True to my word, I read the new Justice League of America #1 last night. (Minor spoilers as usual.)
In a word: Hrrrrm.
It seems that Geoff Johns is spinning our Space Cop into mysterious and deadly territory. His encounter with Byth (or I should say "Byth") is something which either previous version of Katar Hol would never do. He'd bash the perp's head in with a mace, sure, but the combination of the detached, clinically cold attitude and a seeming lack of concern for the law are whole cloth additions to his personality -- both pre-New 52 and in the present. This goes beyond Space Cop. We're even moving past Space Dirty Harry Callahan (remember that in Magnum Force, Callahan said that the law may not be perfect but it's the one they have and until there's a better way, he will enforce the law) and into new territory here.
How does this resolve with Savage Hawkman? Who knows? Considering that the solo book ends in 3 issues, I'm sure a lot of readers are asking "Who cares?" instead.
It's clear to me that Johns is making Hawkman as much a mystery as anything else in this book. I may be more prone but he hooked me in this issue.
Now it's time to deliver on the potential and knock this book (and Hawkman's depcition therein) out of the park.
1986 FPC DC Comics Calendar Poster
2 months ago
2 comments:
My first impression on the new take on Hawkman in this issue was that Johns is trying to obscure the line between whether Hawkman is a space cop or if he just believes he is. In short, it looks like Hawkman -- instead of being the Wolverine of the DC Universe -- is now going to be the Moon Knight.
An interesting theory. I have never read much Moon Knight that did not have the Werewolf By Night involved with it. But it certainly would be a mystery for Trevor and the readers to unravel.
Given that Hawkman's specific stated mission given is to hunt down alien threats on Earth, I think it might be a case of "smash first, ask questions later," with Katar as judge, jury, and apparently executioner. He seems aware that he is bending or breaking the rules when he tells him that his name will be Byth "on my arrest record." It's a conscious decision, not a delusion or hallucination.
It seems the broad diplomatic immunity he enjoys lets him bash in the brains of carjackers, and if anyone asks a question, he says "He was a Thanagarian," especially as they look like exactly like humans. Convenient when you want to wage a War On Crime without answering any questions.
While typing this, I had a thought -- Katar is acting like a good Wingman, or, if you prefer 2000 AD, a good Judge...
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