Art by: Amancay Nahuelpan
Colors by: Adriano Lucas
Letters by: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover art by: Amancay Nahuelpan, Adriano Lucas
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: September 20, 2023
Hawkgirl #3 sends Hawkgirl, Galaxy, and Argus to find more information on Volpecula (and for their obligatory Batman cameo).
Is Hawkgirl #3 Good?
Within the context of Jadzia Axelrod's run so far, Hawkgirl #3 isn't outright terrible and it isn't particularly good. Hawkgirl #3 sits somewhere in the middle, and as the blurb above explains, file this one under "the one with the Batman cameo to boost sales."
When last we left Kendra and her wonky friends, a night of partying at a gay bar turned into a ruckus when Vulpecula showed up with her mutant henchmen, stole one of Kendra's Nth metal feathers, and inexplicably left. If Vulpecula's arrival wasn't bad enough, Kendra's galpal, Abilene, discovered Kendra's secret identity.
Now, Hawkgirl, Galaxy, and Argus fly to Gotham City to solicit Batman's help in discovering the origins of Vulpecula. Of course, the world's greatest detective has clues, which leads to another of Vulpecula's make-a-wish adults and a confrontation with the Court of Owls.
What's great about Hawkgirl #3? Axelrod drops one or two nuggets of information that clarify the Vulpecula's dealings since coming to Earth. That's about all you could say.
What's not so great about Hawkgirl #3? There's a swath of oddities, some of which may or may not matter to you, so take these observations with as much priority as you see fit.
First, the cliffhanger from issue #2 doesn't transition at all to issue #3. We're suddenly over in Gotham without any context or setup, including a complete absence of any interaction with Batman to explain how or why Kendra suddenly shows up.
Second, there's no apparent reason or purpose for Farlane (Vulpecula's latest make-a-wish adult) in this issue. You see him accept Vulpecula's offer when he was a boy, but you don't see anything come of it for Vulpecula until she turns him into an owl monster out of necessity. If Vulepcula has the power to turn people into monsters at any time, what's the point of making bargains with children?
Third, Galaxy's presence is unwarranted and annoying. Barring her participation in the fight against the Court of Owls, Galaxy (and Argus, by extension) serves no purpose other than to act as an overly chatty sidekick. Even Batman gets annoyed with her. Yes, Galaxy is Axelrod's creation, but there's a time and place to elevate your characters. This ain't it.
How's the art? Too good for this writing. Nahuelpan delivers energetic, powerful, dramatic art with plenty of cool creature designs. In the hands of a lesser artist, this title would be an absolute stinker because nobody would go out of their way to read this story.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces:
Hawkgirl #3 isn't very good, but it's slighty better than the first two issues. Still, Hawkgirl #3 poorly concocts an excuse to head to Gotham for an obligatory Batman cameo so the world's greatest detective can add context to Vulpecula's backstory. At best, this issue is flawed and mediocre.
5.5/10
Batman could solve the mystery without the help of the Burger King Kids club.
ReplyDeleteBatman has better things to do!
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