Alright, this one is kinda late, but various factors kept distracting me from sitting down and writing it. After the swap-out of Hawkman for Bizarro in Strange Adventures #1, I was hoping to get a little more information in the second installment. I was not disappointed. If you are waiting for the collection of Strange Adventures or otherwise have not read the issue yet, be advised that this post contains some spoilers.
Once again, Hawkman does not appear in this issue, but he is a pretty hot topic. In the feature story, while Adam Strange deals with the fact that whole batches of stars seem to be disappearing from the cosmos (and only he is noticing), his mind wanders to his friend Hawkman, and Synnar the Demiurge's Abberant Six. Strange vows to seek out Hawkman once he gets a moment without some crisis so that they can begin to sort out just what Synnar was getting at.
The co-feature (that is to say, the back-up) with Bizzaro futher spells out the switcharoo: Deacon Dark's assistant/acolyte Coriolis finds Bizarro while trying to retrieve Hawkman, but is confused: he doesn't look avian at all! Then, as the reborn Lady Styx recounts her plan to eliminate Synnar's Abberant Six, she mentions that the Demiurge has no idea that Hawkman has been "replaced" by Bizarro.
So, once more I must ask, what does this all mean? Being a comic book fan, I do so love speculating. From what we have seen in this series, combined with Rann-Thanagar Holy War, Starlin's Hawkman Special, and what has been spilled about the Hawks regarding "Blackest Night," it is becoming clear that the original plan for Jim Starlin to use Hawkman has, for the time being, been put on hold so that Geoff Johns can use him. Considering that Johns helped bring the character back from the "unusable" limbo he was in after Zero Hour, and helped launch the longest running Hawkman feature ever, he already has proven that he can handle the character.
I like the idea of Hawkman as a space character, and "Blackest Night" may still re-establish that, but that is beyond the scope of what we can speculate right now. As one of the seemingly very few who are enjoying Starlin's little cosmic corner of the DCU, obviously I am a little disappointed that we will not get to see the Abberant Six storyline play out as originally intended. But, to be honest, I have enjoyed the heck out of R-THW and Strange Adventures even without considering the Hawk-percussions; Starlin has a great handle on his cast (most of whom I was unfamiliar with beforehand) and appears to be having a lot of fun putting them through one calamity after another.
So what do I think will happen? At some point in Strange Adventures (or, perhaps whatever title comes after it...). Adam Strange will seek out Hawkman, only to discover that Hawkman has no recollection of the events of the Hawkman Special. (A pity for me, since I liked it. Anyway.) Adam will ask Hawkman to help him deal with Synnar, but Hawkman will have to refuse, being too busy dealing with various events which have come about because of "Blackest Night." Adam, along with Comet, The Weird, Eye, Bizarro, and the final member of the Abberant Six (???) then go off and have cosmic adventures dealing with Lord Synnar the Demiurge and his plan to overthrow God.
Am I totally off base? Will we get two Hawkmen as I previously have speculated? Only time will tell!
7 comments:
I gave up on Starlin at some vague point after Hardcore Station, which introduced Synnar, Eye, Chief Justice Max, and so on. This didn't reflect the quality of the mini-series, which was alright, but my long-standing disappointment in Jim. It's dated back to the third year of Dreadstar, but really kicked into gear with his Adam Warlock revival...
These books are really my first real exposure to Starlin. I never read Adam Warlock, or any of the Infinity sagas, so his brand of cosmic derring-do scratches my sci-fi itch, so to speak. I know that makes me late to the game, but I'm okay with that.
If I end up at a Con that he is at, I think I may commission a sketch of Synnar the Demiurge. Yes, I have problems.
Dude-- if you can dig old copies of Dreadstar and Company out of a quarter bin, do so. There's also cheap reprints of Starlin's Warlock out there. Among my favorite comics growing up, and if you like Synnar, you'll love High Lord Papal and Thanos in his prime.
The difference between Starlin then and now is like comparing Romero zombie movies. The early stuff has heady subtext, but its laced into a compelling story that draws you in. The later stuff feels more like a lark, and if there's a message, it's ham-fisted.
The Romero analogy makes sense. But if you will allow me to extend on it, even the modern day Romero movies are better than the vast majority of other contemporary zombie films; plus, they have an underlying level of quality as well.
Well, y'know, I still have love for Starlin. I'm glad he's doing appealing work. The only fault I find in your extension of the Romero analogy is that "Diary of the Dead" wasn't any better than the knock-offs I've seen. Bad as it was, even "Day of the Dead 2: Contagium" was more memorable.
Just read Strange Adventures #3. Great stuff!
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