Hawkman (vol.4) #1 (May, 2002)
"First Impressions"
Story - Geoff Johns & James Robinson
Pencils - Rags Morales
Inks - Michael Bair
Colors - John Kalisz
Separations - Heroic Age
Letters - Bill Oakley
Assistant Editor - Morgan Dontanville
Editor - Peter Tomasi
Cover Price: $2.50
If you've ever thumbed through this blog, you might've noticed the lack of Hawkman material covered here... and there's a reason for that! I really can't bring myself to care about the character. Well, I take that back... I've only ever cared about the character once, and it was during the era we're going to be discussing today.
Now, don't take what I just said as a sign that I don't like the character... I do. I think he's great as a hard-ass member of a team, and don't mind him making guest appearances in other books... I just don't care enough about his trappings nor his janked history to follow an actual series wherein he is the star. Except... for the era we're going to discuss today.
This spins out of one of my favorite series's's's's of all-time, JSA. It was during The Return of Hawkman (which we really ought to get to here at the blog), that I started to dig the character. Stood to reason that I'd dig the ongoing as well, and so... I gave it a shot.
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We open in New York City. There is a small passenger plane in the midst of being hijacked... but, they don't get all that far before Hawkman and the JSA arrive on the scene. Carter doesn't waste any time before bashing his way into the cockpit.
The pilot loses control of the small rig, but Hawkman is able to right the flight with his might! He tosses the baddies out, and they are snagged by members of the Justice Society. Power Girl calls out to Carter for a job well done... but he doesn't seem to be in the mood for talking at the moment.
We shift scenes to Ironwood, Michigan where Speed Saunders is repairing his hot air balloon... while it's in the middle of a flight! Now, Speed Saunders is an oldie... actually made his first appearance way back in Detective Comics #1 (March, 1937), if ya believe it. He is the cousin of Shiera Saunders (the original Hawkgirl), and is the grand-uncle to Kendra Saunders (the current Hawkgirl). Speaking of Kendra, she's just arrived to chat Speed up about the Stonechat Museum in St. Roch, Louisiana.
Speed recognizes St. Roch... it's the city where Kendra's parents were murdered. Kendra starts having doubts as to whether or not Speed has always been on the up and up with her regarding the passing of her folks... and begins questioning a lot of what he's told her. She decides to look into it herself... and asks that her grand-uncle does not contact Hawkman. She wants to do this herself. Naturally, no sooner is she out of panel, than Speed is on the phone with Carter.
Next, we're introduced to the city of St. Roch. As far as I know, this is it's first appearance (though, I could be mistaken). It's a port town, reminds me of New Orleans... which, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to. Carter's narration describes it as being culturally and politically divided... and dirty.
We rejoin Hawkgirl inside the Stonechat Museum. She's looking for a man named Danny Evans. She tries to get some answers out of someone who appears to be in charge... but doesn't get far. The fella doesn't believe she is who she says she is. He's met Hawkgirl, ya see. Just then... Hawkman struts in, and suddenly everyone's doubts are lifted.
Carter greets the gentleman. Turns out he's Oliver Evans, Danny's father. Hawkman explains the Hawkgirl situation... which only seems to make Kendra's blood boil. I get it... I think many of us have been in a situation where our credibility is questioned... until someone perceived as being credible vouches for us. It's humbling... and holy cow, is it frustrating.
Anyhoo, Kendra hands over a telegraph from Danny Evans to her parents, Michael and Trina Saunders... warning them not to pursue an exhibit. Oliver explains that Danny is an archaeologist, and is currently on an expedition in Punjab, India.
Also... that they haven't heard a peep out of him in over two days. Looks like Danny might be in some trouble.
We shift scenes to the posh estate of a man with a meticulously manicured mustache. He receives a call about the Hawks snooping around the Museum... which he doesn't seem to be a fan of. Oh, he also really wants The Third Eye of Shiva... which just so happens to be the relic Danny Evans is currently after. Before hanging up, he orders that Bloque be called in to take care of the birds.
