DCU Comic Book Reviews

HAWKMAN #10

Snowblind

February 2003

Written by Geoff Johns & James Robinson

Pencils by Rags Morales

Inks by Michael Bair

Cover by Andrew Robinson

Synopsis

In St. Roch, at the Stonechat Museum, Jeremy and Susan are visited by a ghost.  At Craddock’s Hotel, the police have gotten a new lead on the murder of Kendra’s parents, but they also have discovered what may have happened to Kendra in Austin.  In Tibet, Hawkman and Hawkgirl are on the trail of Speed Saunders, Kendra’s grandfather who was recently kidnapped.  They are joined by Jayita and Danny Evans and their guide Rajak.  Due to the blizzard-like weather, the hawks cannot fly and are forced to climb the mountain.  At the top they find the Kalis, the stopping place for the refugee Zhang Zhung, a supposedly mystical place.  There they are greeted by numerous Yeti who attack the small group.  The hawks are able to drive them away, but the Yetis cause an avalanche the buries the team.  When it is over, Rajak stands over Kendra and shots her for his dear wife:  Helene Astar, one time Hath-Set.  Helene tells Hawkgirl it is time to die. 

Review

In essence this was a bunch of people sitting around a table and talking about their feelings, either with each other or with others.  But, since this a comic book and people sitting around a table is not visually exciting, the conversation takes place during a mountain climb and is then punctuated by an attack by either gorillas (my first impression) or yeti not covered in snow (my second impression).  Whether or not you like this issue may depend on how much the hawks generational, centuries-long, doomed love story interests you.  Let’s see:  Danny likes Jayita, Jayita likes Carter, Carter likes Kendra but is afraid to express his love because he means they are doomed to be killed.  Days of Our Lives, indeed.  For me, I was somewhat intrigued and annoyed at the same time.  Scenes are starting to repeat themselves, including Kendra wanting to talk about Austin and Carter refusing to listen because he is pushing Kendra away.  This happened last issue; don’t need it here.  There was also Danny’s admission that he knew Carter was the reincarnated Prince Khufu.  Part of me thought this was intriguing that someone else knew, but then I wondered exactly how did he figure it out?  As an archaeologist (I guess) it makes sense he would hear stores of reincarnated souls, but how did he figure out Carter’s past?  And, finally, I was confounded by the attack of the Yetis, which serve very little purpose.  Look Yetis attack!  Look they retreat!  Great artwork from Rags and Hawkman looked fantastic as his ferocious self does, but damn that was really not needed. 

Perhaps the most intriguing subplot is the release of the Austin situation from last issue to the police in St. Roch.  What makes this situation tricky is that the Kendra and her mother may have been victims, but their assaulters were police officers.  One of the cops died, the other was wounded.  It is quite possible that the injured cop’s story paints a different picture than what Kendra remembers.  That file given to the chief may actually implicate Kendra’s parents as fugitives who deserved to die for what they did to the Austin police. 

Unless I really missed something, the ghost at the beginning is the Gentleman Ghost, whose name is Jim Craddock.  At this point, I highly doubt that the murder of Kendra’s parents at the Craddock Hotel is purely a coincidence, although I can’t quite figure out how the ghost is involved.-- MRB

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