Jeff Hawke
Encyclopedia
Jeff Hawke was a British science fiction
comic strip
created by Sydney Jordan
. It was published in the Daily Express
from 15 February 1955 to 18 April 1974, by which point Jordan had "written or co-written and drawn 6,474 episodes." Despite its obscurity in English
-speaking countries, it is often regarded as one of the most important science fiction comics ever released, especially in Italy
and Scandinavia
n countries.
. He long sought to draw a fantastic comic where he could exploit his skills in drawing aeroplanes
. In 1955 he met Eric Souster and Jim Gilbert in London
, two friends with whom he had served in the R.A.F.
Together they created the character of Jeff Hawke.
At first Jeff Hawke, presented as an ex-R.A.F. pilot (just like Jordan) was a rather ordinary, Flash Gordon
-like hero
ic character. The plots were centred around ordinary adventure and science fiction themes common in pulp
comics and fiction of the age, and at this stage the drawings were only of average quality. Nevertheless the strip was good enough to be published daily in the Daily Express.
In 1956 William Patterson joined his childhood friend Jordan, at first writing only the dialogue. However after a few years he began to produce plot lines and stories as well. This led to a dramatic improvement in the quality of the comic. Patterson made Jeff Hawke the first science fiction comic strip for adults, not just children or adolescents. Jordan, now concentrating entirely on drawing, improved his style to a highly suggestive, realistic, contrasted black-and-white mark. The Patterson-Jordan period is considered the "true" Jeff Hawke by most.
In 1969 Patterson's poor health forced him to stop working on Jeff Hawke. Jordan took back care of both stories and drawings, but without Patterson the quality of the strip declined again. Finally, on 18 April 1974 the Daily Express published its last Jeff Hawke strip.
In 1977, however, comics artist Brian Bolland
was approached by Jordan to ghost some episodes, and remarked that by this point fellow artist - "active in the days of comic fandom" and soon to turn professional - Paul Neary
had "already done quite a few." Bolland drew 15 episodes, and "Syd touched up some of the daces, a few details here and there, to make them look a bit more like him." By this point, "although the Express owned the rights to the strip, they were not printing it," but since it had a strong European following, these new episodes (Bolland believes) "got collected in anthologies in French and Spanish," but not in the UK except briefly in "the fanzine Eureka."
Jordan later tried to revamp the character by publishing a similar strip called Lance McLane in the Scottish
newspaper
Daily Record
. After this failed to catch on, Jordan came up with an embarrassing plot hole
in which McLane somehow transformed himself into Hawke. However the resuscitated strip never recovered the original brilliance of the Patterson period: Jordan left more and more work to his unnamed helpers, and rapidly the strip fell into oblivion.
Jeff Hawke started as a conventional hero-vs-aliens
science fiction action comic, but under Patterson's direction it quickly developed its own individual style. The three frames format of the daily strip made it hard to create vivid action scenes, so the stories centred more on dialogue than on action and violence (although these do occur).
The Jeff Hawke character himself became more and more focused on reasoning, diplomacy
and moral virtues instead of brute force and bravery, and he is frequently forced by circumstances to be the ambassador
of mankind in front of alien species. There are many circumstances in which Jeff Hawke is more an observer than a participant.
The real main characters in Jeff Hawke were the aliens. The universe of Jeff Hawke was highly populated with strange alien species that came in contact with humans for various reasons – accidental contact, commercial interests, and so on, but hardly ever for invasion
. The plots of Jeff Hawke turned around the seemingly endless, baroque diversity of aliens and their worlds, their contacts with humans, and the ability of Hawke and his friends to manage relationships with so many different entities. The subtle wit of Patterson made the creatures and the plots revolving around them as fascinating as they were amusing, whereas the highly expressive Jordan drawing style fully captured the strangeness of the various worlds and creatures. The aliens were almost always much more technologically advanced and wise than humans, and often the plots were highly critical of various "primitive" aspects of the human race, like pollution
.
Often in the plots of Jeff Hawke there was a connection between extraterrestrial entities, archaeological mysteries and even supernatural creatures. The god Pan
and the devil
, among others, appeared in Jeff Hawke strips.
There was also a softcore
erotic flavour in some strips. For example, there were some instances in which alien creatures took the shape of beautiful young women.
Apart from Jeff Hawke himself, there are not many recurring characters in the comic, and almost no stable one. Here are listed the ones that recur the most.
, Spain
, ex-Yugoslavia
and some other European countries.