Back in St. Roch, Hawkgirl is getting ready to fly off to India in order to track down Danny. Hawkman isn't so sure it's a good idea. As he goes to take off after her, he is grabbed by the ankle and slammed into a nearby car. This baddie... is Bloque. His powers seem to be that he can block (bloque?) out the senses of whoever he's fighting. First he blocks Carter's ability to hear.
Then... his ability to see!
Just as he's about to go in for the kill... he is struck on the side by a crazy-looking knife. Then... he's crushed by a car. Turns out, Hawkgirl hadn't made it all that far yet.
Together, the Hawks beat the hell out of Bloque. The police arrive and refer to the big guy as the "Most Wanted Hitman in St. Roch". When I think of "hitmen", I don't think about someone dressed quite as loudly as this fella. Well, unless he's a Canadian pro-wrestler, I guess. Anyhoo, he's hauled away.
We wrap up with Carter and Kendra deciding to head to India together. Working together suits them... even if it's not as the fabled lovers we might be used to.
Odd note: We learn that Shiera didn't like hamburgers. What's not to love about burgers?!
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A pretty good opener... and one that really side-steps much of the mishegas regarding Hawkman's tortured (and fractured) history. You don't need to know all that much to pick this issue up and enjoy it. It's an issue where a conflict is established, a mission statement is (sorta) said, and we get a bit of action so the characters can flex their wings.
The dynamic between the Hawks here is really neat. I love the idea of Kendra bucking tradition/fate/legend/whatever. She doesn't just fall into this romantic relationship simply because she's told she has to... or that she's supposed to, because it's the way it's always gone down. A lot of interesting story spurs to travel down here.
Gotta say, that scene where old man Evans ain't buying Kendra's story until Carter vouches for her? That one kinda hit me where it hurts. I feel like I've been in just that situation a time or two... and it always burned my ass. I'm not a terribly egocentric guy... but, at the same time, the thought of having my credibility questioned (when it's unnecessary) makes my teeth itch.
I like the addition of St. Roch to DC's fictional United States of America. I've always been a sucker for made up city "analogues". Not sure why... maybe it helps me to disconnect from the real world a bit easier.
While I enjoyed this quite a bit... it's really just a set-up issue, which means there isn't a whole heckuva lot to say about it. I'd say that this (and the JSA arc that proceeded it) might be one of the easier ways to "get into" Hawkman. I know it worked for me... unfortunately though, it turned out to be the only take that really clicked for me.
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Hourman #3 (June, 1999)
"Timepoint"
Writer - Tom Peyer
Penciller - Rags Morales
Inker - David Meikis
Colorist - John Kalisz
Separations - Heroic Age
Letterer - Kurt Hathaway
Editor - Tony Bedard
Cover Price: $2.50
"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or... the next issue of Hourman."
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We open with Hourman attempting to recover "the Timepoint" from JLA baddie Epoch. Now the Timepoint is a toughie to explain without me flailing my hands all over the place... but, I'll try. Like it's name suggests, it's like a "point in time"... I think. I believe it's both Epoch's base of operations... as well as a prison of sorts he keeps. Anyhoo, it looks like Tyler's going to get away with it... until Epoch goes back to the past to trigger something that will stop Hourman from succeeding here. It's time-stuff, we'll just go with it.
In reality, Tyler is bellied up to the coffee bar with Snapper and Bethany. He's unsure how to offer, because... get this... he's afraid he'll do it wrong! Wow, talk about a hero after my own disturbed tendencies. I definitely feel that.
He finally orders a double espresso. The trio head over to a table... Tyler again apologizes for baby-izing Bethany a couple issues back. She's totally cool with it, however... as she's turning it into a New-Agey venture, "Freeing your Toddler Brain"! Dammit, where has this book been my entire life! I love this.
