Here's the rundown before I share my thoughts:
- Hawkman’s made it to Dinosaur Island, and is already in the thick of battle with a tyrannosaurus rex.
- After sending the T-Rex running, Carter spends the night reflecting on the waning memories of his past lives, as well as where he’s been and where he’s presently going: the island’s mountaintop.
- Khufu’s scepter in-hand, Hawkman flies to the mountaintop the next morning, only for a violent flock of Feitherans to swarm him on his way there.
- During the ensuing fight, Carter learns his mace is drawn to him, granting him an added bit of reach in the scuffle.
- Dispatching the last of his foes, Hawkman sets down near the mountain’s summit before a small cave, where a lone Feitheran elder waits to greet him.
- As his “grandfathers’ grandfathers” before him, this Feitheran was tasked with overseeing the “Aerie” by “The Line of the Hawkman.”
- His task done, the Feitheran does his best Jedi impersonation and fades away in death, leaving Carter to enter the Aerie alone.
- Inside, Hawkman uses Khufu’s scepter to activate the impossibly futuristic tech within.
- The Aerie is revealed as a planetarium, but the constellations it highlights are not of Earth.
- The sight brings memories rushing back to Carter, and the name “Kalmoran” once again escapes him.
- With a flash, Hawkman is once again whisked away through time and space.
- His destination this time: atop Thanagar’s towering statue of Kalmoran, kneeling before the wrong end of Katar Hol’s blaster.
Another good issue, but I have to concede that it felt padded for trade. Both the fight with the T-Rex and the Feitherans went on a page or two longer than they needed to, and there was too much exposition devoted to things we already know. I suspect Venditti was just working towards that final splash page, wanting to leave it there as a cliffhanger, but the material that led up to it didn’t really leave me with the epic sense of awe that it should have had. Still an overall fun issue, though.
I also continue to give Venditti bonus points for infusing each issue with little nods to Hawkman lore without it getting in the way of the story, like this issue’s inclusion of the Feitherans. Oh, and I loved the “I wish I weren’t alone” line just hanging there all by itself during Hawkman’s ascension to the mountaintop. Good use of subtlety there. We didn’t need any names; we know who Carter’s talking about.
Hitch’s art, meanwhile, continues to impress me, even though it’s not my usual cup of tea. The battle with the Feitherans was brutally rendered, and there’s a decent sense of motion to his panels. I also liked the look of battered Carter afterwards. Hitch absolutely outdid himself on the final page, though. You get a good sense of not just who Katar is with that imagery, but also Thanagar itself. Pretty impressive work for a single page.
Oddly enough, though, the most exciting development of this issue for me was the revelation Carter experienced during his battle with the Feitherans involving his mace. Like Captain America’s shield, it gives Hawkman that much more versatility in combat, while allowing him to retain his most iconic weapon regardless of the type of skirmish he may find himself in. I love it, and I hope other writers take note and continue to use it. For Hawkgirl, too.
Anyhoo, not as good as the two issues that came before it, but solid all the same. Next issue stands a good chance of being the best one yet, though. I can’t wait to see Hawkworld Katar Hol again.
Fun Fact: Hawkman actually has battled a T-Rex before. Off the top of my head, he did it in the not-so-long-ago-published Wednesday Comics. Sorry. I just had to point that out.