To all the Shieras, Shayeras and Kendras and out there…
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Hey, this is cool.
Tim Board and the fine folks at the Hawkworld Facebook group have declared April 25 Hawkgirl Day.
Why? Because that’s the date she first appeared in the comics back in 1941.
To help them celebrate, we present 13 COVERS — selected by Tim and his fellow residents of Thanagar, Midway City, St. Roch…
— Dan
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By TIM BOARD (and the Fans of HAWKWORLD)
On April 25, 1941, Shiera Sanders strapped on the wings and flew as Hawkgirl for the first time — in All-Star Comics #5. This would be the start of one of the most popular heroines in comic-book history.
Sheldon Moldoff
Although she was Hawkman’s partner at first, she eventually began to fly out on her own and is now considered Hawkman’s equal, and in some ways, his superior. To celebrate the 77th anniversary of Hawkgirl’s debut, we asked the members of the Hawkworld Facebook group and followers of our Twitter account to choose some of their favorite Hawkgirl covers.
It was very difficult to whittle it down to 13, but here are 13 of the greatest Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman covers — in order of release*:
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Flash Comics #29 (May 1942)
This is the first cover Shiera Sanders graced as Hawkgirl. She would be on a total of seven Flash Comics covers during the 1940s.
Sheldon Moldoff
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Hawkman Vol. 1 #3 (August/Sept. 1964)
Hawkman finally got his own series in 1964, and Hawkgirl made her first cover appearance in the third issue. Murphy Anderson featured her several times during his memorable run as Hawk-artist.
Murphy Anderson
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Justice League of America #72 (June 1969)
Joe Kubert only did two Justice League of America covers, but he featured an absolutely gorgeous Hawkgirl on Issue #72. This issue came out eight years before Hawkgirl became an official Justice League member, but this shows she already had a prominent place along with Hawkman.
Joe Kubert
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Secret Society of Super-Villains #7 (May/June 1977)
I believe this is the first cover ever for Hawkgirl to appear on without Hawkman. While Hawkman was busy proving his culinary skills in the kitchen, Hawkgirl flew off with Captain Comet to catch some villains before supper was ready. Gawd, I love comics.
Rich Buckler pencils and Josef Rubinstein inks
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Hawkman Vol. 2 #6 (January 1987)
Definitely one of the most iconic Hawkgirl covers ever. Her ferociousness is beautifully captured up close as she heads into battle with Lion-Mane.
Richard Howell
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Hawkworld Vol. 2 #2 (July 1990)
Shayera Thal appeared as Hawkwoman in Timothy Truman’s Hawkworld series, and she made the cover on Issue #2 of the second series. Not only was this Hawkwoman no longer a girl, but she was a bigger badass than Hawkman himself.
Graham Nolan
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Hawkman Vol. 4 #15 (July 2003)
Hawkgirl and Hawkwoman beating the tar out of each other in mid air over the city — now that’s a cover that grabs your attention. In one of the best storylines of Geoff Johns’ run, we got to see the return of Shayera Thal and her “Thanagarian greeting” for Kendra Saunders.
John Watson
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JSA All Stars #2 (Aug. 2003)
With her return in the JSA and Hawkman series, as well as the animated Justice League series on TV, Hawkgirl quickly gained in popularity and we began to see more covers featuring her on her own. In this touching issue, we find out about Kendra Saunders’ daughter, Mia, whom she had given up for adoption.
John Cassaday pencils and Mark Lewis inks
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Hawkman Vol. 4 #42 (Sept. 2005)
Kendra totally takes over on this one and we even get to see her use the Claw of Horus for the first time in the issue. This would be a preview for the Hawkgirl series that came at the end of Hawkman Vol. 4.
Matt Haley
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Justice League of America #5 (Feb. 2007)
This is an Arthur Adams variant cover for Issue #5 and it was released during the run of the Hawkgirl series that ran until the end of 2007. A great time to be a Hawkgirl fan.
Arthur Adams
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Brightest Day #8 (Oct. 2010)
The Brightest Day event left Hawkgirl fans hanging for years, but it did give us some of the greatest Hawkgirl covers ever. This series showed us Hawkgirl at her most ferocious, breaking Hath-Set’s neck with her legs and killing him.
David Finch
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Justice League: Generation Lost #8 (Oct. 2010)
One week after the release of David Finch’s cover, we were treated to Hawkgirl sitting on her throne as a White Lantern. She looks absolutely regal here.
Ryan Sook pencils and Joel Gomez inks. Additional art by Fernando Pasarin.
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Earth 2 #4 (Oct. 2012)
After Shiera and Kendra disappeared from comics in 2011, Hawkgirl fans were treated to a new version of the Winged Warrior in Kendra Munoz-Saunders. She had a whole new (very blue) appearance and origin — without Hawkman. It was a beautiful and refreshing look that lasted until 2017.
Ivan Reis pencils and Joe Prado inks
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There were more than 50 covers chosen by the fans, and it was tough to choose only 13. There is no doubt that Hawkgirl is one of the most visually striking heroes in comics and fans love her appearances. And with her return to the Justice League series starting in June, we can look forward to more amazing covers featuring our favorite winged heroine.
* All dates are cover dates.
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MORE
— Check out all the Hawkgirl Day celebrations over at the Hawkworld Facebook Group. Click here.
