The Hawk and the Dove #2 (October-November, 1968)
"Jailbreak!"
Writer - Steve Skeates
Artist - Steve Ditko
Letterer - Ben Oda
Cover Price: $0.12
You'd have no idea what kinda agita the title of this comic gave me... then again, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time you might know exactly how much agita. Do I refer to it as "Hawk and Dove", "Hawk and the Dove", "The Hawk and the Dove"?
We'll be super-formal and include the "The"s this time around... why not?
Anyhoo... from what I hear, Hawk and Dove (though likely not this Hawk and Dove) will be appearing on that Titans TV show that I'm not going to watch... so why not take a look at one of their earliest outings?
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We open during a prison riot. A fella named Harker is just thrashing his fellow inmates... just going nuts. There are zero guards to be seen, and he has to be restrained by another prisoner, named Davis. Harker informs the rest of the gang that there's gonna be a jailbreak, seeee... and they're all gonna help'im, seeee... Anyhoo, one jailbird in particular stands by just wishing that he could do his time and return to the real world.
We then head to the suburbs where it looks like Peter Parker and Johnny Storm just had a sleepover! Oh waitaminute, that's Hank and Don Hall, better known to us as (the) Hawk and (the) Dove. Hank is excited to see the morning news, where he expects that the Drop-Outs (whether that's a descriptor or a gang-name, I dunno) will cite Hawk as their attacker. He hopes that this will legitimize his alter-ego in the eyes of his civvie-ego's father, Judge whatshisface. Long story a teensy-bit less long, the Drop-Outs don't name their attacker. Wonk wonk.
The boys head to breakfast, and learn that later on that day they'll be headed to Uncle James' farm for some fun in the soil... or something. Before they can go, however, Papa-Judge has a case to preside over... and boy is it a doozy. Well, not really... but it does facilitate a few philosophy bombs. The man is sentenced... but neither Hank nor Don are pleased with the outcome. Hank thinks the sentence was too lenient, while Don feels it was too strict. If you're new to these characters, strap in... these two goofs have this kind of argument constantly.
Back at the prison, Harker, Davis, and the poor fella who just wants out (we'll call him Lefty... he looks like a "Lefty") prepare to head toward the grand egress. They (somehow) get their hands on pipes and other heavy blunt objects... and pummel the guards and steal their paddy-wagon. Oh well. At the same time, the Halls drop Ma and Don off at the farm... while Hank, Dad and Uncle James head off... somewhere.
The escapees make it to the woods... then promptly run out of gas. How far were the guards planning on taking them? Not far, I reckon. It's here that Davis and Harker boot the rest of the gang... but then, immediately reunite... I think? Either way, the baddies then spring a trap on the next car passing by... which just so happens to belong to Uncle James! This "trap" consists of dropping giants rocks on them... which is a bit hardcore.
While the crooks change the tire of the would-be escape car they just dropped giant rocks on... "Lefty" runs toward them alerting them that the police are closing in. The baddies scramble... which gives Hank the opportunity to break away as well.
When the dust settles, "Lefty" puts his hands up (looks like he's throwin' up "the horns" actually) and walks toward the Judge and Uncle James. He admits that he lied about the police presence, and really just wants to give himself up. He was never in on the jailbreak, and only went along because ol' Harker would've killed him otherwise. The Judge gives him no promises, but says he will speak to the authorities on his behalf.
Back at the farm, Harker and Davis have arrived... and are slapping around Ma Hall... while Don just stands by. Davis tries to calm Harker down... and manages to at least stop him from beating up the poor woman. It's almost as though they're a villainous version of... (the) Hawk and (the) Dove! Their names even start with an "H" and a "D".
Hank runs up, and sees his brother just standing around while their mother prepares food and clothing for the escapees. Well, that's all he can stands, he can't stands no more... so he "Hawks up" annnnnnd... continues to stand by the window.
Don catches a glimpse of his bird-bro out of the corner of his eye... and fears that he will rush in and cause the baddies to react... with their gun. Harker tells the Halls that he wants to take them as hostages, which Davis advises against. He claims they'll only slow them down... and he's probably right. I figure "hostage taking" is one of those last-ditch things, where the bad guys know they're probably not walking out free... or alive. Anyhoo, they look out the window to see the (other) Hall-mobile driving away! Davis gives chase, and Harker just makes a break for it. This provides Don an opening to run off and "Dove down" (har har).
