SUPERMAN versus BLACK ADAM

Chapter Three (DC)
Where: DC Comics Presents #49 When: September 1982 Why: Roy Thomas & Paul Kupperberg How: Rich Buckler

The Story So Far...
Superman flies the night sky over Egyptian desert, listening carefully for a broadcast that spells certain doom!

Terrorists are threatening to blow the Aswan Dam unless the government surrenders to their political demands! Fortunately, The Man of Steel intervenes to send their nuclear device into deep space, and rescue the dam from breaching, but the explosion has set off tremors that threaten the nearby Temple of Abu Simbel!

A super-human feat to lift the ancient 13th Century landmark saves it from destruction, but despite Superman's best efforts, the building sits a few inches lower once returned to its modern resting place. That slight difference aligns the entrance with the rising sun, inadvertently opening a gateway that allows entry from an inter-dimensional interloper -- Black Adam!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Superman 6 (Mach Speed)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Black Adam 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Superman 5 (Lasers)
Total: Black Adam 34 (Super)

Superman has challenged the power of SHAZAM many times over the years, but usually he's come up against his magic-powered equivalent: Captain Marvel!

Earth's mightiest mortal had to struggle to stand his ground against an Eclipso compromised Superman in Action Comics Annual #4 and Superman #216, but was much more in control while radicalized in Kingdom Come #4, and when sent into a tag team match alongside Hawkman, in Superman/Batman #4.

Black Adam represents a far deadlier opponent, wielding the power of Shazam as the dark-hearted ancient champion who fell from the Wizard's grace.

No example demonstrates Teth-Adam's corruption of Shazam's power greater than 52 #45. Having slaughtered the other Horsemen of Apokolips in 52 #44; Adam relentlessly pursued Azraeuz into the politically corrupt nation of Bialya, where he conducted a bloody rampage that cost the lives of millions!

Like Captain Marvel; Black Adam summons the power of a pantheon of gods & legends by speaking the Wizard's name. His magic lightning endows him with the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti, the power of Aten, and the courage of Mehen.

It's debatable whether the magic of his abilities should have any real special effect on Superman. Kryptonians have no natural defenses against magic, but this should really be considered a vulnerability, rather than an innate weakness akin to Kryptonite. Black Adam was himself similarly defenseless against the vast magics of Ibis the Invincible in Power of Shazam #11.

We saw the uniquely invulnerable Superboy-Prime laugh off Black Adam's magic lightning when they came to blows in Infinite Crisis #6. Of course, the Kal-El of Earth Prime proved to be unique for a variety of reasons, matching Black Adam in his intensity and aggression while using incredible super-human strength.

We saw Black Adam earn a tactical victory against Captain Marvel in Hawkman #24, negating the stalemate of their physical strength. It might be speculated that Black Adam is the more powerful of the two, but to find out how he stacks up against Superman we should just take a look...

The Tape: Black Adam Ranking: Superman (#5)

What Went Down...
Standing atop Umpire Rock: Black Adam holds court with a car held aloft over an audience of helpless Manhattan police.

The would-be conqueror declares himself king of the world, but the destruction of effortlessly tossing the vehicle across the park draws the attention of a red-caped hero who can stop him -- Superman!

Black Adam instantly recognizes his challenger from a previous encounter and reveals the hero's unwitting hand in bringing him to this world.

The villain takes confidence from their previous battle -- and a plot to manipulate Earth's electric fields to prevent Captain Marvel following him and surviving the breach with his powers in tact. It's all Superman needs to hear to end the chit-chat and spring into action!

The Man of Steel launches himself wildly at his deadly new adversary, connecting with a stiff left to the jaw! Adam shakes it off immediately and fires back with a roundhouse punch that sends Superman hurtling through the air!

The spiteful villain uproots a nearby tree and lobs it like a spear, but Superman manages to duck and charges in to bury his fist deep in Adam's vile gut!

Superman gave his punch everything he had, but still Black Adam prevails, taking advantage of their close quarters to crack the Kryptonian with another hard right to the face!

As Superman drops to the ground, a young boy named Billy Batson rushes from the crowd of onlookers. He knows all about Black Adam's exploits from reading his Uncle's old comic books and can't stand to see him get the upper-hand.

The sudden sight of the familiar young man shocks Black Adam to distraction. For a moment he believes Captain Marvel has made it to this world, but the Billy Batson before him is too young to be the alter-ego of his arch-nemesis.

