Here’s a scan of the Darkhawk entry in the old Marvel Superheroes RPG Gamer’s Handbook from 1992. I used to play MSH back when I was a teen, it was extremely fun. I was extatic when Darkhawk got featured in Dragon Magazine’s Marvel-Philes (also on this site), and then quickly picked this book up when it was more officially incorporated into the RPG. I always hated that he had “Poor” Reason… he wasn’t a friggin detective, but he also wasn’t “lame in the head”… geebus. Typical at least for crying out loud!
Okay, geeking out aside, I love when the “angry Chris” character trait–that’s been focused on in the last decade–has roots all the way back to the original series. Re-reading the first 50 issues made me catch about half a dozen minor and quick anger outbursts. I think back then they got muddled with in the Grunge-era “teenage angst” and weren’t really plot details worth noting (and hell… maybe they weren’t). But notice the line in the first paragraph if the Role-Playing Notes section:
Chris is sometimes confused and angry, as are most teens, and Darkhawk has only complicated things. Yet, Chris refuses to give up; he has shown tenacity and honor in dealing with his problems.
It’s crazy that this early career entry for Darkhawk focuses on mobs, gangsters, crime, corrupt cops, murder and betrayal–all the things of crime fiction or noir… yet our hero now flies through space as a cosmic icon along side Nova, the Inhumans and Guardians of the Galaxy!
