Tomahawk (comics)
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| Tomahawk | |
 Tomahawk #15 |
|
| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics/Vertigo |
| First appearance | Star-Spangled Comics #69 (June 1947) |
| Created by | Joe Samachson Edmund Good |
| In story information | |
| Full name | Tom Hawk (also given as Thomas Hawk, Tom Hawkins and Tom Haukins) |
| Species | Human |
| Place of origin | Earth |
| Team affiliations | Tomahawk's Rangers |
| Abilities | Tomahawk is well versed in American Indian languages and customs from many tribes. He is an excellent hand-to-hand fighter, and well versed in the weapons of the era. He has a keen deductive ability and is an excellent horseman. |
Tomahawk is a comic book character whose adventures were published by DC Comics during the 1950's and 1960's in his own comics series. His uniqueness stems in part from the timeframe of his fictional adventures: the American Revolutionary War.
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 and acquired his nickname due to its resemblance to a trademark weapon of the Iroquois Confederacy's warriors, and to the skill he developed with that weapon.
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".
His series lasted 140 issues, from 1950 to 1972. The last 10 issues focused on "Hawk, Son of Tomahawk", and the cover title said "Son of Tomahawk". In addition he appeared in Star Spangled Comics from issue 69 in June 1947 to 130 July 1952 and in World's Finest Comics from issue 33 in March 1948 until issue 101 in May 1959. The character was created by writer Joe Samachson and artist Edmund Good, but his most famous portrayers were Ed France Herron and Fred Ray.
In issues 35 and 36, Tomahawk met a young Davy Crockett, who was very popular at the time. This is 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.
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.