In USA, Jeff Hawke was printed in the "Deseret News" and was reprinted in Menomonee Falls Gazette.
, noting that it happened on 4 August 1969. Thus, Sydney Jordan and William Patterson forecast the real date of this event with an error of only two weeks, ten years before Neil Armstrong
made the first descent to the Moon surface on July 21.
"The discerning may recognise from my drawings of Hawke, that I used Hans Meyer as a model."
South African actor Hans Meyer
later went on to feature in a number of TV shows including BBC TV's Colditz
as Hauptmann Ullmann.
of Titan Books
was finding considerable success with Judge Dredd
and other 2000AD
collections, and obtained the rights to publish some Jeff Hawke collections, and with them "[n]early 7,000 [copies of] episodes in a huge ungainly pile" from the Express offices. He approached professional fan Brian Bolland
, who suggested "Overlord" as the first story to be collected, and duly produced a cover for the collection. A second collection followed soon after, subtitled "Counsel for the Defence," also under a newly-commissioned cover from the popular Dredd and Camelot 3000
artist, Bolland. Bolland notes, though, that "[s]ales of the Jeff Hawke collections were obviously disappointing, so there were only two." Plans were already afoot for a third collection, and the shelved book, Bolland reports, would have "contained another great story "The Ambassadors"."
In 2008, Titan Books
resurrected the Patterson-era comic strip collections in a hardback archival -'collector's' - format, issued alongside their similar hardback Dan Dare
and Charley's War
collections, and in tandem with other collections of Daily Express strip
favourites Modesty Blaise and James Bond.
The first book covered the same contents as the two volumes from nearly twenty-five-years previously; the second volume echoes Bolland's recollection of the mooted contents of the unpublished original third volume.
The British Jeff Hawke Club began reprinting Jeff Hawke in its journal, Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, in 2003. Each issue includes story notes on the science featured in the story, and commentary on the origins of the tales from creator Sydney Jordan. In addition to the regular magazine, three special editions - The Martian Quartet, Lunar 10 and Hawke's Notes have also been published.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
created by Sydney Jordan
Sydney Jordan
Sydney Jordan is a comics artist best known for his daily science fiction strip Jeff Hawke, which ran in the Daily Express from 1955 to 1974....
. It was published in the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
from 15 February 1955 to 18 April 1974, by which point Jordan had "written or co-written and drawn 6,474 episodes." Despite its obscurity in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking countries, it is often regarded as one of the most important science fiction comics ever released, especially in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n countries.
Publication history
Sydney Jordan was a graduate of the Aeronautical Technical School in ReadingReading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. He long sought to draw a fantastic comic where he could exploit his skills in drawing aeroplanes
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
. In 1955 he met Eric Souster and Jim Gilbert in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, two friends with whom he had served in the R.A.F.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Together they created the character of Jeff Hawke.
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
-like hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
ic character. The plots were centred around ordinary adventure and science fiction themes common in pulp
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
comics and fiction of the age, and at this stage the drawings were only of average quality. Nevertheless the strip was good enough to be published daily in the Daily Express.
In 1956 William Patterson joined his childhood friend Jordan, at first writing only the dialogue. However after a few years he began to produce plot lines and stories as well. This led to a dramatic improvement in the quality of the comic. Patterson made Jeff Hawke the first science fiction comic strip for adults, not just children or adolescents. Jordan, now concentrating entirely on drawing, improved his style to a highly suggestive, realistic, contrasted black-and-white mark. The Patterson-Jordan period is considered the "true" Jeff Hawke by most.
In 1969 Patterson's poor health forced him to stop working on Jeff Hawke. Jordan took back care of both stories and drawings, but without Patterson the quality of the strip declined again. Finally, on 18 April 1974 the Daily Express published its last Jeff Hawke strip.
In 1977, however, comics artist Brian Bolland
Brian Bolland
Brian Bolland is a British comics artist, known for his meticulous, detailed linework and eye-catching compositions. Best known in the UK as one of the definitive Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology 2000 AD, he spearheaded the 'British Invasion' of the American comics industry, and in...
was approached by Jordan to ghost some episodes, and remarked that by this point fellow artist - "active in the days of comic fandom" and soon to turn professional - Paul Neary
Paul Neary
Paul Neary is a British comic book artist, writer and editor.His first work was for Warren Publishing in the 1970s before working with Dez Skinn at Marvel UK as well as work for 2000 AD...
had "already done quite a few." Bolland drew 15 episodes, and "Syd touched up some of the daces, a few details here and there, to make them look a bit more like him." By this point, "although the Express owned the rights to the strip, they were not printing it," but since it had a strong European following, these new episodes (Bolland believes) "got collected in anthologies in French and Spanish," but not in the UK except briefly in "the fanzine Eureka."