Seeing an opportunity to twist the indomitable will of his opponent, he snatches the boy by the collar and issues an ultimatum: Superman must remove himself from sight forever or the boy will suffer the consequences!

Unwilling to compromise the life of the child -- Superman leaps into the air and gives his word he won't attack in the city. Black Adam believes his conquest is all but assured. He under estimates the Man of Steel's resolve...

The Hammer...
It might look as if Black Adam has manipulated Superman into submission, but it all amounts to another inconclusive result. He may've had a slight advantage blow for blow, but both men were still in the fight when the action breaks.

Superman swings by the crowd on his way out to pick up Jimmy Olsen, keeping a watchful eye on Black Adam from afar with his x-ray vision.

Jimmy's journalistic instincts help connect Superman with the young Billy Batson, who eventually makes a break for it, and helps to inspire a plot that will bring Captain Marvel to their world using a similar method to Black Adam's!

This may be the only time Earth-One Billy Batson makes an appearance. Despite an extended dream sequence this issue, he never receives the magic lightning. Instead he'll be lost in the shuffle to various attempts by DC to utilize their Fawcett Comics acquisition. Captain Marvel persists on Earth-S for a time, but eventually joins the streamlined DC Universe and Justice League after Crisis on Infinite Earths.

It's all a little bit convoluted, but I enjoy seeing a crossover where the heroes are actually on the same page. It's become an underrated phenomenon!

Villains like Black Adam exist to be the dark shadow of their heroic counterparts. They function in dream match scenarios almost as well as two heroes who might be commonly compared -- without requiring any real compromises.

It might be fun to occasionally see what happens when Superman fights Hulk, but I think it quickly becomes much less interesting than those other, far less obvious encounters, like when Superman met Venom, or Batman met Scorpion.

The degradation of good-natured superheroes has been a real problem of the last decade or more of superhero in-fighting. It's kind of absurd. The world really doesn't need another evil version of Superman when you've got perfectly good stand-ins like General Zod or Bizarro ready to explore those ideas with lasting consequence. That's what they're there  for.

The conviction that Superman's moral fibre is somehow alienating, or in need of mitigating in a modern context, completely ignores its value as a defining character trait, and the fundamental honor of stories about good versus evil.

It might be interesting to explore characters who are morally complex, or grey, but that really shouldn't diminish our aspirations for good, or the conceivable existence of it. Superheroes remain at their core aspirational figures, and Superman should offer a blueprint to inspire us to be greater than ourselves.

Heroism doesn't have to be equal to simplicity, but obviously if, and when, you can routinely rely on characters like Superman or Captain Marvel to be pure bred heroes, it is very interesting to read about other archetypes, as well.

In DC Comics Presents #49 we see a Black Adam who is still very much a figure of villainy. His scheme is simply to rule the world: simplistic megalomania that later inspired a more nuanced take when he conquered Khandaq during Black Reign, and committed mass murder while pursing vengeance against Azraeuz.

The moral flexibility found in modern incarnations of Black Adam draws from his earliest appearance as a former champion chosen by Shazam.

Black Adam is ultimately a study in absolute power corrupting absolutely. A man of incredible means seduced to act on base desires of wrath, greed, and pride. In many ways he is the answer to what would happen if Captain Marvel went bad, but over the years he has become complicated with his own innate references, circumstances, and backstory. Which is all very interesting.

If you want to find more of Black Adam's exploits you should follow the links littered throughout this post! Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 650 battles and ranked more than 950 characters! You can find 'em all indexed by publisher, series, and issue number in the Secret Archive!

If you'd like to read today's featured fight in its entirety, you can find it collected in Superman vs SHAZAM! and Shazam! A Celebration of 75 Years. Use the Amazon links provided to do your shopping and you'll not only get a good deal -- you'll also be supporting the site!

If you like what we're about and want to go the extra mile you can now support Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Patreon! As a thank you for your generosity tiers will unlock extra updates, special articles, extra polls, and my sincere gratitude!

You can also subscribe to Twitter and Facebook to get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! Be sure to like and share all the action!

