Hawkman has the 2nd most convoluted back story in the DC universe.  #1 is Donna Troy.  But Hawkman is from the Golden Age of Comics, the Silver Age, and the modern age.  Is he an archeologist, or is he a space cop from another planet?

They stayed with a recent incarnation, and started with him wanting to destroy the Nth metal.  Why? Maybe  someone knows this back story, but I’m unaware of his hatred for it.

The story went by very quickly.  One minute you are in the jungle and the next you are fighting aliens.  And even with that, the fight doesn’t end.  I’m not sure there is a whole story here, it felt like a teaser to a full comic.  Something to wet your appetite.

Tan is a very good artist.  His work in the past has had some great moments.  He really shines when he draws Hawkman.  The armor pointy and shiny and fierce.  But some his faces seem unfinished with features blurred as if they were background people instead of foreground characters. And I’m not really sure I like his backgrounds, they all seem wavy and distorted .  But overall, his art does have a lot to recommend.

Too short.  C+     Don

Ah, Hakwman – he edges out Supergirl easily in terms of how many times he’s been rebooted/retconned/reimagined, which is odd considering he seems like such a straightforward character. But this time, he’s not just “Hawkman” but “The Savage Hawkman.” He’s always been a pretty brutal combatant, what with the mace and all, but the “Savage” moniker made me wonder if he was going to be running around Punisher-like or living in the wild or at least ripping the tags off of mattresses before reselling them, but so far there isn’t much savagery here that isn’t already associated with Hawkman.

Considering his convoluted continuity, the first issue does a good job of setting up the book for new readers. Hawkman has always been a bit of tough sell since his powers are so common in the DCU. When everyone else on the Justice League can fly in addition to having other super powers, “just” being able to fly (and needing wings to do so, however cool that might look) isn’t all that impressive. At least Aquaman can do things that Superman can’t, however unimpressive they might seem in comparison. It looks like they’re trying to give his abilities a bit more depth with this new spin on Nth metal, though I too am a bit confused about why exactly he’s out to destroy it all of a sudden.

It’s hard for me to judge this book on its own merits because I keep comparing it to the book I imagined back when it was announced that James Robinson would be writing it, but Tony Daniel has more than proven himself an able scribe, even if his writing may always seem a step behind his artistic ability. Artistically, it’s a pretty cool looking book, though the coloring can muddy things up a bit in certain areas, there’s more good art to look at than there is to criticize.

Overall, this is another solid book that I can easily see being passed over because of the sheer number of new titles available in the DC relaunch. I’m always happy for there to be one more good comic out there, but to stand out from the 51+ other new DC books, it needs to distinguish itself more.

C+ — Ed