Reviews Across Time and Space: Hawkgirl Vol. 2 No. 1

Comic

Hawkgirl Vol. 2 No.1 
Cover date: September 2023

Release Date: July 18, 2023
Script: Jadzia Axelrod

Art: Amancay Nahuelpan 

Colors: Adriano Lucas

Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Cover: Amancay Nahuelpan (art), Adriano Lucas (colors)

Editing: Dave Wielgosz

Bird's Eye View

   Kendra Saunders (Hawkgirl) has resettled in Metropolis and is fighting alongside the Justice League. During a battle against some cute gas-fireball villains, she meets Galaxy, an "alien princess" who is "kind of a hero." Galaxy is able to sense energy and sees that the Nth metal is "energy that decided to be metal, like a cold sun," and it is infused into Kendra's body.
   After defeating the villains, Kendra meets up with an old college friend. Through this meeting, it is revealed that Kendra was quite the activist during her college days. Her college friend, who is gay, apparently has a crush on Kendra, but Kendra turns her down.
   Later on, Kendra contacts Batman to get some information about Galaxy. She finds out that Galaxy calls herself Taylor Barselay and is from the planet Cyandii. She has the power to manipulate energies like heat, light, and gravity. This also seems to give her the power to sense Kendra's Nth metal.  

   Meanwhile, a mysterious woman named Vulpecula is trying to return to a place called the Nth World. In order to do so, she needs the energy of the Nth metal, and she tries an experiment with a girl she has captured. It is enough to open up a tiny portal but not big enough for her to get through and return home. When she triggers her device, the connection to the Nth metal sends a shockwave through Kendra's body. Kendra falls unconscious and somehow crashes through the window of Galaxy's apartment. 

Variant by Otto Schmidt

Variant by Derrick Chew

Variant by Mataeus Manhanini

Pinions

   Before the series came out, the writer promised that this would be "one of the best comic runs ever." I had hopes for it in the beginning. Hawkman and Hawkwoman, although they had been sidelined for the most part since 2020, had their own story, and Kendra was not a part of it. I was looking forward to DC Comics developing Kendra/Hawkgirl's own story, away from Hawkman.
   Kendra has always been an angry character, and given her background, that's understandable. She's kind of messed up, and I was hoping this series would give her her own anchors to rely on, but it looks like she's still going through some things. One panel shows her curled up in a ball on the floor in front of the sofa, and then she's yelling "I'm better than fine" in another. During the fight, she loses her wings, and she is immediately okay with dying and just ending it all. She seems to have some issues that need addressing. 
   In this issue, we see that she was an activist in college: shaving her head, showing up at BLM rallies, and swearing out cops. She says Carter Hall helped at the beginning, raised her up, and taught her to fly. But she also says that's done now, implying that she's trying to pull away from him. This has been an ongoing theme for over 20 years, so I hope it will finally happen in this series. Superman mentions that she had a relationship with the Martian Manhunter, but Kendra says they "broke up." 
   Some of the things introduced in the issue are pretty cool. Describing Nth metal as energy that took the form of metal, like a cold sun, was a pretty interesting way to put it. The introduction of a place called Nth World is intriguing. I want to see this place. 
   The dialogue was weird since everyone sounded like teenagers, even Superman. It's like everyone is trying to be funny or glib in truncated form (how do you describe teen banter?) all at the same time. They're all talking a mile a minute about personal issues while they fight the villains in the middle of Metropolis. Kendra gets all mad at Galaxy for using her powers without knowing the effect, while she and the other heroes don't seem to be taking the fight seriously themselves. 
   Then there's the villain. Vulpecula. It sounds like the larval form of some sort of insect. Not a name that sticks with you. I have to do a double-check every time I type the name out. I guess she is a fox of some sort, so she has to look the part. She has this Joker-like evil grin at all times. She needs Nth metal to return home to Nth World, so this will undoubtedly bring her and Hawkgirl together down the road. And judging from this issue, Kendra is the motherlode of Nth metal so you know that Vulpecula is coming after her eventually.  

   And I gotta say it here as well. Dayum, Kendra is BUFF. And she ain't afraid to show it. Who else goes to a reunion with an old friend in a tank top and jorts? If ya got it, flaunt it, baby. 
   There's a definite LGBTQ element in the whole issue. Kendra's old college friend is gay, and Galaxy is transgender with a lesbian partner. Is the writer planning to make Kendra bi or gay? I guess that is one direction to take her to separate her from Hawkman and Hawkwoman. Kendra has expressed her feelings about men (not great) in the past, so maybe she's ready to try something new. We'll see what happens with that in the following issues. 
   The first issue had promise, with Hawkgirl in a whole new environment, and the interesting introduction of Nth world and the villain's connection to Nth metal. As a character, Kendra was annoying, emotionally all over the place, and a bit schizophrenic as usual, but maybe she'll find herself in this series at last. 

Avian Artistry

   I'm not familiar with Amancay Napuelpan's art, but when I saw the cover for the first issue, I was pretty excited. That is a great iconic shot of Hawkgirl. I said it earlier, but inside the comic, Kendra was built like a professional bodybuilder. She's got arms that make her gay college friend swoon, abs that would make a washboard cry in shame, and thighs that could crack coconuts. And when she's not in costume, she's wearing this tank top-jorts ensemble that's there (or not there) just to show off the buffness. She looked good in her costume, but when she's not wearing it, the imbalance of her tiny head and huge body looks weird. Amancay seems to do very well with heroes in their costumes, but the other characters looked way over the top. 
   Her college friend looked bizarre. There was the shot of her when she was in college, wearing her cross necklace and looking miserable. And now that she is gay, she's got nose rings, earrings, tattoos, and her head half shaved and the other half dyed white. Does it have to be the two extremes? Maybe that's what the writer wanted. Message received. 
   The colors were great in this issue, and with so many different colors of characters and scenes, the artists must have had fun with this issue. The fun colors of the battles and characters may be the best thing in the book. 

Memorable Wheets

"I have friends who aren't superheroes, you know." (Hawkgirl)

"So, can you, like, turn into a whole flock of hawks, or just one big hawk?" (idiot bystander)
"You were hitting them in the face with a Morning Star!" (Galaxy)
"Heh. So am I your type?" (Kendra)
"With those arms? Absolutely!" (Abilene)

Aviary

Pecking Order

Verdict: A not-so-solid, average, baseline issue. That "one of the best comic runs ever" can come any time now.