The chase is on... Hawk tracks Davis, while Dove follows Harker. Hawk catches up with his quarry... and beats the hell out of him. He's really quite effective. He hears a few gunshots and fears his goofy brother will try and "reason with" a bullet rushing toward his head.
On his way he runs into more escapees... and, again, beats the hell out of them! He's like a war machine... hurling stones, swinging tree branches... Hawk don't mess around!
We finally join Dove as he catches up with Harker. Harker... drops his gun... and turns himself in? Not so fast, kemo sabe... he's just drawing gullible Don in for a whack. Hawk runs up for the save, but Don tells him to stay back... he's gonna handle this his way.
Hawk ain't keen on standing down... but, Dove is adamant that he butt out. And so, for the next few pages... Don gets his butt kicked. All the while Hank does the whole head-in-his-hands thing and provides running commentary... it's actually kinda funny. Harker continues to pummel Dove... who refuses to fight back. He finally grabs for the escapee's shirt and "jerseys" him... and (somehow) that's all she wrote.
We wrap up back at the farm where the Hall elders comment about their very eventful day... and note how Hank, the roughhouser came away scratch-free, while pacifist Don had to be bandaged up... wonk wonnnnnk.
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Yowza... I'd forgotten how "extreme" these characters were initially portrayed.
There's this mix of "sign of the times" and "creator whim" that dictates the way these characters are depicted. Nowadays Hawk has been relegated to the role of a gung-ho, dim-witted joke where Dove (whichever Dove) is shown as completely virtuous and a saint for even putting up with the ridiculously overblown Hawk.
Here, it's almost completely the opposite. Hawk is depicted as take-charge, and... while physical and willing to punish, is shown as being effective in his approach. On the other hand, Don is ineffective, weak, wishy-washy... and only wins via lucking out and tricking the bad guy. Not a completely "peaceful" resolution... he didn't "talk Harker down" or anything like that. It's almost as though they wanted the takeaway from this to be "might is right".
We also get that odd scene at the courthouse, where Judge Hall dispenses his wisdom about personal rights, criminality, and justice. Seemed a bit preachy... and there's probably a reason for that. This is a pretty cynical book...
Even when we have "Lefty" turn himself in... the Judge doesn't outright say "everything will be okay"... he tempers his response, offers zero promises... and just says he'll speak on his behalf. For all we know, Lefty wound up in the electric chair three days later. I get the feeling if this was another book, he'd have been exonerated... and probably go on to become a judge himself.
The art is classic Ditko, and looks pretty great. Though, I will say, there were a few panels where Hank looked very Peter Parkery... but, I suppose that's to be expected. He's a teen-age boy with brown hair... whattayagonnado, right?
Worth mentioning, the Grand Comics Database attributes the lettering for the story part of the issue to Ben Oda... however (as you may have noticed), it's got that same squared "balloons" like Ditko used on Mr. A. comics. Not a big deal, just something I feel is worth mentioning. It is a bit jarring at first... but you get the hang of the squared balloons pretty quick.
Overall... I think this was an enjoyable read, in its own way. Not going to rock your socks... and, hell... depending on your outlook, it might even tick you off, but still... worth checking out. Surprisingly enough, this issue is available digitally. It has also been collected in both The Steve Ditko Omnibus, Volume 2 (2012) and Teen Titans: The Silver Age Omnibus (2017).
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1st Issue Special #11 (February, 1976)
"Code Name: ASSASSIN"
Writers - Gerry Conway & Steve Skeates
Artists - The Redondo Studio (Nestor & Frank)
Embellisher - Al Milgrom
Cover Price: $0.25
Heyyy, it's another 1st Issue Special... the book only a handful of us... and James Robinson, seem to recall. Such an interesting and ambitious endeavor was this series. It would be interesting for DC (or even Marvel) to try something similar today... of course, that would require people making new (non-derivative) characters and we all know that ain't ever gonna happen!