Tyler takes his first sip of espresso... and, boy howdy... everything goes nuts. Really like the way this was depicted. Even in distorto-vision, Snapper still can't help but to *snap*. Love it.
Snapper offers to finish off Hourman's espresso... which Tyler appreciates. He expresses a desire to repay Snap and Bethany's generosity... and Bethany gives him an idea. She suggests he show them "his world". And so, he does!
All aboard the Timeship... Hourman flips his "egg-timer" and triggers the start of another Power-Hour. He asks Bethany to randomly pick a destination, which takes them "outside" of time... where they come across a rather curious time(stream)-traveller.
It's Rick Jones Snapper Carr! Well, a Snapper Carr... haven't you ever heard of Hypertime?! This is a Snapper Carr who looks to have his life totally together... which gives us a line that is as funny as it is sad. Our Snap says looking at Hypertime-Snap makes him feel like Bizarro looking at Superman. Very funny... also, very sad!
After dropping Hypertime-Snapper into a war between the Amazons and Gorilla City, the trio (or just Hourman, really) are attacked by Epoch! He winds up dropping them in... Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. It's got that effect where our characters are the only things in color... which is really cool. They are approached by a couple... who are clearly still in shock from the assassination of President Kennedy.
Then... aliens! They watch as those aliens from the cliffhanger last issue walk the streets. Then... that same couple expresses the same shock they did a few seconds ago. Uh-oh, looks like we're in a time loop! Worse yet, half of Tyler's Power-Hour has already elapsed.
Hourman takes off to try and find a way out, leaving Snap and Beth where it's "safe". Of course, they soon find themselves staring into the wrong end of a laser pistol. They meet a sorta off-brand Adam Strange looking fella, who introduces himself as a "Catastronaut" which, I gotta say... is a pretty cool name. He's also been trapped here.
There's a brief struggle... the "shocked couple" get blasted before Bethany wallops the 'naut with some of her "phys-ed training". She's mentioned a few majors/degrees already... I wonder if this might become a "thing".
Then, time loops... again, and again.
We join Hourman as he... does time stuff that I can't really wrap my head around. Well, actually... he attempts to do time stuff I can't really wrap my head around. Unfortunately, he finds that the Timepoint has been sealed off... and, his "egg-timer" goes a bit wonky before finally dropping the last few grains of sand.
He comes crashing down back in 1963 Dallas to let the gang know that his Power-Hour is up. Snapper's all "that's cool, we'll just wait an hour til it comes back"... not understanding that, since they're in a time loop...
Sixty-minutes will never pass! Meaning, this is now... their home?!
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So... just where in the hell has this book been my entire life? Absolutely adore this! Awesome blend of comedy and action... and it even has that, often hard to define... "heart" to boot!
The time stuff... is a little confusing, at least to me. In fairness, time stuff is always a little confusing to me, so that's not a knock on the issue. Still, don't wanna come off like I'm praising this one blindly.
There's a lot going on here. I suppose we can start with the Timepoint. I feel like placing the Time-Loop at a point in time where people are at their weakest... or at least their most fragile/dumbstruck emotionally, is clever... and it's pulled off (and rendered) incredibly well. The black-and-white "effect" was definitely appreciated. I was trying to remember the name of that movie that did something similar without Googling... it's "Pleasant...something"... I know that much.
Something that really made me pause was Tyler being afraid to mess up ordering at the coffee bar. It sounds silly... but, there's something scarily relatable there. I know, personally, I've chosen to do nothing... rather than try something, and fail. I've probably done that more times than I care to admit (though, I suppose I just did). Really well done.
Loved Bethany taking her time as a tot, and using it to create some sorta New Age seminar. It definitely feels like something people would do. I'm not all that tapped-in on the crystals or anything, but I could totally see similar seminars going on right this second! I mean, there have been re-birthing seminars and stuff... so, why not this?
