Broken Frontier

More than two years after the character’s successful return, Hawkman continues to be one of the more consistently underrated books in the DCU. After a fast start with the team of   writer Geoff Johns and artist Rags Morales, the book continues to strike a high note under the pen of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray with pictures by Joe Bennett.

In the past, I’ve always considered Hawkman to be a semi-hokey character as I wondered what a hero with wings could actually accomplish. As a result, not too many of the early Hawkman books I’ve read have ever struck a chord with me. However, with his return in the pages of JSA a few years ago, I was struck with the badass attitude Geoff Johns has imbued the character with. There was an intensity to the character that wasn’t, at least for me, wasn’t there before. Whereas I considered Hawkman to be somewhat laughable before, now I see him as one of the tougher heroes of the DCU.

The current storyline—by the aforementioned new writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray—deals with a continuous attack being masterminded by the Fadeaway Man on Hawkman using the hero’s old enemies. Along the way, Carter Hall has been drugged, kidnapped and hypnotized but for what reason, has not yet been revealed. The savage nature of the assault on Hawkman has been taxing is headed down a road of tragic consequences as the last few issues have shown.

As I mentioned, Hawkman’s relentless attitude is one of the main draws of this book. Luckily, Palmiotti and Gray picked up where Johns left off and have positioned the character as one of the tough guys of the DCU. This feature of Carter is summed up perfectly by The Flash (Jay Garrick) in issue #40 when he says of him, “There’s a line (the JSA) doesn’t cross, Hawkman. And you’re always right up on it.” The characterization of Hawkman is the center of this book and it is refreshing to see that he is just not about wings and a mace.

While Hawkman is the lead in the book, let’s not forget the “other” character, Hawkgirl. Geoff Johns threw the relationship between the Hawks a curve when the current incarnation of Hawkgirl didn’t automatically fall in love with Hawkman. For the first time since he could remember, Carter is all alone. While this glitch in the relationship in their current incarnations has been explained, any die-hard Hawkman fan wants them to get together. That said, I like the fact that Kendra is a strong-willed woman who won’t just give in to what is expected of her. This strength and independence serves as a good counterpoint to Hawkman’s own stubborn nature and makes for very good dynamics between the two.

Through the life of this book, that relationship has been played around with in a “will they-won’t they” fashion which has actually made for a compelling element. But as the relationship seems to be going finally headed that way, Palmiotti and Gray have again thrown a curve as seen in issue #39 when Carter mistakenly and brutally attacks Kendra.

The writing team, through the past few months, has been writing an overreaching arc which has been steadily building up and is reaching its crescendo. Reading through the current storyline is exhausting in the sense that the Hawks have not had the time to really recover from all the attacks—it has served to whet my appetite as to just what is going on. This is just one big action movie as far as I’m concerned and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.

The Hawks’ supporting cast is also growing with such characters as St. Roch police detective Grubs who isn’t all that happy about vigilantes operating in his city. He provides the prerequisite legitimate law-enforcement element in this book and I like the fact that he isn’t as eager to accept superheroes as his other counterparts in the DCU have. There have also been cameos by JSA characters and Dr. Fate, Carter Hall’s son, but the more interesting supporting character introduced lately has been the once-and-probably-still-is obscure Golden Eagle. Yes, THAT Golden Eagle from the Teen Titans, or more accurately, Titans West.

His sudden appearance as a philantrophist/businessman for St. Roch is a cause for further thought, but issue #41 does make a possible revelation as to why he has chosen to be near Hawkman. What role he will play in the future is up in the air but I’m sure there is something planned for the character in the future of the book.

The only thing that bothers me at this point is the very same thing that’s making the whole series interesting—Hawkman’s rogues. While Flash has a very established Rogue’s Gallery, I don’t think too many readers are familiar with the Hawks’ traditional foes. Names like Fadeaway Man, Satana, Lion Mane and others don’t ring a bell with me. Although the writers do drop some hints and info as to whom some of these people are, this unfamiliarity may scare away readers who may think that they missed something with past issues. Perhaps Messrs. Palmiotti and Gray can do something to rectify this situation.

After a series of fill-ins on the artist slot, Joe Bennett has been doing a bulk of recent issues and has done a stand-up job with the art chores. Bennett has bounced around the comic industry for some years now primarily doing work with the DC and Marvel and continues to be solid if unheralded. His work comes from the school of detailed panels and clean lines while showing his mastery of the action comic book. Hawkman is a book that requires a lot of kinetic sequences and pages which Bennett delivers admirably. Moreover, as some splash pages show, the man can just flat-out draw. In my opinion, Joe Bennett deserves some high-profile work. The art on this book is as much a highlight as the writing.

Guiding Line: If you think Hawkman is a second-tier character not worth reading, throw away the misconception. The creative team of Palmiotti, Gray and Bennett has rejuvenated a once-convoluted character and has made him interesting once more. From an adrenaline-inducing storyline to very crisp and vivid artwork, Hawkman is the complete package of a superhero comic. Fans of wall-to-wall action comic books would do well to give this book a chance.