Jab’s Builds! (Whomp 'Em! Plumbers Don't Wear Ties! ToeJam & Earl!)

[Jabroniville]

What about Adam Cray?

I've never heard of him. I don't normally count imposters but it looks like he had a long run in Suicide Squad?

[Jabroniville]

The problems with being a Shrinking Hero- despite being of normal human durability, writers have you dying to stuff like pins.

THE ATOM ?? (Adam Cray, Ray Palmer Impersonator)
Created By: John Ostrander & Luke McDonnell
First Appearance: Suicide Squad #44 (Aug. 1990)
Role: Imposter Hero

-Oddly, for about 18 issues of Suicide Squad, there was an imposter Atom on the team- Adam Cray, who had been recruited by Ray Palmer to impersonate him. Palmer had faked his death in order to apprehend the "Micro Squad", and had set up Cray to pretend to be him so nobody would think he & the Atom were the same man. Cray ran with the Suicide Squad as a "Secret Weapon" to help on missions, unknown even to most of the other Squad members. He saved a wounded Amanda Waller from assassins once, and confronted Deadshot for murdering his father (Deadshot told him he'd get one free shot at him). Shortly after, Cray was fatally wounded by the Micro Squad member Blacksnake, who impaled him through the chest, thinking that he was Palmer. This caused the real Atom to reveal himself, defeating Blacksnake and admitting things to the Justice League.

-Cray was a decent liar and could shrink to tiny sizes. He appears to mainly use the Stealth boosts this provides.

[Ken]

Shortly after, Cray was fatally wounded by the Micro Squad member Blacksnake, who impaled him through the chest, thinking that he was Palmer.

Blacksnake nailed him.

I loved the covers of the first few issues of the storyarc in which Cray died and Palmer was revealed.



The titles say "Suicide Squad", but they look like the bloody Super Friends.

[Jabroniville]

JOHNNY THUNDER (aka Johnny Thunderbolt)
Created By: John Wentworth & Stan Aschmeier
First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (Jan. 1940)
Role: Walking Story Complication
Group Affiliations: The Justice Society of America, The All-Star Squadron
PL 4 (154)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Athletics 1 (+2)
Deception 4 (+3)
Persuasion 1 (+0)

Advantages:
Luck 5

Powers:
"Thunderbolt Pen" (Flaws: Easily Removable) (Feats: Restricted to Johnny or Those He Allows to Use It 2) [113]
Summon Thunderbolt 23 (Extras: Heroic +2, Controlled, Continuous) (138 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Reputation (Dumbass)- He has the powers of a god, but uses them like an idiot. Even the JSA members think he's an imbecile, but appreciate his good-heartedness.
Relationship (Daisy Darling)- Johnny had a recurring girlfriend in the '40s.
Relationship (Peachy Pet- Foster Daughter)
Power Loss (The Pen)- Johnny must say aloud the words "Cei-U"/"Say You!" to summon the Thunderbolt. If he can't, then he can't use its powers.

Total: Abilities: 20 / Skills: 6--3 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 113 / Defenses: 13 (154)



THE THUNDERBOLT (Yz)
Created By: John Wentworth & Stan Aschmeier
First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (Jan. 1940)
Role: All-Powerful Genie
Group Affiliations: The Justice Society of America, The All-Star Squadron, The Fifth Dimension
PL 16 (342)- Minion Rank 23
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 15 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (History) 6 (+8)
Expertise (Arcane Lore) 6 (+8)
Intimidation 4 (+4)
Perception 12 (+12)
Stealth 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Interpose, Ranged Attack 8

Powers:
Flight 15 (64,000 mph) [30]
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) [2]
Impervious Toughness 9 [9]

"Ageless Imp"
Immortality 10 [20]
Immunity 11 (Aging, Life Support) [11]

Variable 20 (Any Power Ever) (Extras: Free Action +2) [180]
(Sample Powers: Blast 18- Penetrating, Any Senses, Empowering Others, Mind Control, Teleportation, Dimensional Travel, Growth, Move Object, etc.)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +15, Fortitude +15, Will +6

Complications:
Power Loss (All Powers & Abilities)- The Thunderbolt cannot do anything without Johnny saying so. Johnny must also be VERY SPECIFIC, and not say the wrong thing.
Power Loss (Certain Rules)- Thunderbolts cannot bring people back to life.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 252 / Defenses: 11 (342)

Johnny Thunder- The One They Always Write Out:
-Johnny Thunder is one of those ideas best left to light-hearted adventure strips, joke things, and stuff that isn't dependent entirely on drama. He actually had a fair bit of success back in the day, lasting for 86 issues as a backup character in Flash Comics, but he ended up being completely overshadowed by his own female rival/object of affection, Black Canary. He was even on the JSA for 35 issues, despite being "just some normal guy in a suit"! But subsequent revivals of him and his concept have left writers with NOTHING but trouble. While it's a cute gift to have an all-power genie who can do your every command, but only with SPECIFIC commands, it works ideally in a comedic strip where the hero accidentally sets off the wishes or doesn't even realize he has powers. Such a thing tends to be problematic in a "serious comic" when your big villain can be defeated by saying "Hit the villain with an atomic bomb". As such, you tend to see Johnny Thunder written out of most epic stories, as the Big Concept of the Thunderbolt kind of gets dumb after a while. You either have the hero taken out in seconds, or write him as a complete idiot so he doesn't just end every fight in seconds. So big cross-overs would have Johnny & the T-Bolt in the background, aiding magicians (like in the Crisis) or something, but the rest of the time, he's got little to do.

-Having read a review of his early stuff, it seems Johnny didn't even realize he has the powers at first- he was given them after some villains from "Badhnesia" kidnapped him, the Seventh son of a seventh son, born at 7 am on Saturday, July 7th, and attempted a ritual to make them all-powerful in the future. He's honest, but a buffoon- the comic is based around him getting fired repeatedly from jobs, as the T-Bolt causes problems (it's summoned by Yz's name being pronounced backwards- "Cei-U", and Johnny has a habit of starting every sentence with "Say, you--"). The Thunderbolt isn't even seen in full for a while (sometimes appearing as an actual Thunderbolt), and finally takes its final form several issues in, appearing as a pink guy made of lightning. Johnny adopts Peachy Pet, a hideous female orphan who then dominates the stories, in 1941- she is tough and much smarter than "Papa John", directing him on how to use the Thunderbolt properly. The reviewer didn't care for the stories, but Johnny lasted a long time (most of my early notes were like "he didn't have much success", but lasting eight years in the Golden Age is a hell of a run). He was turfed from the JSA in favor of Black Canary, with writers explaining that his control over the Thunderbolt was weakening thanks to some Badhnesians using a magical curse on him.

