Blackhawk - a novel based on the DC Comics characters

The 1970s and 1980s were the decades when I was just getting into comic books as a kid, and while my growing love of the medium expanded by leaps and bounds, my knowledge of all the non-comic merchandise being put out there was very limited (remember, this was pre-Internet days!).  Thus, just like I was unaware of the two House of Mystery novels by Jack Olsek (The House of Mystery, Book 1 and The House of Mystery, Book 2), I was also unaware of the William Rotstler novel from the early 1980s based on some DC characters that were acquired from Quality Comics.  While I am not really a fan of war comics or war stories, this book was passed on to me by my friend, Kevin, after he finished reading it.  So, since it was a gift, I figured it was time to sit down and read it.

 

Blackhawk was originally published by Quality Comics and first appeared back in 1941 in the first issue of Military Comics.  The character and team was created by Chuck Cuidera, with assistance from comic legend Will Eisner, along with Bob Powell.   The character has seen a number of iterations through the decades, and his origin (and even his real name) has changed as well.  Author William Rotsler, as he states in the book's Afterword, stays pretty close to the original story in Military Comics No. 1.  The main character is an ace pilot who is shot down over Poland, and while trying to reach the house of his brother and sister, he witnesses the Germans bomb the house, killing both of his siblings.  He vows vengeance on Von Tepp, the man responsible for their deaths, and he sets about building a squadron of men to take on the Nazi forces and find, and kill, Von Tepp.  Assuming the name "Blackhawk," he gathers a rag-tag team of men to form his team:  Andre, a French pilot; Olaf, a Swedish pilot; Stanislaus, a Polish fighter; Hendrickson, a Dutch flyer; and a Chinese man skilled in karate, who they refer to as "Chop-Chop."  

 

I had expected there to be one story within the book; however, Rotsler wraps up the tale of vengeance against Von Tepp within the first half of the book, and the second half is spent with the team rescuing a female British agent known as "Bluebird" and working to take out a WarEagle machine terrorizing England.  From what I can gather online (since I never read any of the Blackhawk comics from either company), the story of Blackhawk's search and ultimate revenge on Von Tepp stay pretty true to the comic tale.  In the comics, they track down Von Tepp in France, where he is holding one of Blackhawk's men hostage.  Blackhawk sends a note demanding the release of his man, so Von Tepp orders his execution along with two other captives, including an English nurse.  The Blackhawks arrived in time to save the captives, capture Von Tepp, and take him back to Blackhawk Island where Blackhawk challenges his adversary to a one-on-one aerial duel.  Both planes crash, and Von Tepp is killed in a volley of bullets.  The book maintains most of these story elements, with slight variations - there is only one other captive being held by Von Tepp (the nurse), and Von Tepp is killed during a physical fight after the planes crash, and he is pushed back against a sharp piece of metal that pierced his heart, leaving him dead.

 

The other two adventures - the rescue of Bluebird and the take-down of the WarEagle - are more fast-paced and read like your typical war stories. And while the Blackhawks are a team, the stories are definitely focused on Blackhawk himself (who, curiously enough, is never identified by any real name - it seems no one, not even his own teammates, know his true identity), who turns out to be the hero of every story.  His men serve him faithfully and rarely, if ever, question his command or his orders.  Again, war stories are not really my cup of tea, so I had to force myself to read page after page to ultimately finish the book.  The writing itself is not bad by any means, but the stories simply did not interest me that much.

 

 The cover art is provided by Romas Kukalis, a Canadian artist, who is well known for his cover art for science fiction and fantasy novels.  Some of his early work apparently included illustrations for Creepy, Eerie, and Heavy Metal magazines, before he moved on to painting book covers for publishers such as Ace, Berkley, Del Ray, and others.  His cover for this novel depicts not only Blackhawk and his men firing off against an unseen enemy, but it includes a lone female figure standing right beside Blackhawk.  The scene does not actually occur anywhere in the book (as the females rescued by the Blackhawks do not take an active role in fighting the enemy during the stories), but is merely a representation of the characters and action.

 

 In my research online after reading this book, I discovered Blackhawk has had much more exposure than I realized - not only the various comic book series and this novel, but there was also a serial back in the 1950s starring Kirk Alyn; there was a radio series, voided by Michael Fitzmaurice; there was even a limited edition G.I. Joe doll of Blackhawk in 2002, complete with various uniforms!  Apparently, in the 1980s, Steven Spielberg had plans to adapt the comic into a movie, but the project was scrapped; later, in 2018, Warner Bros. tried again, with Spielberg once again attached to the project.  In 2022, a script was confirmed to have been written for a film; however, with the new Gunn-driven DC film universe, it's unlikely that film will see the light of day.

 

For those who love war stories and war/military comics, this book is probably a great read.  For me, it was somewhat tedious, and I had to force my way through it to finish it.  There were hints in the Afterword that this was to be the first in a series of novels, but no other Blackhawk novels were ever published.

 

And, ah, yes, before I forget, I should mention that Rotsler did provide some Easter Eggs in the story for comic fans.  The name of Blackhawk's benefactor, who helps finance the planes, provides their secret island, and keeps them informed with secret military information is named "Levitz" - obviously after Paul Levitz, a major player at DC Comics during the '70s and '80s, as both an editor and writer.  The name of Levitz' firm in the book is "Levitz, Cuidera, and Dillin" - a tribute to Paul Levitz, Chuck Cuidera (Blackhawk's creator), and Dick Dillin (who provided art for Blackhawk in both the Military Comics series by Quality, as well as Blackhawk's own series).