With my pithiness outta the way, let's check out Code Name: ASSASSIN, who sadly (to my knowledge) lay dormant after this initial outing... until James Robinson breathed some new life into him some decades later... which appears to be a trend for some of these newbies!
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We open outside of an office on the thirtieth story of a high rise building in Midtown Manhattan. Inside there are a trio of mooks led by a Mr. Carmody. They are sweating over someone they call "The Assassin". They believe themselves to be safe and secure up so high, but we know better... ain't that right, True Believer? The Assassin himself is hovering outside the window, being held aloft by what we will learn is his telekinetic powers. Moments later, he crashes through the window, sending the grubby little mobsters scurrying. What's interesting here is that it appears that the Assassin knows what his foes are going to do before they do it. It is indicated via some puffy pink word balloons that he can read their thoughts.
The main-man Carmody crawls over to his desk where he finds his pistol. I mean, really now... you're a mob boss who thinks a guy called "The Assassin" is after you, and you're not packing heat 24/7? Sloppy work, Carmody. You ain't long for this biz. Anyhoo, as he draws his weapon, he realizes that he's already staring down the business end of the Assassin's. The Assassin squeezes the trigger first, however, his type of ammunition is non-lethal.
With Carmody slumped out, our man proceeds to invade his mind searching for some answers. What he finds is that there's a safe inside the desk that houses some important documents. The Assassin uses his pocket blowtorch (!) to break in... and procure the docs... and from the looks of it, enough cash to choke a whale. During the safe-cracking bit, we get a very optimistic footnote that the story of the creator of the pocket blowtorch would be explored in "future issues". Sorry, Gerry...
In the time it takes the Assassin to loot the chest, one of the mooks comes to. The baddie picks up his pistol and attempts to shoot our man in the back... whatta coward. Anyhoo, the Assassin's spidey-sense tips him off that there's a bullet on the way, and he dodges it. In so doing, he also unleashes a blast of "mental energy" at the mobster... so strong a blast that the poor doofus is left brain-dead. Something the Assassin suggests is "almost as permanent as death"... c'mon pal, that's pretty permanent.
We jump to the morning after as the police arrive on the scene. That's another thing about these 1st Issue Specials... we get these weird scenes with officers reacting to stuff. They're all kind of draggy and exposition-heavy too. The officers are joined by a Dr. Stone and we learn that the Assassin is a man named Jonathan Drew... who is also his patient. The officers conclude that it doesn't matter who the Assassin is, because after taking down Carmody... he's as good as dead!
Ya see, he's as good as dead because Victor Grummun the Mob-Master will surely take him out! We helpfully shift scenes to the... bwa-ha-ha!... this is the vaunted Mob-Master... as in "The Master... of the Mob"? This leisure-suit wearing putz? Good Lord... and look at his inner-circle... yeah, they ought to strike fear in the hearts of men worldwide.
Our yacht captain disco king is introduced to his two newest and most creatively-named associates... The Snake and Powerhouse. One of his minions claims that they are the key to taking down the Assassin. Mob-Master is skeptical, and insists that they provide him an exhibition of their powers... so we get a scene that drags on for over three-pages. Oi. We observe that The Snake is... well, snake-like. He's fast and slippery... though he appears to headbutt fools rather than bite or constrict around them. Powerhouse is... c'mon, he's a really strong dude. He can also somehow conduct electricity through his over-sized body. The Grummun is duly impressed by the show.
Back in Manhattan, the Assassin returns home. He sneaks into his window... which kind of begs the question, why? The police seem to know his identity... not sure how much of a secret this all is. Maybe he just feels cooler doing it this way... we'll go with it. Anyhoo, he is surprised to find Dr. Stone waiting for him inside. The Doc pleads with him to "quit this deadly game" and "this game of revenge"... to which, Drew replies that it's not... a game. Stone tells him he's been lucky thus far, as he hasn't had to kill anyone yet... guess we're keeping that brain-dead thing between us, eh?
It is here where we get treated to the Assassin's Secret Origin. We take a trip via flashback to a younger Jonathan standing before his parent's graves. Next to him stands his older sister, and for a time guardian, Marie. We then shift forward several years... Jon is in grad-school, and is taking part in a research experiment concerning E.S.P. being conducted by a Doctor Andrew Stone.
