Golden Age Hawkman Remains Excellent DC Comics Character

Although he may not be as famous as Superman or Batman, Hawkman has been a major DC Comics superhero since the Golden Age of comics. Not only is he a great character visually, he sports an interesting origin, too. And while there have been more than one Hawkman, the Golden Age Hawkman is the best.

I am not going to spend hours explaining Hawkman's past. A great place to read about it is at Wikipedia. However, I need to sum up Hawkman a little. Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics in 1940. He was Carter Hall and, later in the series, his fiancee Shiera became Hawkgirl. They flew using wings and a metal-called ninth metal in the Golden Age and Nth metal in the Silver Age-harness that defies gravity. This was all courtesy of ancient Egyptian secrets. They were reincarnated Egyptians.

In the 1960s, Hawkman and Hawkgirl were reintroduced as Katar Hol and Shayera Hol (Thal was her maiden name). They were alien police officers who came to Earth from the planet Thanagar. Although they have a different history, their costumes look almost exactly the same as the original hawks. There are twists and turns to the history of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, but, basically, these are the four main hawk characters.

Growing up in the 1980s, I was most familiar with the alien hawks. It was Katar and Shayera who were on the SuperFriends and featured in DC Comics at the time. Carter and Shiera Hall were still around in DC Comics, too, but not as prominently in the 1980s. In the 1990s, the entire Hawkman franchise was revamped, in a way, through the Hawkworld miniseries and the Hawkworld ongoing series. Although fans were split on some decisions made with the Hawkworld stories, I loved them. The Hawkworld ongoing series was excellent. Some issues featured all four hawks, which made for some great tales.

Hawkman was once again reintroduced in the early 2000s. Carter Hall was back as the main Hawkman and Kendra Saunders (grandniece of the first Hawkgirl) was Hawkgirl. But, it was not really Kendra. It was Shiera's soul in Kendra's body, using Kendra's memories. Thankfully, Shiera is back completely now, memories and all! She returned in DC Comic's Blackest Night No. 8 in early 2010.

Carter is my number one choice for Hawkman. The reincarnation angle of his character makes for some good stories. His adventures are a mix of Indiana Jones and Mummy movies with science fiction thrown in. Plus, he's the first Hawkman. He gets kudos for that!

Haters who say Hawkman is pointless because all he does is fly are missing the point. Sure, he flies. And while Superman can fly and do a hundred other things, Hawkman is unique. Hawkman is about adventures in ancient worlds, lost civilizations, and even on other planets. Also, unlike other heroes who fly, Hawkman embodies the idea of flight. His wings are a symbol of man's dream of flight. And they just look darn cool!

Another important aspect of Hawkman has also been the equality and partnership between Hawkman and Hawkgirl (sometimes called Hawkwoman). The first Hawkgirl, Shiera, appeared in Flash Comics (1940) No. 1 as an non-costumed supporting character in the Hawkman story. She becomes Hawkgirl later in the run. But, that is a subject for another article.

I am an owner of Halloween Hill, an online store that sells haunted house props, as well as Halloween decorations. I am also a comic book collector and have been for more than 25 years!

Visit me at http://www.halloween-hill-props.com/ and http://comicbooksandthings.blogspot.com/.

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Andy Panda - Unsung Character From the Golden Age of Cartoons and Comics

When you mention Andy Panda, many people respond, "Who?" However, there was a time when the bear was a major player in the world of cartoons. He is a character from the Golden Age of animation, and a great one, too.

Andy was created by the legendary Walter Lantz, the same creator of the famous Woody Woodpecker. In fact, Woody first appeared in an Andy Panda cartoon. But, let's get back to the little-known Panda.

Andy was actually quite popular in the 1940s. His first cartoon was Life Begins for Andy Panda in 1939. He starred in multiple cartoons in the 1940s and had his own comic strip in New Funnies comics from the 1940s to the 1960s. He even had his own comic book series as recently as the 1970s. One thing I loved about the comics is he had a sidekick named Charlie Chicken. They were a little like Abbott and Costello to me.

