Tomahawk is an American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

character whose adventures were published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s as a backup feature in ''

Star Spangled Comics ''Star Spangled Comics'' was a comics anthology published by DC Comics which ran for 130 issues from October 1941 to July 1952. It was then retitled ''Star Spangled War Stories'' and lasted until issue #204 (February–March 1977). Publication his ...

'' and ''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'' and in his own eponymous series. He was created by writer

Joe Samachson Joseph Samachson (October 13, 1906 – June 2, 1980) was an American scientist and writer, primarily of science fiction and comic books. Biography Joseph Samachson was born on October 13, 1906 in Trenton, New Jersey, the son of Russian Jewish par ...

and artist Edmond Good, and first appeared in ''Star-Spangled Comics'' #69 (June 1947). Tomahawk's uniqueness stems in part from the time frame of his adventures: the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Publication history

Tomahawk was a backup feature in ''

'' from his first appearance, issue #69 (June 1947) to issue #130 (July 1952), and in ''World's Finest Comics'' from issue #33 (Mar. 1948) until issue #101 (May 1959). The ''Tomahawk'' series premiered in September 1950, and lasted 140 issues, until June 1972. Most stories during this period were by writer

France Herron Francis Edward Herron (July 23, 1917 – September 2, 1966) was an Americans, American comic book writer and editor active in the 1940s–1960s, mainly for DC Comics. He is credited with co-creating Captain Marvel Jr. and the Red Skull, as well a ...

and artist

Fred Ray Frederic E. "Fred" Ray, Jr. (February 4, 1920 – January 23, 2001)Dates and spelling of name peFrederic E.Ray Social Security Number 204-03-7262, aSocial Security Death Index Source gives birthplace and "Jr." was an American Comic book creator, c ...

. The last ten issues of ''Tomahawk'' were titled ''Son of Tomahawk'', featuring the character's son, Hawk Haukins, but the change did not slow the dropping sales which led to the book's cancellation.

Fictional character biography

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 George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

in the warfare between the British, French and

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

forces during the decades prior to the American Revolutionary War. He acquired his nickname due to the resemblance between his birth name and a trademark weapon of the

Iroquois Confederacy The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

's warriors, and to the skill he developed with that weapon. He's assisted by a young white friend, Dan Hunter. 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". In issues #35 and #36 (Sept.–Nov. 1955), Tomahawk met a young

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Re ...

, who was very popular at the time. However, this was a historical error, as Crockett (1786–1836) was not born until after the Revolutionary War. Issue #81 was also notable, introducing Miss Liberty (Bess Lynn), one of the earliest patriotic superheroes by the vague internal chronology of the DC Universe, who would make several more appearances in the series. Liberty Belle is a descendant of hers. In the ''Time Masters'' mini-series, it is established that Tomahawk's associate Dan Hunter is actually

Rip Hunter Rip Hunter is a fictional time traveling hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jack Miller and artist Ruben Moreira, the character first appeared in ''Showcase'' #20 (May 1959). Following three more appe ...

's cousin who travels back in time to stop the

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...

during the Revolutionary War, deciding to stay in the past. In 1998, Tomahawk appeared in a ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

Visions'' one-shot, written by

Rachel Pollack Rachel Grace Pollack (born August 17, 1945 as Richard Pollack) is an American science fiction author, comic book writer, and expert on divinatory tarot. She is involved in the women's spirituality movement. Career Tarot reading Pollack has w ...

. This issue retold his origin. In 2008, he is featured in Bruce Jones' ''

The War that Time Forgot ''The War that Time Forgot'' was a comic book feature published by DC Comics beginning in 1960 in the title '' Star Spangled War Stories'', created by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. It ran for eight years, ending in 1968 and retur ...

''. During his quest to find a special stone, Haukins met and married an Apache princess named Moon Fawn, with whom he had two sons; Hawk and Small Eagle. A new version of Tomahawk appeared in ''All-Star Western'', Vol. 3, #13.

In other media

A version of Tomahawk appeared in the 1991 Swamp Thing TV series, voiced by

Harvey Atkin Elliot Harvey Atkin (18 December 1942 – 18 July 2017) was a Canadian actor best known for his roles as Morty Melnick in '' Meatballs'', Sergeant Ronald Coleman in ''Cagney & Lacey'', and for voicing King Koopa in ''The Super Mario Bros. Super S ...

. He is a Native American ally to the Swamp Thing that battles the Un-Men.

References

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External links

Cover gallery

at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

{{DC Western Characters 1947 comics debuts 1972 comics endings American comics DC Comics characters Characters created by Joseph Samachson Comics by Carl Wessler Comics by Robert Kanigher Comics characters introduced in 1947 DC Comics military personnel DC Comics titles DC Comics Western (genre) characters DC Comics male characters Fictional American people Fictional American Revolutionary War veterans Fictional axefighters Fictional hunters Fictional soldiers Golden Age adventure heroes Comics set during the American Revolutionary War