Hawkman #3 – Robert Venditti, Writer; Bryan Hitch, Artist; Andrew Currie, Paul Neary, Inkers; Alex Sinclair, Jeremiah Skipper, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Comics are inherently a visual medium, but too many times a comic that celebrates the visual rather than the dialogue can often be an overly brief read that leaves you feeling unsatisfied. That is definitely not the case for Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch’s Hawkman #3, one of the best examples of the fusion of an exciting story and bright, vivid art that I’ve seen in a long time. With Hawkman on a quest to find out the truth about his many missing lives, the book basically catapults him from one wildly unpredictable adventure to another. He’s largely the only named character in this book, which means he has to carry it himself with his dialogue and narration as he goes up against wordless threats. That story begins in Dinosaur Island, where he goes up against a rampaging T-Rex to defend his base camp. Hitch’s dinosaur looks fantastic, and it’s a great showcase for Hawkman’s style of brute-force combat. But that’s just the appetizer for the main threat of the issue – a massive flock of primordial winged humanoids that swarm Hawkman as he tries to make his way to a mysterious mountain.
This segment is one of the best visual spectacles in recent comic history, as the scope and scale of the battle is really something to behold. There are so many of these mysterious Feitherans that Hawkman is overwhelmed, but the reader never is. Major developments, like Hawkman’s mace suddenly developing a mind of its own, are just casually dropped into the battle as he struggles to survive. Is it suddenly becoming Mjolnir? This book is turning into the best work of Hitch’s recent career art-wise, even though he has two artists assisting him. Eventually, Hawkman finds his way to the mysterious Feitheran elder, continues his quest, and enters a mysterious space-age capsule that sends him to the next stage of his journey – to encounter yet another one of his past selves, this a particularly iconic one. Each issue of this title unravels a few more pieces of the mystery while raising more questions. It’s easily the best Hawkman story since Geoff Johns’ run.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
