Tomahawk #1

History

The character was conceived by writer Joe Samachson and artist Edmond Good and debuted in Star-Spangled Comics #69 (June 1947) before Fred Ray — already celebrated for his landmark Superman cover work — took over the art duties and became the feature's defining visual interpreter. When the solo series launched in 1950, the editorial apparatus was overseen by Whitney Ellsworth as credited editor, with Jack Schiff serving as managing editor and Murray Boltinoff as art editor; Schiff would remain the de facto steward of the title for much of its early run. Fred Ray's deep personal interest in American history made him, in the words of critic R.C. Harvey, an artist who brought 'absolute authenticity to his rendering of colonial America,' and his influence on the look of the series was felt from this premiere issue onward. The bulk of the series' stories — across its 140 issues through June 1972 — were written by France Herron and drawn by Ray, giving Tomahawk one of the most stable creative teams of the era.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Cover date: September 1950; on-sale date per the Grand Comics Database: July 19, 1950; published by National Comics Publications, Inc. (DC Comics).
• The character Tom Hawk (also given as Thomas Haukins in later continuity) was created by writer Joe Samachson and artist Edmond Good, with his first appearance predating this issue by three years — Star-Spangled Comics #69, June 1947.
• Fred Ray provided both the cover art and interior pencils/inks for this issue, and would continue as the series' primary artist for over two decades through at least Tomahawk #119 (December 1968).
• The editorial team credited on the issue: Whitney Ellsworth (editor), Jack Schiff (managing editor), Murray Boltinoff (art editor), George Kashdan (associate editor); Bruno Premiani and Leonard Starr also contributed interior art.
• Issue #1 contains the first appearances of recurring backup features Chief Hot Foot (a humor strip) and Little Pocahontas (a humor/gag strip), both of which returned in numerous subsequent issues throughout the series' run.
• The issue's main Tomahawk stories include 'The Indian Navy!', 'The Longest Manhunt in the West!', 'The Woods Ghost', and 'The Banishment of Heavy Foot!', alongside educational text features ('Indian Album,' 'Western Facts') and 'Tales of the Arrow Maker' — establishing the multi-genre anthology format the series maintained for years.
• Concurrent with the solo title's launch, Tomahawk continued as a backup feature in both Star-Spangled Comics (through issue #130, July 1952) and World's Finest Comics (through issue #101, May 1959), meaning he appeared in three separate DC titles simultaneously in the early 1950s.
• The series ran for 140 issues, concluding in June 1972, and later received a Vertigo Visions one-shot (1998, written by Rachel Pollack) that retold the character's origin.

Cast · 2 characters

Full credits

Key issues in Tomahawk

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#28 1st appearance — Lord Shilling