Comic Info
Comic Name: The Savage Hawkman
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Tony S. Daniel/James Bonny
Artist: Philip Tan/Cliff Richards
# of Issues: 8
Release Date: 2012
The Savage Hawkman #2
Reprints The Savage Hawkman #1-8 (November 2011-June 2012). Carter Hall doesn’t intend to carry on his life as the superhero Hawkman…but the Nth Metal that makes up his suit has other ideas. Finding himself permanently bonded to the Nth Metal, Carter finds an archeological discovery of an alien named Morphicius could mean that Hawkman is up for the battle of his lifetime…and the fate of the Earth could depend on the outcome!
Written by Tony S. Daniel and James Bonny, The Savage Hawkman Volume 1: Darkness Rising is part of the DC Comics New 52 relaunch of the DCU. Following the events of Flashpoint, the series features art by Philip Tan and Cliff Richards.
I have always kind of liked Hawkman as a character, but at the same time, Hawkman has always been rather boring. He’s a blowhard and generally just throws muscles at problems in his past incarnations…I had hoped the New 52 would reignite my interest in the character, but The Savage Hawkman wasn’t the answer.
The series was immediately met with criticism and was one of the lower points of the New 52’s big reveal. The comic is rather clunky and it feels like a throwback to the art-over-substance comics of the 1990s. Carter continues to be a rather enigmatic person who comes off as more unlikable than mysterious.
The Savage Hawkman #6
It doesn’t help that Hawkman’s villain gallery isn’t very deep. The introduction of the Morphicius isn’t a smart move. He doesn’t seem very distinguishable nor is he very memorable. With a fringe character like Hawkman, I sometimes wonder if a more established villain would help start out a new book. Hawkman battling someone like Joker or the Flash’s rogues might bring in some crossover action from other series…but here, if you don’t like Hawkman, you aren’t going to start liking him. The Gentleman Ghost appearance just does not cut it.
I also can’t say I’m a big fan of the art from this collection. It varies a bit too much. Sometimes it is quite good and visual, but then it gets over-inked or it becomes very minimalistic. The consistency factor also plays into a comic when reading it.
The Savage Hawkman was a pretty skip-able entry in the New 52. Surprisingly, it did have a slightly longer shelf-life than some of the other New 52 series. The comic was granted a second volume, and it even ran a bit longer than the standard collections of comics. The Savage Hawkman 1: Darkness Rising was followed by The Savage Hawkman 2: Wanted.
