DCU Comic Book Reviews

HAWKMAN #29

Fates Warning, Part 2 of 4

August 2004

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray

Pencils by Ryan Sook

Inks by Mick Gray

Cover by Greg Land & Jay Leisten

Synopsis

At the Lure nightclub, Hawkgirl apprehends bank robbers before the police can arrive.  Detective Grubs is unhappy; Kendra tells him the hawks are going nowhere and to deal with it.  At the St. roch Museum, Carter Hall takes Domina Paris for a private tour.  They share a kiss just as Kendra stops by for a visit.  Later, Detective Grubs finds another murder victim with fake wings attached to the body.  Kendra sees news of the murder on tv.  She tries to call Carter, but he is with Domina.  Elsewhere, a young man is taken out the window of his fourth floor apartment.  Grubs suspects the hawks.  The next morning, Kendra tells Carter of the murders.  On patrol that night, Hawkman sees someone carrying a body with fake wings across the rooftops.  When Hawkman gets close, the figure drops the body to the ground.  Hawkman races and catches the body.  At that moment, the police are to apprehend him. 

Review

While this was a good second part to the story, there are a few story elements that I am finding are too bluntly obvious.  The first is the story Carter tells Domina about the ill-fated lovers, which draws obvious parallels to Carter’s current situation.  The second is Grubs’ attitudes towards the hawks which just screamed out the ending before it actually happened.  In both cases, I think the writers are bludgeoning us over the head with things they want to get across when they should really be slyly hinting at these things.  The heavy-handedness with these elements makes Grubs come across as a plot device more than a character. 

Having said that, the issue compensates with some good stuff, including some great action at the beginning with Hawkgirl, who definitely shows she is worthy of the wings.  The idea of Domina’s spells obviously suggests she is dreaming of Hawkman and is perhaps related to the murders, but it will be interesting to see if this is a good thing or bad thing.  And I also like the two guys in the middle and their conversation before the monster comes to take one away.  It was a nice little moment and helps to build some emotional attachment to the scene when the other is upset his friend is gone. 

Any particular reason Gray and Palmiotti have their names reversed on the credits page compared to the previous issue?  Is this going to be a common occurrence?  It is interesting to note the names are listed in the same order on this cover compared to the previous cover.

The movie Kendra had rented was Sahara, a film from 1943 starring Humphrey Bogart as a tank commander in Africa during World War II.

-- Review by MRB

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