Read: Hawkman v.3:no.5

Issue: Hawkman v.3:no.5
Title: "A Rage Of Hawks"
Published Date: Jan 1994
Generation: Modern Katar and Chayera
Retcon Status: In Continuity

Summary: Katar (in Shayera's body) is flying Shayera (in an old man's body) back to his loft.  Old Man Shayera tells Katar about how Count Viper came to possess her body, while Katar tells her about how he was saved from the cataclysmic battle (which ended Hawkworld) by Carter Hall.  After getting the intelligence they need from Dr. Moon, Old Man Shayera dresses in a Wingman's uniform and the Hawks set out to stop Viper.

At the JLA HQ, Count Viper (still in Katar's body) has enthralled Wonder Woman and soon takes over Bloodwynd, although he almost loses control of Diana in the process.  When the Hawks arrive, Viper and his thralls attack.  Katar is able to snap Wonder Woman out of Viper's control but appealing to her sense of justice and mercy, while Bloodwynd is able to telepathically communicate with Shayera but is unable to control his body.  Count Viper calls in Airstyke as backup, but Wonder Woman makes short work of him.  And as Katar is bearing down on Viper, the Count summons his ace in the hole, whom he had taken control of earlier...

Review: This issue serves the primary purpose of catching the reader up on how Shayera's body was taken over by Count Viper as well as bridging the gap between the end of Hawkworld and the start of this volume.  From there, it's fight, fight, fight!  And its a pretty solid fight as well, with Viper controlling two of the more powerful JLAers but struggling against Wonder Woman's will the entire time.  Steve Lieber does a good approximation of Duursema on the pencils, including a very nice panel of Diana breaking free of Viper's control as well as an amusing shot of Old Man Shayera wearing a Wingman's uniform.  Nice little adventure but between the flashbacks and the cliffhanger, is definitely part of the larger story.

Image: Hawkman v.3:no.5, 1994, Jan Duursema.