Later Johnny Thunder Appearances:
-Johnny appears in a handful of JLA/JSA crossovers, but has less to do than most- at one point, he was knocked out by his Earth-One counterpart- a petty criminal who then uses the powers to take over the world. The Thunderbolt must still obey him (the rules are he has to follow "Johnny Thunder", and alternate Earths don't give him a loophole), but he manages to be unhelpful at points and the JSA (the JLA had been erased) take the villain down, cleverly opposing the new villains he created (one guy absorbs Alan Scott's powers, so Dr. Fate turns some JSA members to wood, taking advantage of that weakness). Johnny joined the JSA in the eternal battle at Ragnarok, but once they escaped, he was one of the few characters to age and get fat (though Peachy Pet had taken some money he'd left and made it a successful business in the '90s JSA series). He was depicted with Alzheimer's Disease and lost his pen. He ended up with a successor in Jakeem "J.J." Thunder, who finds himself in similar predicaments to Johnny. In a big JSA story, the Ultra-Humanite killed him off and had his brain put in Johnny's body- he convinced Jakeem to give him the pen, which made him all-powerful- he took over the entire world and has the superheroes all as his pawns, but a powerless Jakeem and some free heroes (and Icicle) saved the world. Johnny died in the process, but Jakeem convinced the Thunderbolt to merge with him. Peculiarly, "Johnny Thunderbolt" pretty quickly shifted into just being the actual Thunderbolt, with no mention of Johnny. All in all, not a BAD character, just one that doesn't fit in well in super-hero comic books.

The Thunderbolt's Powers:
-Considering his power levels, it's almost impossible to imagine Johnny Thunder being one of the cheapest JSA guys to build. But then, when his key power is essentially locked up in a Summoned Minion ability, which is in ITSELF locked up in a Device that's easy to lose, despite two Extras you end up shaving a dramatic FOURTY points (word to the wise to GMs: Watch out for powers that let you drop your cost twice by 'double dipping' your points-reducers like Summon, Minion, or Device) off of your total! Johnny's pretty simple: he's a simple-minded dork who's used to getting out of the way of things, but is incredibly lucky. The Thunderbolt is obviously tougher, since he doesn't have alot of base powers, but at the same point can fly ALL the time, obviously doesn't need to sleep or do anything like that, and can't be killed outright very easily either. So he gets a blanket Variable Power to carry all the times he shoots lightning, fries people, turns stuff into other stuff, etc. He'd actually amazingly be PL 8 without the fact that he can use Area effects with VP, since his Att/Def is so low (really, the guy is USELESS without instruction, and is usually best suited to goon-sweeping). But hey, in a pinch, he can just add Enhanced Attack Bonus if he needs to, based off of Johnny's wishes.

-The Thunderbolt itself is insanely powerful- using it, The Ultra-Humanite took over the ENTIRE WORLD in one fell swoop, turning people like Superman, The Martian Manhunter and Alan Scott into his own personal slaves. He rewrote the entire planet. Unfortunately, Johnny & Jakeem are nowhere near as bright or as capable with the thing. But he's UNGODLY powerful, and can basically mimic any ability. Only lack of imagination keeps this guy from being far and away the most powerful superhero on the planet.

[Jabroniville]

JAKEEM THUNDER (Johnny Jakeem Thunder, aka JJ Thunder, Jamal Thunder)
Created By: Grant Morrison & Paul Ryan
First Appearance: JLA #26 (Feb. 1999)
Role: Walking Story Complication, Mouthy Teen
Group Affiliations: The Justice Society of America
PL 4 (153)
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 4 (+4)
Insight 2 (+2)

Advantages:
Improved Initiative, Luck 3

Powers:
"Thunderbolt Pen" (Flaws: Easily Removable) (Feats: Restricted to Jakeem or Those He Allows to Use It 2) [113]
Summon Thunderbolt 23 (Extras: Heroic +2, Controlled, Continuous) (138 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +1, Fortitude +3, Will +5

Complications:
Relationship (Aunt)- Jakeem lives with his Aunt, as his father left his pregnant mother (and never knew of Jakeem's existence), and his mother died of cancer.
Reputation (Loudmouth)- A latchkey kid, Jakeem is angry at the world, and throws up an arrogant, mouthy persona as a defense mechanism.
Power Loss (The Pen)- Jakeem must say aloud the words "Zkl"/"So Cool!" to summon the Thunderbolt. If he can't, then he can't use its powers.

Total: Abilities: 18 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 113 / Defenses: 13 (153)

THE THUNDERBOLT (Yz)
Created By: John Wentworth & Stan Aschmeier
First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (Jan. 1940)
Role: Walking Story Complication
Group Affiliations: The Justice Society of America, The All-Star Squadron, The Fifth Dimension
PL 16 (342)- Minion Rank 23
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 15 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (History) 6 (+8)
Expertise (Arcane Lore) 6 (+8)
Intimidation 4 (+4)
Perception 12 (+12)
Stealth 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Interpose, Ranged Attack 8

Powers:
Flight 15 (64,000 mph) [30]
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) [2]
Impervious Toughness 9 [9]

"Ageless Imp"
Immortality 10 [20]
Immunity 11 (Aging, Life Support) [11]

Variable 20 (Any Power Ever) (Extras: Free Action +2) [180]
(Sample Powers: Blast 18- Penetrating, Any Senses, Empowering Others, Mind Control, Teleportation, Dimensional Travel, Growth, Move Object, etc.)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +15, Fortitude +15, Will +6

Complications:
Power Loss (All Powers & Abilities)- The Thunderbolt cannot do anything without Johnny saying so. Johnny must also be VERY SPECIFIC, and not say the wrong thing.
Power Loss (Certain Rules)- Thunderbolts cannot bring people back to life.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 252 / Defenses: 11 (342)

Jakeem- Another Overly-Powerful Hero:
-Jakeem Thunder, created for a JLA story by Grant Morrison, suffers from alot of the same problems his predecessor did, and ironically got written out first despite being debuted in the very story that renewed the JSA concept. Too powerful (ESPECIALLY with modern-day writing styles) to be left fighting, the former "J.J." has been KO'd in the opening salvo of a fight more often than any other hero I can possibly remember. Seriously, in almost every battle I've read, he's either taken out right away (Mordru cutting his throat, the Deadly Enemies of Man attacking the JLA/JSA meeting and injuring him) or can't figure out "the right thing to say" (vs. Solomon Grundy or the King of Tears), thus necessitating him being written out of stories or being "away with his aunt". Kind of sad, since he's not THAT bad a character (they went a little too far with the "little black punk kid who acts like he's tough" thing, making him annoying early on, but they settled out of it once he matured), but really, what're they gonna do?