 

Aside from that, Rotsler has Blackhawk utilize a "small sabotage device called a fire pencil [which was] the size of a small fountain pen..." (p. 106).  I found this interesting, because it immediately brought to mind those "pencil bombs" that Mildred Wirt referenced in the 12th Penny Parker mystery,  Voice from the Cave.  I had never heard of these before reading the Penny Parker book, and now here they appear for a second time in this Blackhawk novel!  An interesting coincidence...

 

RATING:  6 twin-engine Grummans out of 10 for a novel filled with plenty of wartime action, dramatic battles, and heroic last-minute saves - a definite compliment to the comic stories upon which the book is based. 

Secret of the Forest - a Children's Press mystery (the second Roger and Jimmy Keene mystery)

The Children's Press (London and Glasgow) seems to have published a number of books for boys and girls back in the mid-20th Century under "The Boys' and Girls' Library" heading.  I own and have read a couple of books from this series of titles (Kit and the Mystery Man and The Headland Mystery), and since both of those books were fairly decent reads, I will pick up books from this publisher when I happen across them - which is not too often.  This particular book was found by a friend of mine in Canada (as I rarely see these titles here in the States), and when she sent me an image, I immediately said, "Yes!"  Three teens - two boys and a girl - held at gunpoint by a white-haired villain in what appears to be a cave - yes, there could be no doubt in my mind this would make for an interesting story!

 

Secret of the Forest, as it turns out, is the second mystery to feature Roger Keene and his younger brother, Jimmy. I was not aware of this when I bought it and started reading it, but now that I do know, obviously, I need to find a copy of the first book in this 2-book series.  The author is H.J. Goodyer, and there is not much information out there about this particular writer, other than the fact that he/she wrote three books - this one, the first Keene Brothers book, and a third book entitled Time for Reflection: Love is Every Child's Birthright (which is clearly not a mystery like the other two!).  I find it odd that there is little to nothing on the internet about Goodyer, leading me to wonder if the name is simply a pseudonym.  In any event, Goodyer does offer readers a rather tense mystery involving World War II, spies, and counterfeit money.

 

The adventure begins as brothers, Roger and Jimmy Keene, are traveling the German countryside with their Uncle Arnold, headed for a guesthouse  named "Der grun Specht," which translates into The Green Woodpecker.  Back during the war, the building was taken by the British and used as a temporary headquarters for the Colonel and his men. Eventually, it was purchased and turned into a guesthouse, and a former soldier friend of Uncle Arnold's had offered them a stay at the old place.  Upon arrival, though, they begin to find things are a bit off.  Herr Holz appears cordial enough on the surface, but his wife, Frau Holz, seems extremely fearful and nervous.  The young chap, Willi, who seems to be the hired help, is anything but friendly.  There's also the waiter, Hans Gruber, who Uncle Arnold remembers from the war - but Hans begs his former friend to forget he ever knew him!  And then there is General von Tarkenheim and his daughter, Grizelda.  The General owns the guesthouse, but he does not communicate with his guests and appears to be angry most of the time.  And last, but not least, we must not forget Paul Konrad, who is all smiles, yet, behind those pearly whites, he is hiding a very important secret...

 

Robert and Jimmy are not really looking for a mystery, yet, at every turn, they come across more and more strange happenings.  When they notice the things in their room are being rifled through, and some things even go missing, they decide it is time to start investigating.  Then Grizelda comes to them for help, as someone is blackmailing her father, the General.  The three teens (hmmmm, Frank and Joe Hardy with Nancy Drew, perhaps?) team up to uncover the truth of what is going on at The Green Woodpecker.  It quickly turns into a very deadly game, as Gruber is run down and killed, and a merciless treasure hunter takes the brothers and their new friend deep within a cave and leaves them there to die with no way to escape!  This story is definitely not your typical children's mystery fare, but a much more mature tale of war heroes, unrepentant villains, deadly killers, and ruthless treasure hunters. 

The story mentions several places in Germany, and I was curious as to whether any of them were real.  The small village of Kallendorf that the Keenes and their uncle pass through early in the story (p. 10) is likely a variation on the real city of Allendorf, Germany.  The author does make reference to Hanover, Brunswick, and the Harz Mountains (p. 27), all of which are actual places in Germany.  The boys also indicate they "thought of running down to Goslar," which Konrad describes as "a delightful town ... much of the medieval so well preserved..." (p. 30).  Such town does exist, and it is an historic town that is famous for its ore mines.  It is also just south of Brunswick and southeast of Hanover, which would fit with the other cites the Keene brothers were planning to visit during the stay.  The ore mining would certainly explain the caves in which the teens find themselves captive, and the details of the location lead one to think the author might have visited there or otherwise be familiar with the area.  Again, I'm a sucker for books that integrate factual locations or other elements into the stories, as it tends to ground them a bit more, making even the most unbelievable tales somewhat more believable.

 

While it is definitely more of a mature story than the standard children's mysteries here in the States, this is a pretty good book and worth the read.  Leaves me with a desire to find that first Keene brothers' book and read it!

 

RATING:  8 wild boars with wicked-looking tusks out of 10 for a suspenseful story with a rather intricate and at times very dangerous plot.