Ranking the Bryan Hitch Hawkman Covers From Best to Most Awesome!

With Bryan Hitch's run on the Hawkman series ending, here's a look back at the covers from No. 1 to No. 12. I gave them a ranking of the covers from best to most awesome. There are no bad covers here. Every cover is amazing. With colors by Alex Sinclair, Bryan Hitch brought us 12 amazing covers of our favorite hero. So counting down from No. 12, here they are:

No. 12
Hawkman No. 9: Cover Date April 2019, Release Date February 13, 2019

I generally don't like covers that show the hero in distress. But this cover surprised me back when I first saw it. Hawkman is getting a beatdown here. Scars across his chest, a bloody beak, the Nth Metal disc on his chest shattering, and two massive hands that seem to be choking Carter with his own mace. The red tones covering the cover seemed to indicate that the world is on fire. I hated seeing Hawkman in such a state but it sure did get my attention. Which is always the intention of course.

No. 11
Hawkman No. 11: Cover Date June 2019, Release Date April 10, 2019

This cover was a bit of a downer. content-wise that is. With such an amazing ending to No. 10, seeing the Hawk army defeated was disappointing. Instead of red, we have purplish shadows falling over the heroes, with only Carter Hall left standing. But the detail is amazing. Hitch never went the easy route with all the Hawkmen. Every costume is unique, but still Hawkman. I was going over every detail to see who I could identify in this one. I almost missed tiny Avion down there at the bottom.

No. 10
Hawkman No. 10: Cover Date May 2019, Release Date March 13, 2019

Another rather jolting cover. Hawkman, the superhero of flight, is falling out of the sky, feathers flying everywhere. The detail as always is magnificent. Someone mentioned that the backdrop is a certain location in London. I imagined Hitch renting a helicopter and taking pictures furiously to get the city of London exactly right. That's been one of the most amazing things about Hitch's covers. The detail behind Hawkman is stunning. The cover also seemed to have the brightest colors. Sinclair really made the red and green pop out on this one, maybe more than any of the other eleven. I'm still wondering how comfortable or durable those boots are. 

No. 9

Hawkman No. 5: Cover Date December 2018, Release Date October 10, 2018

The foil cover. What's lacking in color, we get in detail. This was one of those "doesn't-happen-in-the-comic" scenes, but that's OK because we got another full frontal look of Hawkman being ferocious, splaying silver blood everywhere. It had taken me some time to get used to the look of the new helmet. It is less wing and more gladiator in this series. But this cover finally convinced me that Hitch has created a helmet that makes sense, aerodynamically and battle-wise. It's very movie-friendly and this just might be the version we see when Hawkman finally shows up in a big screen movie. 

No. 8

Hawkman No. 4: Cover Date November 2018, Release Date September 13, 2018

This was another rather shocking cover. Carter Hall on Thanagar, in handcuffs, with the skeleton of Katar Hol holding him at gunpoint. I wondered why Hitch used the skeleton, but in retrospect, with the theme of death in Hawkman's origin, I thought it illustrated how Hawkman is always fighting death, awaiting his next death, and hoping for his final death. Rather dark, but I thought this cover was leading us to later revelations. The floating Thanagarian city is beautiful. I also loved all the wingmen in the background. 

No. 7

Hawkman No. 2: Cover Date September 2018, Release Date July 11, 2018

This cover was a bit of relief, as it confirmed that Hawkman's Egyptian story was still in play. I loved the detail in Hawkman but I think I enjoyed the backdrop even more. I was still discovering all the work that Hitch puts into his art and I was stunned by all the detail on the walls and in the statues. I was also left wondering what the heck Hawkman's boots are made out of. 

No. 6 

Hawkman No. 8: Cover Date March 2019, Release Date January 9, 2019

Ever since Catar-Ol was revealed in issue No. 1, Hawkfans were anxiously awaiting the story of this new Hawkman of Krypton. When the cover came out, I thought it was perfect. The Kryptonian Hawkman, Catar-Ol flying up, up and away, doing the Superman shirt thing, showing us a Hawk-shaped Superman logo. Shut up! It's just too perfect. I heard that this was the idea of Andrew Marino, one of the editors of the current series. It's bloody brilliant. And I have to give a shout out to the amazing Kryptonian backdrop as well. That's one thing I love about Hitch's work. He has an architectural style for each location. Just incredible. 

No. 5

Hawkman No. 6: Cover Date January 2019, Release Date: November 14, 2018

This cover is so much fun. Just seeing these two together on a cover again makes me smile. Atom's costume style and colors look great. This cover gets bonus points just for the nostalgic feelings it gave its fans. 

No. 4

Hawkman No. 7: Cover Date February 2019, Release Date December 12, 2018

This was the big origin issue and this cover was perfect for that. Once again, the amount of detail that Hitch put in in each Hawkman is just mind-boggling. I've always liked Hawkman against a blue backdrop and Sinclair does an amazing job here. I think I spent hours looking over this one. And every time we get a new Hawkman identity, I come running back to this one to see if I can spot him. I think that was the intention. 

No. 3

Hawkman No. 12: Cover Date July 2019, Cover Date May 8, 2019

Too beautiful for words. What a way to go out. I've always looked at all the Hawkmen in the comics as one man. Whichever version I was reading, Hawkman is Hawkman. Didn't matter. This one cover seems to verify the way I have always thought about Hawkman. A multitude of Hawkmen. All the same Hawkman. I sound like a broken record, but the detail! My gawd! Just stunning. The colors were great too. Sinclair seemingly uses the same yellowish glow that we saw in issue No. 7 when Ktar was talking to the entity that gave him the power of reincarnation. This cover just reinforced my love for Hawkman all over again. 

No. 2

Hawkman No. 1: Cover Date August 2018, Release Date June 13, 2018

We got our first look at this when they announced the new series by Robert Venditti and Hitch on March 14, 2018. I had been waiting for this for so long and it came suddenly like a bolt out of the blue. I must have starred at this one every day for three months, waiting for the series to start while trying to find any clues about what the new Hawkman was going to be all about. The detail in the harness and wings were amazing. This was Hawkman, and he was back! 

No. 1

Hawkman No. 3: Cover Date October 2018, Release Date August 8, 2018

This cover coming in at No. 1 might surprise some people, but in my mind, this cover is the embodiment of Hawkman. Hawkman in full flight, wings spread, mace and fists flying, Hawkman surrounded by the enemy but charging in full speed ahead. Once again, Hitch took no shortcuts. The detail, especially in Hawkman's wings, is gorgeous, as well as the detail Hitch took on each and every Feitheran is stunning. I love the colors that Sinclair gives Hawkman in battle. His golden harness, the green and red of his costume, all of it stands out so well and it's beautiful. Another frame worthy cover.

So there it is. Hitch gave us twelve amazing covers during his run. Every one of them is worthy of the No. 1 spot, so I'm sure everyone has their favorite. Hitch and Sinclair really left their mark on Hawkman and these covers will be cherished by Hawkfans forever. Make sure you pick up No. 12 on May 8th! Which is your No. 1 cover? Let me know in the comments below! Hawkman will continue to fly in his own series! Keep supporting and buying the comic and let's keep Hawkman soaring for a long time to come!