-Initially called J.J., Jakeem gets the pink "Thunderbolt" pen in a story-arc involving various 5th Dimensional Imps, with Yz being retconned in as one of them (alongside Mr. Mxyzptlk and Gwsp, who was Aquaman's own rip-off of the idea). Despite obviously being a legacy character to a JSA member, he was absent from most JSA stories, not living at the headquarters and often being away with his aunt (his only caretaker, as his mother had died). And in the few stories he WAS around for, he'd get housed by the villains in seconds, so his tremendous power couldn't help. There was a good one-off issue where he & Stargirl have to fight a Joker-ized Solomon Grundy- the two are incredibly adversarial, but when Jakeem says something truly f*cked up ("My dad left us" "Yeah, well if you were my daughter, I'd leave too"), Stargirl just pauses, refusing to say anything, and Jakeem realizes immediately he's crossed the line and tries to apologize. Finally, he does something right by commanding the Thunderbolt to "fry this sucker inside and out!", destroying the undead monster. In another story, he is horrified by the violence of the King of Tears' bug swarm ("guys, this kid can't handle this!" Canary notes as Jakeem is too stunned to react and seems nearly catatonic), but finally turns the T-Bolt into a "big bug-zapper" and starts frying the swarm en masse. In another story, Stargirl shows her own maturity when she rips on Jakeem for talking smack to Mr. Terrific, complaining about the "big black superhero talking down to the little black superhero".

Jakeem's Charater Develops:
-Jakeem, of course, is convinced to give up the T-Bolt by the Ultra-Humanite in Johnny Thunder's body- there's a nice bit as Johnny rips into him as an irresponsible failure, actually causing Jakeem to cry in shame and give him the pen- this turns the entire world into a dictatorship by the villain, until the heroes finally save the day- Jakeem, finally glad to meet the "real" Johnny (sharing with him the difficulties of having such a powerful, but overly-literal, being), has another good moment DEMANDING the T-Bolt do something to save the dying JSA member, dramatically stating all of the crazy shit he's seen Yz do yet supposedly being helpless here- Yz therefore merges with his former master, creating "Johnny Thunderbolt".

-Buuuuuuuuut Jakeem continued to be a minor character after this, either jobbing out or being absent. In the rebooted JSA series, literally the only thing I recall is him stomping in on the HQ after allllllllllll these character introductions and being floored when he sees Jennifer "Lightning" Pierce, the only other black teenager on the team. He's then depicted as an adoring, crushing teen, being overly nice to an embarrassed, annoyed Lightning ("is he still talking to me?"). And that's kinda where continuity left off.

-Some fans were still taken with Jakeem (there were some nice bits, like where he finally meets his father, only to hide his own identity, realizing the man had created his own life and didn't need the complication of a son he'd never known about), and were QUITE put out when James Robinson of all people WROTE DOWN THE WRONG NAME in a Blackest Night story, calling him "Jamal Thunder"- that neither him nor an editor caught it shameful, given that's the only name he uses. Jakeem ultimately is a character I kind of like the more I think about him- an annoying punk-ass teenager, but treated as such in-universe, thus driving conflict and being equal parts annoying and "hey, this kid might turn out alright". Like Stargirl, he matured as the series went on. Unfortunately, he was nobody's pet character (a Grant Morrison original, he wasn't created by ANY of the JSA book's three writers) and was a huge complication for all the stories, and so we never saw much of him aside from bits and pieces.

Jakeem's Capabilities:
-Just a little bit of tweaking from Johnny creates Jakeem as a smaller, weaker version, with the same T-Bolt powers as the former. I could've statted the "Johnny Thunderbolt" version, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside after that "Fifth Dimension War" thing that was VERY briefly done in JSA (seriously, it was shoved into another Mordru fight for like two issues- hardly like the JSA-like world shattering stories of old).

[Ken]

The writers explaining that Johnny's control of the the Thunderbolt was weakening around the time he left the JSA was a 1980s retcon. At the time, when Black Canary started hanging around, Johnny just kind of disappeared after a few stories. No explanation given.

And speaking of retcons...

That pen is such a huge retcon. There was no pen for 55 years. If there was, it wouldn't have needed to be the Earth-One Johnny Thunder. It was done solely to transfer the Thunderbolt to J.J. The Thunderbolt being named YZ was a retcon too, to tie Thunderbolt, Mxyzptlk, and Qwisp into one semi-coherent source of powerful "genie" types.

[Jabroniville]

Something about a woman in a suit, man...

JONNI THUNDER
Created By: Roy Thomas
First Appearance: DC Special #3 (Jan. 1984)
Role: Forgotten Super-Hero
Group Affiliations: None
PL 8 (129)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5)
Deception 4 (+7)
Expertise (Private Eye) 4 (+7)
Insight 2 (+6)
Investigation 4 (+8)
Perception 2 (+6)
Stealth 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Gun), Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Thunderbolt Form" (Flaws: Physical Body is Defenseless) [50]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) (30)
Electrical Blast 8 (Feats: Split) (17) -- (18)

• AE: Electrical Aura 4 (16)

Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
-- (62 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 15)
Electrical Aura +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Electrical Blast +7 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Justice)- I guess. She's a Private Eye, and the "solving crimes" kind, not the "following cheating spouses" kind.