I always liked Andy and Woody cartoons as a child, and they were rerun continuously in the 1970s and '80s. I have fond memories of watching 1940s' Andy Panda cartoons before and after school. My favorite cartoon is Apple Andy. In the cartoon, Andy fights with the good and bad side of himself. The good side is a panda that looks like an angel. The bad side is--you guessed it--a panda that looks like the devil.

In the cartoon, the bad side convinces Andy to skip school and steal a farmer's apples. He eats so many apples that he passes out and dreams he goes to Hell. In the end he wakes up, defeats his bad side and goes back to school. Yes, some early cartoons were eerie and amusing at the same time. I am glad they were still shown on television in the 1980s.

Andy is not completely lost to limbo, though. Recently, DVD sets of old Woody Woodpecker and Andy Panda cartoons were released for sale. You can't keep a good character down forever!

If you remember Andy, feel free to comment! I would like to hear your memories.

I am an owner of Halloween Hill, an online store that sells haunted house props, as well as Halloween decorations. I am also a comic book collector and have been for more than 25 years!

Visit me at http://www.halloween-hill-props.com/ and http://comicbooksandthings.blogspot.com/

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Golden Age Comic Books for Teenagers

For years now, superheroes have been popular amongst teenagers. The paper comics were on top of this popularity long before movies, television shows or Internet threads have been made available for superheroes. Comic book enthusiasts adored these paperbacks much more than the stories. These comics really delved into political, societal and social thresholds, highlighting the state of the era they had been introduced. Ever since they emerged on the market, the Marvel comics have been in the top position in this industry even to this day.

Marvel's historical past goes back to October 1939 at the time when the first comic was published with the title Marvel Comics #1. Over 80,000 copies were sold from the first issue. With the success of this comic, particularly the popularity of the very first super hero Human Torch, a second superhero was introduced by Marvel called Captain America during 1941.

The Second World War signified the ending of Golden Age comic books. The comics by Marvel responded to the precipitous downfall in the popularity of the superhero books, displaying characters like Captain America and introduced new selection of humorous books centered on characters like Super Rabbit.

But, the beginning of Vietnam War heightened the interest in superheroes which influenced Marvel to creation of 4 brand-new superheroes which joined as The Fantastic Four. There were also other characters like X-Men, Ant-Man, Iron Man Hulk, and Spider-Man. All of these characters are imprinted in the minds of teenagers and also continue to be the foundation of various Hollywood blockbusters.

The collectors will pay an enormous amount to get Golden comic books, even spending millions for the vintage issues in perfect condition. You can ask your parents and grandparents if they have a lot of money hidden in a drawer which consists of the sentimental items from their years as a child. Believe it or not, even the government identifies the enormous influence that the superhero comic books have on the pop culture. During 2007, some commemorative stamps displaying superhero characters had been introduced.

Although Vitage Age Comic Books are still available through certain comic book Collectors but Golden Age Comic Books are truly a rare find these days. However you'll not find this to be the case at http://www.comicbookaday.com/

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New Funnies Is Excellent Golden Age Comic Book Run

Let's talk about New Funnies comics, one of the best Golden Age comic book series in my opinion.

New Funnies is a Golden Age comic book series that started off just called The Funnies. With issue No. 64 (in 1942), the comic began focusing on Walter Lantz characters, such as Andy Panda and Oswald the Rabbit. With issue No. 65, it was renamed New Funnies.

Woody Woodpecker was also one of the Lantz characters who appeared in the book. He was such a new character at the time, he was a guest-star in the Oswald the Rabbit stories for a year or two before he received his own comic strip in New Funnies. At first, Woody's strip was only one page. With issue No. 87, he began receiving a longer strip. Of course, as time went on, Woody Woodpecker became Walter Lantz' biggest star and was featured on most New Funnies covers from the mid-1940s until it was cancelled in the early 1960s.

New Funnies is a great series. Not only are issues fairly easy to find--something surprising for a Golden Age comic book series--but many issues are not too expensive. Of course, the most sought-after issues are the earliest issues from the time the book switched from its early format to featuring the Lantz characters. The earliest Lantz-centric issues can cost hundreds of dollars in near-mint condition. Some issues that are highlights include issue No. 65 (the first issue of New Funnies), No. 69 (nice Halloween cover with Andy Panda, Raggedy Ann, and Felix the Cat), No. 89 and No. 101 (both World War II war bond covers).

