With James Gunn and Peter Safran relaunching the DCU and prepping a new slate of films to reintroduce characters, now is the time to consider adding some DC comics to your collection – before anything is announced and prices rapidly rise. Let’s take a look at Hawkman.

Hawkman’s Debut in the Golden Age

Regardless of his inclusion in Black Adam, you have to figure Gunn and Safran will be bringing Hawkman back in some way; he’s too cool a character to just leave sitting around gathering dust. Hawkman made his first appearance in Flash Comics #1, cover dated January 1940. I recently wrote about this book in DCU Spec: The Flash, so check it out if you want to know more about how Flash Comics #1 is performing in the market.

There’s one problem with Flash Comics #1 if you’re a Hawkman fan: he only shows up in a little circle on the cover. Instead, it’s the Flash who gets the starring role on the cover of his first comic. What were those folks at DC thinking? If you want Hawkman’s first full cover appearance, it’s the next issue that matters – Flash Comics #2.

There are only 37 graded copies of Flash Comics #2 in the CGC census. Of these, ten are restored or conserved. Sales over the past year have been very interesting: a restored 2.5 sold in a June eBay sale for $2,660, a universal 4.0 sold in a June Heritage auction for $22,800, and a restored 7.0 sold in the January 16 Heritage auction for $11,400.

We have a close comparison for the restored 7.0 in a conserved 6.5 which sold in an April 2021 ComicConnect auction for $4,525. Even accounting for the difference in grade, that’s a huge increase. Our closest comp for the universal 4.0 is a universal 3.5 selling in a September 2020 Hake’s auction for $3,486.

This is a rare comic, and Golden Age books like this can sometimes fetch much higher if more than one person is bidding. Still, I’d be surprised to see prices continue to rise like this if one is available in an auction any time soon.

Big All-American Hawkman

Hawkman would have a long run in Flash Comics throughout the Golden Age. That, and his appearances as a member of the Justice Society of America, made him one of DC’s bigger heroes. Like many of those Golden Age greats, Hawkman made an appearance in Big All-American Comic Book #1, a veritable smorgasbord of DC characters all under one cover.

What’s important about this issue, and why should you care as a Hawkman fan? It’s the first time Joe Kubert, an artist long associated with the character in the Silver Age, drew Hawkman.

There are 78 graded copies of Big All-American Comic Book #1 in the CGC census, with three of those copies selling in the past year. Those include a universal 3.0 selling for $2,500, a restored 4.0 for $840, and a universal 2.0 for $780.

Considering the number of characters in this book – Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern – and its importance as Kubert’s first work on Hawkman, getting your hands on a low-grade copy for under $1,000 strikes me as worth every penny.

Hawkman Returns in the Silver Age

Hawkman returned in the Silver Age in the pages of The Brave and the Bold #34. There are recent sales in multiple grades for this one, giving us a good idea of where the trends currently stand.

In April 2022, a 9.0 graded copy sold in a Heritage auction for $9,600. By the January 16 Heritage auction, that price had dropped to $6,300, down by a third. In December, a 6.5 sold in an eBay auction for $919. The latest sale in a 6.5 grade occurred in a January 15 eBay auction where it went for $725, a drop of 21%. Finally, a 4.0 sold on eBay in September for $500, while a copy in the same grade sold in the December Heritage auction for $373, a 25% decrease.

This is definitely a comic worth adding to your collection if prices continue to drop.

Hawkman (finally) Gets His Own Series

24 years after his debut in Flash Comics #1, Hawkman received his own solo series. Hawkman #1 doesn’t sell with the regularity of Hawkman’s Silver Age first appearance in The Brave and the Bold #34.

It’s been more than a few months since a copy in the higher grades has sold. However, in the mid-grades you’re looking at relatively current prices in the $275 to $325 range, depending on grade and presentation value.

Hawkman Joins the JLA

Like many of DC’s Silver Age superheroes, Hawkman would join the Justice League of America. His first appearance as a member of the team was in Justice League of America #31. If you’re a Hawkman fan, it’s a key. However, if you’re a Justice League collector, this looks like just another run filler.

There are only 161 graded copies, and they just don’t sell all that often – four in 2022. Based on those sales, you could likely get your hands on an 8.0 graded copy for under $100.

Hawkworld

Sadly for Hawkman fans, the Silver Age was really the character’s swan song. While he’s continued to be an ongoing player in DC comics, his solo series haven’t been worth collecting for decades. In terms of quality, however, it’s worth checking out Tim Truman’s take on the character in Hawkworld #1.

If you’re really looking to add this to your collection, a 9.8 graded copy will set you back around $50. But I highly recommend getting a reading copy as well.

Do you see Hawkman comics as worthwhile investments considering DCU speculation? Or is it too early to tell? Let us know below.

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.