Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: The Headhunter: Part II – Taking off the Mask
Written by: Geoff Johns
Pencilled by: Rags Morales
Inked by: Michael Bair
Colored by: John Kalisz
Lettered by: Bill Oakley
Assistant Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Publisher: DC Comics
Geoff’s made Hawk the man!
I am a big fan of Hawkman as a character; and I’m an even bigger fan of how Geoff Johns brought a B.S. free Hawkman back to the DC Universe in the pages of JSA. The problem came in when the new solo Hawkman book launched in early 2002. It wasn’t the worst thing I ever read, in fact it was fairly entertaining, but something was missing. The first seven or eight issues seemed to run in place, and the Hawk’s new home of St. Roch was largely left unexplored. Things really turned around for me in issue 9, when Carter Hall (Hawkman) and his son Hector Hall (Dr. Fate) had a heart to heart. From that point forward, Hawkman has been one of the better books on the stands.
While Geoff Johns writes some tremendous action sequences, the real area this book has excelled is in the characterization of Hawkman and Hawkgirl. The pair has been reincarnated as lovers since their original “life†in ancient Egypt, but this time things aren’t that easy. Johns is not going the easy route with the characters personal lives. Not only are the two not desperately in love, but also they really don’t even like each other. This month, Carter gets caught out once again by Hawkgirl, and most of the inroads made by the characters in recent months are seemingly lost. I think the two will end up together down the line, but I’m not all that certain. If they do, it will be a very interesting path that takes us there. This unknown with their relationship really adds something to the series.
He’s a baaaaaaad man.
I’m not talking about the title character, although he’s a pretty tough cookie himself, and I’m certainly not talking about Hawkgirl, she’s a lady, folks. I’m talking about one of the meanest villains to come down the pike in a long time, the Headhunter. Hawkman is not completely lacking a meaningful gallery of rogues, but he can always use a boost in that department. The current storyline is attempting to give him a numero uno type of baddie; something Hawkman has never really had before.
The Shadow Thief is my favorite Hawkman villain, but his somewhat slinking style doesn’t exactly create the best foil for the blunt force fighting style of Hawkman. Instead, Geoff Johns has introduced a savage force that easily surpasses the fury of the titular hero. Headhunter, with his loincloth, shrunken head necklace, and hooded iron masked features presents a downright frightening villain for Hawkman to oppose. Coupled with the fact that he literally brings Hawkman to his knees in their first confrontation, and we’ve got a villainous keeper.
Art with character!
Not many books are blessed with such a tremendous art team as Rags Morales and Michael Bair. This comic demands truly vicious, nasty battles. Rags Morales pencils capture the savagery of Hawkman, yet he’s also able to bring to life the cultured moments of this “man of 1,000 lives.†Michael Bair’s style integrates seamlessly with Rags’ work, creating one of the best-illustrated books on the shelves each month.
This series is the fifth such solo book for the Hawkman property. The current series has already surpassed the length of one of those other four series, and none has lasted more than 33 issues. With the high quality writing and art exhibited in these pages each month, I don’t think this book will have any trouble staying on the shelves for a longtime to come. This is one very pleased Hawkman fan!
