Hyperion Meets Nighthawk

[Michael Watkins]

Also agreed. That was why I added "if you can call it that" to my sentence about Nighthawk and possibly being racist, because of exactly that nuance, that you can't compare a white person who hates, distrusts, dislikes, and/or resents nonwhites and adopts that standpoint from a position of relatively greater socioeconomic/political/cultural privilege to a nonwhite person who has most likely been victimized or disenfranchised at some point by the same system that protects and enables white people at the expense of nonwhite people and has that trauma or struggle informing his or her perspective on whites. And hell, Nighthawk is against anyone exploiting the black community, even other black people, as demonstrated in one scene where he utterly physically and verbally wrecks a pimp, calling him out for how he makes it look cool to impressionable black youth to exploit and abuse their own.

that pimp scene was great. but, when he asks (paraphrasing) "which of us looks more like a yadda yadda cockroach," I had to think about it. Nighthawk's costume is somewhat cockroachesque. he's a scary dude. I always wondered if the writer was trying to make a statement w/ that line.

[Huntsman Spider]

that pimp scene was great. but, when he asks (paraphrasing) "which of us looks more like a yadda yadda cockroach," I had to think about it. Nighthawk's costume is somewhat cockroachesque. he's a scary dude. I always wondered if the writer was trying to make a statement w/ that line.

"Thought you was a brother . . ."

"Yeah, brother. Brother to a cockroach."

Paraphrasing as well, but that's what I remember of it. And regarding your earlier post, I think the point JMS was making with Hyperion and Zarda was that unless checked by genuine love, respect, and compassion for those less powerful than themselves, having the kind of power that those two possess would naturally turn anyone into a sociopath. After learning that he was always feared and seen as a weapon or a threat by those close to him and never genuinely loved or liked or respected, Hyperion really would have little reason to not become cold to humanity at large.

[Michael Watkins]

"Thought you was a brother . . ."

"Yeah, brother. Brother to a cockroach."

Paraphrasing as well, but that's what I remember of it. And regarding your earlier post, I think the point JMS was making with Hyperion and Zarda was that unless checked by genuine love, respect, and compassion for those less powerful than themselves, having the kind of power that those two possess would naturally turn anyone into a sociopath. After learning that he was always feared and seen as a weapon or a threat by those close to him and never genuinely loved or liked or respected, Hyperion really would have little reason to not become cold to humanity at large.

sounds right. I respect your opinion(s). thankfully, there are actually pages that detail the quotes from the book.

Leo T.K. [After Nighthawk has broken his right arm]: What're you-- --huccccch-- what're you doing? I thought-- thought you were a brother.

Nighthawk: A brother. A brother to somebody who exploits his own and poisons the neighborhood with drugs. Somebody who does more harm to the black community than a hundred guys in white sheets because you make feeding on black women look like something cool. Which of us here looks like a brother to a cockroach-- [Nighthawk slams Leo's head to the floor] And which one of us looks like a man?

---
Issue #12[edit]
Nighthawk: So even though I don't like it, I took steps to bring in some help. If this guy really is one of you, we're going to need all the help we can get.
The Blur: Why the reluctance?
Nighthawk: I don't trust him.
The Blur: Because he's white?
Nighthawk: Because I don't trust him.
The Blur: Uh-huh.

The Blur: See, I lived all my life in the South, in Atlanta, and in all that time nobody--nobody--has ever described me or anybody I knew as "you people." Until you, just now. You got some serious issues, Mr. Richmond. Deal with them.
----

[Huntsman Spider]

Thanks. And I liked that last quote from the Blur, because he made a pretty good point there, too. As much as we might sympathize or empathize with Nighthawk's distrust and animosity toward whites based on his formative experiences and relating them to larger issues of continual and sustained socioeconomic, political, and cultural disenfranchisement of black Americans by a power structure slanted in favor of white Americans, his inability at that point to temper said distrust and animosity is a hindrance to meaningful cooperation with potential allies that could help him achieve his goals. Of course, that could easily be applied to critiques of contemporary activist movements protesting unjust, unfair, and unequal treatment of blacks by law enforcement in real life for supposedly being unwilling or unable to begin or maintain a more even dialogue with representatives of the power structure they seek to change because of similar feelings of distrust and animosity.

[cullenn]

Just making my periodic comment that the Nighthawk series was highly slept-on.

[Mr MajestiK]

I've never seen Magneto as being racist.

Prejudiced yes, but racist nope.

Same applies to Nighthawk in my book.

Agreeing 100% with trauma induced.

Just making my periodic comment that the Nighthawk series was highly slept-on.

That's probably down to the fact that it was wack.

David Walker totally dropped the ball on that book and the fugly killed it dead.

[Wolverine12]

That's probably down to the fact that it was wack.

David Walker totally dropped the ball on that book and the fugly killed it dead.

Outside of the art being sub par (which I think was universally agreed upon) what didn't you like about the series? I thought it did a great job of keeping Nighthawk who he has always been portrayed as and not just some Batman man rip off.

[ed2962]

I actually liked the art. And I feel Walker was trying set up several intriguing concepts, but the second half just sorta belly flopped. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he had a longer story planned but Had to just wrap it up once he was told the comic was cancelled.

[Haquim]

I've never seen Magneto as being racist.

Prejudiced yes, but racist nope.

Same applies to Nighthawk in my book.

Agreeing 100% with trauma induced.

Nighthawk may be debatable, after all he doesn't fight white people because they are white but only when they threaten what he sees as his people based on ethnicity (btw he doesn't save even people of ethnicities other than caucasian, he only defends black people). But Magneto is a racist, pure and simple. They might have dialed it down a fair bit in recent years, but he's still the gut who considered himself at war with humanity and whose "dream" was a society where mutants ruled over humans not one where they had equal rights (that's Xavier's dream). Magneto has been portrayed as someone attacking the world in order to further this agenda for most of his comic career, saying he's not a racist doesn't make any sense imo.

[XPac]

I actually liked the art. And I feel Walker was trying set up several intriguing concepts, but the second half just sorta belly flopped. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he had a longer story planned but Had to just wrap it up once he was told the comic was cancelled.

Are wasn't terrible (or great for that matter), but I had trouble getting past the sneakers.