Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Robert Venditti
Artwork: Bryan Hitch
Colours: Alex Sinclair & Jeremiah Skipper
Lettering: Starkings & Comicraft
Release Date: 8th August 2018

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Hawkman has returned. Ever since the ending of Dark Nights: Metal, Carter Hall has seen a future of a dead Earth. But to stop this future from coming to pass Carter must trace back to the very origin of his reincarnations, because it turns out that his own past might be the only thing capable of saving the future. With a clue from one of his first incarnations (Khufu), Carter has been given a map to Dinosaur Island, but what answers will he find there?

I’ve often seen Hawkman described as dead weight. I’ve also seen him dismissed as the less interesting half of Hawkgirl and I think this book proves that this isn’t the case. Hawkman so far has been an enjoyable read, with writer Robert Venditti understanding that this book needs mix of mystery and action. The action here especially is both ridiculous and cool. We literally start this issue with Hawkman fighting a T-Rex and it’s just as awesome as it sounds.

However, as much as the mystery and action makes this book interesting, what makes it compelling would be Carter Hall himself. The choice of narrative captions makes it really easy to get in Carter’s head and connect with him. Also, because he’s unravelling the mystery at the same pace as the reader, it means that every issue thus far feels important because just Carter as learns something, that information is shared with the audience.

As well as making Carter Hall interesting and a very important part of the post-Metal DC Universe, this series does a great job bringing back the Hawkman mythos and adding to it. For long-term fans it feels like this book respects you for knowing the character’s history and for new readers it’s mysterious in a way that makes you want to read more. Which is pretty much the best thing a comic can do, make you want to learn more and therefore read more about the character.

Bryan Hitch has covered the art and covers so far on this book (with some truly awe-inspiring variant covers by Stjepan Sejic) and it’s perfectly serviceable. Hawkman looks great especially when he takes to the skies, but so far none of the art has floored me, although that’s probably because Hitch’s style has never appealed to me. That said, Alex Sinclair & Jeremiah Skipper’s colours really bring a boost to the art as the skies that Hawkman travels looks truly great.

In the end it’s great to see Hawkman soaring again. If you’ve enjoyed Carter’s stories in the past then you should find plenty to love here. Plus, with what has already been teased for next issue it feels like it’s going to be something truly awesome to read. This new series is well worth a look, and would make a worthy addition to anyone’s weekly stack.

Rating: 3.5/5

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[PREVIEW ARTWORK]

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The writer of this piece was: Jonathan Mullen
Jonathan Tweets from @JonathanDMullen ‏

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