Winner: Inconclusive (Draw)
#5 (--) Superman
#26 (+1) Black Adam
#50 (--) Billy Batson (Captain Marvel) [+1 assist]

HAWKMAN & CAPTAIN COMET versus SINESTRO

Endgame... Plus Two (DC)
Where: Secret Society of Super-Villains #5 When: January-February 1977 Why: Bob Rozakis How: Rich Buckler & Vince Colletta

The Story So Far...
A battle between The Secret Society of Super-Villains and their evil New God masters has left the city battleground coated with rubble. Buried beneath the mess is Captain Comet -- returned hero of the 1950s whose confusion brought him in league with The Society!

Emerging from the urban wreckage, Captain Comet discovers another space hero trapped underneath -- The Green Lantern! No longer mistaking him for a foe, Captain Comet accompanies Hal Jordan to the Justice League Satellite HQ.

There, Superman and the JLA verify the incredible story of Captain Comet's uncanny return! The old hero isn't the only one to have left the ranks of Manhunter's Secret Society of Super-Villains, though!

A satellite alarm signals the disgruntled attack of Sinestro on The Society's Sinister Citadel in San Francisco! With GL on monitor duty; Hawkman recruits Captain Comet to stop Sinestro's earthquake revenge!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Captain Comet 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Captain Comet 6 (Genius)
Speed: Captain Comet 5 (Super-Speed)
Stamina: Sinestro 6 (Generator)
Agility: Sinestro 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Hawkman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Sinestro 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Captain Comet 34 (Super)

A clash of classic DC icons in less than iconic combination! It's always a pleasure to see an oddball match-up like this, but we also welcome a new player to the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths rankings that provides a real wildcard!

Hawkman's ties to the Justice League (and planet Thanagar) mean he's no stranger to beings from outer space. Even so, when it comes to the tyranny of Sinestro -- usually that's the jurisdiction of his arch-nemesis: Green Lantern!

Familiarity is a factor, but Sinestro's yellow power ring has much the same limitless potential as a Green Lantern's. He can project and create yellow hard-light constructs based on infinite imagination. That makes him a dangerous foe for even the best evenly matched member of the Green Lantern Corps!

Decades later we'd see Sinestro at his deadliest when he got the better of Green Lantern and Green Arrow in Green Lantern: Rebirth #4. More worryingly for Hawkman, he also put down winged-hero Black Condor during The Society's brutal ambush of The Freedom Fighters [in Infinite Crisis #1]!

The long-range and breadth of Sinestro's abilities are a big problem. In theory, Hawkman's one yellow bird cage away from being quickly outmatched! Not that the cosmic might of a Qwardian yellow ring is going to stop him fighting!

Hawkman's famous combative tenacity could be a key to an upset victory. We saw him quickly stop Matter Master in Hawkman #23, using aggression and weaponry to put a stop to a comparable threat. We've also seen him fight valiantly against several strong opponents. He kept Doctor Fate frustrated in All-Star Squadron #4, and went down swinging against Superman in Justice League of America #200! He even took tough guy Solomon Grundy down with a little bit of help from friends [in Hawkman #33]!

Captain Comet is a newfound friend in this battle, having recently defected from The Secret Society of Super-Villains after being tricked into their ranks. He's a lost hero from the 1950s who spent the last couple of decades having adventures in outer space!

With powers awakened by a passing comet; Adam Blake naturally possesses a genius mind capable of telepathic intuition, telekinetic mental projection, mind reading, defensive shielding, and psionic blasts! He also commands impressive physical attributes of super-human strength and durability! Not quite as powerful as Superman, but arguably more versatile in his strange powers!

Captain Comet and Sinestro should be relatively evenly matched.

The Captain can circumvent energy constructs with his telekinetic powers, and use his uncanny intuition to work around what's coming. His powers take a certain amount of focus and strain, though. Sinestro could still pose a threat with the benefit of instant-access to his abilities. That's where the loose man of Hawkman really becomes a benefit!

It's a fight that could go either way, but my money's on the heroes! The stats seem to agree. Let's quit the speculation and see what happened...

The Tape: Hawkman & Captain Comet Ranking: Hawkman (#31)

What Went Down...

The Justice League Satellite teleporter sends Hawkman and Captain Comet to the city skies of Earth in a mere instant! There, they materialize behind an unsuspecting Sinestro in time to stop his destructive rampage!

Hawkman orders Sinestro to halt his attempts to topple a building that is in actual fact The Sinister Citadel -- home to The Secret Society of Super-Villains!

Though surprised by the sudden arrival of the two heroes, Sinestro scoffs at their order to cease and desist! He uses his yellow power ring to form a massive energy fist around Hawkman's trademark fixed mace -- then with an effortless gesture uses it to knock Hawkman out of the sky!