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 50 / Defenses: 9 (129)

-Jonni Thunder was an odd idea- another Earth-Two character, she was a modern-day Sexy Lady Detective who could turn into an electrical being because she grabbed an Incan statue that had magical powers- some douchebags were after it, and she tried to prevent them from swiping it. She flirted with Skyman in Infinity, Inc., but has had about zero effect on the DC Universe as a whole, and has largely been gone for decades. I do like her explanation of her career choice, though- she was partnered up with her father, who was kicked off the police force because he refused to accept bribes. However, he died fairly young, as she describes it: "An animal attack... too many Camels and Wild Turkeys". Apparently he was a hard-living sort, those being references to cigarettes & whiskey.

-I figure her for a PL 8 Blaster, using a kind of variation of the "Device" Flaw, but as an Alternate Form kind of thing that's a bit like 2e's "Container" Power. See, she can use certain powers, but as a result her actual body is left defenseless- this is a standard Flaw on some powers (Remote Sensing, mainly), but here, it extends to everything. Rather than just pick one power that it fits, I think saving 12 points as a whole is fair (otherwise I think every power would need the same Flaw, which would be a BIT too cheap).

[Jabroniville]

AIR WAVE I (Lawrence "Larry" Jordan)
Created By: Mort Weisinger (or Murray Boltinoff) & Harris Levey
First Appearance: Detective Comics #60 (Feb. 1942)
Role: Forgotten Golden Age Hero
Group Affiliations: The All-Star Squadron
PL 6 (102)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+8)
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Science) 6 (+8)
Expertise (Law) 6 (+8)
Insight 2 (+4)
Investigation 4 (+6)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 4 (+6)
Technology 6 (+8)

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Improved Disarm, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Sidekick 7 (Static the Parrot)

Powers:
"Air Wave Costume" (Flaws: Removable) [13]
Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling, Environmental Adaptation- Static Electricity) (4)
Speed 7 (250 mph) (Flaws: Limited- Only Along Power-Lines) (3.5)
Senses 1 (Radio) (1)

"Magnetic Control" Move Object 6 (Flaws: Limited to Ferrous Materials) (6) -- (7)
"Attract & Repel" Move Object 6 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (Flaws: Limited to Ferrous Materials, Limited to Towards or Away From Himself) (3)
-- (15.5 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Relationship (Helen & Harold)- Larry marries his girlfriend Helen in 1948, eventually resulting in a son.
Motivation (Justice)- Larry grew concerned with the increase in crime in the early 1940s.

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 12 / Powers: 13 / Defenses: 12 (102)




STATIC THE PARROT
Role: Chatty Sidekick
PL 2 (31)- Minion Rank 2, Sidekick Rank 7
Normal Version: PL 0
STRENGTH -4 STAMINA -3 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -2 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 10 (+5)
Close Combat (Beaky Bite) 2 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+5)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Close Attack 2

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended Scent, Low-Light & Ultra-Vision) [3]
Flight 3 (16 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [3]
"Nut-Cracking Beak" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

"Tiny Size" Shrinking 8 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) -- (1 foot) [17]
(-2 Strength, +4 Defenses, +8 Stealth, -4 Intimidation, -1 Speed)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (-4 Damage, DC 11)
Beak +6 (-3 Damage, DC 12)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness -3, Fortitude +0, Will +3

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Birds cannot speak to humans, nor use their wings & beaks to easily manipulate objects. Parrots can, however, learn to mimic human speech, though cannot truly converse- only repeat what they've been taught to say.

Total: Abilities: -12 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 24 / Defenses: 7 (31)
-Air Wave was created way back in the '40s in Detective Comics, and basically was one of many heroes who just kinda stuck around for a while and didn't do much, eventually disappearing, six years after he'd arrived (not a bad run, but being a back-up in BATMAN's book is a pretty sweet gig). His feature was largely was the work of artist Harris Levey: Larry Jordan was an intern fresh from Law School, using his knowledge of science to combat the new rise of crime that he found very concerning. He puts on a suit that lets him monitor police reports, and skates that let him SAIL ON TELEPHONE LINES. And also teams up with a talking parrot so that he can deal out plot exposition, because that isn't totally ridiculous or anything.

-What's funny is that Air Wave here is actually very unique as far as Golden Age heroes go- he dosen't rip off anyone I can think of, he isn't just a recolor of some other hero, he had a unique costume that wasn't THAT dorky for the era (okay, so the roller skates are a bit "extra"), and he isn't Just Another Two-Fisted Brawler- he has a bunch of unique attributes and if that was all that counted, he'd have been a much bigger star. But he just got forgotten, despite having 77 Golden Age appearances to his name. I actually typed out "for some reason"... and then forgot what I've been discussing with so many other characters- the biggest problem with Larry Jordan is that he NEVER JOINED THE JSA. As I guses a Detective Comics guy it was deemed unnecessary, and so he never hopped on the squad for even an issue or two... and because of that, not a single writer of the Silver Age thought to bring him back. Wildcat had a run that was only slightly longer, but he spent two issues on the JSA, and so he came back- thus, we have a huge history for Ted Grant, including active legacy characters and himself being a major character in 2000-era comics and getting his own JLU episode. So if one of the writers had ever stuck Larry Jordan on the JSA for an issue or two, we'd have seen tons of Air Wave appearances in the Silver & Bronze Ages, and possibly a big legacy in JSA. But he didn't and so he disappeared.

-His legacy and successor ended up coming sooner than the All-Star Squadron series though, as his son Harold became an independent teen hero in 1978 Action Comics stories. Larry himself showed up in the Squadron as well, but his son has long-outlived him as a character, so a lot of his goofy nature is basically covered up by a pretty powerful son. When Harold debuted, Larry's fate was revealed- he was killed by a man he'd once prosecuted as District Attorney. Harold's wife Helen put on the costume in order to bring the perpetrator, Joe Parsons, to justice (never wearing the suit again, and succumbing to mental illness later on).

-Air Wave I has some neat powers, especially for the era, but still is only PL 6, since none of them work offensively. He can "skate" along power lines at "The speed of electricity" (I gave him Speed 7 rather than 20, since I'm assuming he has to jump over the non-wire parts), listen in on police bands, repel or attract crooks' guns, and walk up walls using his magnetic boots.

[Jabroniville]

LOL that "Maser" costume looks like a rejected Quasar design.

