DCU Comic Book Reviews

HAWKMAN #34

The Gift

January 2005

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray

Pencils by Ryan Sook

Inks by Mick Gray

Cover by Ryan

Synopsis

In an abandoned warehouse, two workers bring Lion-Mane his dinner.  At Belle Reve Prison, the Fadeaway Man gives I Mosley instructions he must follow at midnight in three days.  At the St. Roch Museum, Carter Hall receives a gift moments before a large costume party.  In the middle of the party, a large manticore attacks Carter.  With the help of Kendra, they are able to defeat the manticore, who is supposed to protect the gift that had been sent to him.  Before the police arrive, Carter and Kendra change into their costumes and fly out into the night.

Review

“Mace polishing?  Is that a double entendre?”

This is a very odd issue.  We have a gift that is sent to Hawkman followed by a Manticore designed to protect the gift.  Yet, we don’t know who sent it, nor is there any type of follow-up to the creature.  We also have the appearance of two new villains:  Lion-Mane and Fadeaway Man; both scenes are okay for what they are as they set up future stories, but what happened to Satana, from the previous issue.  The other problem is that Lion-Man and Manticore are similar creatures and at first I thought it was Lion-Man attacking the party, but closer inspection reveals that it is two different beasts. 

And then there is the ending, which is a nice little conversation between Carter and Kendra.  In the context of the Hawkman book, the conversation makes sense, but anyone who picked this up on a whim or just got into reading Hawkman, it will seem a little odd.  At one point they are following clues and then they stop and talk for a little bit.  And then the book ends.  It almost feels as if the writers ran out of room and rather than re-write to get it all in, decide to chop off the last part of the story.  I would’ve assumed the story was to be continued, but the words “end” at the bottom suggest otherwise.-- Review by MRB

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