Founded in the early 1990s, Image Comics gave rise to several big time superhero and comic book properties. Chief among these were hits such as Todd McFarlane's Spawn, and to a lesser extent, Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon. One of the more overlooked of these founding books was Jim Valentino's Shadowhawk (sometimes spelled ShadowHawk), who's finally returning in a one-shot special called The Last Shadowhawk.

This story will celebrate the character's 30th anniversary, putting the spotlight on an unsung hero in comic books. Although this is a great opportunity to finally give Shadowhawk some shine, it shouldn't stop there. Now more than ever, Shadowhawk has a chance to truly succeed as a property, and there's no better time to push him into stardom than on his 30th birthday.

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Who Is Jim Valentino's Shadowhawk?

Shadowhawk debuted in a back-up story in Rob Liefeld's Youngblood #2 before being spun off into his own book by creator Jim Valentino. Originally meant to be a new version of Marvel's cosmic character Starhawk, Valentino instead used the moniker for a street level vigilante who was essentially a much more violent version of DC's Batman. His real name was Paul Johnstone, a former district attorney who had been on the receiving end of street and criminal brutality. Horribly beaten and injected with HIV-tained blood, Johnstone knew that life as he knew it was over. Dedicating himself to rid the streets of violent crime, he allied himself with a former cop and donned an armored suit to become the violent vigilante Shadowhawk.

Johnstone would see several issues in his series before succumbing to his illness and dying in battle. He would then be replaced by Eddie Collins, the new ShadowHawk, before later being revived. It was also revealed that the Shadowhawk mantle transcended generations and was meant to enact justice upon the world. The story planned in the one-shot involves a dark future in which corruption and lawlessness are the rule of the day, forcing an unknown figure to protect the streets as the newest and final version of Shadowhawk. This is the first time that the character has had any real prominence in a while, but it certainly shouldn't be the last.

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Shadowhawk Has Huge Potential As an Image Comics Superhero Property

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Shadowhawk was previously swept under the rug, failing to compete with more popular Image titles such as Spawn. Currently, its sister franchise is experiencing a renaissance of sorts and has surged in popularity, indicating that now may be a good time for Shadowhawk to enjoy similar success. Valentino's creation has all the elements to be a brutal, hard-hitting adult superhero property, and has the potential to become a hit in the same vein as The Boys or fellow Image Comics series Invincible.

It's worth noting that the original run on Shadowhawk was pretty topical and progressive. Paul Johnstone was a Black man like Spawn's alter ego Al Simmons, namely one who had worked in the American legal system. This opened up all types of narrative potential, especially considering characters such as Paul's half brother Hojo, who was a drug addict who lived on the streets. Although his manner of being infected with HIV was rather questionable, his struggle with the disease made Shadowhawk even more interesting. Anti-AIDS hysteria was still rampant at the time, so having a Black hero acting as the violent representation of the disease's victims was arguably more empowering than Valentino intended.

These concepts could all be used in conjunction to bring Valentino's character into the present day. The Last Shadowhawk could also be an interesting segue into a new ongoing, as it's very similar in context to both The Dark Knight Returns and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin. The story's dark future and its titular avian hero could continue in a new comic that has a good chance of gaining more of a following than the character ever had in the past. Valentino could even create his own "Shadowhawk universe," in a manner similar to what McFarlane has done with his Spawn titles. The Last Shadowhawk shouldn't be the end for the character, but instead a new beginning that sees the character and franchise pushed to reach his narrative and publishing potential.

The Last Shadowhawk is by Phillip Tan, Brian Haberlin, and Daniel Henriques. The one-shot will be available from Image Comics on August 17th.