Darkhawk #6, Aug. 1991

Hasbro 3 3/4" Marvel Universe Darkhawk

After reviewing the Marvel Universe Darkhawk action figure last autumn, I stumbled upon several issues of the character's book among the dollar comic bins. Knowing nothing of Marvel hero, I bought the figure purely on aesthetic merit and my obsession with Hasbro's 3 3/4" line. But for a dollar an issue I took a chance on picking up a few, including #6 featuring Captain America and Daredevil! 90's comics get a lot of criticism, but I enjoy them for all their wacky characters, half-baked stories, and over-the-top sense of style. In the early 90's comics were hotter than ever, and it seems there was something for everyone, their status in pop culture at an all-time high.

Darkhawk #8, Oct. '91

While I missed the Darkhawk's 90's premiere, I've come to realize that some of you younger fans are nostalgic about this unusual character who reminds me a lot of the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle (a teenage hero, the amulet, alien technology, etc.). Christopher Powell was a teenager who found a mysterious amulet in an abandoned amusement park, which allows him to switch bodies with a powerful android from another dimension called Null Space where it's body was stored & repaired aboard an alien starship. The android can fire a concussive blast or form a circular energy shield. from the amulet on it's chest, possesses telescopic and infra-red vision, and can fire a grappling hook cable claw from it's left arm. It's kinda fun reading these early issues where Chris is unsure about his new found powers and what to do with them. The appeal of a teenage hero to the comic book demographic isn't lost on me- everyone of you reading this likely had that fantasy during those awkward years.

 Cap & Daredevil were brought in for their star appeal, but more interesting to me was the super-villain team known as the U-Foes! I did remember these baddies from my youth- Ironclad, X-Ray, Vector, Vapor, and were the villainous version of the Fantastic Four. Cool!

Sure, Cap is a tie-in with issue #304 of The Avengers, but fellow New Yorker Daredevil was just dropped into the issue to help sell the book. When Ironclad is thrown through a wall and onto a nearby car, Matt Murdock puts his appointment with a client aside to help...

 Whirling his nunchaku to disperse Vapor's deadly mustard gas form, Daredevil leaves an opening for Darkhawk to save the day, despite Cap's cautious objection...

Danny Fingeroth- writer, Mike Manley- penciler

In the end, Portal, whom Darkhawk sought out at the hospital room Cap was visiting, got away without shedding any light on the origin's of the teen's otherworldly powers. Apologizing for his hasty attack on the U-Foes, a concerned Captain America and Daredevil lend the rookie hero a shred of wisdom, "We're not perfect Hawk... that's the whole point." I don't have any of the earlier issues featuring Portal's back story with Darkhawk, but this issue's primary objective was to bring the kind of firepower to help drive sales and promote the title. And that's okay because it worked in 1991 and two decades later when it caught my eye in the dollar comics bin   :D  I'm a fan of the superhero teamup, and seeing the U-Foes again was such a treat!


More Later- Make It Fun!
*Read more about Darkhawk at the Darkhawk Zone!