A solo series begins for one of the famous Hawks of DC!
Written by Jadzia AxelrodCover by Amancay Nahuelpan and Adriano Lucas
Illustrated by Amancay Nahuelpan
Colored by Adriano Lucas
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-ElhaouSOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS AND BATTLING NEW FOES!
Kendra Saunders, the winged warrior better known as Hawkgirl, has been one of the DCU’s greatest heroes for a long time, serving as a member of both the Justice League and the Justice Society. But with the Justice League disbanded, Kendra decides she needs a fresh start and heads to Metropolis to begin a new life. That life is quickly interrupted by a mysterious villain with a powerful connection to the Nth metal that makes up Hawkgirl’s wings and weapons.
A brand-new adventure with sky-high action, adventure, and intrigue begins here by Jadzia Axelrod (Galaxy: The Prettiest Star) and Amancay Nahuelpan (Wonder Woman, Detective Comics, The Flash).
Hawkgirl has often been connected to the Justice League, or to the Justice Society if need be. The heroine who is typically at least partially derived from the planet Thanagar has had a rather extensive showing, but barring taking over for Carter Hall’s Hawkman for a little over a dozen issues of his “Hawkman” series (retitled “Hawkgirl” for the duration of those issues) in 2006 and 2007, she has never had a self-titled series of her own without being supported by some incarnation of Hawkman. With “Hawkgirl” #1, she finally has her chance to shine for a six-issue limited series. How does it all pay off for this debut in the wake of the disbandment of the Justice League?
Jadzia Axelrod is an odd choice for the writer of the first limited series for Hawkgirl. Barring some work on anthologies and her 2022 graphic novel “Galaxy: The Prettiest Star,” Axelrod does not have a particularly extensive bibliography, especially where DC Comics is concerned. However, lack of many prior credits does not make her any less capable of showcasing the former Lady Blackhawk after she set up shop in Metropolis. Axelrod shows herself to be well aware of Kendra Saunders’s normally supporting role in other groups, and makes much of a lack of much identity outside of those groups, especially in the wake of “Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths” and the subsequent disbandment of the Justice League. The story is centered on that era, but Axelrod does not require any prior reading, giving just the raw essential information regarding what happened to contextualize the overall plot rather than limit its scope outright.
Under Axelrod’s writing, Kendra is shown as not fitting in with the rest of the superhero community, as seems logical given her reliance on team dynamics that she now lacks. Seemingly bitter, she clashes with another heroine who finally joins the main scene of the DC Universe: Axelrod’s creation, Galaxy (of the aforementioned self-titled graphic novel). Pitting the well-meaning yet reckless newcomer’s behavior against a violent “professional” veteran heroine helps to emphasize how, despite wanting to help people, Kendra has difficulty relating to most, having very little life outside of superheroics. As such, her being forced to work with Galaxy by the actions of the limited series’ new villainess may be a relatively welcome change of pace, helping both characters to grow in their own ways.
Speaking of the villainess, the use of narration to draw parallels between her and the two heroines works quite well, feeling like something out of a strange story book more than a superhero tale, and is far creepier as a result. The villainess seems to have some kind of connection to the multifaceted Nth metal of Thanagarian fame, making her at once a major threat to Kendra and a generally creepy dealmaker in the vein of fey creatures.
The art style utilized by Amancay Nahuelpan is similar to that he uses in “Gotham City Monsters,” “Crush & Lobo,” and more. His lines are sharp and focused, the result very fast-paced and intense. The action is violent without a need to be bloody, the flight appearing at once effortless and in need of assistance from outside forces.
Of particular note are the scenes with the villain. While the lines on Hawkgirl are sharp, they are truly menacing on this new fox-based antagonist, her sneers terrifying as much as the seemingly softer expressions of her victim are pitiable. Nahuelpan balances the trickster archetype against a truly threatening manipulator, enough to have even this brand-new villainess have significant presence to start the “Hawkgirl” limited series.
Continued belowEven with the well-constructed illustrations, it is the coloring by Adriano Lucas that truly brings “Hawkgirl” #1 together. The darkness, with cool colors like greens, really pulls out the danger of the villainess’s scenes, contrasting against the harsh red of her hair. On the other hand, the warmer colors associated with our heroes, especially Kendra Saunders herself, help with calming readers down, letting them know everything will eventually be okay. In addition, the use of the cooler colors on Galaxy makes her feel distinctly out of place, as if the colors themselves recognize she does not yet fit in with the rest of the world.
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou does very interesting work with the lettering on “Hawkgirl” #1, using it to greatly enhance the story’s tone. Different colored text emphasizes either tone of voice or obstructions, or in some cases an unfamiliarity with a subject. Text in bounded black boxes evokes a storybook, without much deliberate emphasis, and is very different from the bold, italicized, or harshly underlined spoken words of certain characters that have far more emotional range. At times, words are written within the bounds of a character’s image, giving an impression of something inherently wrong with what is going on, even otherworldly or debased in some way. In general, the effect helps to align readers with the events occurring, be they familiar or uncannily, unnervingly wrong on some fundamental level.
Final Verdict: 7.5– This new approach to Kendra Saunders seems off to a good start.
