Reviews Across Time And Space: Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 1

Comics

Hawkman Vol. 3 No. 1
Cover Date: September 1993
Release Date: July 29, 1993
Script: John Ostrander 
Pencils: Jan Duursema 
Inks: Rick Magyar
Colors: Matt Webb
Letters: Tim Harkins
Editing: Archie Goodwin
Cover: Jan Duursema

Bird’s Eye View

    This issue picks up seven months after the end of the Hawkworld series. Katar and Shayera were fugitives from both Thanagar and the U.S. During the final battle, Shayera was assumed to have been killed, and Katar was injured or dead. A few months passed, and another hero who calls himself Hawkman appears. He has a new costume and Wolverine-like claws. He's talking to animal spirits and the wind and has a pet wolf. He breaks up a robbery,  yanks the earring off a thief, and is later seen wearing it. Everyone is talking about the new Hawkman and wondering if it is Carter Hall, Katar Hol, or someone else. A hired hitman named Deadline attacks the Netherworld (a downtown slum area that is home to metahumans) to draw Hawkman out. The new Hawkman is working as a busboy in a run-down diner and flies off to face the hitman after hearing the news on TV. He easily defeats Deadline and finds out who is after him. The Justice League is also concerned about who this Hawkman is, so they send Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) to get some answers. 

Pinions

     Before I get into the story, can we sit down and talk about how comics took a hard turn and just went crazy with the costumes during the 90s?  Superman was wearing a full-body blue or black bodysuit, Aquaman got a hook for a hand, and Wonder Woman became a biker chick. Long hair was IN. Tattoos were a plus. Remember Guy Gardner? DAYUM. Hawkman was no exception. He now had a dark blue suit with golden wings and weapons. The ribbed jockstrap. Can't forget that. The helmet had those red goggle eyes. He looked pretty awesome! The thing I could never get past was the new logo on the chest. First impressions are unfortunately a powerful thing and hard to overcome sometimes. The first time I saw the massive red logo on the chest, I thought, "What is that salamander guppy thing on Hawkman's chest?" Don't get me wrong; I really liked the new look. It was better than that red suit at the end of Hawkworld Vol. 2, but it took me a while to get past the guppy logo and see the hawk. 

    We knew the story of Hawkman would continue in a new series and that it would be titled Hawkman. Which was a bit disappointing because Hawkworld was a perfect name for a Hawkman series. The story was no longer just about Hawkman; it was about Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Earth, Thanagar, reincarnation, and so much more. The name Hawkworld included all of that, but the new title suggested that Hawkwoman was actually dead, and it was going to be all about Hawkman again. Hawkman and Hawkwoman work best when they are together, working together, and always ending up in each other's arms at the end of the day. Why has DC insisted on giving us Kendra Saunders, John Stewart, Hro Talak, and all the other reasons to keep Katar and Shayera separated? Katar and Shayera are the life force of this story. Watching one without the other is like watching a magician dramatically saw a box in half with a flourish, but no one is inside said box. 
    I got sidetracked. Let me jump off of my soapbox and get into the story. So Katar and Shayera have disappeared, but after seven months, a mysterious hero who also calls himself Hawkman appears. He apparently is in touch with nature and calls upon the spirits of animals like the lynx, the wolf, and, most of all, the hawk to guide him. He calls the wind his "brother." Apparently, this Hawkman has developed the ability to draw on the spirits of the animals and elements to guide him. Okay....kind of cool. There's some Animal Man-like potential there. Makes sense for a hero named after a bird. 
    So this new Hawkman is busting up street muggings, stops violent domestic situations, and even rips out a thug's earring and keeps it for himself. By day, he keeps low by working as a busboy at a skid row diner. Why? We have absolutely no idea. Where's Shayera? Carter? Why is he keeping a wolf in a run-down cathedral that's for sale? Is this even Katar or someone new? No answers yet, but at least we know he is at one with the wind. 
    Naturally, this flashy Hawkman with the gupp...I mean Hawk on his chest gets a lot of attention. Some bigwig or boss sends in a lame hitman who calls himself Deadline. Hawkman takes care of him easily and finds out who hired him. The Justice League is also concerned about this new Hawkman and sends in the soon-to-be Parallax Hal Jordan to investigate. 
    So we're still based in Chicago, Hawkman has a new costume and some sort of new spiritual animal-nature powers, and he's definitely trying to get some attention for unknown reasons. I suspected that it was to find Shayera or at least find out what happened to her, but there are no answers in this issue. 
    In my opinion, writer John Ostrander and the Hawkworld series peaked with the "Escape from Thanagar" story, and they didn't seem to know where to go from there. So they smashed that 90s reset button as hard as they could and introduced the animal spirit world. If I remember correctly, Animal Man and Viper were pretty popular at the time, so maybe they decided to jump on that angle. It had potential at the time. But to be honest, not having Shayera there made it seem like half a book. Bring back Hawkwoman! 

Avian Artistry

    First, that golden cover! Every Hawkman fan should have a copy. It's beautiful. And that gup...dang it!....hawk logo right in the center really stands out. Jan Duursema has this ability to draw diabolical characters really, really well. One of the best versions of an evil Hawkwoman and Hawkman was done by Duursema years later in Convergence Nightwing/Oracle. Everyone should definitely check that out. I absolutely loved those characters and their look. I wish they would come back in something. In this issue, I especially loved the way she drew Hawkman's helmet. It's definitely got that big 90s look. In my opinion, it's one of the best versions of Hawkman's helmet ever. Matt Webb's colors are also a highlight. Everything is kind of dark and dreary, but the orange colors in Hawkman's costume are a great contrast. It's almost gaudy even, but it works. After watching a DC film or TV show with all the colors drained out of it, I pick up this comic and immediately feel better. And everyone had such great hair in the 90s. The art was definitely one of the best parts of the book. 

Memorable Wheets

Right before Hawkman appears...

Hostage: "Suzi, I hear somethin' like wind..."
Thug: "Wait...What's that sound? Like...a high wind, roarin'...?"
Deadline: "Huh?  The wind's picking up...?"

(I'm sensing a pattern...)

Aviary

Pecking Order

Verdict: A highly recommended read!