Hawkman #4(cover October-November 1964, 12 cents), put on sale on August 20, 1964, in a story entitled “The Girl Cut in Two”. But the story doesn't end there: its introduction continues with four other titles, until December 1966. Five magazines, twenty-eight months, only one screenwriter —Gardner Fox. None of these issues bears his name on the cover, and only one edition of each exists.
Here is probably the most confusing case in our corpus: a first appearance which does not fit into one booklet, but into five – published over more than two years, in five different series.
The collector who wants to own “it” must therefore decide what to buy, and the market itself hesitates.
Five issues, twenty-eight months
The catalog allows us to reconstruct the sequence with remarkable precision, supported by the kiosk date.
It all starts on August 20, 1964, in the fourth issue of a series devoted to a winged vigilante. The character appears there, engaged in a quest, and leaves without anything being resolved.
The rest is coming December 31, 1964, in a magazine dedicated to a completely different hero. Then the April 8, 1965, in a third series. Then the November 25, 1965, in a fourth. Finally, the conclusion December 13, 1966, in the editor's star training magazine.
This device is extraordinary for its time. It precedes the formalization of major transversal narratives by several years, and it is based on a bet that nothing guaranteed:that the reader follows a plot through five separate publications, for more than two years.
We must measure what this implies in 1964. No accessible publication schedule, no mention on the cover, no way of knowing in which title the sequel would appear. The reader had to buy at random, or be lucky enough to come across one.
The last episode is the only one whose title explicitly names the character - a belated recognition, after twenty-eight months of editorial anonymity.
Each booklet is classified under a different name
Here is the practical consequence, and it governs all research on this issue.
None of these five magazines bears the heroine's name. Each belongs to a series dedicated to someone else, and it is under this name that it is stored, referenced, announced and sold.
Three consequences.
A search by name turns up nothing. You need to know the five references — series title and number — before you start looking. This is the opposite of the ordinary approach.
The price of each is set by another market. These booklets are sought after by collectors of the star hero, for reasons that do not concern our character. You therefore enter into competition with a demand that ignores you.
The opportunities exist. A seller specializing in one of these heroes will not report the presence of the heroine. On the three issues in the middle of the sequence, the least known, this regularly creates exploitable gaps.
We detail the respective levels of these five numbers in ourrating analysis.
Only one man behind the five
The thread that holds the whole thing together can be read in the credits: the name of Gardner Fox appears in the summary of the five fascicles concerned.
This permanence explains the coherence of the sequence. Fox then wrote several of the publisher's series simultaneously, which gave him rare latitude: he could move a plot from one title to another without heavy editorial coordination.
The usual reservation nevertheless applies. On these booklets with multiple contents – each contains several sections – the contributors are listed overall. The presence of a name attests to its participation in the issue, not necessarily in the episode that interests us.
For the first issue, the graphic design is attributed to Murphy Anderson, whose name also appears in the credits. Its design - precise, elegant, without effect - fixed a silhouette which has practically not varied for sixty years.
A word about this costume, because it is debated. He wears the stage attire of a conjurer: top hat, tail jacket, bow tie. It's not a vigilante costume but a professional uniform, and this distinction is the starting point of everything that is special about the character.
A lineage that serves no purpose
The character is introduced from the beginning as the daughter of an older magician, created in the early days of the medium.
This detail produces a comical situation for the collector. The father makes his debut in a book of 1938 , put on sale on April 18 of that year at the price of 10 cents — that is to say in the most expensive comic ever traded, the one which also contains the debut of the most famous character in the medium.
In other words:the filiation links this file to the most expensive object in the domain, without bringing it the slightest value. No one will ever buy this booklet for the magician who appears there in the middle of nine other sections, and its price owes nothing to this presence.
Note also that the summary of this 1938 issue does not name any of the characters it introduces: the stories there bear plot titles, as everywhere at that time.
This genealogy, on the other hand, has considerable narrative utility, developed in ourbest runs: the quest for the father is the driving force of the five founding episodes.
What the process cost the character
An observation is necessary, because it explains a good part of the character's position on the market.
Spreading out an arrival over five titles produced an effect of which the authors of 1964 were probably not aware:it dilutes the event.
An ordinary first appearance is one point. It dates, is quoted, appears in an ad, is told in one sentence. It becomes a collective landmark that everyone can name.
An arrival spread over twenty-eight months is not a point but a period. And a period cannot be collected: it has no cover image, no unique number, no reference price. The market, which functions by objects, has no control over it.
