Thursday, December 13, 2012

Hawkman Families: Nephilim of Hawkworld

So, yes, evidently I still run this blog, despite my absence over the last few weeks.  And what better way to get back into the swing of things than with another tenuously connected Hawkman Family post?!

"Zauriel was called back to Heaven before the 4 King Host and was told by the Eagle Host that the Presence has a special mission for him, but he did not know what it was. Zauriel was told by the Presence himself as to not let any of the others know of this mission, Zauriel was to find and take a Nephilim under his wings. Zauriel was shocked as he did not know any fallen had ever mated with a human. Zauriel was told of the Guardian Angel Christopher from the Human Host who fell in love with his charge and fell from grace to be with her. The two had together had a son, who is now coming of age and his heavenly gifts are about to be bestowed upon him and his father was killed by Asmodel during his attack on Earth. The young boy would be at the center of a battle, his blood would revive the Angelic powers of the Fallen who were stripped of their powers by the Presence, and allow them access to Heaven once again. Young Christopher has no idea of what he will face in the days to come."


Oh boy.


I still don't buy this whole "Zauriel is part of the Hawk Family" stuff, even less than I buy the shoe-horning of the later Hawk and Dove in there.  All this angelic stuff is fine, but it has no real basis in anything we have seen in the various Hawkman comics over the years.  The only really religious stuff we got was not of the Judeo-Christian variety, so this stuff just seems to come out of left field for me.

His art looks more like an update of the X-Man Angel than anything related to the Hawkman mythos. Although I guess he does have a touch of St. Bastion in there as well.  (Wonder if/when we will see him again?)

Be sure to check out the other Families posts today!

The Atom's Family: Bumblebee @ Power of the Atom

Lady Shiva @ DC Bloodlines

Image: Nephilim, 2010, NightwingTAS, Image Retrieved from Super Buddies.  

6 comments:

Diabolu Frank said...

I'm fine with the design and the backstory in general, but heavy Christian stuff in comic books gives me the heebie-jeebies. It's tough to be reading what you think is a standard issue comics that takes a couple of turns and suddenly becomes an Archie Spire/Illuminator/Chick Tract on you. I always end up the guy burning in Hell for eternity at the end of those, and I like my AC.

MarsHottentot said...

Good news! Savage Hawkman is getting canceled! Let us pray for a sensible rebirth...

Anonymous said...

Haha, the Christian elements in comics don't really trouble me when they're done well, but my problem is something of the opposite of Frank's. When comics throw in weird hybrid versions of Christianity, I get uncomfortable because I am a Christian, and it feels like they're taking liberties with things that probably shouldn't be toyed with.

As for not having much Christian influence in Hawkman, that's mostly true, but the excellent second volume had a nice little story where a very materialist and atheistic background was implied for Thanagar, and Carter learned the value of inflatables through his interactions with a preacher in the aftermath of some pretty heinous stuff from his own people. It's a good story, though obviously not specifically Christian.

By the way, any chance we'll see write-ups of some more of those issues?

Luke said...

I tend to agree more with Benton than with Frank on this one. Seeing folks who really have no business talking about Christianity trying to shoehorn it into comics is off putting to me. Like that time that Jesus showed up in Ghost Rider.

@Mars, I think for right now it may be best for Hawkman to strut his stuff in the pages of Justice League of America until he gets to a place where people actually want a solo book for him again. Then give it another run. For now, it suits the character to be part of an ensemble.

Anonymous said...

"inflatables," wow, that creates a really different sense to that sentence. I meant, of course, "intangibles."

Yeah Luke, I know what you mean, but when Jesus showed up in the Ghost Rider books in the 70's, it was actually supposed to be a pretty cool tale about redemption and the triumph of compassion over hate, but editorial mandate twisted it into something rather off-putting. Tony Isabella wrote those stories (if they are the ones you're talking about), and the Hawkman ones I mentioned as well. He actually (from my experience with him) tends to handle this type of thing pretty well.

Luke said...

@benton, actually I have never read those Ghost Rider stories. I saw it in Wizard as one of the strangest guest stars ever. They did make a good joke about how if he had hung around long enough, there would be a chance he could get a costume and call himself "Captain Jesus," heh.

I will have to track them down and see how I like them. Isabella generally is a writer who's work I enjoy.

I have not gotten to the story you are referring to in Volume 2 yet but now I am looking forward to it!