Polar opposites, war and peace, a team?
What They Say:
Hank Hall is not happy. He’s not happy to have Dawn Granger as a new partner in his war on crime. He’s not happy that she’s dating the ghostly superhero Deadman. he’s not happy to learn that someone is trying to plunge the United States into a new civil war! Now it’s up to Hawk and Dove to root out the forces behind this conflict and stop them before they turn the U.S. into a wasteland!
The Review:
Hawk & Dove is an interesting duo for me. I had absolutely no idea who they were or what comics they were in until I started reading the Brightest Day storyline. This gives me an idea of who they are but only in the context of that storyline. I don’t know WHO they are or any of their history. Their new series under the New 52 relaunch is just as interesting. The first issue starts with a quick introduction to the duo as they are trying to stop a plane from crashing into the Washington Monument. As with most of the new 52, this ‘jump right in’ approach works really well for setting up the book.
Hawk & Dove is also one of the new 52 that does not reboot the characters but instead continues the previous story lines from before Flashpoint. This presents a unique hurdle, how does one start a new series at #1, attempt to get it to reach new audiences without alienating them due to continuity, and have it still be a quality book? Hawk & Dove handles these issues very well. We are given the action and the introduction, the key to letting us know what is going on, who is who, and getting our attention. Once that scenario is over there is a lot of dialogue between Hawk and his father and Dove and Deadman that requires previous knowledge. However, mixed in with this dialogue is background information from the previous DCU. This information is very basic and written in a manner that makes it seem as if we aren’t supposed to know anything at this point in time. Major events are kind of glossed over with bullet-points and we now understand why there is animosity between Hawk & Dove and an interesting character dynamic is introduced. This allows readers, new and old, to get a feel for the characters and understand them in the context of THIS story, not anything previous.
Too much time isn’t spent on these pages of history and relationship building but there is a lot of information pushed into them. It works because the scenes are written to let the text grab our attention; there is no action or crucial background events going on simultaneously. That is where Hawk & Dove really succeeds. It struggles with the most difficult of tasks being a part of the new 52 and maintaining previous continuity but entertains us with fantastic action scenes, a strong dynamic between the two heroes, and well written dialogue that gives the issue a more well rounded feel. An underdog to be sure but one that is definitely worth your attention.
In Summary:
I was so uneven about Hawk & Dove leading up to the relaunch. I loved them in Brightest Day and I think Dove is a strong character that has a lot going for her in the grand scope of things. I just wasn’t sure if the new series would be something I would enjoy. I took the chance and I think a lot of readers should too. It is a perfect mix of action and exposition that gets everything done right. The only complaint I have that might bother new(er) readers is….who the heck is Boston? I know who Deadman is, barely, and thanks to Brightest Day I know his real name is Boston Brand. But in this issue he is referenced as Boston by Dove and Deadman by Hawk. There really isn’t anything telling the reader that this is the same guy their talking about and there is nothing told about who this guy is or why he is there. Small quibble but can be a big detractor for a few people. I’ll say Hawk & Dove is up there with Static Shock as an underdog deserving your time.
Grade: B+