The result is measured. With comparable narrative importance, this character occupies a much less visible place in the lists of key issues than contemporary creations whose arrival was contained in a single issue. It's not a question of popularity: it's a question of event format.
Three characters from the same publisher, appearing in the same decade in a single issue each, saw their key become famous. It never acquired this status, for lack of a unique object to designate.
For a buyer, this dilution is good news.It maintains the five fascicles at lower levels than would be justified by the importance of the character., and there is no indication that the market will correct: for that it would have to invent a category that it does not have.
What the first booklet contains
The inaugural episode occupies one section among three, in a 36-page magazine sold for 12 cents.
The story is based on a simple and effective process: the heroine first presents herself as a threat, or at least as an unknown person with unclear intentions, before her motivations are revealed. The title — a girl cut in two — plays on the ambiguity of a music hall number and a real phenomenon.
Her magic is already installed in its final form: she pronounces her formulas upside down. It is a rare find, the graphic consequences of which will occupy the authors for sixty years.
A reader today will find the whole thing very brief – a few plates – and fast-paced. This is the norm of the multiple section format: each episode had to stand on its own while leaving one door open.
Finally, let us point out what the story does not do, because it often surprises. He doesn't tell no origin: neither acquisition of power, nor revelation, nor triggering event. The heroine arrives in possession of her means, with an objective already formed, and the reader only learns where she comes from over the course of the following episodes.
This choice is consistent with the overall system. Since the arrival is spread over five issues, the exposition could be spread out rather than concentrated — and that is exactly what the sequence does, with each episode delivering a piece of the portrait.
Check a copy
The relevant section. Ask for the first page of the episode, since the cover doesn't mention anything. On these fascicles, this is the only direct proof.
The printed price— 12 cents, which limits the period and rules out any subsequent republication.
The back fold and corners, dominant defects in the mid-1960s, to be examined under a raking light.
The integrity of the advertising pages, which still included coupons to cut out. It is the most common mutilation during this period, and it is not visible from the outside.
Good news on this issue:no variations exist on these five fascicles. No price test, no foreign draw, no circuit distinction. The whole question comes down to the state.
Where to start
The August 1964 issue, if you want the first appearance in the strict sense. It is the most sought after of the five and the only one whose status is indisputable.
The middle three episodes, much more affordable and often ignored. They form the heart of the story and constitute the best report of the file.
The December 1966 issue, which concludes the quest and whose title finally names it. It is also the one who installs it in the shared universe of the publisher.
One last suggestion, against the grain: there is no obligation to respect the order of publication in order to buy. The three middle fascicles are much easier to find than the other two, and nothing prevents you from starting with them while waiting for the opportunity on the first.
To build a coherent whole, see ourcollection guide.
The most frequent requests
Hawkman #4, October-November 1964 cover, went on sale August 20, 1964 for 12 cents, in a story titled “The Girl Cut in Two.” But its introduction continued on four other titles until December 1966: five magazines and twenty-eight months for a single arrival.
Because the screenwriter was simultaneously writing several series from the publisher and moved his plot from title to title. The system precedes the formalization of the major transversal stories by several years. In 1964, this involved a reader following a story across five publications with no timeline or cover credits.
By searching by series title and number, never by character name. None of the five magazines bears his name: each belongs to a series devoted to someone else, and it is under this name that it is stored, referenced and sold. You must therefore know the five references before starting.
Yes, on the three middle fascicles of the sequence, the least known. A seller specializing in the star hero of these series will not point out the presence of the heroine, due to not knowing her. This regularly creates exploitable gaps, unlike the first and last in the series.
Historically yes, since it appears in a 1938 issue put on sale on April 18 — the most expensive comic ever traded, which also contains the debut of the most famous character in the medium. But this connection brings no exploitable value: no one buys this number for a magician relegated to the middle of nine other sections.
None of the five issues concerned: neither regional pricing trial, nor edition intended for foreign countries, nor distinction between distribution circuits. This is an appreciable simplification, which brings the whole question back to the state of the copy — and makes the observed price benchmarks directly comparable with each other.
Yes, from the first episode: she pronounces her formulas backwards, and this characteristic has never been modified. It is a rare find, the graphic consequences of which will occupy the authors for sixty years - a power which is exercised through speech is read, it is not looked at.
The back fold and the corners, dominant defects in the mid-1960s, to be examined under raking light. Then check the integrity of the advertising pages, which still included cut-out vouchers: this is the most common mutilation during this period, and it is not visible from the outside.
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