AIR WAVE III (Harold "Hal" Jordan, aka Maser)
Created By: Dennis O'Neil & Alex Saviuk
First Appearance: Green Lantern #100 (Jan. 1978)
Role: Forgotten Golden Age Hero
Group Affiliations: The Captains of Industry
PL 10 (151)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Science) 5 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Electricity) 2 (+8)
Technology 5 (+7)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
Alternate Form [-1]
"Energy Form" Insubstantial 3 [15]
Flight 20 (1,000,000 mph) [40]

"Radar & Radio Senses" Senses 6 (Radio, Radio Sense- Ranged, Radius & Accurate) [6]
Electrical Blast 10 (Feats: Split) (21) -- [25]

• AE: "Drain Electricity" Weaken Energy 10 (Extras: Perception-Ranged +2) (Flaws: Limited to Electrical Energy) (20)
• AE: "Datalink" Communication (Radio) 3 (12)
• AE: "Transmit" Teleport 10 (Extras: Extended) (Flaws: Medium- Power Lines) (20)
• AE: Electrical Aura 5 (20)
• AE: "Electrical Barrage" Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2) (Flaws: Limited to Line of Motion Travelled) (20)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Electrical Aura +6 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Electrical Blast +8 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Electrical Barrage +10 Area (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Relationship (Karen Peterson)- Karen was the babysitter of Harold's niece and nephew, which is how the two met- she learned his secret identity, and supports him behind the scenes.

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 85 / Defenses: 12 (151)

-I've always found the Air Waves absurdly fascinating, in a way- neither was ever a big star, and they've both been forgotten, and weren't exactly amazing characters. But something about them always reads like potentially someone could "Catman" them into being big stars. Except for the dumb name and boring costumes, there's some interesting powers and concepts buried in there.

-Air Wave III (his mother was a brief Air Wave II) came about in the late '70s, an attempt at creating a new teen hero in the pages of Green Lantern's book as a back-up feature (featuring him learning from GL, Green Arrow & Black Canary), and then his own feature as a back-up in Action Comics, which ultimately failed. No idea why DC sucks SO BAD at creating totally new concepts that nearly everybody has to be a successor to an old hero, but what're ya gonna do? Harold was retconned into being a cousin of Hal Jordan's, and would also go by "Hal"- this was another case of the "repeated last name" syndrome; see Sandra & Ted Knight. He was in the GL book for about a year, but switched to an Action Comics run under Bob Rozakis & Alex Saviuk, with a backup feature slot he shared with the Atom & Aquaman. There, he became a hero of Texas, living with Hal's brother Jack and his wife, Jan. However, the Air Wave strip was cancelled pretty quickly. George Perez would redesign his costume in Crisis on Infinite Earths, making it quite similar to Black Vulcan's from the Super Friends cartoon.

-In the Firestorm book, Air Wave went to the Sunderland Corporation to help fix issues with his gear, and was given new, smaller tech (it was revealed that he had the "Meta-Gene"- a concept DC stole from Marvel's mutants), becoming "Maser", a member of their Captains of Industry (an attempt to synergize superhumans with corporate interests), and was sent against Firestorm, who at this point was a fire elemental that sought vengeance against humanity for polluting the Earth. Maser was beaten and hospitalized. The Captains of Industry and Suicide Squad were minor acts in War of the Gods, fighting Circe under Black Adam's employ. Harold later changed BACK to Air Wave once Geoff Johns got a hold of all the legacy heroes, and he'd actually used Harold a couple times, usually as a background plot device in JSA (Kobra controlling satellites using a captive Harold), a guy in the background (most major "Call In the Reserves" moments), and in Infinite Crisis as the communications guy, where he was split into millions of parts by the cries of thousands of alien races, sacrificing himself so they could send their final words to their loved ones, an event that caused his death. So basically he's a fourth-stringer hero.

-Air Wave III actually has a LOT of power. An alternate energy form, light-speed flight, communication abilities, etc. Though thanks to his third-stringer nature, it's hard to pin down his limits or his offensive capabilities. I mean, the only violent thing I've seen him do in JSA is blow up some satellites, and I'm not even sure HOW he did that (he just sorta flew threw them while energized). So I gave him a good Blast and an Area Damage thing, plus several other little side-powers that can come in handy. He's be a very expensive, highly-thought-of hero if he was a little more well-rounded elsewhere- he lacks his father's genius (his powers are more inborn, because wearing a fancy suit in comics ensures your children are born with crazy powers), or any kind of reputation. He's pricey in powers and a whole lot of nothing elsewhere.

[Jabroniville]

JSA ALL-STARS:
-Re-reading some of this book... hoo boy, it's a mess. Okay, some of it's not directly Matt Sturges's fault. He was clearly trying (he actually seemed to adore and want to emulate Infinity Inc. as much as anything- the "second generation kids splitting off and forming their own team", the use of Atom Smasher, Hourman, Brainwave & others, etc.), and loved Cyclone almost as much as me, so he obviously has wonderful taste for the most part, and lord knows the main JSA book was even MORE boring, but holy cow.

So first of all, the book was supposed to be about Power Girl & Hawkman taking the team of rookies in a new direction- the younger kids would link up with them. But then Hawkman was taken away from Sturges for some other DC thing, necessitating Magog shoved awkwardly in his place. As Magog was HIMSELF a newbie to the team, this seemed a bad fit (like, why would PG defer to him?). And then DC ran with a Magog book anyways and then he split off from the team- in THREE FRIGGIN' ISSUES he and Power Girl had gotten into a huge brawl ("What happened to the guy I was excited to start a team with?" she says) and he's off the squad, TOO. And then, ALSO within a year, Damage is killed in Blackest Night. Sturges made it clear "Damage's death is just one of those things that happens", likely because Geoff Johns or somebody demanded blood from many team rosters.

So right away, he's got stuff working against him. The art of Freddie Williams II... people didn't like it. In retrospect (and maybe because books today arguably have weirder, uglier art styles) it's not AS bad, but he didn't draw pupils in eyes for the longest time, and the characters looked a bit... wild. Exaggerated features, odd poses, strange foreshortening and posing choices, etc., made them look very inhuman.