Jordan later tried to revamp the character by publishing a similar strip called Lance McLane in the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
. After this failed to catch on, Jordan came up with an embarrassing plot hole
Plot hole
A plot hole, or plothole, is a gap or inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot, or constitutes a blatant omission of relevant information regarding the plot...
in which McLane somehow transformed himself into Hawke. However the resuscitated strip never recovered the original brilliance of the Patterson period: Jordan left more and more work to his unnamed helpers, and rapidly the strip fell into oblivion.
Story list
| |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Title | Writer | Artist | Strip numbers | Dates | Reprinted in |
| 1 | (Space Rider) | SJ | SJ | 1 - 138 | 1954-02-15 - 1954-07-26 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 1 Number 1 and 2 |
| 2 | (The Martian Invasion) | SJ | SJ | 139 - 388 | 1954-07-27 - 1955-06-22 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: The Martian Quartet |
| 3 | (The Search For Asteron) | SJ | SJ | 389 - 502 | 1955-06-23 - 1955-11-01 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: The Martian Quartet |
| 4 | (The Threat Of The Past) | SJ | SJ | 503 - 642 | 1955-11-02 - 1956-04-16 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: The Martian Quartet |
| 5 | Opposite Power | SJ | SJ | 643 - 702 | 1956-04-17 - 1956-06-25 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: The Martian Quartet |
| 6 | Sanctuary | WP/SJ | SJ | 703 - 809 | 1956-06-26 - 1956-10-27 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 2 Number 2 |
| 7 | Unquiet Island | WP | SJ | 810 - 927 | 1956-10-29 - 1957-03-16 | |
| 8 | The Castaway | SJ | SJ | 928 - 1098 | 1957-03-18 - 1957-10-03 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 6 Number 2 |
| 9 | Out Of Touch | HH | SJ | 1099 - 1253 | 1957-10-04 - 1958-04-05 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 5 Number 2 |
| 10 | The Dream Pedlars | SJ | SJ | 1254 - 1399 | 1958-04-07 - 1958-09-23 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 2 Number 3 |
| 11 | Poles Apart | WP/SJ | SJ | 1400 - 1544 | 1958-09-24 - 1959-03-13 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 3 Number 2 |
| 12 | Sacrifice | SJ | SJ | 1545 - 1712 | 1959-03-14 - 1959-09-26 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 1 Number 3, Vol 2, Number 1 |
| 13 | Time Out Of Mind | SJ | SJ | 1713 - 1824 | 1959-09-28 - 1960-02-09 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: Lunar 10 |
| 14 | Overlord | WP | SJ | 1825 - 1939 | 1960-02-10 - 1960-06-20 | T1 |
| 15 | Survival | WP | SJ | 1940 - 2011 | 1960-06-21 - 1960-09-12 | T1, Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 7 Number 1 |
| 16 | Wondrous Lamp | WP | SJ | 2012 - 2163 | 1960-09-13 - 1961-03-11 | T1, Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 6 Number 2 |
| 17 | Counsel For The Defense | WP | SJ | 2164 - 2285 | 1961-03-13 - 1961-08-02 | T1 |
| 18 | Pastmaster | WP | SJ | 2286 - 2351 | 1961-08-03 - 1961-10-18 | T2, Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: Lunar 10 |
| 19 | Immortal Toys | WP | SJ | 2352 - 2494 | 1961-10-19 - 1962-04-05 | T2 |
| 20 | The Ambassadors | WP | SJ | 2495 - 2578 | 1962-04-06 - 1962-07-13 | T2 |
| 21 | The Gamesman | WP | SJ | 2579 - 2639 | 1962-07-14 - 1962-09-23 | T2, Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 3 Number 3 |
| 22 | A Test Case | WP | SJ | 2640 - 2724 | 1962-09-24 - 1963-01-02 | T2, Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 1 |
| 23 | Pass The Parcel | SJ | SJ | 2725 - 2816 | 1963-01-03 - 1963-04-20 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 3 Number 1 |
| 24 | The Changeling | WP | SJ | 2817 - 2884 | 1963-04-21 - 1963-07-08 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 5 Number 2 |
| 25 | Rip Van Haddow | WP | SJ | 2885 - 2950 | 1963-07-09 - 1963-09-24 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 1 Number 1 |
| 26 | Prodigal Son | WP | SJ | 2951 - 3024 | 1963-09-25 - 1963-12-19 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 1 Number 2 |
| 27 | Uncanny Deep | WP | SJ | 3025 - 3082 | 1963-12-20 - 1964-01-27 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 5 Number 1 |
| 28 | Winner Gain All | SJ | SJ | 3083 - 3152 | 1964-01-28 - 1964-05-21 | |