And, though I might be reading into things... I'm really digging the idea of Bethany as a career-college student. Seems she's mentioned a few different majors... and a lotta years of study. I think that's a fun concept to explore... especially as so many of us Gen-Xers never really become sure what we wanna be when/if we "grow up". It might be getting played for laughs... but it's quite relatable.
Snapper... man, I get the feeling like I'm not supposed to like him (because of his Silver-Age dunce-iness), but I can't help it! Thought it was equally humorous and heartbreaking when he saw the "totally together" Snapper Carr hitchhiker. He sees his own potential staring him in the face... meanwhile, he's still slacking in Happy Harbor!
It goes without saying that I highly recommend tracking this run down. It might be a bit premature... but, this could end up being near the top of my list of favorite runs before it's all said and done.
Now... whatta we gotta do... to whom... to get this collected and/or made available digitally?! This is definitely a glaring omission in DC's digital library!
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Hourman #2 (May, 1999)
"Romancing the Tombstone"
Writer - Tom Peyer
Penciller - Rags Morales
Inker - David Meikis
Colorist - John Kalisz
Separator - Heroic Age
Letterer - Kurt Hathaway
Editor - Tony Bedard
Cover Price: $2.50
I was thinking the other day how I "just" covered the first issue of this series. Then, upon actually checking the site, realized that it's been over 100 days since we looked at it. I guess if there's one book it's okay to be wonky about time about... it's Hourman! We can just blame it on T-Vision or something.
Anyhoo... we left off with "Tyler" chucking his omnipotence... and Rick's Snapper's gal pal Bethany being reduced to a baby. Annnnnd, go!
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We open at night with a little tot walking down a strangely busy Happy Harbor street... maybe it's early morning... either way, I don't picture Happy Harbor to be all this "bustling". If you read the previous issue, you'll know that this little gal is actually a de-aged friend (we'll call her "friend" for now) of Snapper Carr named Bethany. An officer calls the find into the Chief... who, upon hearing this baby was found near Snapper's residence, insists the officer go rattle Carr's cage. Seems we've got some bad blood here.
Meanwhile, at Snapper's place... he and Hourman are sleeping it off. We get a "catch us up" flashback which shows us how Hourman "chucked" his omnipotence last issue. Snapper gets up to throw on a pot of coffee, and mentions how it's a shame that Bethany didn't show the previous night... as he thought she and "Tyler" would hit it off. Hourman leaves to "soul-search" just as the police arrive to question Carr about the random toddler found playing in traffic.
Gary the Cop informs Carr of what's gone down... and tells him he's wanted for questioning down at the station. It's clear this isn't the first time Snapper's had to deal with a cranky Police Chief, so he's not all that shaken. He does insist they stop for breakfast before heading in though.
We shift scenes to the JLA Watchtower, where Hourman informs J'onn that he'd "chucked" his omnipotence... which (likely due to the vernacular), J'onn immediately connects to Snapper Carr. That's not the main reason for the visit, however... Hourman is looking to meet with longtime JLA-baddie, Professor Ivo.
J'onn directs him to Belle Reve... where Tyler can chat up the baddie. He wants to know why the first of his kind (Androids... as in, Amazo) was made soulless and evil. Ivo says he'll answer... only if he can ask a question first. Ya see, Ivo drank a serum which made him immortal... but, he's kinda over that and would really just rather die. He asks Hourman when he will finally die.
As Hourman "turns on" his powers, which by the way, is really cool... he just flips the hourglass on his chest... Ivo tells him that all Androids aren't evil, citing the recent Ivo/Morrow creation Tomorrow Woman. Satisfied with the answer, Hourman presents Ivo a vision of his tombstone. We readers don't get to see his "check out" date... only his reaction. This was very well done!
Back in Happy Harbor, the Chief finds Snapper (who I still keep wanting to call "Rick", as in Rick Jones), Officer Gary, and the baby. She doesn't seem interested in the baby, however... she just wants to know what Carr did with her daughter... Bethany! She wrangles him in for questioning... totally disregarding the tiny tot.
