Comic Review: Hawkman #3

Hawkman #3

DC Comics

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Bryan Hutch

Among DC’s list of titles, Hawkman is a pleasant surprise.  Spawning out of the pages of Dark Knights: Metal, Robert Venditti’s Hawkman series continues to keep me interested.  Unlike many past Hawkman stories with confusing continuity, Venditti’s Hawkman adds an Indiana Jones level of exploration and fun.  This issue picks up directly from the previous, with Hawkman uncovering the mystery of his origin.

This issue follows Hawkman’s journey to Dinosaur Island.  After uncovering a nautical chart from ancient Egypt, Hawkman travels to Dinosaur Island to learn more about his past.  The chart points him towards a giant mountain.  But before Hawkman can reach the top, he’ll have to battle hundreds of winged warriors.

Unlike previous issues, Hawkman is on his own to discover the truth about his past lives.  The lack of a supporting cast in this issue was certainly felt.  Between Hawkman’s journey across the island and his battle in the sky, there wasn’t much dialogue in this issue.  Instead, most of the speech takes place in Hawkman’s head.  The lack of dialogue makes the issue feel decompressed.  I often get this feeling with some bi-weekly books, not usually from a monthly like Hawkman.  If there was another issue coming out in a couple of weeks, I could forgive the lack of dialogue, but only getting this issue for the month was a bit underwhelming.

Even though not a whole lot happened in this issue, what did happen was interesting.  The mystery behind Hawkman’s past lives is really compelling and can take the book in tons of different directions.  Venditti really plays with the archaeologist aspect of Hawkman.  This made the trip to Dinosaur Island feel all the more natural.

Usually, I complain about Bryan Hitch’s art, but I actually liked his pencils at several points throughout the issue.  One panel, in particular, shows Hawkman throwing his mace through hordes of Hawkmen.  Hitch captures action and momentum wonderfully in this sequence.  This surprised me because I’m not a big Hitch fan.  If you already like his art, this issue should be a treat for you.

Robert Venditti’s Hawkman is both an excellent starting point for new readers and a refreshing direction for long-time readers.  Although Hawkman #3 was a little underwhelming, I still have high hopes for this series.