Who's This? A reincarnated heroine.
The facts: First appearing as Hawkman's love interest (from across time!) in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940), Shiera Sanders joins Hawkman as his costumed partner as of All-Star Comics #5 (June 1941), a JSA story ahead of their continuing adventures in Flash Comics. While Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville created her, her costume was designed by Sheldon Moldoff. After their feature ended in 1949, Hawkgirl would be relegated to Earth-2 and the occasional JLA/JSA team-up or, later, in the All-Star Comics revival, All-Star Squadron. Infinity Inc. (as the Silver Scarab's mother), and JSA comics. In Zero Hour, both she and her Hawkman were merged with the modern Hawkman, putting an end to their adventures, until resurrected in Brightest Day. Largely used in flashbacks or reincarnation shenanigans now, Shiera is chronicled to have "eventually died", reincarnating into TWO bodies, those of Kendra Saunders (the current Hawkgirl) and Shayera Thal of Thanagar (Hawkwoman).
How you could have heard of her: The NAME should be very recognizable from both current comics and Justice League/JL Unlimited, but these are different iterations of the character (even if Kendra and arguably Hawkwoman are reincarnations of Shiera Sanders Hall). She DID appear on Smallville and Stargirl, however.
Example story: Flash Comics #37 (January 1943) "Three Little Jewel Chests" by Gardner Fox and Sheldon Moldoff
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Now, superheroine or not, Hawkgirl is still a "girl" in 1940s comics, and therefore prone to acting all too emotionally to things, a caricature of what men think women are like. Don't be fooled by this shot of her at the wheel, she's just scooting over while Carter throws some goons around to save a damsel in distress, sparking Shiera's worst impulses:
The next panel shows her holding the woman's hand in support, so it feels like Moldoff isn't as sexist as Gardner is, I dunno. Catching us up on the plot, the woman is Crystal Chalmers, a "girl reporter" assigned to cover night clubs, and in particular, this one place where fortunes are made and lost (it's a casino) and human lives, too (it's sinister). She spied on the cadaverous-looking owner offering three chests to an unlucky patron, like a Monty Hall of Evil.
He chose wrong, but there's no right choice - the bad guy gloats to himself that the game is rigged - and that's when she gets caught and escapes. The twist: The bad guy is her (step)DAD! I guess she didn't know where he worked and it's one big coincidence. They put her to bed and Carter puts his wings on, to investigate as Hawkman! But we don't care about him today (next week, though). Shiera has the same idea and brings their pet bird, Kitty Hawk, on the mission.
I really don't understand her motivation - helping someone doesn't mean he'll fall for that person - but we'll see how she fares. Carter, for his part, gets captured and is offered the choice of three chests. He agrees to play the game hearing the Hawks screaming outside, just to stall "Chance". And like everyone before him, he loses, and ends up behind bars (and is soon gassed - I guess he chose death). Hawkgirl does better, sending her hawks after Chance, but she has to call them off when his bodyguards grab and hurt her. A little wet, there, Shiera.
She, too, is offered the choice, but Hawkman breaks out in time to intervene. And so...
And Hawkman never did fall in love with Crystal and break up the partnership. So I really wish Hawkgirl had been written stronger here. She ALMOST has agency, but she's doing it to keep a hold on her man (literally, looks like), and is caught out by civilian foes. To be fair, so is Hawkman, but he still gets to escape and win the day. Hawkgirl doesn't land a punch during the final action scene. Well, better days would be ahead, both in this life and those to come.
Who's Next? An Egyptian prince.
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