Dear CBR, Hawkman and Hawkwoman are not over!

   DC's Lex and the City was released on January 29 and we got a bit of a surprise with a 10-page Hawkman story at the very end. I've already written my own review, but I saw a CBR article and I have to give my two cents on that article as well. 

   The CBR article is titled "DC's Most Popular Relationship Is Over" and it pretty much jumps to the conclusion that Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) and Hawkwoman (Shayera Hol) have both abandoned Hawkman (Carter Hall), leaving him alone and pining for Shiera. 

   But reading the article, it's not that conclusive. It just states where things stand now. We all know that nothing in comics is ever permanent, so the title is just a bit of a clickbait, but I have to disagree with a couple of things. 

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   First of all, I do agree that Hawkgirl aka Kendra Saunders has moved on. She is still fighting alongside Hawkman in the current JSA series by Jeff Lemire, but there are zero romantic feelings between either of them. Since the current Hawkman and Hawkgirl reappeared on the scene in 2017, there has been no romantic soap opera whatsoever between the two. They do seem to care about each other, as we saw when Kendra rescued Carter from the Dark Multiverse, but it's a strictly work-only relationship. To my knowledge, Carter has mentioned Kendra only once, in Hawkman Found (2018) when Barbatos threatened to find and harm her. In the debacle of a series called Hawkgirl Vol. 2, Kendra mentioned her bitterness towards Carter and Shayera a couple of times for abandoning her as they ended their reincarnation cycle. Those were schizophrenic scenes that are best to be forgotten. Kendra and Carter are completely separate now, with neither wanting to be with the other in a romantic relationship. 

   The problem I have is the assumption that Hawkman and Hawkwoman's relationship is over, or that Hawkwoman is having second thoughts about being with Hawkman and flew off into space "in search of a new sense of purpose." One of the greatest strengths of the story of Hawkman and Hawkwoman is the rock-solid, immovable, lover-over-eternity relationship that they have with each other. The greatest Hawkman series in the past have all had this relationship as the center of their story. Gardner Fox's The Brave and the Bold series, Tony Isabella's The Shadow of Hawkman/Hawkman Vol. 2, Benjamin Raab's Legend of the Hawkman, Robert Venditti's Hawkman Vol. V are the best series in the heroes' long history. Geoff John's Hawkman Vol. 4 has been acclaimed in the past, but as time passes, its soap opera theme of Carter and Kendra flip-flopping back and forth has gradually faded. Personally, it's not even in my top five Hawkman series anymore. 

   In the past few decades, there have been some stories ripping the two apart, such as Justice League Unlimited, Legends of Tomorrow, Hawkman Vol. 3 and 4, Brightest Day, and so on. Hawkman without Hawkwoman is like Batman without Gotham, Superman without Lois, or Wonder Woman without her powers. It just seems lacking and half-baked. Fox, Isabella, Raab, and Venditti understood that the relationship between Hawkman and Hawkwoman is the foundation of their story. That's what made them so great. 

Hawkman Vol. V No. 19

   The current Hawkman and Hawkwoman sacrificed their lives to defeat the Lord of the Void. Hawkman finally atoned for his sins as the general of the Deathbringers and was about to be sent into eternity. Hawkwoman was about to regain her place as a herald of the god-entity. But the entity noticed their hesitation and granted their wish to be together for one more life together. Just think about that. They gave up eternity to live one more life together. Their love had already lasted over millennia and countless lives, but they still wanted to be together. That is a powerful love that is not easily destroyed. In Venditti's Hawkman Vol. V, we see them 2000 years in the future, old and battle-scarred, but still together and very much in love. 

Hawkwoman in Green Lantern Corps No. 2 Released March 12, 2025

Hawkwoman in Green Lantern Crops No. 3 Released April 9, 2025

   So just because they are not currently together doesn't mean they have gone their separate ways. Hawkwoman's home planet is Thanagar. Last we heard, she is the Empress. Carter's place is on Earth. For reasons not yet revealed, we will see Hawkwoman in the Green Lantern Corps series, fighting alongside the Green Lanterns on Thanagar. Hawkwoman may return to Carter after the crisis on Thanagar is over, or we may see Carter show up on Thanagar to help Shayera rebuild her planet. They are not "over." 

   Another theory was mentioned by a fellow Hawkfan was that the story in Lex and the City was a flashback story that happened before Hawkman was reunited with Hawkwoman in Hawkman Vol. V No. 23. That's entirely possible. Venditti had wanted to bring in Hawkwoman right from the beginning, but DC wanted to use her in the Justice League series so we had to wait until No. 18. 

   It amazes me why writers and comics fans want to tear Hawkman and Hawkwoman apart so much. Their story is one of the most beautiful and powerful love stories in comics. They definitely need more of that these days. Don't write off the Hawks just yet. They'll be back.