We rejoin Hourman as he arrives at the League's Tomorrow Woman memorial. He uses his Time-Vision-Powers (I think?) to bring her back to life for the remainder of his Power-Hour.
At the Police Station, Snap's being questioned... and it's made pretty clear that he and the Police Chief have some sort of "history". He says they "both" know why she's putting him through this... and you will too, if you read till the end! She then... get this, books him... for murder! They sure don't mess around in Happy Harbor!
Back at the cemetery, Hourman and Tomorrow Woman chat. He asks how she overcame her programming... to which she replies, "by doing". She proves this by flying to Happy Harbor and, together with Hourman, putting a stop to a store robbery.
As this goes down, Snapper is being booked... and is taking the charges rather seriously.
Hourman and Tomorrow Woman show up at the station just after Snapper's snappin' digits get all inky and inquire as to what's going down. He shares that he's there for "killing Bethany", and really starts playing along. It's actually pretty funny... but, I wouldn't recommend acting this way in real life.
Anyhoo, Chief Audrey starts rattling on... at which time Tomorrow Woman is all "uh, that's your daughter" while pointing at the baby.
After a bit of incredulousness, we get a tear-soaked mother and child reunion. Hourman knows that this is all his fault... and Tomorrow Woman comforts him, just telling him to be more careful with his powers... and not to use people as props.
Hourman uses the last nine-seconds of his Power-Hour to return Bethany to her post-pubescent glory... and when the timer hits zero, Tomorrow Woman vanishes.
It's now that the truth comes out... Bethany is Snapper Carr's... ex-wife. Which means, Chief Audrey is Snapper's ex-mother-in-law. Now it all (kinda) makes sense!
After a brief scene of Hourman mourning the loss of Tomorrow Woman, we get a... strange look at Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. We all know what happened on our Earth on this day... but, what in the world are we looking at here???
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Man-o-man, whatta fun book!
Now, I know that Snapper Carr is one of those "funny, ha-ha" characters, but I'm really digging him in this "Rick Jonesy" context. The reveal that he'd been not only married, but divorced was pretty neat... and the ongoing struggle with his kooky (and power-mad) ex-mother-in-law lends to a lot of fun future adventures. Also, gotta tell ya... I love that he still talks with this odd "jive"... like instead of "go for breakfast" he says "grab a stack at the Yak" *snap snap*. Love it!
The Hourman sections were... well, a little less fun, but right now he's all about self-exploration... gotta expect that to be a little drier than Snapper's antics. I do appreciate the use of Tomorrow Woman... as she really is the polar opposite of most Androids the League has had to deal with... and her ability to overcome her orders speaks to the amount of freewill an Android (in the DC Universe) might enjoy.
The art here is also a lot of fun. It really suits the series, and I'm digging it. Looking at the cover, I wouldn't have minded Scott McDaniel doing some interiors on this book either! He seems well-suited as well.
The cliffhanger... is pretty cliffhangery. I know the Kennedy assassination has been mined in fiction to the point of near-parody, but for some reason... it just keeps bringing us back. There's just something about 11/22/1963 that captures our imagination... and refuses to let us go. I'm definitely interested in seeing how this plays out.
It's series like this that I never expected to cover when I started this blog. I... well, I never really "planned" anything... but I assumed that I'd just be revisiting stories I'd already read. "Discovering" books like this really gives me another reason to be thankful I started this ridiculous endeavor. We're coming up close to our 900th Daily Discussion... maybe I'll compile a "Top Ten" list to show off my favorite "discoveries" since we started this strange little journey.
Overall, if I didn't make it clear... I definitely feel like this is a book worth checking out. I think a lotta folks can have a lotta fun with this one. Not (yet) available digitally... this one's gonna be a hunt, but I promise it's a hunt that'll be worth your while.
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