Sunday, May 06, 2007

"Hollywood Heroes" Update #2!

I've always felt that the non-powered or gadget-based members of DC's Justice Society of America would've translated beautifully into serial form. Flash Gordon had Prince Vulcan, so why not a Hawkman? Wildcat & Atom just wore costumes and beat the hell out of guys and what was more "serial" than that? But, Dr. Midnite would've been the best. So, while creating my "Hollywood heroes," there may be a little JSA influence shining through, particularly in the persona of Captain Nighthawk, an obvious nod to Midnite. Since he's the pilot of the team, zooming our heroes around in a prototype airplane (The Nighthawk), I also thought of doing an homage to Captain Midnight.

Burt Barnes, originally a circus barnstormer, turned his skills to stunt work in the serials before staring in his own as "Captain Nighthawk, Vigilante of the Skies." An ace pilot and a crack shot with a .45, Barnes was recruited into the Hollywood Heroes as the team's pilot, flying them around in a one-of-a-kind replica of his trademark Nighthawk. Barnes is a chain smoking daredevil who lives to fly.
It's been a dream of mine to do something with Tasma since Ken published her first (and only) adventure, "The Pharaoh of Fear," back in B-Movie Presents #3 in 1986. So, any chance I get, I'll gladly post whatever pin-up of her I've got lying around.
One addition I added to Tasma's character is her trained tiger, pictured above. I was actually going to crop it out of this image because it kinda looks more like a Guinea pig than a ferocious tiger, but, what the hell, it's my first attempt at drawing a tiger.

So, who is Tasma, you ask, or at least my version of Tasma? Kay Campbell, military brat and third-place winner for Miss America, turned her obvious beauty into a lucrative career as an actress, starring as Tasma the Congo Queen in a number of serials. But when her country went to war, Campbell stepped out of in front of the camera to get behind one herself and became an award-winning photojournalist. Recruited into the Hollywood Heroes as the team's photographer, Campbell's skills with a knife, gun and Judo prove invaluable.

Keep it here, boppers.

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