The blow damaged Hawkman's anti-gravity belt, leaving him helpless to prevent his plummet towards Earth. Fortunately, Captain Comet turns his attentions toward rescuing his new ally -- even as Sinestro escapes into outer space!

The hero from another age succeeds in catching Hawkman by the wings, bringing him to a safe landing on the street below. There, he notices the Sinister Citadel on the verge of toppling over! Once again - he springs into action!

It takes Captain Comet's fullest concentration to push against the entire weight of the lurching skyscraper! Though requiring incredible effort, he succeeds in restoring the citadel to an even keel!

The Captain regroups with Hawkman and offers to give him a lift so the seasoned Justice Leaguer can stay in the fight with Sinestro. Comet guides him by the arm into the sky, forming a bubble of air on the way to allow them survival in the vacuum of space!

The pair catch up with Sinestro somewhere between Earth and Mars and call for his surrender. The chase ends when Sinestro turns to fly directly at his enemies!

The attempted collision is cut-off by Captain Comet, who locks up with Sinestro in a wrist and knuckle lock! The villain gloats that while he may control his hands, the energy constructs of his yellow ring cannot be stopped!

Sinestro manifests a vise around Comet's skull and slowly begins squeezing!

The seasoned space-hero remains stoic, focusing his concentration on mentally keeping the vise from closing! His efforts prove fruitful!

A sudden swing of both fists sends Sinestro snapping violently into his own weapon! A kayo victory!

The Hammer...

Y'know, I thought I was looking forward to a fun match-up for Hawkman, but our fine feathered friend didn't make much of an impact on this one. The victory clearly belongs to Captain Comet!

I've been jamming to Flash Gordon over the holiday break, so the retro sci-fi of Captain Comet actually sits perfectly well with me.

Comet doesn't really strike me as having the gritty panache I associate with Gordon, and the comic strips by Alex Raymond, but the comparison is fun when you think about Flash's relationship with Hawkman's pulp forebears.

Comet got a visual update for his return to DC Comics in the seventies, but you can still clearly see fifties sci-fi all over him. In fact, it's rather nice that the period was allowed to remain a defining piece of the character's backstory.

Usually I seek clean, recent artwork to represent characters in those little mugshots I make, but every now and then there's a character so wrapped up in an era I like to go retro. The Captain Comet portrait above is drawn by Carmine Infantino, seen on the cover of Strange Adventures #9 -- his first appearance!

If I were calling the shots, I'd probably revert the character's design back to that original uniform! As '50s spacemen go, it isn't necessarily a stand-out, but in 2017 that's a look that Captain Comet can completely own!

It's rather astounding to think the character continued well into recent decades. He's remained a part of DC's space fabric in books like L.E.G.I.O.N., Mystery in Space, and The Rann-Thanagar War. You may even remember Captain Comet from his role in Kingdom Come as the warden of Superman's gulag! I'm told he's even floating around (in some fashion) in the DC Universe of The New 52!

Recent years not withstanding; I kinda see Captain Comet as a blueprint for the best way to handle a guy like Captain Marvel. Both are heroes who has a place among the modern pantheon, but work better not as generic equivalents of similar characters, but as torchbearers for the out-of-vogue styles of the eras that defined them. The once standard: now unique within a modern context!

I've had a lot of fun talking Captain Comet's return to the "modern" DCU. If you got a kick out of it too, you might like to check out The Secret Society of Super-Villains yourself! By using the Amazon link provided [right], you support the site with your collected edition purchase at no extra cost!

Take your own journey through the years by visiting links throughout this post, or tagged below. Or simply dive into the Secret Archive to check out previous featured fights indexed by publisher, series, and issue number!

Follow on Facebook and Twitter to get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! A like, share and retweet is another great way to help the wars remain infinite!

Winner: Captain Comet (w/ Hawkman)
#308 (new) Captain Comet
#31 (--) Hawkman [+1 assist]
#118 (-15) Sinestro

DOCTOR FATE versus HAWKMAN

Chapter Three: What Price Vengeance? (DC)
Where: All-Star Squadron #4 When: December 1981
Why: Roy Thomas How: Rich Buckler

The Story So Far...
December 8, 1941: The combined powers of The All-Star Squadron race to the Hawaiian island of Oahu to witness the aftermath of a terrible attack! The decimation of Pearl Harbor shocks their senses, and strengthens America's resolve to answer the call to World War II.

