The Brave and the Bold #35
The Brave and the Bold #35 (April–May 1961) is the second Silver Age outing for Katar Hol and Shayera Thal — Hawkman and Hawkgirl — and marks the debut and full origin of Matter Master (Mark Mandrill), who became one of Hawkman's most persistent recurring villains and later tangled with the Justice League of America as well. The issue also introduces the word 'Absorbascon' in print for the first time, giving a proper name to the Thanagarian mind-absorbing device that had appeared (unnamed) in the preceding issue, cementing a key concept in the Silver Age Hawkman mythology. As part of Julius Schwartz's deliberate tryout strategy for The Brave and the Bold, this issue helped build audience confidence in a science-fiction-flavored, alien-cop version of Hawkman that was radically different from the Golden Age original — a case study in Silver Age world-building across consecutive issues rather than in a single debut.
In "Menace of the Matter Master!", Mavis Trent’s Himalayan expedition takes a terrifying turn when she’s taken by a group of abominable snowmen—only to reveal they’re not monsters, but descendants of long-lost alien explorers. Written by Gardner Fox and brought to life with dynamic art by Joe Kubert (pencils and inks), this 1961 adventure blends sci-fi mystery with classic adventure thrills. The cover by Joe Kubert captures the eerie grandeur of the frozen peaks and the looming threat.
In "Menace of the Matter Master!", the villainous Matter Master wields a mysterious wand forged from Mentachem, a rare element that grants him the power to command inanimate matter—so long as it remains in its purest state. With this dangerous new weapon, he sets his sights on chaos, challenging the heroes of the DC Universe in a battle of wits and will.
In the remote Himalayas, a young woman named Mavis Trent vanishes during an expedition, leaving her companions—her dog and the Hawks—racing to uncover the truth behind the valley where men disappear without a trace. What begins as a mystery of monstrous legends soon reveals a startling secret: the snowmen are not beasts, but the lost descendants of alien explorers, their origins buried in the ice and ancient secrets.
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The creative team of writer Gardner Fox and artist Joe Kubert — the same pairing that had launched the Silver Age Hawkman one issue earlier in B&B #34 — returned directly for this follow-up, with Julius Schwartz editing under the National Comics/DC banner. Schwartz had been systematically reviving and reinventing Golden Age heroes throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, and Hawkman was among the last of that wave; the tryout run in The Brave and the Bold was designed to prove audience demand before committing to an ongoing title, which would not arrive until Hawkman #1 in 1964. The Grand Comics Database confirms the on-sale date of February 23, 1961, with page counts verified against Schwartz's editorial records preserved by DC Comics, and notes a letters page featuring correspondence from early fandom figures including future comics historian Roy Thomas.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Second Silver Age appearance of Hawkman (Katar Hol) and Hawkgirl (Shayera Thal), following their debut in The Brave and the Bold #34 (Feb–Mar 1961).
- First appearance and full origin of Matter Master (Mark Mandrill): a scientist who accidentally discovers the compound Mentachem, fashions it into a wand capable of controlling, reshaping, and levitating matter, and turns to crime.
- First use of the word 'Absorbascon' in print — the second story in the issue names the Thanagarian mind-reading device that had appeared without a label in B&B #34.
- Written by Gardner Fox with art, cover, and inks by Joe Kubert; lettered by Gaspar Saladino; edited by Julius Schwartz.
- The issue contains two Hawkman stories: 'Menace of the Matter Master!' and 'Valley of Vanishing Men!' (in which Mavis Trent disappears in the Himalayas, and the Hawks discover the 'abominable snowmen' are descendants of crash-landed Xardoonian aliens).
- The letters page includes correspondence from Roy Thomas and Jerry Bails, two figures who became central to comics fandom and history in the decades that followed.
- 'Menace of the Matter Master!' was reprinted in DC Special #5, the 1989 Hawkman collected edition, The Hawkman Archives Vol. 1 (2000), Showcase Presents: Hawkman #1 (2007), and DC Finest: Hawkman: Wings Across Time (2025).
- Matter Master went on to fight the Justice League of America, join the Secret Society of Super-Villains, and appear in DC Animated Universe media — one of the more durable villains introduced during the Hawkman tryout run.
Cast · 10 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Hopalong Cassidy #113 (1956)
Reprinted in Mighty Comic #24 (1961), Historias Fantásticas #56 (1962), DC Special #5 (1969), Aventures Fiction #26 (1972), The Golden Age Art of Joe Kubert #2 (1979), The Super Heroes #12 (1981), Hawkman #[nn] (1989), The Hawkman Archives #1 (2000), Showcase Presents: Hawkman #1 (2007), DC Finest: Hawkman: Wings Across Time #[nn] (2025)
Key issues in The Brave and the Bold
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