Caution: There are some spoilers ahead so read at your own peril or come back after you've read the issue!
When we set out on a journey of exploration
and discovery with Hawkman twelve months ago, we wondered how the hero we know
as Carter Hall would be changed. How will his story be written this time? What
kind of hero will writer Robert Venditti and artist Bryan Hitch bring us? The answer
turns out to be everything and nothing, both at the same time. The core of
Hawkman remains unchanged. He is the superhero of flight. He is the superhero
of the sky. He carries a mace. He is from Egypt. He is from Thanagar. Shiera is
the love of his life. He is an archaeologist. He remains the hero we’ve always
known.
And yet, Venditti and Hitch dug deeper into
the mythos of Hawkman. They gave us the reason why Hawkman is who he is, why he
does what he does, and why he is one of the most original and iconic characters
in comics. They also flew out into the vast potential of Hawkman. They took us
on an adventure to places we had never been to before. They introduced us to
characters we had never seen or heard of. They gave Hawkman new abilities, new
friends, and a new reason that explained why he is who he is and does what he
does. The writers and artists of the past 80 years started the journey and
extended it. But Venditti and Hitch have widened and expanded the legend of
Hawkman in ways we never imagined.
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| From Hawkman No. 10 |
Issue eleven ended with the countdown to
annihilation beginning, with Hawkman and his army looking on in terror. And
thank the seven gods for that countdown! At the beginning of issue twelve, this
gave the Hawk army a chance to counter-attack. It was thrilling to see Carter
Hall take on his nemesis Idamm, while Catar-Ol, Katar Hol, the Dragon of
Barbatos, Red Harrier, and the rest of the gang take on the Deathbringers and their
Gundam robots.
It is a thrilling battle, showcasing many
of Carter Hall’s abilities and how vicious he can be when in battle. “Forgive
me for wanting to hammer the point home.” There’s a surprise appearance towards
the end and a welcome mention of someone who many Hawkfans hope for a return in
the near future. While the Justice League is locked away in Lois Lane
Penitentiary and the Green Lantern Corps are off doing something I imagine
they decided was more important, it was very refreshing and impressive that
Hawkman had the history and the ability to overcome this threat on his own.
Bryan Hitch wraps up his Hawkman run with
this issue. In Hawkman Found and the first twelve issues of this series, Hitch
gave us some of the most massive, complex, beautiful Hawkman books ever. He
gave us visions of Egypt, Thanagar, Krypton, the Microverse, and so many other
locations throughout the series. One of the greatest assets of a character like
Hawkman is his image, and Hitch gave us everything he has to bring us some of
the most impressive drawings of Hawkman. There were so many double spreads and
pages with multitudes of Hawkmen flying everywhere, and every page dumbfounded
us with the sheer magnitude of it all. It’s disappointing to see him head off
to other projects, but with Will Conrad doing the stand-alone No. 13 and then
Pat Olliffe taking on the Year of the Villain storyline, Hawkman is in good
hands.
Venditti’s opening story comes to a close
with Hawkman having a greater grasp of his history, knowledge, and powers, and
he is once again the general of the former Deathbringers. Every good story leaves us with questions,
allowing us to imagine what will happen next, and Venditti does a good job with
that here. It will be interesting to see what happens with his army, Shiera,
his situation on Earth, and the next crisis up ahead.
When reading a Hawkman story, I never
thought that I liked one Hawkman more than another. No matter which Hawkman I
was reading, it was Hawkman. To me, they were all the same character that I
loved to read about in the comics. This story approached the story of Hawkman
in the way I always have; they all have the same origin and they are all
connected. Venditti has broadened the story of Hawkman in ways we never thought
possible. He is a hero of exploration and discovery. He is a hero of time and
space. He is the living historical document of the universe. He is Hawkman.
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| Variant Cover by Julian Totino Tedesco |
Penciller: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Andrew Currie, Norm Rapmund, Scott Hanna
Colorist: Jeremiah Skipper
Letterer: Comicraft, Richard Starkings
Editors: Andrew Marino, Marie Javins
Cover Artists: Bryan Hitch and Alex Sinclair
Variant Cover Artist: Julian Totino Tedesco
Rating: 10/10
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