Now, this is pretty great... just as Stone is about to pull the switch on the machine Drew is connected to... one of the lab assistants trips over the power cable! This causes the testing equipment to explode... with Drew still attached.
Our man was either comatose or simply kayoed, however, when he woke up he found that he could move things with his mind.
Some time later we get a short scene with Jon and Marie on a city street. She tells him that she's been working for a very dangerous man... named Victor Grummun... uh-oh. No sooner does she spill the beans than a sports car barrels down the road and unleashes a clatter of machine-gun fire straight into her back. Helluva crack-shot riding shotgun, eh? Nobody else got hit... not even Jon, who was standing less than a foot away! He reacts to this as you would expect... he uses his TK powers to make the sports car go boom! There's a caption at the bottom revealing that the men inside survived... which had to have been added after the fact, there's no way anyone could have gotten out of that blast.
Back in the present, Drew is so angered by the story he's telling that he shatters the glass bottle he was holding. His hand begins to bleed, however, thanks to his TK powers, he's (somehow) able to close the wound.
He heads back into the night... this time with his sights set on Grummun's yacht... which gives us the scene that takes place on the cover of the book! I miss the days when that was a thing.
After taking out one of the guard-goons, our man finds himself jumped by... The Snake and Powerhouse! Uh-oh! How is this gonna play out? Well... your guess is as good as mine in this case, dear reader. The only way we would have found out is if people wrote in and begged for more... which they didn't.
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Read enough 1st Issue Special, they all start to blend together... don't they?
This wasn't a bad issue, in fact, for what it was I rather enjoyed it. There's just a feeling of sameyness for books of this type. We start with an action scene... meet a member or two of the prospective side-cast... go into flashback mode, where someone close to the character gets hurt or killed... then back to the present where the new hero is about to take on their first big threat, only to be cut off by an overly optimistic "same Bat-time, same Bat-Channel" message to close us out.
With that out of the way, I liked the concept... however, I'm not sure folks were ready for the solo escapades of Jonathan Drew. We've talked in the past about DC's various "answers" for The Punisher... Wild Dog and Vigilante (Adrian Chase) foremost among them. I gotta wonder if Code Name: ASSASSIN was the first. After all, Gerry Conway created them both! Punisher first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #129, which only hit shelves two-years before this, with a cover-date of February, 1974!
We've got a pretty similar back-story for the two as well. A loved-one gets taken out by the mob, and the one left behind swears revenge. We get a new wrinkle with Drew's ESPer powers, but overall, not too terribly different. A suppose another difference between the two would be ASSASSIN's relative NERF-ness when compared to ol' Frank's ballistics. Though, we do see Drew brain-dead a fool, and not really show much remorse for it. These two may just be cut from the same cloth!
The dialog here quite suited Drew as a somewhat hesitant... yet at the same time, headstrong vigilante. We get the impression that his only interest in justice is his being honor-bound to avenging the loss of his sister. I'm guessing if this were to continue, that plot would either be left to bubble in the background or solved straight out and lead our man deeper into the criminal-element. I mean, he's dealing with the *snicker* Mob-Master here... you gotta figure his tendrils run deep throughout the DC Universe! Maybe he and the illustrious Mr. Beefer from the Manhunter piece would've become running buddies! I could see them having a stranglehold on the DCU's underworld... Lex who?
The Redondo Studios art here was fantastic. The text piece (included below) makes a big deal out of outsourcing the art to the far off Philippines... which, seems so quaint in 2016 where I can send an email to the Philippines just as fast as I can send one to someone in the next room... it's actually kind of hard to recall a time where it was any different. Pretty scary, that. The cover is done by Mike Grell, and it looks swell as well. From the text piece (again, included below) there seemed to have been a lot of passion (or at least effort) put into this particular issue. It's really too bad that he (and, honestly... most of the 1st Issue Special gang) didn't really go anywhere. Maybe if things went different we could've had a Code Name: ASSASSIN/Lady Cop team-up book!
Overall... I think this is worth at least a flip-through, with an asterisk. It ends on a cliffhanger... and not a terribly intriguing one. However, this is an issue of 1st Issue Special, which in and of itself makes it worth checking out. It's just such a strange odd novelty... truly a piece of weird comics history.
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