Death Hawk
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Death Hawk, a self-styled “salvage expert” in the 25th century, starred in a three-issue comics series of the same name between 1987-88. Released by Adventure Publications, created and written by Mark Ellis, the first three appearances of the character were pencilled by Adam Hughes.
Originally a five-page back-up feature in two issues of Star Rangers (also written by Mark Ellis), reader reaction was so positive that Death Hawk was given his own title. The first two issues featured painted covers by Star Wars artist Dave Dorman, the third by Steve Hickman.
After completing the first full-length issue, Adam Hughes moved to Comico and a stint illustrating The Maze Agency. He was replaced by Rik Levins.
Although initially planned as an eight-issue limited series, Death Hawk was cancelled after the third issue when the publisher went out of business. One entire issue was completed but never published.
Unlike the format of Star Trek, Death Hawk postulated a future that was grim and even dystopian. It was a future when anyone who claimed to be respectable belonged to one of the many solar-system spanning corporations that held the true reins of power.
His true name unrevealed, the protagonist was the surviving member of a group of “corporate outcasts (i.e., outlaws)" who called themselves the Death Hawks. According to the short story “What Rough Beasts” (Star Rangers#3), the group was betrayed by one of their own.
In his fifty-year old spaceship the Peregrine and with the aid of his bio-engineered sidekick, Cyke, Death Hawk traveled the spaceways eluding arrest warrants and creditors, his keen eye always out for ways to keep his salvage business going—especially if the legality was questionable.
Cyke, described as an “intelligent blob of goo” was a telepathic protosymbiote produced by the Biotek Corporation. Although Death Hawk referred to Cyke as “he”, the creature was sexless.
However, it possessed the ability to morph into a variety of sizes and shapes. Not only was Cyke extremely intelligent, it was far more knowledgeable than his human partner and it wasn’t above rubbing Death Hawk’s nose in this fact.
A review referred to Cyke as “one of the most original sidekicks in the history of comics.”
The plotline of the series (known as “The Soulworm Saga”) revolved around the quest for a mythical alien object of immense power.
Other characters introduced into the story arc included Brigid O’Shaunessy/Vanessa Bouvier, a beautiful con artist who claimed to be an exo-archeologist.
R’yex, an Arcturan mercenary who first opposed Death Hawk then out of necessity joined forces with him. He was completely trustworthy as long as you didn’t turn your back on him.
Anton Chane, a perfect specimen of humanity and director of the mysterious Biotek Corporation whose agenda has far-reaching implications for the evolution of humankind.
Takaun, one of the high daimyos of the Sol 9 Shogunate, who was just as crafty as Chane and greedy as R’yex, but in his own way.
Death Hawk was well-received and garnered reviews in the industry press such as: “If you’re open-minded enough to believe that a comic can be well-written, well-drawn, violent, funny and entertaining without containing socially redeeming material, Death Hawk’s your book!”
And: “Space opera? You bet! Rollicking adventure? You bet? Fun? In spades!”
The Star Rangers comic series in which Death Hawk originally appeared provided the template for the short-lived Space Rangers TV series from 1993.
All the stories featuring Death Hawk are in the process of being collected and published as a graphic novel, Death Hawk: The Soulworm Saga.
[edit] Similarity to Firefly
Some fans of the short-lived series have noted similarities between Joss Whedon’s Firefly (as well as its feature film incarnation, Serenity) and Death Hawk, suggesting that the TV series took more than a hint from the comic concept.
The raw, frontier atmosphere in which both series take place are very similar as well as the semi-lawless worlds wherein Death Hawk and Malcolm Reynolds look for work: in the former it’s the “Freeworld” of Amicus and in Firefly it’s Persephone.
There are also specific elements such as the outdated, somewhat cantankerous spaceships, the humor, protagonists who harbor bitterness over being betrayed by a cause they believed in, and even fashion—-both Death Hawk and Mal Reynolds favor long dark coats (western-style “dusters”) and carry big-bored pistols that fire bullets not energy.
Probably the most interesting similarity between the two concepts is how Hawk and Mal are plagued by bountifully endowed red-haired female con-artists, both of whom employ the alias “Brigid” (see Saffron).
Significantly, Adam Hughes who created the "look" of Death Hawk is not only a vocal fan of Firefly, but also contributed the cover for the Serenity graphic novel, released by Dark Horse in 2006.
