Written by Robert Venditti
Illustrated by Bryan Hitch
Published by DC Comics
This is the high profile debut for the new Hawkman title!
But is it any good?
Well, the art is utterly fantastic! Hitch makes Hawkman a viable looking character and probably the most definitive looking Hawkman since the legendary Tim Truman run!
If only the story from Venditti was more compelling.
That’s not to say the story doesn’t have its merits. The biggest issue for me was all the voiceover narration telling us what was going on.
I get that Venditti wants to catch new readers up quickly and streamline everything, but it felt rather cheap.
Hawkman starts out with telling us how he knows he is missing parts of his life. The one thing he does know is that he loves to fly!
He reveals he has compulsions that lead him to the Temple of Ooahk Kung, the All-See! What a great name. We then see that Hawkman has caught the attention Ooank Kung himself who looks like Gorilla Grodd on steroids.
The book then flashes back. We get some background leading up to this. Then we flash forward again to see Ooank Kung chasing Hawkman for stealing an artifact called The Nautilus. A small chase and fight ensues.
The issue ends with Carter Hall visiting Madame Xanadu asking for help with his memory. She sets things in motion by showing him some crazy visions. Carter then gets even more determined in figuring out who he is and where he comes from.
There is enough here for me to want to continue reading this. The story could be better but let’s all be honest: Venditti has the hardest job in comics with this character. Nobody knows who he is today and what he’s about. He’s been a lost confused character for years.
Though I hate the voiceover Venditti has written, maybe it’s the way to go. And maybe he’s just better off if he keeps things as simple as possible for now.
RATING: B