A bigger issue is the stories. Sturges wrote like he had no patience at all. Just one thing to the next, or deliberate artistic choices that were just kind of strange- one story is focused on Cyclone, but the rest of the JSA fights in this galaxy-spanning space war that's told literally with individual panels separated by several pages. Like it's clear this is a HUGE deal for them but we're only getting bits and pieces of it as a deliberate thing to just be like "LOL look at this crazy thing they're all doing!". It's frenetic and like, I GET IT... but it's also not really the best thing for getting to use these characters.

Despite the book being HALF the JSA, "fixing" a problem the original book was having, Sturges actually ADDS to the team, as Atom Smasher & Anna Fortune get added promptly, then we have an artificial intelligence named Roxy taking up a big chunk of characterization back at the base. Poor Tomcat, Hourman & others never get much to do.

The arcs also feel a bit... diminished compared to what the JSA book had been doing under Johns & co. Now, that book was an EXCEPTIONAL balancing act- small "personal" stories told amidst giant world-breaking Events. Massive wars going on and the world in danger while people had interpersonal conflicts playing out during them. Sturges didn't maintain that balancing act, so it was like just a bunch of STUFF was happening. The arcs just feel "less" as a result- the All-Stars visit a South American banana republic and Brainwave Jr. is there caring for some orphans and being high & mighty to the heroes about not getting why he's working for the evil general who runs the country, but it turns out the orphans are GODS and they... attack Los Angeles and Brianwave is like "aw shit I didn't know" and it's mostly just people fighting. The final arc involves a guy who comes in claiming to be Judomaster's husband and that "time has been altered!" and they were meant to be together, and he houses the entire team, but... we never really FEEL this guy's pain- both of these are just random events and excitement without any true grounding.

But ultimately, the big issue this AND the JSA book had was that the biggest strength of the title- the mix of Old Generation and New Generation- was RUINED by the team split! Like now you just had "the team of old guys" (plus Lightning & Liberty Belle) and "the team of young people" with the second generation stars. That loss of interplay was important.

[Jabroniville]

ROBOTMAN I (Robert Crane, aka Paul Dennis)
Created By: Jerry Siegel & Leo Nowak
First Appearance: Star-Spangled Comics #7 (April 1942)
Role: Cyborg Hero
Group Affiliations: The All-Star Squadron
PL 8 (124)
STRENGTH 8 STAMINA -- AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 6 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (Science) 4 (+10)
Intimidation 7 (+7)
Perception 6 (+7)
Technology 8 (+14)
Vehicles 3 (+3)

Advantages:
Benefit (Cipher- Robert Crane is Dead; Robotman is now Paul Dennis), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5

Powers:
"Brain in a Bot"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Power-Lifting 1 (15 tons) [1]
Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious 7) [15]
Speed 3 (16 mph) [3]
Senses 1 (Extended Sight) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +8 (+4 Impervious), Fortitude --, Will +5

Complications:
Prejudice (Non-Human)- Robotman is a robotic dude.

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 50 / Defenses: 10 (124)

-Yeah, there WAS a Golden Age Robotman. Weird, huh? He was a scientist named Robert Crane who got shot and had his brain placed within a robot body- back before that happened ALL THE TIME in comics. He created a fake identity to ensure that his assailants be charged with murder (since if he was "alive" as Robotman, it wouldn't work), using a lifelife mask & gloves to fake being human. Apparently most of his adventures were jokey stuff featuring his sidekick Robbie the Robot Dog (something so unspeakably awesome that I'm amazed nobody else has made one), and at one point he was declared legally human in court. His Rogues Gallery included a bunch of forgettable names, including The Baffler, Tiger-Man (a cat burglar) & the Human Magnet... along with a Japanese agent literally named "Slanteyes". I was pretty shocked to learn that this guy was around for YEARS, too- despite being totally obscure nowadays, he debuted in 1942 and lasted all the way to 1953!!! Albeit, he was a supporting feature- Star Spangled Comics featured the Star-Spangled Kid, then the Guardian, then Robin as cover stars, and he also appeared in Detective Comics, backing up Batman stories.

-Robotman II was created for the Doom Patrol in the 1960s, and would go on to far more fame that Crane had- the character largely disappeared, but showed up in a few issues of the All-Star Squadron retcon series. The James Robinson Starman series stated that he helped Charles McNider mimic the powers of Starman in the 1950s. Robert showed up in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. in a human body again via an outlandish story- his old lab partner was dying of a brain disease which left the rest of his tissues unharmed, and thus offered up his corpse for Robotman's brain. Parts of his disassembled body were used to build the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor. The Golden Age offers an alternate future in which Robotman goes all "Dissociated From Humanity" and basically just starts going along with The Ultra-Humanite's plans because he doesn't care one way or the other.

-Robotman is a super-strong, very resilient Golden Age hero, but doesn't have much fancy stuff to him.

[Davies]

Robert showed up in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. in a human body again via an outlandish story- his old lab partner was dying of a brain disease which left the rest of his tissues unharmed, and thus offered up his corpse for Robotman's brain. Parts of his disassembled body were used to build the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor.

That twist was based on the early 80s "Whatever Happened to Robotman" backup story in DC Comics Presents. I read it when it first came out, and my interest in full-conversion cyborgs was sparked right then and there.

They should really consider reprinting all of the "Whatever Happened to--" shorts as a TPB. Maybe add some more recent obscurities, too.

[greycrusader]

Like you said, the two Airwave characters are sort of interesting; both somewhat unusual in the power-sets for their eras (what other long-lasting GA hero was using electromagnetic gadgets, especially anything as wild as the roller-skates for traveling on power lines?), but fairly straightforward in their heroism. The young Harold Jordan is definitely a candidate for a "Catman" treatment, though he might have to be rewritten as the original Airwave's GRAND-son at this point (it made sense in 1978 that Airwave III was born about 10 years after the first retired, putting him in his early twenties). I liked that he lacked his father's technical genius, and it was hinted he might be dealing with the same mental illness that later plagued his mother. He was very earnest about being a superhero, totally out of step with what comics became from the late eighties to mid nineties, which might explain why he basically never mattered much.

The original Robotman did indeed stick around for quite a while past the WWII years, along with other second/third stringers such as Aquaman, Green Arrow and Speedy, and Johnny Quick. all as backup features. From what I've read, his stories were originally more serious, but became more light-hearted and goofier as the years went by, with the addition of the robot-dog and more and more gimmicks (extending arms, built in jet-pack and helicopter blades, blowtorch fingers, etc.); the character actually became more important during the mid Bronze Age, with Roy Thomas playing him up during the run of All-Star Squadron.

