THE HAWK #2 (SUMMER 1951)

 

The Hawk is Bob Hardie, "Fighting Marshal of the American Desert"  and the "Scourge of Desert Badmen."  "He strikes with the speed and accuracy of the hunting falcon, with the grim silence of the bird of prey after which he is named."  The title appeared briefly (three issues) from Ziff-Davis, then for another eight issues, plus a special 3-D issue, from St. John. ending in May 1955.  The book was noted for decent storylines and excellent artwork.

• "Secret of the Sands" -- "An old prospector is fleeced of the gold he carries when two crooked gamblers use a marked deck to cheat him -- and The Hawk explodes into action!  A grim trail of death and robbery stretches across the desert wastes of the Southwest before The Hawk rips away the veil shrouding the secret of the sands!"  The bad guys go to the prospector's cabin to steal what gold he had left, leaving the old man for dead.  By the time The Hawk catches up with them, he learns that the prospector has had the last laugh.
• "Desert Gunsmoke" -- "In the desert country, where water is precious as blood, the small ranch owners struggle for their very existence against the greed and ruthlessness of cattle baron Jeff Driscoll!  And when Driscoll's brutal tactics are challenged by a lone girl, it becomes The Hawk's fight, and bullets mingle with desert gunsmoke."  I found it interesting that the townspeople have names like Kansas, Tex, and Laramie, and the ranch hand is Slim, because there's always a Slim.
• "Iron Caravan of the Mojave" -- "Like a wounded animal scurrying for cover, a chugging locomotive hurtles across the desert.  Its throttles wide open, it makes a desperate bid to outdistance a swarming horde of attacking Apache Indians..."  {SPOILER:  The train lost.}   But was it Apaches?  The Hawk does not think so.  Hmm, could have the rival Mesa Stagecoach Company, run by the viscous Dude Mullions, disguising his men as Indians?
• Also, "Hopi Hero" -- When cavalry man Sam Watt's troop is attacked  by the Navajo, everyone is killed except for Sam who is left for dead.  He is found by the Hopi and nursed back to health.  Then the Navajo attack the Hopi village, the peaceful Hopi have no one to lead them in the fight.  No one, that is, except for Sam.  "The annals of the United States Cavalry are silent concerning Sam Watt's exploits, but his story is still told around the council fires of the Hopi.

Plus the requisite amount of fillers.

An interesting issue.

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