Hawkman, Vol. 1: Awakening

Around 2017, right around the beginning of Robert Venditti's Hawkman series, I sat in on a Q&A with the author. I had a general notion of what the series was about: Hawkman and his reincarnations. But what piqued my interest was when Venditti promised a chance to meet the Hawkman of Krypton. That was an idea I had never thought of.

A little later the same day, I went to another Q&A. This one was with Evan 'Doc' Shaner and Jeff Parker about their Future Quest series. The pair were very welcoming and while tech was setting up, they asked the handful of us in the audience if we had been to any other panels. I mentioned the Hawkman one and how there was going to be a Hawkman of Krypton. For a minute, Parker, I think, stroked his chin and then proclaimed 'That's a brilliant idea!'

Thanks to that singular yet enthusiastic, I immediately put that Hawkman series on my wish list. Of course there was a caveat. I'd wait until I could somehow get my hands on the whole thing to read at once. It took several years but last week I was finally able to get my hands on both volumes at my local library. And I loved it! 

This series doesn't just seek to revisit all of Hawkman's past lives. Instead, Robert Venditti is on a mission to make sense of those reincarnations! From his time as the Egyptian ruler Khufu to Katar Hol of Thanagar and lives in between, the mystery as to why Carter Hall is bound to constantly be reborn throughout time AND SPACE is revealed!

Yes, there was a Hawkman on Krypton. But that wasn't the only big reveal. Some other really cool revelations are that other seemingly unrelated characters in the DC Universe are also Carter Hall reincarnations. Sir Justin, the Silent Knight and the old western gunslinger Nightwing are also some of the adventurers past lives. 

A re-teaming with Ray Palmer in the microverse explains more of the science behind Carter's past lives, especially as the hero starts to experience time slips. It very well could be possible that two or more reincarnations can operate at the same time and place. So I wouldn't be surprised if it's revealed that the current Nightwing, Dick Grayson, is also a Carter Hall reincarnation! 

As Carter Hall uncovers the mysteries surrounding his confusing past, Hawkman will learn that an even greater mystery is on the horizon. One that threatens to destroy Carter Hall's beloved planet Earth. And one tied to Carter's first life in which he has no memory of at all!

I loved this opening love letter to the character of Hawkman. It highlights just about every aspect of the icons history. Don't expect to see the JSA in this series as at this point in DC History, those heroes don't exist. Also, Shiera/Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman is not as much of an active player in this story as you'd expect her to be. Yeah, she's here. But Shiera isn't a part of Carter's active search for answers. And I can't put my finger on why that is...

I devoured this first volume in just a couple of hours. Maybe not even that long. This was a fun ride with elements of Indiana Jones, Doctor Who and comic book history all mixed in. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Superman Annual #11

Have you ever thought really hard that you own something and yet for the love of it all, you just can't find it? That's how I was with this comic book. For the longest time, I thought I owned this beautiful issue. But it turned out that I merely had a reprinted version of the tale in the pages of DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore.

Well, that all ended this weekend when I found this book at the Raleigh Flea Market. It's a grail find! And I only paid $2 for a Fine or better copy!

'For The Man Who Has Everything.' 

The story has been made into both an animated episode of Justice League Unlimited and an episode of the CW's Supergirl. While I've never seen the Supergirl episode, the cartoon version was a classic. If somebody wishes to go into animation or adaptation script-writing, this should be required viewing. 

Right before he created Watchmen, Alan Moore scripted this delightful double-sized story. It's Superman's birthday. Batman along with Jason Todd, and Wonder Woman have traveled to the Fortress of Solitude to bestow the Man of Steel with gifts. But it turns out that someone has beat them to it. 

In the middle of the fortress stands Superman, entranced. A mysterious flower is wrapped around his body and its thorns are penetrating his supposedly impenetrable body. Inside Superman's mind, Kal-El is on Krypton. It didn't explode. However things are far from paradise.

Jor-El lost face and his position with the Science Academy because his prediction of mass destruction never came to pass. Now Jor-El is embroiled with a group of militants that long to see the old days of Krypton restored. This extremism has caused fractures between the members of Kal-El's family and now the entire House of El is in peril.

I've been a fan of this story for a very, very long time. I love how Superman loses control against the villain who is behind this plot. Normally, the Man of Steel pulls his punches. But since the antagonist is almost as powerful as he is, Superman just beats the living snot of them! 

As this is a re-read, I noticed how much more powerful and terrifying the scenes on Krypton are. Alan Moore's chaotic look on the formerly doomed planet reminds me of how bad things are these days on planet Earth. Jor-El's fanatic cronies remind me of several key players that on really putting a spin on things. I'll make sure that I DON'T SAY anything further about it.

With illustrations by fellow future Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons, Superman Annual #11 is one of the greatest stories ever told and one of my personal favorites. So glad I got to finally add this book to my collection!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Superman Vs. Zod

This volume collects some but not all of the appearances of General Zod. However, he's such a non-player in many of these stories, that DC really shouldn't list Zod on the title of this book. He's not even in the first story included here! Instead, the book should be called Superman: Adventures in the Phantom Zone. 

The first story is from a 1961 Superboy story. It introduces the concept of the phantom zone projector which will become a staple of many Superman family related tales. 

