Who's This? An Egyptian prince.
The facts: Created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville, Carter Hall, the original Hawkman, first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940), alternating with the Flash as the cover feature until the book's cancellation with #104 (February 1949). He would also be a founding member of the Justice Society of America, the only hero to appear in every issue of All-Star Comics (even the pre-JSA ones, leading Roy Thomas to insist on at least a cameo for Hawkman in every issue of All-Star Squadron in the 70s and 80s). The reincarnated Egyptian prince would be relegated to Earth-2 after the Silver Age's science-fiction Hawkman premiered, and therefore the obligatory JLA/JSA team-ups and JSA revivals. After Hawkworld reset Katar Hol's version, a retcon put a veteran Carter in the Justice League to do the Hawkman things. In Zero Hour, he was merged with Katar Hol into the Hawk Avatar and that should have been it, but the High Priests of Thanagar's Downsiders bring him back to life, involving him in the Rann-Thanagar War before returning to Earth to join the new JSA. He's then killed in Final Crisis, but reborn once again. After a hard reboot in the New52, Savage Hawkman becomes the first true Carter Hall series (albeit now a contemporary hero). Then, the previous continuity is back and Carter Hall is the main Hawkman. He's had his own series that explained how his reincarnation works to include the Thanagarian Hawkman, and he's once more a member of the JSA.
How you could have heard of him: The Carter Hall Hawkman has appeared in Smallville and Stargirl, and was a cast member on Legends of Tomorrow. He's also the version they used for Justice League Unlimited and The Brave and the Bold cartoon. More recently, he was in the DCEU JSA in Black Adam, portrayed by Aldis Hodge. Carter continues to appear in JSA comics today.
Example story: Flash Comics #104 (February 1949) "The Flaming Darkness!" by John Broome and Joe Kubert
When I think of Joe Kubert and Hawkman, I think Silver Age. But the truth is, he didn't do very many Hawkman stories before handing the pencil over to Murphy Anderson. When I think Golden Age Hawkman, I think of Sheldon Moldoff, but we just did one of his stories for Hawkgirl. But as I'm unable to let the Hawks go by without some Kubert, we land on this, Carter Hall's last appearance in Flash Comics (though not in the Golden Age, since his JSA stories continued into 1951). And it's a solo story - Shiera does not appear! This one is all about crooks trying to get their mitts on secret scientific data so they can use them to confound the cops. A key scientist is ordered by what very much look like illusions to steal the Science Club meeting minutes (yes, I'm sure those can be used to build gadgets) and bring them back to that spot in the country. A spot close to Carter Hall's home and so...
Now, I don't know what science secrets are at stake exactly, but maybe it's the formula for jackets that hide one's GINORMOUS wings.
Look, if you're a Hawkman fan (any iteration), this is the kind of thing you no longer ask questions about. Same for Angel fans. (I'm kidding, there are no Angel fans.) Now time for some low-flying, mace-swinging action, which is what you signed up for.
In a losing battle, the crooks call on their illusory reinforcements - a knight and a Roman charioteer, in this case - in the same red light (see cover). But as soon as the mace mes contact, the "queer-floating" beings pop out of existence. And the distracted Hawkman gets hit upside the head, waking up in a small concrete lab somewhere in the woods. A shed that then starts sinking (some kind of weird self-destruct), and latter-day Hawkman, scientist as much as archaeologist, I guess, uses chemistry to get out:
Very cool, but is it Hawkman? Perhaps, like a lot of heroes, Hawkman became more generic the Golden Age as it dragged on. Think of Dr. Fate and Sandman, even the Spectre. Carter now has a more traditional mask and he's a General Science Hero! Meanwhile, the bad guys have broken into the Science Club where they're surprised by an attack by Martian warlords! Is that a wink at another famous Carter? Regardless, they're too dumb to realize they're being hoisted on their own illusory petard.
Even in close quarters, the Winged Wonder has the moves. And those wings are great shields, too.
He flies them to jail and later explains to the cops how they managed those illusions - just projections through their car's headlights, red because they had a red lens over them with pictures of historical/alien combatants. It's comics! Fixed images! So we were fooled into thinking they were MOVING. I mean, the only other option is believing all these characters are stunned by stills. Gardner Fox is straight up cheating!
So while I can't recommend the story, I do like this early Kubert stuff. He's not yet at the top of his game (which he would be by Hawkman II's premiere), but there's a pleasant Michael T. Gilbert vibe mixed in with Alex Toth and early Carmine Infantino here.
Who's Next? A space cop.
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