The unprecedented assembly of heroes flights East to meet their attackers head-on, unaware that a conspiring force anticipates their arrival! The Dragon King lies on a small island somewhere between Hawaii and Japan, plotting to manipulate the super-powered All-Stars with methods of science and the super-natural!

What good will the Justice Society and their allies be when their most powerful members become dedicated agents of The Axis Powers?!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Doctor Fate 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Doctor Fate 5 (Professor)
Speed: Hawkman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Doctor Fate 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: Hawkman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Doctor Fate 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Doctor Fate 31 (Super Powered)

When it comes to super-powers in the DC Universe -- they don't often come much more powerful than Doctor Fate!

As the wearer of the Helmet of Fate; Kent Nelson is in commune with the very matter and energy of the universe! Guided by Nabu and the Lords of Order: he possesses phenomenal magical arsenals and acumen. He is nigh immortal, invulnerable, and capable of manipulating time, space & reality!

Hawkman certainly has his work cut out for him if he's going to beat his JSA team mate! Not that he's any stranger to fighting beyond his weight class!

In Justice League of America #200 we saw Hawkman go up against Superman in a similar scenario. He was outmatched, but when they met again many years later in Superman/Batman #4 -- The Claw of Horus gave him the physical might to knock Superman out with the force of an entire planet!

The Claw won't show up for twenty years after our featured fight, but the Nth metal its made of is a mainstay of Hawkman's arsenal. Originally "Ninth Metal", it allows him to fly, heal wounds, increases his strength and durability, and has even been known to have occult properties. Is that enough to help him?

Hawkman has the minerals to face down just about any foe, but his usual array of medieval weaponry won't mean much against Doctor Fate!

At the time of this battle, the mighty mystic wears his "half helm". This shortened version reduces the power of his magic in exchange for relieving the possessive nature of the Helmet of Fate. Despite this reduction, he remains super-humanly strong and durable!

If Hawkman's to give himself his best shot, he may need to hit his hexed friend hard and fast -- and hope the peculiarities of magic create a loophole that evens the playing field! We saw how that can work when Doctor Fate was unable to intervene against The Demon's Three in Justice League Unlimited #14.

The Dragon King's mind manipulation targets magically inclined heroes more than others, but who knows what that means! Let's find out!

The Tape: Doctor Fate Ranking: Hawkman (#32)

What Went Down...
Together America's greatest super-powers soar the skies as a single force: The All-Star Squadron! Leaving the battered shores of Pearl Harbor they fly across the Pacific Ocean -- unwittingly passing over a small, sinister outpost!

From the seemingly deserted tropical island: The Dragon King activates a machine powered by The Holy Grail, and designed to target the Justice Society's most magic sensitive heroes! The dynamo spews forth undetectable waves of energy that ripple through the All-Stars like a tingling shock of electricity!

Green Lantern is the first to act upon the impulse to turn against America, soon followed by Johnny Thunderbolt! As Hawkman swoops in to intervene with a voice of reason -- Doctor Fate glides in for a surprise attack!

The sudden uppercut connects with Hawkman's unsuspecting jaw -- but his aerial expertise allows the winged hero to recovery quickly!

He repositions himself to be facing his unlikely attacker, while the mad Doctor Fate orders Green Lantern to destroy the flightless heroes among them!

Hawkman has no choice but to pit his spiked mace against the Helmet of Fate!

Hawkman sends the spiked-ball of his chained weapon colliding into Fate's metallic half helm, but it barely stuns him! Though the mystic may have lost his magical mastery -- he remains an unnaturally strong physical opponent!

The sky becomes the scene of an uncanny chase as Doctor Fate relentlessly pursues Hawkman. His words aim to demoralize as he boasts equal speed and superior endurance to the winged hero. Hawkman listens!

His chained mace drags stubbornly against the wind as Hawkman carves a hard and sudden change in direction! It follows as he flies a path directly for Fate -- undeterred by the mind-altered hero's snide boasts of invulnerability!

The moment of collision arrives -- but Doctor Fate has had a change of heart!

Aerial maneuvers had inadvertently taken them beyond the field of The Dragon King's machine! Doctor Fate's mind returns to that of a great hero, no longer impelled to wage war against the Justice Society of America!

The Hammer...

Let the debate rage on: Who would have won had the fight continued?