Zod appears in a couple of stories from the late 70s. But the star of that two-parter is a female Kryptonian named Faora-Ul. She's a precursor to Ursa, Zod's right hand man, er woman, from Superman II. I'm wondering why this character got a new name/identity in the movies? Copyright payments to the creating artist, maybe?

Zod and Faora return for another 2-parter set right around the end of the Pre-Crisis era. Zod's got a slightly bigger role. But really, this episode from DC Comics Presents is more about Jor-El and the creation of the phantom zone projector than about the evils of Zod's military attempted coup. 

We don't really see Zod in all his soldierly glory until the last story. It tells of the Science Council's cover-up of the impending destruction of Krypton. Plus it calls the Ursa character Ursa. And there's the tragic character of Non finally!

This all leads up to a big question: why were the leaders of Krypton so eager to deny that the planet was about to explode? Has the reasons for their conspiracy ever been explored? And if so, where can I read this tale?

This was a very good collection of Superman stories. But it offered more questions than answers. Plus, it really doesn't feature Zod enough to be a Zod book. I am wondering if this is why I was able to find a copy of this book at Ollie's for only $2!

Enjoyable but definitely nowhere near anything you'd expect from that dynamic cover pitting the last son's of Krypton in mortal combat.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

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Adventures of Supergirl #4

  Supergirl continues to investigate just who really is behind all of the attacks on her and her friends. Along with her adopted sister Alex Danvers, Kara ventures down to the Fort Rozz crash site looking for clues. There, the sisters are attacked by Kryptonian security-bots, supposedly left over from the crash landing. But when Supergirl finds a hidden chamber filled with images of her time on earth, her suspicions are confirmed: The Girl of Steel is being watched!

   I actually read this issue twice. I wasn't so happy with it and I felt that that just couldn't be right. The past 3 issues had been winners and I refused to believe that this chapter was a stinker. Thankfully, a quick re-read helped tune me in to some clues that I had been overlooking or I saw them and just couldn't make a connection at first glance. This ended up being a very good issue though I'm really getting impatient for the climatic ending of this storyline.

    The cover by Cat Staggs was another home run. The interior artwork by Carmen Carnero (Swamp Thing) was very good as well. Though Supergirl still doesn't look like her TV counterpart yet, there does seem to be a little more favoring of Melissa Benoist in some panels. But the renderings of the security robots were spot on from the series and the action scenes with the mystery antagonist really jumps off the page.

   Speaking of things jumping, I don't want to give away a major spoiler but there was a scene that actually scared the bejeezus outta me. You know in those horror flicks where someone looks out a dark window and it's empty and then they do something and then BAM!- there's the villian looking out the window scarying the crap out of both the character on screen and the aduience? Well, this book has the sequential art version of such a frightening scene. Again I don't want to give away the scare but when it happens, oh, my God, will it freak you out!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.


   

Superman: The Adventures of Nightwing and Flamebird

 

   When the bottle city of Kandor is in trouble and Superman isn't around, the refugee residents of Krypton depend on Nightwing and Flamebird. The Caped Crusaders of Kandor, in reality, Nightwing and Flamebird are scientist Van-Zee and Phantom Zone parole Ak-Var; whom Van-Zee takes under his wing as his lab assistant. But these heroes, according to the book jacket, are NOT the original Nightwing and Flamebird. In fact, Van-Zee and Ak-Var aren't even the second duos to take on the mantle!

    The first Nightwing and Flamebird were Superman and his pal, Jimmy Olsen. They take on the mantle when during a misunderstanding, Superman finds himself a fugitive from the law and in order to find the real culprit takes on the role of Nightwing! (Superman #158, January 1963.) Then about a year later, in an imaginary story, Superman and Lois Lane's sons become the newest heroes of Kandor, when they find dad and Uncle Jimmy's costumes in the hidden Nightcave!

   Yes, Nightwing and Flamebird have a Nightcave, a Nightmobile, and I'm sure they would've had a Night-signal if it was needed as a plot device. Oy, Vey!

   I was really excited to find this book on clearance at my favorite LCS. But this isn't at all what I was expecting. First of all, the image on the cover is from the first appearance of Superman and Olsen as the heroes, which isn't included at all in this volume. Kal-El and Olsen's team do appear in two adventures as reprinted in the pages of Superman Family, but they are later adventures and one of which has them paired with the Van-Zee and Ak-Var Kandorian Dynamic Duo.

   The Adventures of Nightwing and Flamebird were a super hot mess! Though written by the talented Paul Kupperburg, some of these adventures were very jumbled and convoluted. Just how many people is Superman related to in Kandor? Plus, some of these adventures can only fully enjoyed or understood if you read other tales published in the same issue of Superman Family. (Only one story bears a foreword and afterword as to the excitement that took place before and after!)

   And don't get me started on continuity errors! They abound in this book. For example, Van-Zee is married to an earth woman friend of Superman and well as Lois Lane's! Both were married way after Krypton was obliterated. Yet, in one story, they two reflect on their life on the doomed plantet when they were on their honeymoon! Can anyone explain this head scratcher? Or maybe mail me a No Prize? (Ooops, wrong publisher.)

   I love the pre-Crisis Superman. If this volume included the Nightwing and Flamebird tales starring that Superman and that Olsen that I expected were within- I would be a huge fan of this book. But they don't and what little of them that do appear in this book isn't all that memorable. 

    This will not be a keeper in my collection!

   Not Worth Consuming

   Rating: 2 out of 10 stars.