Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: The Thanagarian (part 1 of 3)
Written by: Geoff Johns
Pencilled by: Rags Morales
Inked by: Michael Bair
Colored by: John Halisz
Lettered by: Ken Lopez
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Publisher: DC Comics
Let’s be honest. The Hawkman franchise was a mess before Geoff Johns’ got to it. It was, um, an albatross around DC’s neck. Nothing good could come out of all the confusion … until Geoff unravelled generations of Hawkman continuity and quilted a new tapestry that has made Hawkman a certified success for DC. Not only did Geoff respect continuity, the way he did it in his JSA run and this series, gave a clean slate fresh feel to it.
While an in depth knowledge of continuity has not been a prerequisite to enjoy Hawkman, readers that do know about Carter Hall, Katar Hol, the Hawk Avatar, and the years-upon-years of Hawk history, found a kindred-spirit in Geoff Johns. His respectful and thoughtful reintroduction of Hawkman makes him one this generation’s top creative finds. He thrives on challenges and has made lower-tier DC characters relevant, interesting and successful. Do you remember a truly successful JSA or Hawkman run after 1970 and before Geoff Johns’ run? Perhaps he can tackle another DC icon that deserves the star treatment — namely Captain Marvel. His handling of the “big red cheese” in JSA gives me hope.
Hawkman #15 is part one of the three-part Thanagarian arc that Geoff Johns’ hopes “will become the issue(s) everyone goes to when they want to see the Hawk timeline explained…. every major beat is there. Thanager, Hawkworld, Zero Hour, even the Avatars. It’s all touched on and tied up.”
The issue opens with the 1990’s Hawkwoman Shayera Thal soaring above St. Roch in search of “her” Hawkman, Katar Hol, all the while trying to make sense of the “new” Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Pages 4 to 7 provide a concise overview of the Hawk continuity — the tapestry that Geoff Johns’ wove from years of dangling DC plot threads. How many writers could boil down generations of continuity and confusion into four pages that make sense and are respectful to continuity? Some may say that writer Kurt Busiek rivals or betters Johns in this regard, but those would be readers with no creativity taste buds. While Busiek has great historical knowledge of comics continuity, Geoff Johns can better use and build on this type of knowledge. Busiek reiterates continuity while Johns’ strengthens and adds to continuity. Busiek tells stories while Johns creates stories. That’s the difference.
Using Geoff Johns’ own words from a recent interview, the Hawkman series is “about two warriors and lovers from Ancient Egypt who are reincarnated life after life… In our time they are the Winged Warriors, Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Archaeologists and adventurers. Hawkman remembers their past lives, Hawkgirl doesn’t.”
Like many of Johns’ titles, Hawkman #15 continues to solidify his place in comics greatness — he produces the best “last page” in comics today. Don’t skip to the end. It’s worth the wait. Savour this issue.
While I’ve raved quite a bit about Geoff Johns, the art team of penciler Rags Morales and inker Michael Bair also deserve major kudos. Rags and Bair draw with much energy and emotion. Their action sequences and sense of perspective are breathtaking. Their more human moments, like Carter Hall coming to terms with the death of his girlfriend Jayita in this very issue, convey the emotion and depth often visually-lacking in many books on the stands today. Rags and Bair are the cream of the crop. It’s fitting that all of Geoff John’s titles have some of the best artists in the business on them.
Putting metaphors aside, I’ve used more than my fair share so far, Hawkman #15 is great jumping-on point for new readers, as well as a much-anticipated read for those of us who have been fans for years and those who’ve been fans since Hawkman’s reintroduction in the pages of Johns’ JSA a few years ago.
Hawkman #15. Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it.
