It took Aquaman’s reputation decades to recover from being mocked as the guy who “talks to fish” on Saturday Night Live. However, people often forget that Hawkman could also talk to birds (at least on some Earths he could). Admittedly, birds have much greater surveillance and intel applications. Plus, Hawkman flies and has greater-than-average strength. Nevertheless, he has mostly been a supporting character in film and television. Still, he had a rare solo spotlight on the 1979 Qube/Nickelodeon motion comic series, Video Comics, which you can find online to celebrate his Earth 1 birthday today.
Motion comics are pretty much what they sound like: a camera panning and scanning over comics pages, while voice actors read the dialogue and descriptive boxes. Early in its existence, the network that became Nickelodeon commissioned the Video Comics motion comic series to serve as filler, licensing content from their corporate cousin DC. Rights were probably unavailable for marquee characters. Regardless, DC apparently saw this as a venue to promote second-tier characters like Hawkman and Swamp Thing or fourth-tier characters like Space Ranger. The series disappeared in the early 1980s and only two legit superhero episodes have escaped online.
“Hawkman” is only nine minutes, adapting a back-up story from a 1970s issue of Detective Comics. In this case, the detective/superhero from Thanagar takes a case that might better suit Scooby-Do and Mystery Incorporated. Someone is regularly stealing from Bleakhill Manor, a converted museum that specializes in military art. However, the thief only takes the replica arms that accompany the priceless art.
Frankly, this storyline does not pass the logic test, but it is pleasant enough on a Scooby-Do level. It also shows Hawkman in his element, wielding hardcore medieval weaponry. However, it it is pretty clear E. Nelson Bridwell’s story was quickly written to fill out pages.
In contrast, “Swamp Thing” is a full 20-minute origin story. Technically, this is Swamp Thing #2, Alec Holland, rather Swamp Thing #1, Alex Olsen (from House of Secrets #92), but they suffer much the same fate. Holland is the Swamp Thing everyone knows from the Wes Craven film and subsequent series. (If DC knew how big Swamp Thing would get, they probably would not have licensed him for Video Comics.)
Holland and his wife Linda are developing a Garden of Eden-like formula in their secret lab nestled in the Louisiana bayous. The government assigned Agent Matt Cable to protect them, but he is a bit of an idiot. However, he waxes quite poetic over the spooky swamp country, where he grew up as a lad. Tragically, he cannot protect Holland from the shadowy syndicate out to buy, steal, or destroy his formula. However, his own research saves his life—but at the cost of his humanity.
The Swamp Thing episode nicely captures the macabre tone of the comic series. Hawkman’s installment does not really do his Thanagar heritage justice, but at least he does not have to compete with the rest of the Justice League for screen-time. Happy Birthday, you big feathered bridesmaid.
