Hawkman #12 // Review
Since the launch of Rebirth and it’s subsequent titles, DC comics has tried to focus on titles featuring heroes and heroines that don’t normally get the spotlight. Since the premier issue in June of 2018, Hawkman has been building towards the showdown with the legendary Deathbringers. Each issue has been an epic action-adventure that dove further into Carter Hall alias Hawkman’s past than ever before with issue twelves proving no different. Series writer Robert Venditti along with penciler Bryan Hitch, colorist Jeremiah Skipper and Andrew Currie, Norm Rapmund and Scott Hanna on inks bring the Cataclysm story arc to an explosive finale as Carter Hall leads an army of his past selves to end the threat of the world ending Deathbringers and his former war partner Idamm.
High above the streets of London, the Deathbringers levitate like angels of death. As they prepare for the Earth’s annihilation, an army of Hawkmen is trying desperately to stop them. Cater must find a way to overcome the threat of Idamm who knows Carter like no one else. With victory comes not only the salvation of the Earth but hopefully the final pieces to puzzle that is Carter Hall’s mysterious past.
Robert Venditti has managed to explore more of Carter Hall’s past than ever before and has been able to keep the tales fresh and exciting. While the action was heavy in this issue, the conclusion felt like it was just a bit too easily achieved. It seems like all of the struggles happened in the previous two issues. After such a huge build up with Earth-shattering consequences, literally, the end of this story arc falls a bit flat. Venditti, however, does throw a little twist at the end to help build towards the next story arc, which helped this issue stay above par. Catar-Ol the Hawkman of Krypton gets some nice moments to shine as well as Ktar Deathbringer, the very first life of Carter Hall.
Hawkman is known as a fierce warrior, in personality and appearance Penciler Bryan Hitch has captured that in every single issue of this series. Carter has traveled through time and space to exotic and dangerous locations meeting with all manner of people and creatures. Hitch’s pencil work has provided readers with a thrilling visual adventure that has been one of the biggest highlights of this series. Jeremiah Skipper’s color work gives this issue another layer of reader satisfaction with rich blue skies during aerial battles and an emphasis on the color red which is featured prominently on the chest of every Hawkman. Inkers Andrew Currie, Scott Hanna and Norm Rapmund provide depth and boldness to the pencil work that really helps this series shine. The inkers have quite the workload in this issue with the sheer amount of Hawkmen and the Deathbringers and all of the shading work that went into the feathers of their wings.
Hawkman has been an outstanding series thus far and has surpassed many expectations. The creative team has done an excellent job in exploring the history of the always mysterious Carter Hall. Not only have they explored it further than any previous series, but they have also kept it fresh and exciting. Although this story arc seems to have ended just a tad anticlimactic, the seeds are already being sown for the next chapter in Hawkman’s epic tale.
