Editing Black Hawk (British comics)

{{short description|British comic book story}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{All plot|date=September 2023}}
{{Fiction|date=September 2023}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2023}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox comics meta series <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> 
|character           = Black Hawk
|theme               = 
|title               = Black Hawk
|image               = Blackhawk character from Tornado.jpg
|imagesize           = <!-- default 250 -->
|caption             = Black Hawk on the cover to ''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]'' Prog. 137, dated 3 November 1979.
|alt                 =

<!-- If "character" is set -->
|debut               = ''[[Tornado (comics)|Tornado]]''
|debutmo             = 14 April
|debutyr             = 1979
|alter_ego           = 
|full_name           = 
|species             = Human
|homeworld           = [[Earth]]
|alliances           = 
|partners            = 
|aliases             = 
|powers              =

|schedule            = Weekly
|format              = 
|limited             = 
|anthology           = ''[[Tornado (comics)|Tornado]]''<br>''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]''
|graphicnovel        = 
|1shot               = 
|individual          = 
|titles              = ''[[Tornado (comics)|Tornado]]''<br><small>14 April to 18 August 1979</small><br>''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]''<br><small>25 August 1979 to 19 April 1980</small><br>''[[Tornado (comics)|Tornado Annual]]''<br><small>1981</small><br>''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD Annual]]''<br><small>1981 to 1982</small><br>''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD Sci-Fi Special]]''<br><small>1982</small>
|notable = y
|lang                = 
|genre               = 
|Adventure=y
|Adaptation          = 
|Adapt_link          = 
|publisher           = [[IPC Magazines]]<br>[[Fleetway Publications]]<br>[[Rebellion Developments]]
|date                = 
|startmo             = 14 April
|startyr             = 1979
|endmo               = 19 April
|endyr               = 1980
|issues              = 
|main_char_team      = Black Hawk<br>Ursa<br>Batak<br>Zog
|writers             = '''Tornado'''<br />[[Gerry Finley-Day]]<br />'''2000 AD'''<br />[[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]]/[[Kelvin Gosnell]] as "Alvin Gaunt"
|artists             = '''Tornado'''<br />[[Alfonso Azpiri]]<br />'''2000 AD'''<br />[[Massimo Belardinelli]]<br />Ramon Sola<br />[[Joe Staton]]<br />Greg Guler
|pencillers          = 
|inkers              = 
|letterers           = 
|colorists           = 
|editors             = Dave Hunt<br>Roy Preston<br>[[Steve MacManus]]
|creative_team_month = 
|creative_team_year  = 
|creators            = 
|nonUS               = 
|reprint             = 
|relang              = 
|relang#             = 
|TPB1                = Black Hawk: The Intergalactic Gladiator
|ISBN1               = 	9781907992599
|subcat              = 
|altcat              = 
|alttop              = 
|sort                = Black Hawk
|charsort            = Black Hawlk
|addpubcat#          = 
}}

'''''Black Hawk''''' was a  [[comics|comic]] strip appearing on the British magazine ''[[Tornado (comics)|Tornado]]'', created by [[Gerry Finley-Day]]. It was one of three strips to transfer from ''Tornado'' to ''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]'' after the two merged.

==Creation==
The lead character was inspired by [[Woody Strode]]'s role in the film ''[[Spartacus (film)|Spartacus]]''.<ref name=JDM278>{{cite magazine |last=Berridge |first=Ed |date=9 December 2008|title=Gerry Finley-Day: The Quiet Man|magazine=[[Judge Dredd Megazine]] |publisher=[[Rebellion Developments]]|issue=278}}</ref>

==Plot synopsis==

At the time of the Roman Empire a Nubian slave rises up against his captors and leads a rebellion. However his bravery is recognised by a Roman General and he is commissioned as a Roman Centurion. Black Hawk took his name from a Hawk that he adopted and assembled a crack platoon from hardened prisoners and other slaves. As with other Finley-Day war stories the basic plot was borrowed from ''[[The Dirty Dozen]]'' with Black Hawk's squad being singled out for the hardest missions.

In ''2000 AD'' he is taken from his Roman captors by an alien species only to be entered into their own intergalactic gladiatorial events against other alien species. Black Hawk adopts a [[Wookiee]] type alien as a sidekick (ironically the Hawk that gave him his name was left behind on earth). Black Hawk manages to escape but ends up stranded on a planet orbiting a black hole.  Here a creature called "The SoulSucker" removes Black Hawks soul and he pursues the SoulSucker relentlessly, eventually regaining it shortly before the end of the series run.

Eventually, Tharg the Mighty's race were written in, as a robotic "Kwark" created by the "Thargians", and the whole cast were sucked into a black hole. They are later seen in Tharg's desk drawer, full of other dead or discarded characters, where Black Hawk complains how long they have been waiting as [[Ace Trucking Co.|Ace Garp]] is selected for a revival.<ref>"Whatever Happened to... Ace Garp?" in ''2000 AD'' #451, January 1986</ref>

In the ''2000 AD Yearbook'' 1994 it was acknowledged by the editor that this was a poor series, and Alan Grant had written himself into a corner.
==Bibliography==

* "Black Hawk" (with [[Gerry Finley-Day]] and Azpiri, in ''Tornado'' #4-22, 1979)
* "Black Hawk" (with [[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]]/[[Kelvin Gosnell]] as "Alvin Gaunt" and [[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]] (2-34); [[Massimo Belardinelli]], Ramon Sola (5, 16, 17), [[Joe Staton]] (6) and Greg Guler (17), in ''2000 AD'' #127-161, 1979)
* "Black Hawk" (''Tornado Annual 1981'')
* "Death-Dive" (''2000AD Annual 1981'')
* "The Longest Walk" (with [[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]] and [[Joe Staton]], ''2000AD Sci-Fi Special 1982'')

===Collected editions===
All the stories are collected in one [[trade paperback (comics)|trade paperback]]:
{| class="wikitable" width="70%"
|-
!width=26%| Title
!width=10%| ISBN
!width=15%| Publisher
!width=13%| Release date
!width=36%| Contents
|-
|''Black Hawk: The Intergalactic Gladiator''
|{{ISBNT|9781907992599}}
|[[Rebellion Developments]]
|10 November 2011
|Material from ''Tornado'' 14 April to 18 August 1979, ''2000 AD'' 25 August 1979 to 19 April 1980, ''Tornado Annual'' 1981, ''2000 AD Annual'' 1981-1982 and ''2000 AD Sci-Fi Special'' 1982.
|}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
*[http://www.2000ad.org/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&choice=BLACKH Black Hawk] at Barney <!-- 2000 AD's old database moved to its own site -->
*{{comicbookdb|type=character|id=25446|title=Black Hawk}}
{{Refend}}

[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1979]]
{{Buster}}