THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1
“Hawkman Rising”
Written by Tony Daniel
Art by Philip Tan
Never having been a fan of Hawkman — more uninitiated than anything else — I was looking forward to learning about the character for the first time with this new incarnation. Boy, was I biting off more than I could chew. The Savage Hawkman is one of the poorer books to come out of the New 52, with an unintelligible story and confusing and off-putting art.
We are supposed to care about Carter Hall, but he comes off as nothing more than annoyed and entitled. The narrative jumps all over the place, and when the big reveal happens towards the end, it feels unearned and silly. The brooding sense (captured in the title’s adjective) is misplaced, and there’s nothing redeeming about any characters involved. Let’s call this strike one.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
A lot — Hawkman’s powers and abilities would be helpful, as well as a recent history of the character and what his current crises are.
VERDICT
Skip it. If you’re a Hawkman diehard, perhaps there’s more under the surface, but for us laymen there’s nowhere to hang our hat.
