Nov. '86 - Hawkman # 4

In the 1980's, DC published mini-series featuring the lesser known characters from the Justice League. Sort of tryouts to see if there was interest in an ongoing series. Atom had one and so did Aquaman, Green Arrow and Red Tornado. Hawkman also had his chance to shine, in The Shadow War of Hawkman. Written by Tony Isabella, he created a new mission for Hawkman and Hawkwoman. The people of their home planet, Thanagar, were secretly taking over the Earth by assuming positions of power. The Thanagarians possessed a device called the Absorbascan which enabled them to read the minds of Earthlings. Because they had this device, the Hawks were unable to tell their fellow humans about the invasion because, as soon as they could make any plans, the Thanagarians would know about it.

This gave the Hawks a new purpose. They were forced to stop this invasion without any help. There was enough interest in the mini-series for them to graduate to a regular ongoing series that lasted 17 issues. The ongoing picked up where the mini-series left off. They were trying to stop the invasion while their opponents fought dirty. They blackmailed humans, hired the Hawks' enemies and revealed the Hawks' secret identities. It was a good concept for a series. Something that made Hawkman different from the other superhero comics out there.