In my opinion, some of the best covers are the ones that feature three great Lantz characters together: Woody Woodpecker, Andy Panda and Charlie Chicken, a character who only appeared in a few cartoons but was featured in the comics from the 1940s to the 1970s. He's one of those forgotten characters who never received large-scale fame. Charlie Chicken appeared in two Andy Panda cartoons in the 1940s: Andy Panda's Victory Garden and Meatless Tuesday. Oddly, he fought Andy in both cartoons. They chased each other around Andy's farm. I call this odd because in New Funnies (and Andy Panda's own series) Charlie was Andy Panda's pal.

Charlie first appeared in print in New Funnies No. 79 as a small chicken. As far as I can tell from my research (I don't own all the issues), Charlie was a full-grown chicken by his next comic book appearance. He was one of the stars in New Funnies for decades, even getting his own comic strip in the series.

Yes, if you are a fan of Golden Age cartoons, Golden Age comic books or the Walter Lantz characters, I recommend picking up some old New Funnies issues via online comic book stores or eBay. You will not be disappointed in the prices or quality of the stories. Also, we need to keep the classic Golden Age characters alive!

I am an owner of Halloween Hill, an online store that sells haunted house props, as well as Halloween decorations. I am also a comic book collector and have been for more than 25 years!

Visit me at http://www.halloween-hill-props.com/ (where I sell Halloween props and decorations) and at http://comicbooksandthings.blogspot.com/ (where I discuss Walter Lantz characters, cartoons and comics).

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The Appeal Of Golden Age Comics

Purchasing vintage comic books don't have to be a guess game. You should know how to carefully purchase these comics, so that the scheming sellers don't swindle you. The following are several tips to help you purchase these items.

Look for authenticity. Ensure that the comic books are in exceptional condition and also have full pages which are graded appropriately by the seller. You can get the comic books authenticated by companies such as the Comics Guaranty or perhaps any trustworthy third-party certifying company. Keep in mind that you have to prepare to spend a little extra for this type of service, but you can look at this as insurance for your comic. In the end, you do not want to invest your hard-earned funds to end up with cheap forgeries.

Purchase only from reliable sellers. The online auctions are extremely dangerous when it comes to buying high-priced vintage comics, because you don't know the vendor and you will have no assurance that this item is in a good condition as reported. In addition, you cannot tell if your comic would be shipped as stated. Therefore, you have to make sure that you check the feedback ratings for sellers and avoid those with negative reviews.

You should not pay an excessive amount. Prior to bidding on or even investing in a comic, make sure to perform due diligence to ascertain its value. You can find many helpful websites offering free service, so you can take advantage of these resources. It is best to also network with additional collectors to learn about their purchasing experiences as well as get suggestions about prices.

Finally, you should take steps to safeguard your vintage comics because they are very expensive. It will make sense for you to safeguard them from elements and daily damage. Experts recommend that you store them inside Mylar plastic-bags along with slender cardboard to avoid damage. Keep them inside the cardboard box specially designed for comics. You can find protective supplies at the local comic stores.

For more great tips on vintage comic books and comic book collectors visit any of the links in this authors bio.

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Why Golden Age Comic Books Are So Popular

Most collectors of comic books have a passion for the extraordinary art form represented in the vintage books. You can find a lot of information online about comics, artists, collecting comics, creators and writers, but there is actually no replacement for fully illustrated hands-on comics. Ask any individual who loves comic books and you will discover that having a real, printed source will be profoundly more rewarding than the online counterpart. The Comic Book In America, which an Illustrated History and published by Mike Benton, really does a fantastic job of reviewing important matters in depth and providing a comprehensive look at the advancement of comics as an art form.

Starting in 1934, at the time when the very first comic had been introduced in America until today people in America have had a passion for not just comics, but also the unique artwork within the book and especially the art on the book cover. Over the years, there had been many gifted artists emerged with their unique style and achievements. Some of the finest have earned an Eisner Award just for their creative accomplishment in American comics.

