Kendra’s growing in new ways, but not getting the time to process it.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jadzia Axelrod
Art: Amancay Nahuelpan
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
What They Say:
Hawkgirl’s made a new enemy, but also a new friend. Is Metropolis’s A-Town neighborhood big enough for the both of them? And will Galaxy discover the connection between Hawkgirl’s Nth metal wings and Vulpecula’s plans before it’s too late?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With the Hawk-characters being favorites of mine going back to the 80s, we’ve certainly seen numerous resets, reboots, and various incarnations of them going back to the 1940s now. So when a new series comes along I try to at least check it out because I have such love for so many past works. This one has Jadzia Axelrod writing it and it comes after their work on a few other projects, including the Galaxy book that brings that title character into this series. They’re joined by artist Amancay Nahuelpan who has a few other DC books under their belt that I haven’t seen. With Adriano Lucas coloring, we get a pretty solid book all around with the look and feel of it as the layouts are solid and flow well, the designs are strong throughout, and the color work binds it all together in a good way. There’s plenty to like here in how the book looks as it sets the foundation for the run.
The first quarter or so of this issue almost felt a bit indecipherable as we’re dropped into two separate things. The first involves a married couple that are about to be grabbed by Vupecula in order to be transformed into her servants to get more Nth metal. We get a little backstory and then their present and abduction, but it’s something that just doesn’t click well with how it’s structured. It’s also followed up by spending time with Galaxy and one of her friends where it’s trying to give us an idea of what Galaxy’s life is like in a regular sense but it feels a bit disjointed and not easy to connect with after the first issue. That it brings her back into her place where Kendra is having a conversation with her past selves is a little more interesting, but it just opens up to more of a confusing spot after how Kendra arrived before.
This is at least interesting and Galaxy, because of her nature, is able to see through to the problem more once Kendra describes things. Galaxy, without asking, basically removes the gap that exists between Kendra’s body and her wings and she can now feel them. It’s not a bad angle to take, but again, it’s execution, as it happens fast and doesn’t feel like there’s real weight or exposition or exploration of it beyond her just out flying about and learning more about Galaxy. With Kendra, we get more that she’s trying to stick to the routine of her life in order to keep as low a profile as possible – and exposure to emotional drama – and we see how Galaxy is going to challenge that since she invites her out to the bar that night to hang out. Of course, a fight with Vepcula will happen there but I was more miffed by Kendra’s choice to go out dressed as she did and just the way she’s just so disconnected from, well, everything. There are good ideas here but the execution is just faltering across the board.
In Summary:
I want to like Hawkgirl a lot more than I am but this iteration is proving hard to connect with. The material with Vepcula has potential to it but it’s playing by very old and familiar rules in how it’s unfolding when there’s some good drama to work with when it comes to what she’s after. Kendra herself has plenty to deal with and I’ve even warmed up to Galaxy a bit. But there’s just so much going on and no time to breathe with any of it that it just feels more like hitting marks rather than telling story at times. Kendra being as disconnected from the world as she is isn’t a bad plot point but it means you have to do more to make her engaging. And this just misses the opportunities, such as when she gets to connect with her wings in a new way. This needed a lot more depth and exploration since it’s a big change for the character in this iteration.
Grade: C+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: August 15th, 2023
MSRP: $3.99
