Hawkman #5: Reunited and it Feels So Good!

Every single month, Hawkman is an absolute treat! The reunion of Hawkman and The Atom and having them travel to Moz-Ga is an excellent example of Venditti’s mastery over the winding history of Hawkman without losing a view of the present. Moz-Ga is a recent creation in Atom lore, created during Steve Orlando’s run on Justice League of America, but the relationship between Ray and Carter stretches back decades. Past and present collide on Carter’s search for answers.

The inclusion of Ray Palmer in this quest is not merely homage to the history of Hawkman, however, as Ray provides instrumental insight into the operations of time and space to help clarify how Carter’s reincarnations could operate.  The questions of Carter’s humanity, as he has been Kryptonian, Thanagarian, and likely countless others, adds a philosophical element to the series through the questioning of what it is to be human, and perhaps even disassociating that notion from any sort of ideological primacy. We talk of characters like Superman and say how they are “more human than humans”, but what is it about humanity, other than primacy, that marks them as something to strive for? This series seems to be aiming at a connection deeper than humanity, but rather the connection of life. In the introduction of a living, thinking planet, that connection seems to grow deeper still.

Bryan Hitch recently Tweeted that this page was his favorite from this issue. Aside from it being obviously a gorgeous page, the comment from the superstar artist gets at a deeper point. Hitch is enjoying working on Hawkman.  He has mentioned it via Twitter a number of times, but even if we were in an age without social media, his love and care would still be evident. Not a single panel is wasted, no opportunities missed. With Venditti’s obvious study of the character, the entire toy box is open and ready for play and Hitch appears to be having the time of his life.