25 Years of Tomahawk

Categories: Did You Know|Published On: March 28, 2003|Views: 3|

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For 25 years, DC Comics gave us a Western adventure series that perfectly
reflected the changing tides of the DC Universe from the late ’40s through the
early ’70s: Tomahawk. But, geographically speaking, Tomahawk wasn’t your
usual Western. It was a wild adventure series set not in the vast deserts of the
19th century Southwest, but in the dense forests of Revolutionary
War-Era America. And instead of battling Indians and lawbreakers, Tomahawk spent
his time fighting Indians and the British.

Tomahawk, born Tom
Hawk, made his debut in 1947 in Star Spangled Comics #69. The very next
year, he also began appearing in World’s Finest Comics. Though he was
created by Joe Samachson and Edmond Good, however, it was Revolutionary War guru
Fred Ray who contributed most to Tomahawk’s development over the years. With his
coonskin cap and passion for freedom, Tomahawk spent the early years of his run,
with his sidekick Dan Hunter close at hand, deciphering secret Indian maps,
leading the occasional Wagon Train through Indian Territory and staying on the
lookout for Redcoat spies.

Soon enough, in 1950, Tomahawk got his own
title, though he continued to appear in World’s Finest Comics. Of course,
things were starting to change at DC, and the publishers took notice.
Superheroes were starting to fade from popularity, and genre books were quickly
gaining. Romance, Funny Animal, Hollywood and other uniquely themed books were
becoming all the rage…including Westerns. So, Ray’s winning combination of
Western-style adventure and Revolutionary War action managed to keep Tomahawk on
top through it all.

Then, as the ’50s wore on and the ’60s set in,
Tomahawk’s tales started to get more and more unusual – yet they perfectly
reflected the trends of the times. When the world became fascinated with
monsters, Tomahawk had an encounter with Frankenstein. When dinosaurs became
popular, Tomahawk did battle against some angry, if out-of-place dinos. Then,
with the superhero revival of the early-mid ’60s, the American-flag clad Miss
Liberty was introduced.

By the end of the ’60s, Tomahawk
was nearing the end of its run. The introduction of more characters helped
keep him afloat for a few extra years, however, most notably those brave men of
the Tomahawk Rangers. The Tomahawk Rangers were comprised of Big Anvil, Brass
Buttons, Cannonball, Healer Randolph, Kaintuck Jones, Long-Rifle Morgan,
Stovepipe, Suicide Simms and Wildcat – a team of colorful characters who would
appear sporadically to assist in various sharp-shooting endeavors.

Of
course, trends can be fickle. By the early ’70s, superheroes were again dropping
off and some thought the Western was posed for a big comeback. So for the final
issues of Tomahawk, DC moved the time frame up a few decades and shifted
their focus to Tomahawk’s gun-totin’ son. Appropriately, the series was
re-titled Son of Tomahawk. That only lasted a brief while, however, and
was ultimately cancelled in 1972. And though Tomahawk has rarely been heard from
since, we commend him for what was an impressive 25-year run!


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