On a Wing and a Prayer: Hawkman Appreciation!

[Frontier]

I blame Geoff Johns, personally. Much like Quesada's veiw of Peter and MJ, I get the sense that Johns felt keeping the Hawks together somehow limited the types of stories that could be told about them, when in fact it's the exact opposite. They will always work better together than apart, in my opinion.

I always got the sense from Johns that the Hawks were always destined to be together, both as partners and lovers, from what I had read of his work with them (since he really emphasized the "destined lovers" angle).

[MajorHoy]

I always got the sense from Johns that the Hawks were always destined to be together, both as partners and lovers, from what I had read of his work with them (since he really emphasized the "destined lovers" angle).

Not just "emphasized"; more like he constantly hit you over the head again and again with a sledgehammer (or a medieval mace) to make sure it would sink in!

[Hawkman]

I always got the sense from Johns that the Hawks were always destined to be together, both as partners and lovers, from what I had read of his work with them (since he really emphasized the "destined lovers" angle).

Johns's reasoning was double-edged, though, in that the "curse" would always ensure they were separated by death as soon as they got together. So Johns had this obsession with them constantly pulling apart as soon as they were on the verge of rekindling their romance. Palmiotti and Gray were the ones who ultimately pulled the trigger on their relationship towards the end of Hawkman Vol. 4 and The Rann-Thanager War, only for DC to blow it up off-panel post-One Year Later.

Then Johns killed them off in Blackest Night, got them together in Brightest Day, only to separate them again at the very end of that series. The Hawks' relationship felt more like a hamster-wheel under Johns's pen than anything else. It was the whole "illusion of progress" that comics are so infamous for, but to the nth degree (no pun intended).

[SJNeal]

Johns's reasoning was double-edged, though, in that the "curse" would always ensure they were separated by death as soon as they got together. So Johns had this obsession with them constantly pulling apart as soon as they were on the verge of rekindling their romance. Palmiotti and Gray were the ones who ultimately pulled the trigger on their relationship towards the end of Hawkman Vol. 4 and The Rann-Thanager War, only for DC to blow it up off-panel post-One Year Later.

Johns had finally gotten the Hawks back on track with his run, and Palmiotti & Gray were doing an excellent job of following up... only to have the rug pulled out from under them by "One Year Later". On paper, Chaykin and Simonson should've had a stand-out run, but they completely killed the book. I blame whatever editor(s) were behind "OYL" for the fact that Hawkman's been a mess (again!) ever since.

Venditti's off to a good start though; we'll see how long it lasts before DC can't help but shoot themselves in the foot again.

[DrNewGod]

I blame Geoff Johns, personally. Much like Quesada's veiw of Peter and MJ, I get the sense that Johns felt keeping the Hawks together somehow limited the types of stories that could be told about them, when in fact it's the exact opposite. They will always work better together than apart, in my opinion.

We are On Page amigo!

Johns's reasoning was double-edged, though, in that the "curse" would always ensure they were separated by death as soon as they got together. So Johns had this obsession with them constantly pulling apart as soon as they were on the verge of rekindling their romance. Palmiotti and Gray were the ones who ultimately pulled the trigger on their relationship towards the end of Hawkman Vol. 4 and The Rann-Thanager War, only for DC to blow it up off-panel post-One Year Later.

Then Johns killed them off in Blackest Night, got them together in Brightest Day, only to separate them again at the very end of that series. The Hawks' relationship felt more like a hamster-wheel under Johns's pen than anything else. It was the whole "illusion of progress" that comics are so infamous for, but to the nth degree (no pun intended).

I hadn't put all of that together in the very concise way you have Hawkman [bows obsequiously], but I think you hit it. And it tells me that Johns can't see the Hawks as characters, but as a deterministic gimmick with a really cool visual.

[Frontier]

I hadn't put all of that together in the very concise way you have Hawkman [bows obsequiously], but I think you hit it. And it tells me that Johns can't see the Hawks as characters, but as a deterministic gimmick with a really cool visual.