| 29 | Faery Land Forlorn | WP | SJ | 3153 - 3238 | 1964-05-22 - 1964-08-29 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 5 Number 3 |
| 30 | A Foreign Body | WP | SJ | 3239 - 3283 | 1964-08-31 - 1964-10-22 | |
| 31 | Moonstruck | SJ | SJ | 3284 - 3327 | 1964-10-23 - 1964-12-11 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: Lunar 10 |
| 32 | The Helping Hand | WP | SJ | 3328 - 3395 | 1964-12-12 - 1965-03-03 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 2 |
| 33 | Anti-gravity Man | WP | SJ | 3396 - 3504 | 1965-03-04 - 1965-07-09 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 2 Number 1 |
| 34 | Made In Birmingham | WP | SJ | 3505 - 3566 | 1965-07-10 - 1965-09-20 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 5 Number 2 |
| 35 | The Oil Rig | WP | SJ | 3567 - 3623 | 1965-09-21 - 1965-11-25 | |
| 36 | Incognito | WP | SJ | 3624 - 3644 | 1965-11-26 - 1965-12-20 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 1 |
| 37 | The Great Atlantic Crossing | WP | SJ | 3645 - 3735 | 1965-12-21 - 1966-04-08 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 2 Number 3 |
| 38 | Getaway | WP | SJ | 3736 - 3753 | 1966-04-09 - 1966-04-29 | |
| 39 | Ghost Errant | WP | SJ | 3754 - 3819 | 1966-04-30 - 1966-07-15 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 2 Number 2 |
| 40 | A Word Of Advice | WP | SJ | 3820-3846 | 1966-07-16 - 1966-08-16 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 1 |
| 41 | The Intelligent Ones | WP | SJ | 3847 - 3896 | 1966-08-17 - 1966-10-13 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: Hawke's Notes |
| 42 | Wildcat | WP | SJ | 3897 - 3951 | 1966-10-14 - 1966-12-16 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 2 |
| 43 | Overland | WP | SJ | 3952 - 4084 | 1966-12-17 - 1967-05-24 | |
| 44 | The Engine That Worked On Grass | WP | SJ | 4085 - 4173 | 1967-05-25 - 1967-09-05 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 5 Number 3 |
| 45 | The Hole In Space | WP | SJ | 4174 - 4261 | 1967-09-06 - 1967-12-16 | |
| 46 | The Venusian Club | WP | SJ | 4262 - 4361 | 1967-12-18 - 1968-04-15 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 7 Number 1 |
| 47 | Cataclysm | WP | SJ | 4362 - 4433 | 1968-04-16 - 1968-07-09 | |
| 48 | The Poltergeist | WP | SJ | 4434 - 4517 | 1968-07-10 - 1968-11-22 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 3 Number 2 |
| 49 | Rogue Star | WP | SJ | 4518 - 4595 | 1968-11-23 - 1969-02-24 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 5 Number 3 |
| 50 | The Day The Moon Nearly Exploded | WP | SJ | 4596 - 4643 | 1969-02-25 - 1969-04-21 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: Lunar 10 |
| 51 | The Strange Ship | WP | SJ | 4644 - 4700 | 1969-04-22 - 1969-06-29 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: Lunar 10 |
| 52 | Daughter Of Eros | SJ | SJ/NF | 4701 - 4839 | 1969-06-30 - 1969-12-08 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 7 Number 1 |
| 53 | S. O. S. | SJ | SJ/NF | 4840 - 4916 | 1969-12-09 - 1970-03-10 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 3 |
| 54 | Rescue Party | SJ | SJ/NF | 4917 - 5008 | 1970-03-11 - 1970-07-01 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 3 |
| 55 | Chacondar! | SJ | SJ/NF | 5009 - 5074 | 1970-07-02 - 1970-09-16 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 1 Number 3 |
| 56 | The Book Of The Worlds | SJ | SJ/NF | 5075 - 5172 | 1970-09-17 - 1971-01-10 | |
| 57 | Time Is Out Of Joint | SJ | SJ/NF | 5173 - 5254 | 1971-01-12 - 1971-04-20 | |
| 58 | Someday I'll Find You | SJ | SJ/NF | 5255 - 5330 | 1971-04-21 - 1971-07-17 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 7 Number 1 |
| 59 | The Bees On Daedalus | SJ | SJ/NF | 5331 - 5400 | 1971-07-19 - 1971-10-07 | |
| 60 | Here Be Tygers | SJ | SJ/NF | 5401 - 5498 | 1971-10-08 - 1972-02-01 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 3 |
| 61 | Selena | SJ | SJ/NF | 5499 - 5625 | 1972-02-02 - 1972-06-29 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: Lunar 10 |
| 62 | Sitting Tenants | SJ | SJ/NF | 5626 - 5778 | 1972-06-30 - 1973-01-01 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 3 Number 3 |
| 63 | Shorty's Secret | SJ | SJ/NF/MA | 5779 - 5904 | 1973-01-02 - 1973-05-31 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: Lunar 10 |
| 64 | On The Run | SJ | SJ/NF | 5905 - 6001 | 1973-06-01 - 1973-09-21 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 2 |
