DCU Comic Book Reviews

HAWKMAN #31

Fates Warning, Part 4 of 4

October 2004

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray

Pencils by Ryan Sook

Inks by Mick Gray

Cover by Greg Land & Jay Leisten

Synopsis

At the St. Roch Police Department, Detective Grubs berates his officers for allowing Hawkman to escape from jail.  He investigates multiple sightings of Hawkman and knows where he might have gone.  Meanwhile, Hawkman is bleeding and hurt after fighting the “Angle Killer” but Hawkman refuses to give up.  One hour earlier...Hawkman and Hawkgirl were flying over the city, looking for the Angle Killer, who has captured Domina Paris, a lounge singer than Carter Hall was dating.  Suddenly, Hawkman remembers a vision Domina has and he knows where to find her.  Unfortunately, she has been tortured and dies in Carter’s arms.  Angered, Hawkman attacks the killer and the two fall into the St. Roch waters.  Detective Grubs arrives on the scene and attempts to arrest Hawkgirl, but she berates him for allowing Domina to die.  Just then, Hawkman returns and dumps the killer at Grubs’ feet, telling Grubs the real identity of the killer.  Carter then goes to mourn the death of Domina Paris.

Review

This issue was a satisfactory ending to a plot-by-numbers story.  While I like the noirish aspects of the story that the writers have brought to the book, there was really nothing new or exciting that was added to the concept.  They introduced two new characters, both of whom can be described by how they act according to the plot (hard-line detective and doomed lover) rather than by who they are.  They also introduced a villain who was easily defeated and had no clear cut role other than to commit murders that made it seem the hawks were the killers.  This last part is the toughest to take since there is no reason why the hawks would be killers simply because the victims had wings attached to them. 

Why, oh, why does this story need to have the killer explain his secret origin and his mighty plans to Hawkman.  It has gotten to the point where this plot device has become sort of a joke, not only among readers but also among writers.  Unfortunately, this scene is played straight.  The worse thing about it is that I don’t think it was even necessary.  Even before this scene, I knew who the killer was going to be and after the scene, Hawkman tells Grubs the killer’s name, which is then followed by Grubs’ take, “but he died.”  So, essentially those pages with the killer’s background failed. 

I am not sure who said, but I know it wasn’t me, but essentially the villain was nothing more than a big ball of green snot that someone sneezed and came to life.-- Review by MRB

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