Davies, I agree a collection of "Whatever Happened To..." would be much appreciated by the fandom. There was some VERY good stories in the lot, especially the final fate of the Crimson Avenger.

All my best.

[Ken]

The incredibly rare Robotman I of Earth-One:


Also the Earth-One Plastic Man, Vigilante, and Blackhawks (quick, can you recognise the individual Blackhawks after Jab's recent review of them? I can.)

And if you're wondering, it's because of Barry Allen hanging with the Super Friends at the bottom of the shot (as well as Aquaman) that we know this is Earth-One.

[Jabroniville]

HAWKMAN I (Carter Hall)- Golden Age
Created By: Gardner Fox & Dennis Neville
First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (Jan. 1940)
Role: Flying Hero, JSA Leader, THE Confusing Continuity Guy
Group Affiliations: The Justice Society of America
PL 9 (151)
STRENGTH 4/6 STAMINA 6/7 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Aerobatics 10 (+15)
Athletics 6 (+10)
Deception 2 (+6)
Expertise (History) 8 (+11)
Expertise (Royalty) 3 (+6)
Expertise (Archaeologist) 8 (+11)
Insight 3 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+7)
Investigation 2 (+6)
Perception 4 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+6)
Stealth 1 (+6)
Technology 3 (+6)
Vehicles 1 (+6)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Equipment 2 (Ancient Weapons- +2-3, Penetrating 4 or Reach), Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Old Weapons), Leadership, Move-By Action, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5, Takedown, Teamwork

Powers:
"Lives Throughout the Years" Immortality 1 (Extras: Reincarnation) [3]

"Nth Metal Harness" (Flaws: Removable) [12]
Flight 7 (250 mph) (Flaws: Winged) (7)
Enhanced Strength 2 (4)
Enhanced Stamina 1 (2)
Immunity 2 (Cold, High Altitudes) (2)
-- (15 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Nth Metal Harness +10 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Weapons +10 (+7-8 Damage, DC 22-23)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +6 (+7 Nth Metal Harness), Fortitude +7 (+8 Harness), Will +7

Complications:
Relationship (Shiera Sanders- Hawkgirl)- The two were together for decades, and were "One True Loves".
Relationship (Kendra Saunders- Hawkgirl)- Kendra is the reincarnation of Shiera, and Carter pursues her intensely, despite her reservations.
Responsibility (Reincarnations)- Carter Hall is the latest in a long set of reincarnations, starting with Prince Khufu centuries ago in Ancien Egypt.
Enemy (Hath-Set)- Hath-Set murders Carter in every one of his reincarnations throughout the years.
Responsibility (Conservative)
Temper- Hawkman is famously-quick to anger in modern times, and fights with a very brutal style that is contrary to many of his old teammates.
Relationship (The Atom)- Carter & Ray Palmer are best friends.
Responsibility (Thanagar)- Carter holds some of Katar's interest in Thanagar.

Total: Abilities: 80 / Skills: 56--28 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 15 / Defenses: 12 (151)

---

HAWKMAN I (Carter Hall)
Created By: Gardner Fox & Dennis Neville
First Appearance: Flash Comics #1 (Jan. 1940)
Role: Flying Hero, JSA Leader, THE Confusing Continuity Guy
Group Affiliations: The Justice Society of America
PL 11 (192)
STRENGTH 4/6 STAMINA 6/7 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 14 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Aerobatics 10 (+15)
Athletics 6 (+10)
Deception 2 (+6)
Expertise (History) 10 (+13)
Expertise (Royalty) 3 (+6)
Expertise (Cowboy) 4 (+7)
Expertise (Space Cop) 8 (+11)
Expertise (Military) 5 (+8)
Expertise (Archaeologist) 8 (+11)
Insight 3 (+7)
Intimidation 4 (+8)
Investigation 2 (+6)
Perception 4 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+6)
Stealth 1 (+6)
Technology 3 (+6)
Vehicles 1 (+6)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Beginner's Luck, Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Equipment 2 (Ancient Weapons- +2-3, Penetrating 4 or Reach), Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Old Weapons) 2, Improved Smash, Jack-Of-All-Trades, Last Stand (Ignores Damage For 1 Round With HP Spent), Leadership, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5, Startle, Takedown, Teamwork

Powers:
"Ian Karkull's Shadow Energy" Immunity 1 (Aging) [1]
"Polyglot" Comprehend 3 (Languages) (Flaws: Limited to Ones From Past Lives) [3]
"Lives Throughout the Years" Immortality 1 (Extras: Reincarnation) [3]

"Nth Metal Harness" (Flaws: Removable) [12]
Flight 7 (250 mph) (Flaws: Winged) (7)
Enhanced Strength 2 (4)
Enhanced Stamina 1 (2)
Immunity 2 (Cold, High Altitudes) (2)
-- (15 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +14 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Nth Metal Harness +14 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Weapons +14 (+7-8 Damage, DC 22-23)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +14 (DC 24), Parry +14 (DC 24), Toughness +6 (+7 Nth Metal Harness), Fortitude +8 (+9 Harness), Will +9

Complications:
Relationship (Shiera Sanders- Hawkgirl)- The two were together for decades, and were "One True Loves".
Relationship (Kendra Saunders- Hawkgirl)- Kendra is the reincarnation of Shiera, and Carter pursues her intensely, despite her reservations.
Responsibility (Reincarnations)- Carter Hall is the latest in a long set of reincarnations, starting with Prince Khufu centuries ago in Ancien Egypt.
Enemy (Hath-Set)- Hath-Set murders Carter in every one of his reincarnations throughout the years.
Responsibility (Conservative)
Temper- Hawkman is famously-quick to anger in modern times, and fights with a very brutal style that is contrary to many of his old teammates.
Relationship (The Atom)- Carter & Ray Palmer are best friends.
Responsibility (Thanagar)- Carter holds some of Katar's interest in Thanagar.

