Hawkman by Geoff Johns #1-12 Review

 

Hawkman #1-6

• Hawkman #1 - "First Impressions" = A lot of compressed storytelling. I got a lot out of this, but it was a teensy bit overwhelming to some degree. The supporting cast is cool, and the quiet moments with Carter monologuing over St Roch are awesome. Bloque was interesting and I wonder if that's the last we'll see of him.
• Hawkman #2 - "Into The Sky" = Indiana Jones on crack! Break-neck pace and non-stop banter, this is shaping up to be something crazy. I had to do a little (a lot) research on Hawkman lore after the first issue and you'd think it gets better what with Vendetti's series, but the specifics of the cosmic raptor mumbo jumbo from Snyder/Tynion's run kind of ruins it. I loved the fact that Shadow Thief, Tigress, and Copperhead ended being the mercs and Roderic is 100% hath-set. The ghost dude picking up the picture might be Gentleman Ghost? And the final page with the elephant men keeps me hyped.
• Hawkman #3 - "Lost in the Battlelands" = This issue was fun, and I find the secret Hindu mythological lost world cool as mess. The Komeriah vs Makhna stuff brings the class warfare dynamic to a whole new level and the banter between Shadow Thief and Hawkman is great. It retroactively makes Vendetti's "Darkness Within" arc a lot better if you think about it. The green arrow sequence was pretty jarring; I'm not used to a seasoned GA killing CEO's, but now that I think about it he's coming off the Mike Grell run. I read "Longbow Hunters" a long time ago but it was so awesome.
• Hawkman #4 - "Beasts of Burden" = Cool finale, the character dynamics are carrying this book. Tigress sequence was awesome, Shadow Thief is still fun, and Carter and Kendra are badass. The elephant men revolt was dope, and I do hope they return to the Battlelands at some point. SO it seems like Hath-set's spirit is assaulting Roderic and maybe he is a descendant? Let's see this GA vs Hawkman fight!
• Hawkman #5 - Slings & Arrows, Part I : "The Birds & The Billionaires" = That last page got me so good! I need to reread a chapter of the Stargirl run just so I can remember more of the spider lore. Alright, just caught up and remembered that maybe this spider's dad was the one who betrayed the seven soldiers to the hand and nebula man, with wing ending up sacrificing himself. Ollie and Carter banter was great, Kendra coming in was even better. I honestly thought that ollie was the killer bc it fit in with his characterization before his death, but at least it makes him more heroic (thanks to Johns' silver age standards!). What's inside the coffin!
• Hawkman #6 - Slings & Arrows, Part II : "Eye-Spider" = I think this issue is where this series finally settled in with me. I love the characters, the dynamics, the dialogue! It's funny I should say that since this issue was pretty much a huge brawl. The fight was awesome, and I'm surprised Spider put up that much to hold off GA and Carter + Kendra. The history lesson in the beginning was great, and Spider's characterization was very compelling even though I know dear Moz shafts him eventually during Seven Soldiers for I-Spyder (RIP lmao). I think it's really interesting that Johns and Robinson aren't just going to have the two make up and be buddies: they respect the history between the two, it's not going to be that easy. However, Ollie's words end up having profound effect on Carter, and the brilliant soap in this series begins! The final pages with Spider are a testament to the quality of Johns and Robinson's writing.
• Hawkman Secret Files - "Hidden Past, Hidden Future" = This special was cool, and the flashback sequence carried. I'm glad we got an explanation as to why Nabu and Teth-Adam were gone, and the sacrifice scene was brutal. Shadow Thief continues to be a great character and I'm eager to see him in the future.

