Hawkgirl #1 // Review
The group that Kendra was working with isn’t around anymore. It split up a little while back. She decided that she needed to start fresh somewhere else. So, she decided to move to the biggest city in the U.S. and start over. The group in question was the Justice League. The city in question is Metropolis. Kendra lives in a place of dramatic physics that has a major crisis once every few years. Kendra’s story opens up into a whole new series with Hawkgirl #1. Writer Jadzia Axelrod and artist Amancay Nahuelpan stat a six-issue mini-series with the aid of colorist Adriano Lucas. It’s really cool to see Kendra get a close-up in a potentially intriguing new series.
Maureen is walking in the rain in Metropolis. She’s carrying a big paper bag of groceries. The bag is saturated. The groceries fall out. She’s offered a hand by someone with an intimate connection to her childhood. She was a woman who had offered her whatever her heart desired. That was fifty years ago. That woman’s name is Vulpecula. She has a specific connection to Nth metal. It’s a metal with a very specific origin that is also deeply connected with the past of Hawkgirl. Of course...Hawkgirl has her own problems and therefore has no idea what she’s about to be confronted with.
Axelrod wastes little time in setting up the antagonist. She shows up in the first issue even before the title character, so clearly, she’s very important. Vulpecula carries an air of mystery about her that feels interesting enough to carry the series entirely on its own. For her part, Kendra is a really fun character to hang out with. She may have the whole “I’m not really a tortured figure, but I really am” thing going on, but it looks good on her because she’s got wit that most heroes can’t manage.
The visual of Hawkgirl is actually really, really cool. The line and form of the costume make sense on her a lot more than it does her male counterpart. There aren’t a whole lot of artists who understand this. Nahuelpan does. The artist imbues Kendra with poise, grace, and beauty that seems remarkably heroic. Vulpecula doesn’t exactly have a novel look for a villain. She’s got that lean and hungry look shared by Cruella and Maleficent and so many other female villains since. Nahuelpan is a talented hand with the cliche. There’s a primal feeling to it, but it’s going to take a while before Vulpecula gains her own presence on the page.
It’s already a disappointment that there are only going to be six issues in the series. Whether or not she gains enough appeal for further solo adventures is going to depend a lot on how well Axelrod harnesses her distinct appeal. There’s something inexplicably cool about the grace and form of Hawkgirl--a lithe figure with large wings and a massive mace. If Axelrod and Nahuelpan can continue to tap into that appeal, they’re more than welcome to an ongoing series if they’re interested.