Total: Abilities: 90 / Skills: 76--38 / Advantages: 29 / Powers: 19 / Defenses: 16 (192)

Hawkman- Successful Golden Ager to Ruined Character:
-Hawkman goes down in history as the single MOST confusing character in history, as far as continuity goes. And OH MY GOD IS IT BAD. You wouldn't think a story about a guy who found Magic Flying Wings would get this convoluted, but that's comics for ya. Hawkman started out as Archaeologist Carter Hall, who found out he was the reincarnation of an Egyptian Prince named Khufu, and discovered some "Ninth Metal" which allowed him to fly. Using ancient weapons from his museum (what kind of archaelogist would use ANCIENT ARTIFACTS in a fight?!), Carter would soon team up with the reincarnation of Khufu's bride, who would become Hawkgirl. Hawkman was actually a big success in the Golden Age, lasting for eleven years (a run longer than Captain America's), making it through every single appearance of the Justice Society (The Atom was next-closest, having missed a few), and finally being cancelled in 1951. I've heard that he would have gotten his own book (much like The Flash & Green Lantern had) if it weren't for a paper shortage in the Golden Age. It would be ten years before he'd also get a Silver Age version (a bit after most other guys did)- this one was an alien with a similar name- Katar Hol of Thanagar.

-Carter retires with most of the other JSA guys, and is one of the few to actually marry and have children- his son Hector Hall becomes The Silver Scarab in Infinity, Inc., but dies an early death. And then the CRISIS happened. And oh dear, did the Hawks get the shaft in THAT one- as the universes merged, Carter got mixed up with Katar, and his whole continuity was rebooted as he was shoved into Limbo (literally) for a while- even Marv Wolfman wasn't sure what would happen to him in the Post-Crisis era, which is why Carter was horribly-injured by a Shadow Demon in the final battle- unlike Robin I, Huntress I & Green Arrow I, who were all slain in order to avoid odd questions when continuity merged and they disappeared, Carter was merely badly-wounded just in case they needed to kill him off. They couldn't be sure until later.

So What Happened?:
-Finally, Carter was merged with Katar Hol and a "Hawkgod" at the end of Zero Hour, and was exiled from continuity- DC was so afraid of the convoluted continuity of the character that they refused to even allow any CHARACTERS to be named Hawkman! Zauriel on Grant Morrison's JLA was to be given the name, but DC editorial nixed it, such was their insistence that the name "Hawkman" was dead. The guy spent the majority of the 1990s without a home or a book.

-It wasn't until the modern JSA series that we would see Carter again- in this book, Kendra "Hawkgirl" Saunders, the reincarnation of Khufu's bride (sorta- it's complicated) was used as a "tether" to bring Carter back from the abyss. Geoff Johns clearly loved the character, to the point he went full-on "Character Shilling" by talking Hawkman up CONSTANTLY. I mean, it was a constant stream of "Hawkman is awesome", "Hawkman LED the Justice Society!", Sandy basically hero-worshipped him, etc.- everyone was SO SURE that Hawkman returning was the greatest thing ever. Geoff loved him almost as much as he loved VILLAINS! It'd be over-the-top, but given his history of failure before this, it was perhaps kind of necessary. And most importantly, IT WORKED- Hawkman was a big success, to the point where he got his own SOLO BOOK again, also written by Johns. This was a far cry from the "NOPE" DC was pulling in the '90s. He was officially a big deal again.

-Carter was interesting in JSA- while he was hyped alot, he wasn't necessarily that powerful (his biggest storyline moment was defeating Onimarr Synn with the comic book equivalent of the Care Bear Stare by kissing Kendra and unleashing their love throught Nth Metal- which is AWESOME) or spotlight steal-y, and he was given a host of character flaws, keeping him human. He was quick to anger, extremely violent, maimed enemies like some kind of Superhero Caveman (chopping off the hand of an alchemist super-villain to disarm him of his weapon), talked down to others, chased after Kendra like she was his One True Love despite her trying to avoid him (she found it overwhelming and Carter way too pushy), and basically stole control of the JSA from Mr. Terrific when Black Adam invaded Kahndaq. He pretty much walked in and said "I'm in charge- NOW", to the point where even JAY GARRICK was getting pissed off at him. He stepped down from the JSA after Black Reign, feeling that he'd screwed up in this last moment.

Hawkman Kinda Vanishes Again:
-Hawkman ended up involved in the Rann-Thanagar War, hung around St. Roch (his very own fictional hometown) and finally had his book shift to Hawkgirl's with issue #50. It lasted another 17 issues, Carter's longest run since the '40s. He was supposed to be the co-leader of JSA All-Stars, but Editorial stuff happened and he was removed and put onto Thanagar again (awaiting the next big event story), and Magog was made co-leader in his place (wrecking a lot of the narrative of the book, which now looked weird as a relative newcomer was put in charge). The Hawks were killed during Blackest Night, Khufu and his bride Chay-Ara's bodies were revealed to be the source of the Star Sapphires' Love Powers (oh, comics), Kendra was resurrected as Shiera again, and they returned at the end of that story arc, having reunited lovingly. At the end of DC's continuity, they fought in Brightest Day, sacrificing their lives to save the universe- however, Carter was brought back by Swamp Thing- Shiera was still "everywhere" as an Elemental of Air. Because comics. Hawkman was repeatedly rebooted post-New 52, but sales have always been utter shit- the attempts to salvage him ultimately died with the Post-Crisis continuity.

-Hawkman... isn't really that bad, despite the asinine continuity issues brought up because people weren't paying attention to what they were doing (ie. their Editors couldn't control the writers). He was big back in the Golden Age, and had a really distinctive mask (though the version that has a hawk's full beak with the tongue sticking out is pretty goofy-looking), and the modern version is interesting as a form of conflict- he's this Big Great Leader, but also a giant close-minded asshole, stubborn as hell, and extremely violent- it made him a good fit compared to the rest of the cast, and avoided making him too over-the-top with the "Boy, that Hawkman is TOTALLY NOT LAME AND IS IN FACT THE BEST EVER" stuff.

Hawkman's Abilities- Then & Now:
-Hawkman fits in as a PL 11 accurate fighter with a bit more strength than the average man- the exact level of his strength is left standard "DC Vague", to the point where I wouldn't even know he was super-strong if I hadn't read it in a bio first, though I guess he DID do a tiny bit of damage to Black Adam one time they fought. In any case, ST 5 with Power Attack should do it- he's at the Captain America level there. The Golden Age version is only PL 9, which is pretty high-end for that era.