Editor’s Note:
The below review is written by Tim Board! Tim is the founder of the popular Hawkworld group on Facebook and the growing Hawkworld twitter. Feel free to share any feedback in the comments section.
DC Comics Rebirth Spoilers and Review follow for Death of Hawkman #6 follow.
Introduction
At the end of issue No. 5, Despero controlled everybody except our three heroes and he was starting to pull the Nth metal out of Hawkman. Adam Strange and new Green Lantern Rayn Kral were looking like they were powerless to do anything about it. And here we are finally at the end of a strange series.
Rating system: Ratings are out of Five Maces; that’s the most you can get!
The Team: Marc Andreyko (writer), Aaron Lopresti (penciller), John Livesay (Inker), Blond (colorist), John Reed (letterer), and Aaron Lopresti and Brad Anderson (cover art)
The Main Cover
When the art for the final issue was released a few weeks ago, the first thing I thought was that I has seen it before. There have been similar covers in the past (Hawkworld Vol. 2 No. 31 and Savage Hawkman No. 16). The skull just on a black background seemed like a great big period to signify the end. The variant cover by Bill Sienkiewicz, on the other hand, blew pretty much everyone away. It is a beautiful piece of work that will probably end up on many fans’ best cover lists for the year.
4 out of 5 Maces (It would have been two maces if not for the Sienkiewicz cover.)
The Art
For the first time since Issue No. 2, Lopresti handled the entire issue. And sad to say, this issue was the most disappointing. Lopresti’s way of drawing blood always looks like raspberry jam and this issue we got the bonus of guacamole from Despero. Hawkman’s helmet seemed to become clunkier by the issue. Ryan Kral’s wings completely disappeared in one panel. Lopresti has a great comic book look, but this issue seemed to be missing what makes his work fun to look at. Maybe it was all that guacamole.
2 out of 5 Maces
The Story
The final issue opens up with Hawkman and Despero covered in each other’s blood and beating the daylights out of each other. Despero blasts Hawkman into the side of a mountain and heads for the other heroes. Adam Strange and GL Rayn Kral are fighting the mind-controlled Rannians and Kalanorians. Kral is still trying to figure out how to use his power ring while Strange is finding some spine he was missing in the first five issues. While Kral battles on, Strange flies up to Hawkman to help when Despero comes at them. Hawkman rips Despero’s arm right off (pretty impressive feat). Hawkman tells Strange to destroy the Zeta Beam Portal no matter what.
Strange heads off to the portal. He finds his father-in-law Sardath, who was presumed dead, under Despero’s mind control and opening up the portal. Hawkman distracts Despero long enough to break his control over Sardath and give Strange a chance to find out how to destroy the portal. Hawkman keeps Despero engaged long enough for Strange to finally destroy the portal. Right before the portal blows up, Hawkman shoots all the Nth metal out of his body, spearing it right through Despero’s head. Hawkman looks like a mummy with everything sucked out of him and says “See you in the next life”. The portal explodes, taking Hawkman, Strange and Despero in the explosion.
Three months later. Thanagar and Rann have worked out their differences and are working to repair the damage done to their planets. At the peace treaty signing ceremony, we see the Green Lanterns Kilowogg and others overlooking the situation and surprise, surprise, we see Isamot Kol alive and just missing a few limbs. He tells Rayn Kral that he expects to get his ring back. A giant statue of Hawkman and Adam Strange is unveiled to honor their sacrifice.
But then we see Adam Strange tumbling through the Zeta Beam, heading to who knows where. At the edge of the universe, Hawkman’s remains and a chunk of Nth metal appear. The Nth metal reforms into Despero and he crushes Hawkman’s skull to bits and swears vengeance. And the final panel says, “Not the end. Nowhere near it.”
Best Panel: Hawkman smiling as he punches Despero in the face.
Worst Panel: The final panel.
Best Comment: They look like a Wal-Mart mob on Black Friday!
Worst Comment: Gross.
Summary and Verdict of Issue No. 6
With the buildup all through the series, this issue made me feel like I was watching the last hour of Titanic. You knew the ship was going to sink and as a Hawkman fan, the whole issue had an eerie, ominous feeling to it. Since 2010, Hawkman has been killed off eight times in the comics and TV shows. With such a blatant title as “Death of Hawkman”, there was some hope that DC Comics was trying to buck the trend and come up with a story where he didn’t die just to fool everybody. I gave them too much credit. But not only did he die, his remains were transported to the edge of the universe and then pulverized by Despero. So the trend continues.
The series was disappointing. The characters lacked depth, Adam Strange was a wimp, and Hawkman was the hairy savage he is expected to be. Nothing more, nothing less. Before the series began, Hawkman was in DC limbo, where he often is, and there was some hope this series would offer up some answers about where the character has been and where he is headed. We got none of that. Hawkman is in DC limbo again, so we are right back where we started. The editors did not seem to realize what Hawkgirl means to the fans, seeing how they put her on the cover but then failed to show or mention her once in the entire series. If this series was done to get rid of the Savage Hawkman from the New 52, then mission accomplished. The final panel told us that the story was not even close to the finish.
While Despero and the Nth metal may be in another story down the line, you can’t help but think that Hawkman’s part in this is done. I hope DC proves me wrong, but looking at their track record over the last few years, it’s hard to be optimistic. This series will not be required reading for new fans who want to find out more about Hawkman.
2 out of 5 Maces
