Fresh from the pages of Dark Nights: Metal, Carter Hall is back! What mysteries of his long and storied past will he uncover?
HAWKMAN (2018) #1 “Awakening Part 1: What’s Past is Prologue”
Writer: Robert Venditti
Artist: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Andrew Currie & Bryan Hitch
Letters: Starkings & Comicraft
Cover Artist: Bryan Hitch & Alex Sinclair; variant by Stjepan Sejic
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Publisher: DC COMICS
What You Need to Know:
Following the events of Dark Nights: Metal, Carter Hall, The Hawkman, has returned to the DC Universe! Now freed from the forge where he was held captive, we will finally see what place the intrepid archeologist and explorer has in the Rebirth universe and what role his history of reincarnation holds in the current status quo.
What You’ll Find Out:
Carter Hall is back to uncovering the mysteries of the past, but this time, the mystery he seeks to uncover is his own. He returns with a nagging feeling that there is more to his reincarnations over time than he can recall. In order to uncover what he feels may be buried, he seeks out a relic of the Gorilla Kingdom, the Nautilus of Revealment. After procuring the artifact from its winged gorilla golem guardian (say that three times fast!), Carter takes the Nautilus to Madame Xanadu for use. Using the Nautilus reveals a shocking revelation—that Carter has not only been reincarnating over time, but also through space, and to an end that could prevent the destruction of worlds, starting with Earth!
What Just Happened?
If there is anybody in comics that draws more detailed and vibrant backgrounds than Mr. Bryan Hitch, I haven’t met them yet. In an era of comics art where more and more frequently backgrounds take second stage to the characters, a relegation of the worlds the characters inhabit from characters unto themselves to mere props, Hitch goes out of his way to breath life into said worlds.
If Hitch is going to continue to render rich tapestries of locales, the Robert Venditti seems more than willing and capable of providing a wide range of spaces to be inhabited. Venditti is no stranger to the vast expanse of the DC Universe thanks to his years of work with Green Lantern, and in this issue, he provides glimpses of the myriad terrains Carter may find himself exploring in service to the wonderful mystery of Self. Carter faces an external journey towards an internal truth, a notion that guarantees the readers will experience a well-rounded character full of growth, challenges, triumphs, and tragedies.
Rating: 10/10
Final Thought: Hawkman hit the ground running. I came into this issue with no expectations, but now that the bar has been raised, it will be exciting and interesting to see what Venditti and Hitch do for an encore.
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