| 65 | The Comet's Tale | SJ | SJ/NF | 6002 - 6118 | 1973-09-22 - 1974-02-09 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 6 Number 2 |
| 66 | The First Person Plural | SJ | SJ/NF | 6119 - 6175 | 1974-02-11 - 1974-04-18 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, Vol 4 Number 1 |
| 67 | The Winds Of March | SJ | SJ | 6176 - 6257 | 1975-11-04 - 1976-??-?? | |
| 68 | Moratorro | SJ | SJ | 6258 - 6413 | 1975-05-05 - 1975-11-01 | |
| 69 | Heir Apparent | SJ | SJ/BB/PN | 6414 - 6487 | Jeff Hawke's Cosmos: Lunar 10 | |
Themes
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
science fiction action comic, but under Patterson's direction it quickly developed its own individual style. The three frames format of the daily strip made it hard to create vivid action scenes, so the stories centred more on dialogue than on action and violence (although these do occur).
The Jeff Hawke character himself became more and more focused on reasoning, diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
and moral virtues instead of brute force and bravery, and he is frequently forced by circumstances to be the ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
of mankind in front of alien species. There are many circumstances in which Jeff Hawke is more an observer than a participant.
Alien invasion
The alien invasion is a common theme in science fiction stories and film, in which extraterrestrial life invades Earth either to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it under a colonial system, harvest humans for food, steal the planet's resources, or destroy the planet altogether.The...
. The plots of Jeff Hawke turned around the seemingly endless, baroque diversity of aliens and their worlds, their contacts with humans, and the ability of Hawke and his friends to manage relationships with so many different entities. The subtle wit of Patterson made the creatures and the plots revolving around them as fascinating as they were amusing, whereas the highly expressive Jordan drawing style fully captured the strangeness of the various worlds and creatures. The aliens were almost always much more technologically advanced and wise than humans, and often the plots were highly critical of various "primitive" aspects of the human race, like pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
.
Often in the plots of Jeff Hawke there was a connection between extraterrestrial entities, archaeological mysteries and even supernatural creatures. The god Pan
Pan (mythology)
Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
and the devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, among others, appeared in Jeff Hawke strips.
There was also a softcore
Softcore
Softcore pornography is a form of filmic or photographic pornography or erotica that is less sexually explicit than hardcore pornography. It is intended to tickle and arouse men and women. Softcore pornography depicts nude and semi-nude performers engaging in casual social nudity or non-graphic...
erotic flavour in some strips. For example, there were some instances in which alien creatures took the shape of beautiful young women.
Characters
- Jeff Hawke: A well-educated, ex-pilot, with an outstanding scientific and archaeological knowledge and a seraphic, ironic attitude. He usually wears a sober suitSuit (clothing)In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
and a necktieNecktieA necktie is a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck or shoulders, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat. Variants include the ascot tie, bow tie, bolo tie, and the clip-on tie. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neck...
, unless when he's forced to use a spacesuit (which happens quite often). - Laura: The girlfriend of Jeff Hawke, almost disappears after the first stories.
- Mac McLean: A Canadian air force pilot, he is Jeff Hawke's aid in many situations and one of the few human recurring characters.
- Kolvorok: The First Official of the Intergalactic Police. A funny, one-eyed, jellyfishJellyfishJellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
-shaped tentacled alien, it is as verbose as inept. - Chalcedon: A gigantic humanoid, and a mischievous, arrogant, clever interstellar criminal. He always manages to escape both Jeff Hawke and the Intergalactic Police.