Hawkman #7-12

• Hawkman #7 - "Fine Day For A Hangin" = This was brilliant. The first non Geoff johns issue solely by Robinson was so much fun; a blast from the past as we visit faces old and new. The gentlemen ghost cameo was great, and I live for the fan-service mentions of Vigilante, Jonah Hex, the Evans ancestor and even the birth of Stonechat house. The reveal that Matilda was married to a Roderic implies maybe hath-set had mystically egged her on via reincarnated curse. Interesting that death ended up being the narrator for the issue, an echo of JLA #15 - "Twilight of the Gods". The wild western dialect was icing on the cake, and the action by Rags Morales was phenomenal.
• Hawkman #8 - "Small Talk" = This was so much fun. Johns did a spectacular job of giving you a whole lot in one issue. Ray and Carter having dinner was my favorite sequence, while the Kendra vs Warwhip brawl was great (besides his phallic arm whips, those were disgusting). We got some more hints for the Saunders murder mystery; "don't mess with the rats" or whatever that means. Excited for the Hector interaction. Less excited now that my boy Speed got yeeted of the mountain by what seemed to be a trusted ally? I hope its not one of the Evans family members.
• Hawkman #9 - "In The Hands Of Fate" = Jesus, Rags was channeling his inner Clay Mann in this issue (or is it the other way around?). We get more about Kendra's backstory, and this seems to answer the hint placed during the second JSA arc "Darkness Falls", where Kendra shows trauma from killing an unidentified man, now revealed to be a corrupt police officer. Very interesting interaction with Hector/Fate, who explains that once Kendra falls in love with Carter, they will be at the mercy of the incarnation cycle + fury of Hath-set. I'm assuming the relationship is going to be very different now, and it's pretty compelling that Carter's love for Shiera would make him cut her off just so she won't be vulnerable to Hath-Set. Also interesting that Hector is tangled up in this too, he will forever be born to warn them of the curse I guess?
• Hawkman #10 - "Snowblind" = So much happening! Gentlemen Ghost has been confirmed! I'm assuming it was him in the coffin a couple issues back, and damn I never noticed that the hotel that the Saunders' were murdered was called the Craddock house! Jumping right into the fire (or should I say ice) with the hawks and Jaiyta and Danny in the Tibetan mountains. The Zhang Zhung lore was cool, and who doesn't wat to see Hawkman fighting Yetis! Raven-bro looked sketchy from the get-go, and the introduction of the Hath-set reincarnation brings up some issues. Are they just going to shaft Roderic in favor of his new character? It seems like the motivations might be different due to the fact that she wants to reverse the curse.
• Hawkman #11 - "Everlasting Love...?" = Fun issue. The reincarnation of Hath-Set into a chick is messy, but I guess it works since it's past lives. As for the prophecy stuff, Fate explained a couple of issues back that Set can only kill them when the two are in love, so Carter's confidence is interesting. The Atom reveal was great, and neatly ties this in with the one-offs into a great 6 issue arc. As for the final battle, I find it cool that Carter and Kendra can take a lot of damage; I mean come on they're the Hawks! Badass brawlers reincarnated through a billions lives are not going to get stopped by steel and bullets. The Absorbacon was cool, I've definitely seen it pop up in a couple of different books and shows, but the purpose was always vague or inconsistent. The transformation into the giant crow/raven was wild, mainly funny because the pet bird got zapped into it too. Hawks vs Ravens for the finale!
• Hawkman #12 - "The Darkraven" = Abrupt ending, but the back-half of the issue made up for it. This whole arc was summed up in the epilogue: Hath-Set's machinations from beyond the grave, fooling the Hawks into thinking the cycle was over with the proxy Astar. Darkraven and Astar had a tragic end, but they were set up as dark mirror foils to Carter and Shiera. It's funny because their motivations were mainly to have their own reincarnating love cycle (albeit via stealing the soul karma of the hawks), they fail like the Hawks do in every life and nobody really gives it a second thought. No explanation for why Darkraven and his bird merged, or why Astar was turned to salt, or if Kendra got her memories back; but it's okay because let's jump into the next arc! Also, Hath-Set claims that Astar and Roderic are not reincarnations, but actually descendants of his bloodline, so the Astar being a chick is not as messy.