DCU Comic Book Reviews

HAWKMAN #22

The Headhunter, Part III:  Blood & Lies

February 2004

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Rags Morales

Inks by Michael Bair

Cover by Rags Morales

Synopsis

At the St. Roch cemetery, the Headhunter has produced human forms for all of Carter Hall’s (aka Hawkman) past lives.  Carter recognizes they are empty shells.  He busts through them all.  But the headhunter is gone.  At St. Roch University, Kendra Saunders (aka Hawkgirl) finds a bloodied and battered Carter in his classroom.  Kendra wants to know what happened.  Carter tells her that he finally realizes he knows what he is:  a warrior, a man of violence.  Later, Hawkman stops a man from robbing an old lady’s purse by smashing in his skull.  Elsewhere, Kendra visits a fortune teller and asks her about the voodoo doll.  The woman tells her about the headhunter.  Meanwhile, Hawkman is sitting atop a building when the headhunter finds him.  The headhunter believes Hawkman is ready to join the others.   They fight, with Hawkman eventually slicing off the headhunter’s head.  However, the headhunter picks it up and then departs.  Just then, Kendra arrives.  She tells him that they need to get back to normal.  He tells her this is normal for him.  For then ext three days, Hawkman spends all of his time bashing in heads as he tracks down villains.

Review

“Underneath my knowledge and beyond my supposed sophistication--I am nothing more than a creature of violence. I am a warrior”

This had one of the strangest endings that I can recall in a long time.  I did not expect, at all, for Hawkman to suddenly revert back to a primal state of mind.  I found the changes he was going, his struggle to become a better person, to be one of the more fascinating aspects of this book.  Yet, this seems to be all washed away based on his encounter with the headhunter.  I can’t say whether I like the ending or not.  It is different and certainly within the realm of Hawkman and the sense of who he is.  But is it wise to suddenly undue two years of character growth?  I suppose that depends on the next set of stories.  Or it depends on the feedback DC is getting regarding the changes seen in Hawkman.  If the general fan base dislikes a cultured Hawkman, then this might be a chance to rectify that mistake.  Personally, I think the answer really depends on what happens next.  If the past two years is forgotten, then it would seem to be a waste.  But if the past two years plays a part in the “new” Hawkman in some fashion, then this could certainly be an interesting twist. 

It would seem that the ultimate goal of the Headhunter was not necessarily to provide a new villain for Hawkman to battle, but to provide the impetus for the change, which is a shame.  Hawkman needs a tasty villain.  And when I mean tasty, I mean a villain that transcends the hero.  In this case we are talking about Lex Luthor and the Joker, two villains who are not only recognizable to most people, but are recognizable beyond their connections to the hero.  Most other villains, such as Captain Cold or Deathstroke, are so closely related to the heroes.  Unfortunately, the Headhunter fails to leave much of an impression, at least the first time out.  In fact, in the brief fight scene at the end, the Headhunter is pretty much Hawkman’s punching bag.  Yeah, that’ll make me think he is a match for Hawkman.  But as I said, if the Headhunter was primarily used to address the change in Hawkman, then it is doubtful we will see him again. -- Review by MRB

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