As the stories advanced, new characters were introduced and the styles evolved, comics were now characterized by the era where they had been published. Golden Age comics were created in the first era, which describes comics which released throughout the 30's and 40's. After that, at the start the 1950's advancing perhaps to the 1970's had been Silver Age comic books, which contributed to the Bronze era from 70's to 80's and ultimately finishing with the Modern Era which started in the mid 1980's to present day.

The Golden Age is most likely most well-known for superheroes such as Superman, Captain America, Batman and Wonder Woman. An additional noteworthy comic that emerged in this era had been Archie and this appeared first in Pep Comics #22 during December, 1941. The Mighty Crusaders had been Archie Comics short introduction of superheroes was released in 1966 and 1967 during the Silver Age.

For more great tips on vintage comic books and comic book collectors visit any of the links in this authors bio.

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Quick Tips On How To Buy Golden Age Comic Books

Whenever one thinks about items like collectible comics, old rare comics or valuable comics, this normally refers to Golden Age Comics books. Beginning with Action Comics #1 during 1938 and moving forward to the ending of World War II, Golden Age Comics establishes the standard for collecting comic book.

Being a collector of these books it takes money, patience and a resolve to compromise. As a result of the age of such vintage items, they are far more difficult to locate than the ones released over the last fifty years. Locating high quality copies of such comics is almost impossible, leading to the escalating value of these books.

As mentioned before, your technique to locating these books must be: determination to compromise. For one, if you cannot obtain the specific issue you must be prepared to accept an inferior quality. Next, you have to compromise on the price because these comics are certainly not cheap.

Locating these comics will take a lot more self-disciplined approach for you get one when compared to more recent comic books. This could take months or even years for you to discover the specific issue you want at a price that you are able to afford. In case you are prepared to compromise, concentrate on a specific title rather than the specific issue and title. For instance, if you wanted the first Batman from Detective Comics #27, you might want to concentrate instead on getting titles where he appeared in. Detective Comics #27 isn't available for sale often. Think about other titles with Batman such as Detective Comics, World's Finest and Batman Comics.

The quality of the book should also be considered. Locating a Near Mint comic from this ear would be both difficult and high-priced. In case you locate a comic you want and it's in a very good condition, you might want to purchase this comic because of it high grade and also it might not be available for many years. As a smart collector it is best to grab any issue that is available during your search.

For more great tips on vintage comic books and comic book collectors visit any of the links in this authors bio.

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Why Select Golden Age Comic Books

The Golden Age Comic Books lasted through the years of 1930 to early 1950 as recorded in America's history of comics. During this period, modern books had been first printed and attained some level of recognition; the archetype of superheroes was developed and defined and most of the popular superheroes came out, including Superman, Captain America, Batman, Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman.

One of the events cited for the start of the Golden Age had been the 1938 debut of Superman Action Comic books #1, released by DC Comics. Some people record the beginning of earlier instances during the 30's: The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide's publication, The Golden Age list of quarterly books from 1933 and later (1933 observed the release of the very first book with a size which would consequently establish the formatting); a few historians, such as Roger Sabin, Graphic Novels and Comix: History of Comic Art), record it to the release of the very first comics displaying 100 % original stories instead of re-prints of books from newspapers in 1935, by DC Comics.

Nevertheless, Superman the very first superhero comic book had been popular so much so that the superheroes quickly dominated the Golden Age comics. Somewhere between early 1939 and the later part of 1941, DC and its sister company called All-American Comics released the popular superheroes like Robin and Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, the Atom, Aquaman and Hawkman, whilst Timely Comics, the 40s forerunner of Marvel Comics, enjoyed million selling titles which showcased the Human Torch, Captain America and the Sub-Mariner.

Despite the fact that Timely and DC Comics are more popular these days, circulation numbers report that the best selling superheroes title of the period might have been Captain Marvel Fawcett comics with roughly 1.4 million copies for each issue rating as the most extensively circulated comics in America. The sale of Captain Marvel comfortably trounced the self-titled Superman series as well as Action Comics, plus at some point the comic had been released biweekly in order to take advantage of the popular interest.

For more great tips on vintage comic books and comic book collectors visit any of the links in this authors bio.

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