a semi-frequent member of the supporting cast.
In an effort to update the characters, DC gave the team its first ever major wardrobe overhaul in Blackhawk #197 (June 1964), replacing their longtime uniforms with red and black shirts and green pants. On a dramatic level, Lady Blackhawk was transformed into a supervillain, Queen Killer Shark, in Blackhawk #200 (September 1964).
Then, in a much more drastic attempt to combat flagging sales due to the rising popularity of superhero books and the Batman TV series, DC proclaimed with Blackhawk #228 (January 1967) the beginning of "the New Blackhawk Era" with a cover featuring Justice League of America members Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and the Flash observing that the Blackhawks are (in Superman's words) "washed up" and (in Batman's words) "junk-heap heroes". In the issues that followed, all but Blackhawk gained a costumed superhero alter ego at the behest of a shadowy government agency.
With sales continuing to sink, the Blackhawks were restored to something that more closely resembled their original roots in Blackhawk #242 (August 1968), losing the superhero identities in favor of their traditional blue and black uniforms. It was too late though; the comic was canceled for the first time one issue later.
1970s Just over seven years later, DC Comics resurrected the series with Blackhawk #244 (January 1976) as part of an ongoing mid-1970s expansion of the line dubbed "Conway's Corner" in house ads. The Blackhawks were transplanted to the 1970s and now portrayed as mercenaries-for-hire, matching wits against fancifully bizarre new villains, as well as a re-imagined Killer Shark and War Wheel. This run ended with Blackhawk #250 (January 1977).
1980s–1990s Amid rampant rumors that Steven Spielberg was interested in Blackhawk as a possible film project, DC Comics once again resumed the series. Initially conceived as being published quarterly, editor Len Wein convinced DC to make the book monthly and eventually assembled a team that included writer Mark Evanier and artist Dan Spiegle.Kooiman, Mike. "Mark Evanier discusses Blackhawk and Plastic Man". "The Quality Companion Companion". Blackhawk #251 (October 1982) returned the team to a World War II setting and restored many of the familiar trappings that had been shed over the years during the various attempts to modernize the characters. Numerous new supporting characters were introduced during the run, most notably Domino, a buxom Nazi assassin and love interest to Blackhawk who was reminiscent of the femmes fatales so common during the Quality Comics era. Evanier also reintroduced arch-villain Killer Shark, and has said he would have likely added Lady Blackhawk to the cast had the series lasted longer. But faced with stagnant sales that Evanier attributed largely to DC's lack of interest in publicizing the series, the book was canceled with Blackhawk #273 (November 1984). Though it wouldn't be known at the time, that issue would mark the definitive end of the series' original issue numbering.
Sometime after the cancellation, DC employed writer Bill DuBay and artist Carmine Infantino to produce a Blackhawk mini-series. Though never published, numerous finished pages exist.Amash, Jim; Nolen-Weathington, Eric (2010). Carmine Infantino: Penciler, Publisher, Provocateur. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 218–219. Archived at Google Books. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
In 1988, a three-issue mini-series by Howard Chaykin re-imagined the team during World War II yet again, this time with a notably more adult and gritty take on the characters. Chaykin, for the most part, eschewed the team dynamic so familiar to Blackhawk readers, instead crafting a politically charged espionage thriller that focused prominently on Blackhawk and a new version of Lady Blackhawk. Post-war stories respecting Chaykin's continuity followed in Action Comics Weekly #601–608, #615–622, and #628–635, as well as in a monthly series that restarted with an issue #1 and ran 16 issues from March 1989 to August 1990.
In 1992, DC Comics published Blackhawk Special #1. Still respecting Chaykin's continuity and set 10 years after the events of Blackhawk #16, the story spans a five-year period as Blackhawk seeks to avenge the death of team member André.
More recent appearances Since 1992, mostly modern hints of the team have appeared, usually in the form of the "Blackhawk Express" courier service or the time-displaced Lady Blackhawk. One of the best examples of this is the 1990s appearance of team member Chop-Chop in a few issues of DC's Hawkworld series.
Other Blackhawk air pilot groups have been shown during present time or alternate future events such as Our Worlds At War and Kingdom Come. It is unknown which connection beyond homage and inspiration, if any, those groups have to the classic Blackhawks. Blackhawk at this time is an extension of Checkmate.
DC Comics reprinted the Blackhawk features from the first 17 issues of Military Comics in The Blackhawk Archives Volume 1 (2001) as part of its hardcover DC Archive Editions series.
Blackhawk made an appearance in The Brave and the Bold (Vol. 3) #9 (February 2008), teaming up with the Boy Commandos during a World War II tale.