I dunno. Personally I thought he did pretty solid character work with them in JSA and in his Hawkman run.

[DrNewGod]

I dunno. Personally I thought he did pretty solid character work with them in JSA and in his Hawkman run.

grrrr....<ahem>. They were good stories, I'll give him that. I suppose it just wasn't Hawkman (any of them) as I see him.

[Hawkman]

Johns had finally gotten the Hawks back on track with his run, and Palmiotti & Gray were doing an excellent job of following up... only to have the rug pulled out from under them by "One Year Later". On paper, Chaykin and Simonson should've had a stand-out run, but they completely killed the book. I blame whatever editor(s) were behind "OYL" for the fact that Hawkman's been a mess (again!) ever since.

I've spoken with Simonson about his Hawkgirl run, and according to him, he didn't even know he was going to be writing only Hawkgirl until weeks before the first issue was due. He was under the impression he was taking over the Hawkman book when he got the gig, so it was definitely an editorial decision.

I dunno. Personally I thought he did pretty solid character work with them in JSA and in his Hawkman run.

I think Johns did good work for what he did while working on the characters directly. It's after he left both titles and began writing them effectively from the sidelines that I started to hold a grudge against him. It became clear to me in retrospect that he never really wanted them to be together, and any time another writer even hinted at the slightest bit of growth in the Hawks' relationship, Johns would step in and tear it all down.

I'm hoping Venditti will be allowed to pair them together again soon, but the fact that Hawkgirl hasn't even been mentioned in Hawkman yet is a bit troubling to me. It's still too early to complain, though, and I remain optimistic. Time will tell, I guess.

[Hawkman]

Promotional foil cover for Hawkman #5, by Bryan Hitch:

[Ra-El]

I'm hoping Venditti will be allowed to pair them together again soon, but the fact that Hawkgirl hasn't even been mentioned in Hawkman yet is a bit troubling to me. It's still too early to complain, though, and I remain optimistic. Time will tell, I guess.

I'm more concerned with what Snyder will do with Hawkgirl on Justice League since John Stewart is in the book and JL cartoon was super popular. The next arc will have the John, Hawkgirl and MM going on a mission. I just hope they don't have Carter running after her while she is with someone else, if they put her with John or anyone else, they should let Carter move on too.

[Hawkman]

I'm more concerned with what Snyder will do with Hawkgirl on Justice League since John Stewart is in the book and JL cartoon was super popular. The next arc will have the John, Hawkgirl and MM going on a mission. I just hope they don't have Carter running after her while she is with someone else, if they put her with John or anyone else, they should let Carter move on too.

I'm not too concerned with this eventuality. Kendra was on the team with John during McDuffie's (all-too-brief) tenure on Justice League, too, and he refrained from ever going there. And he freaking developed a lot of that romance subplot for the cartoon, even!

Doubly unlikely this time, too, since it was Kendra rather than Carter pushing the "destined lovers" angle from the outset this go around. I just can't see Snyder--who introduced Kendra as such--doing that hard of a 180 on this.

Honestly, I think DC missed their opportunity to emulate the Hawkgirl/Green Lanter romance when they killed off Shayera in Rann-Thanagar War and decided to leave Kendra as the sole Hawkgirl. Shayera was unattached at that point, with Katar having long since been dead, and she was far closer to the Shayera of the DCAU than Kendra will ever be. Pairing Kendra and John up now would be straight-up pandering, and contrived, delayed pandering, at that.

[WallyWestFlash]

Promotional foil cover for Hawkman #5, by Bryan Hitch:

That is awesome. Probably looks even better with the foil effect.

Love the pose also. Savage.

[MajorHoy]

That is awesome. Probably looks even better with the foil effect.

Love the pose also. Savage.

We already had "Savage Hawkman".







Didn't do all that well . . .

[SJNeal]

^ ^ ^

Just.... ugh.

[LP22]

I heard snyder is a huge JLA Animated series fanboy,it will really upset me when he will do carter wrong and pair Hawkgir with John Stewart....