Evelyn Hewitt

Note on Detective Hewitt's last name

Detective Hewitt was given multiple last names throughout C.O.W.L. In her first appearance in C.O.W.L. 7, she calls herself Evelyn Thompson. In issue 8's summary of issue 7, they also call her Evelyn Thompson. In issue 10's summary of issue 9, they call her Evelyn Frost. In the same issue (10), she calls herself Evelyn Hewitt on the last page of the story, and the biography on her on the next page gives her full married name as Evelyn Marie Hewitt, with her maiden name being Harrigan. Since Hewitt is the name used in her official bio, and is the most recent version of her last name used on-panel, that is the name used on this entry.

Major Story Arcs

Evelyn is born in Bucktown, Chicago. Her parents die when she is a child. She marries a police detective, James Hewitt, and tries to become an officer herself, but is denied due to sexism. Her husband is killed in World War II, and she finally gets a job at C.O.W.L., the Chicago superhero union, as a detective, where she excelles. She eventually leaves the union for unknown reasons and joins the standard city police.

Three years later, John Pierce, an investigator for C.O.W.L., is killed under suspicious circumstances by fellow member Arclight. Evelyn takes it upon herself to investigate after Blaze, second-in-command of C.O.W.L., asserts their jurisdiction over the case. Evelyn doesn't trust them to do an honest job.

Pierce was originally going to meet with her when he was killed; he had information that C.O.W.L. was sharing its technology with the very villains it was supposed to stop. Evelyn is one of the few people Pierce trusted. She is also the only person who knew Pierce had once been a double agent working undercover as a member of the Chicago Six, the group of villains that was using C.O.W.L. technology.

Evelyn starts a series of secret meetings with Sarah Pierce, John's wife. She wants to find out the truth of the murder. Their suspicions are raised when Geoffrey Warner, the head of the union, talks to Sarah at the at the funeral and says he'd like to meet with her later. Evelyn also confronts Arclight at the funeral. Arclight has said that he killed Pierce out of self-defense, despite Arclight's much greater powers. Arclight flies off in anger.

Warner meets with Sarah and subtly tries to pay her off after asking if she knows who John was trying to meet with. Sarah says she doesn't know and takes the money, but meets again with Evelyn after. Sarah is worried about what will happen if they keep investigating, but Evelyn wants to keep going. They decide to focus on Arclight.

Evelyn hits the streets, trying to find someone who might have seen the murder, with no luck. The other police think she's getting too personally involved. Meanwhile, Sparrow, a former C.O.W.L. member who has left the department in frustration and is now working as a violent vigilante, beats on some thugs who witnessed Pierce's death, and one goes to the police and gives his account, admitting that Arclight murdered Pierce in cold blood. Evelyn thinks she's finally got what she needs.

However, when she goes to the DA's office, they say it's not enough; no one will take the word of a criminal over a hero. However, Geoffrey Warner is still worried, and pressures Arclight (whom Warner had subtly manipulated into doing killing Pierce) to skip town to avoid any future prosecution. Arclight leaves town on a bus.

Evelyn is last seen meeting with Sparrow, whom she had been working with all along. They both still believe Warner was behind it all, but accept that they won't be able to pin Pierce's murder on him.