Recognition
Despite being published in an English newspaper, Jeff Hawke is practically unknown in English-speaking countries. On the other hand, it gained considerable popularity in Italy, SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, ex-Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and some other European countries.
In USA, Jeff Hawke was printed in the "Deseret News" and was reprinted in Menomonee Falls Gazette.
Jeff Hawke and the Apollo Moon Landings
In the strip H1760 (see image), published 21 November 1959, it is possible to see a stone that commemorates the first human landing on the MoonMoon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, noting that it happened on 4 August 1969. Thus, Sydney Jordan and William Patterson forecast the real date of this event with an error of only two weeks, ten years before Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
made the first descent to the Moon surface on July 21.
Original model for Jeff Hawke
In the introduction to "The Jeff Hawke Book Two: Counsel for the Defence" (Titan Books, 1986), Sydney Jordan states:"The discerning may recognise from my drawings of Hawke, that I used Hans Meyer as a model."
South African actor Hans Meyer
Hans Meyer (actor)
Hans Meyer is a South African actor born to German parents. In Britain, he is probably best known for his portrayal of Hauptmann Franz Ulmann in the television series Colditz ....
later went on to feature in a number of TV shows including BBC TV's Colditz
Colditz (TV series)
Colditz is a British television series co-produced by the BBC and Universal Studios and screened between 1972 and 1974.The series deals with Allied prisoners of war imprisoned at the supposedly escape-proof Colditz Castle when designated Oflag IV-C during World War II, and their many attempts to...
as Hauptmann Ullmann.
Collected editions
In 1985, Nick LandauNick Landau
Nick Landau is a British media figure, currently co-owner of the Titan Entertainment Group, which publishes Titan Magazines and Titan Books.-2000 AD:...
of Titan Books
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
was finding considerable success with Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
and other 2000AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
collections, and obtained the rights to publish some Jeff Hawke collections, and with them "[n]early 7,000 [copies of] episodes in a huge ungainly pile" from the Express offices. He approached professional fan Brian Bolland
Brian Bolland
Brian Bolland is a British comics artist, known for his meticulous, detailed linework and eye-catching compositions. Best known in the UK as one of the definitive Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology 2000 AD, he spearheaded the 'British Invasion' of the American comics industry, and in...
, who suggested "Overlord" as the first story to be collected, and duly produced a cover for the collection. A second collection followed soon after, subtitled "Counsel for the Defence," also under a newly-commissioned cover from the popular Dredd and Camelot 3000
Camelot 3000
Camelot 3000 is an American twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Mike W. Barr and penciled by Brian Bolland. It was published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1985 as one of its first direct market projects, and as its first maxi-series.-Plot:...
artist, Bolland. Bolland notes, though, that "[s]ales of the Jeff Hawke collections were obviously disappointing, so there were only two." Plans were already afoot for a third collection, and the shelved book, Bolland reports, would have "contained another great story "The Ambassadors"."
In 2008, Titan Books
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
resurrected the Patterson-era comic strip collections in a hardback archival -
Dan Dare
Dan Dare is a British science fiction comic hero, created by illustrator Frank Hampson who also wrote the first stories, that is, the Venus and Red Moon stories, and a complete storyline for Operation Saturn...
and Charley's War
Charley's War
Charley's War was British comic strip written by Pat Mills and drawn by Joe Colquhoun. It was originally published in Battle Picture Weekly from January 1979 to October 1985-Publishing history:...
collections, and in tandem with other collections of Daily Express strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
favourites Modesty Blaise and James Bond.
The first book covered the same contents as the two volumes from nearly twenty-five-years previously; the second volume echoes Bolland's recollection of the mooted contents of the unpublished original third volume.
- Jeff Hawke:
- Overlord (collects "Overlord", "Survival", "Wondrous Lamp" and "Counsel for the Defence", 128 pages, February 2008, ISBN 1845765974)
- The Ambassadors (collects "The Ambassadors", "Pastmaster", "The Immortal Toys", "The Gamesman" and "A Test Case", 128 pages, July 2008, ISBN 1845765982)
The British Jeff Hawke Club began reprinting Jeff Hawke in its journal, Jeff Hawke's Cosmos, in 2003. Each issue includes story notes on the science featured in the story, and commentary on the origins of the tales from creator Sydney Jordan. In addition to the regular magazine, three special editions - The Martian Quartet, Lunar 10 and Hawke's Notes have also been published.