It certainly seemed as if Doctor Fate's incredible invulnerability put him firmly in command, but Hawkman's never-say-die attitude is legendary! I'm sure most will come down on the side of Fate, but I like to think Hawkman's will still could've found a way. The Doctor certainly looked worse for wear at the end!

This month on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths we're spotlighting some of the heroes and villains featured in Injustice 2! The fighting game sequel is out now for home consoles, offering an eclectic mix of DCU icons in a universe where Superman has become a threat to truth, justice and freedom.

The exciting addition of Doctor Fate was the subject of Hero of the Week back in March, but alas, Hawkman is yet to make an appearance in the DC video game series! A fighting game without one of DC's greatest fighters?! I know!

Hawkgirl took up the slack with a lone playable appearance in 2013's Injustice: Gods Among Us. Better later than never: the sequel introduces a concept called "Premier Skins", which map all new character assets to existing gameplay. The perfect system for delivering both Hawks, should either ever appear again!

Think Professor Zoom using the moves of The Flash, or Hal Jordan's moves as a base to map John Stewart's voice and appearance into the game. An appropriate compromise to include characters who might otherwise be functionally similar in a video game setting. Imperfect, but a net positive.

Even Jay Garrick gets a run in the Premier Skin system! When you think about the tough times the Golden Age heroes have had of late, especially in comics - that's pretty nifty!

There's really no under estimating the simple "cool factor" at work with Golden Age heroes. Doctor Fate and Hawkman really only need to show up to spark an ember of interest. I've never been a big fan of the "half helm" seen in today's feature fight, but you get that full Helmet of Fate out, and it demands attention!

I can't help but think of the cover of Hawkman (Vol. 4) #24. A pretty cool action shot of Hawkman clubbing Doctor Fate - just like our featured fight! It doesn't actually reflect the contents of the issue, but it's the kind of cover that draws your eye. These characters are just so visually thrilling!

Such is the baffling quandary of publishers shuttling their classic characters out of continuity, or trying to disguise them. Tell readers the story exists in a cordoned off bubble and you might alleviate the "completist" anxieties of a few timid "new readers". Once that plays out, all that's achieved is further division of the audience, and a reinforcement of the idea that backstory is a problem.

In my experience; the uninitiated are often drawn to a visually striking character like Hawkman or Doctor Fate, and have a healthy appetite for learning more of 'the bits that matter' in their history. These "new readers" are willing and interested to engage in deep comics backstory, provided its in a no frills, easily digested format. A litany of reboots and reinventions can only discourage.

Good fiction is constructive, and needn't dwell on details that aren't immediately relevant. Our own lives are an example of the ways old relationships and details can be stirred to relevance, but we don't dwell on everything every time we enter into a situation. A good comic tells you what you need to know.

1981's All-Star Squadron roughly had a foot in both camps. I tend to think the division of Earth-1 and Earth-2 was more trouble than its worth, and freezing the characters in the 1940s is a trickier prospect now - another thirty years on from World War II. Not that its impossible. Retro visions like Sandman Mystery Theatre are, in my opinion, evergreen as a genre style. I also think Nazis deserve their place as the perennial bad guys asking for a kicking!

Ultimately, I prefer the consolidated, forward moving approach that made the mid-2000s a great run for JSA and Hawkman. For a while there, Geoff Johns was the master of striking a balance between the immovable qualities of Golden & Silver Age characters, and their intuitive placement in the modern age.

The more the entertainment world tries to forge hastily assembled histories and imitation shared universes -- the more it seems absurd that comics would ever do anything but promote the unique feature of their genuine back catalogue!

Do you think Hawkman and Doctor Fate are obviously awesome? Be sure to follow links throughout this post, or dive into the Secret Archive Index, to discover even more gems, rants, and superhero smackdown!

Follow along on Twitter and Facebook to get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! A like, share, or retweet is a great way to support the site and spread the battle cry of The Comic Book Fight Club! You can also use the Amazon link provided to sponsor the site at no extra cost to your purchase!

Note: All-Star Squadron #1-#18 are collected in the Showcase reprint series [pictured right], which are a black and white publication. For Carl Gafford's vibrant colours you'll have to seek out original back issues, or digitally sold equivalents. For buyer satisfaction, always remember to research products before buying!

Winner: Draw (Inconclusive)
#31 (+1) Hawkman
#128 (+18) Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson)