Hey there, folks! Just popping in from New-Fatherhood-ville long enough to share a few things.
First, thanks so much for all the good wishes. We’re all doing pretty well, settling into various new roles. I won’t gush too much, although I am toying with the idea of posting another “OMG KYOOT” photo.
Second … yes, I did try to float some superhero-related names, which thankfully were all vetoed. We went through Diana, Dinah, Lois, Selina, Helena, Susan (as in Storm), and probably a few others which now escape me. And no, Olivia isn’t named after Hal Jordan’s old girlfriend. Still, who knows? I might end up calling her “Ollie….”
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Anyway, I’m glad I can duck out of here a little earlier than usual this week, because I just can’t bring myself to care about what Jim Starlin has apparently done to Hawkman. It may be in the service of a new Starlin-produced Hawkman series; but I can tell you right now I have zero interest in that series.
Now, this is not some “Creator X has defiled Beloved Character and I am boycotting” situation. No matter what Starlin does to Hawkman’s origin, eventually someone will roll back his changes and/or render them irrelevant.
In fact, I can’t muster a whole lot of righteous indignation about the whole “illusion of change” process. In this case it’s not so much cynicism as it is apathy. This whole episode has made me realize how little emotional investment I have in Hawkman — and considering that I could probably crank out 1500 words on just about any other major DC property, that’s saying a lot.
Normally at this point I might get into the history of the character, describe some changes, and maybe cite a particular story or creative team to show How It Should Be. With Hawkman I can’t really do that. I’m sure there have been some fine Hawkman stories over the years — the Golden Age origin is pretty good just on its own, and I’m definitely not dismissing Joe Kubert’s work. I liked how Mark Waid used him in The Brave and the Bold, and how Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza are using him in Trinity.
Still, some characters suggest their directions more clearly than others. The Flash and the Atom are science-based heroes, Green Lantern is a space opera, and Aquaman can personify both environmental and geopolitical issues. To me, though, Hawkman seems torn between the simplicity of his costume and a couple of complex backstories. Put another way, wings+pants+helmet doesn’t necessarily equal either “reincarnated archaeologist” or “policeman from space.”
What, then, does Hawkman’s costume suggest? Well, Grant Morrison’s through-the-looking-glass version was the more conceptually consistent angel Zauriel, but I doubt we want to go there with Hawkman himself. Maybe he’s a space pirate or smuggler who’s accumulated a diverse set of gear, a la Booster Gold or the current Manhunter; and maybe now he wants to clean up his act.
Really, given the combination of bare-chested machismo, giant wings, and ancient weaponry, I’d be tempted to make Hawkman even more of a reactionary. Let him come from Thanagar, but as an ambassador of its crypto-fascist regime, not a political dissident. Contrast him politically with both Green Arrow and Wonder Woman. He’d be (cover your ears, Olivia!) the G-D Hawkman, all snarls and stubble.
Or, you know, I could just be running on too little sleep from these middle-of-the-night diaper changes….
August 14th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Not that it matters much, but I explicitly did not pick up that Hawkman Special on the grounds that after I flipped through it, I was unimpressed with the art, and had the idea the comic was simply a tool to introduce (but not explain) the concept of The Aberrant and to name Hawkman as one of them. Meaning, the one-shot comic does not draw a conclusion. If the above pretty much sums up the comic, then I’m satisfied I did not waste money on the book.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Congratulations and good luck to all three of you
I would absolutely read the adventures of the Hawkman you describe, which is in stark contrast to reading nothing featuring him right now.
My last name is O’Neil. Once, my wife, having in mind all those times when names are read or written last name first, suggested we name our child “Before Zod.”
It’s probably a good thing we don’t have kids.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Tom, you’re entitled to OMG KYOOT posts now and then if you want to… So go ahead! Best of luck to you and the family!
Anyhow, I agree with you about Hawkman. I had no investment in the character to begin with, and, oddly enough, his showing up in Trinity coincided with my losing interest in the book and ultimately dropping it. I enjoyed your annotations, however, which helped me understand the book A LOT better than I would’ve otherwise, but in the end it still wasn’t enough to get me through the weekly slog of that title. Promising start, but I couldn’t stick with another 40+ weeks. Sorry. I’ll stick with the annotations and recaps here, just to see if it picks up or becomes a lot less convoluted. If it does, I might come back (and scramble for back issues).
Anyhow, the only Hawkman I ever really dug was the one in the Hawkworld miniseries, and then the subsequent monthly title… I have no idea how the monthly series ended as I stopped reading comics before it ended, but with Shayera apparently dead (Sob… I really liked her in the comics AND in the JL/JLA cartoons)I’m guessing it didn’t end well. Somehow, her not being around just seems emblematic of the (many, IMO) problems plaguing DC these days.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I think Hawkman is an incredible character and boo on DC for undoing all the hard work that Geoff Johns, David Goyer, James Robinson, Steve Sadowski, Rags Morales and Ethan Van Sciver did revamping him a few years ago. Really, the “Return of Hawkman” story in JSA and his subsequent solo series were phenomenal and made the character work better than he ever had.
So of course they are screwing him up again.
Thank God Johns seems to be ignoring Starlin’s nonsense in Justice Society of America and moving forward with his interpretation of the character, at least for now.
I did like Hawkworld quite a bit, too, but the space cop thing never had as much potential as the reincarnated immortal warrior archaeologist adventurer concept. Oh well.
August 14th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
The only Hawkman story I’ve ever liked was Tim Truman’s original “Hawkworld” graphic novel from back in 1989. It’s out of print but used copies are available from Amazon.
August 14th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Congratulations on your new arrival!
One quibble with your article right off the bat is the statement, “what Jim Starlin has apparently done to Hawkman.” Let’s not blame the writer for what’s obviously a shoe-horned editorial move — what I can’t figure though is who thought Hawkman’s Egyptian origin didn’t work; it was a nice compromise that accommodated all of Hawkman’s past incarnations. Now it seems like DC’s not cleaning up continuity — they’re making hash of it again.
Is Geoff Johns still using Hawman in Justice Society? It’ll be interesting to see how Johns uses Hawkman once he gets him back from Starlin’s series.
August 14th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
What no love for Katar Hol, I didn’t like it when all the Silver Age Hawkman was just dismissed like that. That was really Carter Hall & some alien masquerading as Carter Hall Jr was in the silver/bronze age JLA just because they screwed up the chronology after Hawkworld. Then they just killed off Katar off panel. At least Hal Jordan & Barry Allen went out like heroes (and came back). Why can’t there be two & fix the chronology. There’s a Crisis going on Super-Boy Prime can just go punchy & fix things.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
@collectededitions: all good points. I especially agree that it may be unfair to lay this round of changes squarely at Jim Starlin’s feet. We’ll probably know more as the inevitable series gets closer.
@will: speaking of the Fel Andar years, wasn’t that (retconned into being) him in the JLI? Giffen & DeMatteis did a great take on Hawkman as a stodgy “in my day” grump. I daresay they gave him the personality of Sam The Eagle….
August 17th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Congrats Tom! Keep it up and you’ll wind up becoming an adult which is quite painful from what little I’ve experienced of it so far.
I liked the Ostrander Hawkworld vision of Hawkman and Johns’ reincarnation heavy Hawkman. Both good reads. I completely missed the Hawkman one-shot because I thought it would be irrelevant and the art looked bad. Umm, exactly what did I miss?