Tomahawk (comics)


Tomahawk is an American comic book character whose adventures were published by DC Comics during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s as a backup feature in Star Spangled Comics and World's Finest Comics and in his own eponymous series. He was created by writer Joe Samachson and artist Edmund Good, and first appeared in Star-Spangled Comics #69. Tomahawk's uniqueness stems in part from the time frame of his fictional adventures: the American Revolutionary War.

Publication history

Tomahawk was a backup feature in Star Spangled Comics from his first appearance, issue #69 to issue #130, and in World's Finest Comics from issue #33 until issue #101.
The Tomahawk series premiered in September 1950, and lasted 140 issues, until June 1972. Most stories during this period were by writer France Herron and artist Fred Ray. The last ten issues of Tomahawk were titled Son of Tomahawk, featuring the character's son, Hawk Haukins, but the change did not slow the dropping sales which led to the book's cancellation.

Fictional character biography

Known as either Tom Hawk or Thomas Haukins, depending on which of two versions of his published history the reader prefers, "Tomahawk" was a soldier who served under George Washington in the warfare between the British, French and Iroquois forces during the decades prior to the American Revolutionary War. He acquired his nickname due to the resemblance between his birth name and a trademark weapon of the Iroquois Confederacy's warriors, and to the skill he developed with that weapon. He's assisted by a young white friend, Dan Hunter.
He subsequently achieved further fame as one of Washington's most capable operatives during the Revolution itself, leading a band of soldiers under the informal nickname of "Tomahawk's Rangers".
In issues 35 and 36, Tomahawk met a young Davy Crockett, who was very popular at the time. However, this was a historical error, as Crockett was not born until after the Revolutionary War.
Issue #81 was also notable, introducing Miss Liberty, one of the earliest patriotic superheroes by the vague internal chronology of the DC Universe, who would make several more appearances in the series. Liberty Belle is a descendant of hers.
In the Time Masters mini-series, it is established that Tomahawk's associate Dan Hunter is actually Rip Hunter's cousin who travels back in time to stop the Illuminati during the Revolutionary War, deciding to stay in the past.
In 1998, Tomahawk appeared in a Vertigo Visions one-shot, written by Rachel Pollack. This issue retold his origin.
In 2008, he is featured in Bruce Jones' The War that Time Forgot.
During his quest to find a special stone, Haukins met and married an Apache princess named Moon Fawn, with whom he had two sons; Hawk and Small Eagle.