Just Read: Savage Hawkman #17

My box from DCBS arrived today, so while there was a few spare moments, I sat down with Savage Hawkman #17 and gave it a read.

This issue almost feels like a throwback to a comic from the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths era of the DCU but with a modern look.  Which is appropriate as the writer is Tom DeFalco, who certainly penned a lot of stuff in the 80s.  I like DeFalco and I like the 80s, but this is a little jarring from what we have gotten on this series before.

I must admit that I liked the use of thought bubbles, which I miss in mainstream comics.  There is one thought bubble which caught my attention:

There is no Carter Hall!  He is pure fiction. A convenient guise constructed while my memory was impaired. I am Katar Hol.  A warrior who revels in the power of the Nth Metal -- not a cowering academic who fears it!  I am a hunter of men and monsters -- sworn to protect my adopted word from all threats terrestrial and galactic.

Now, as an answer to the question "Who is the New 52 Hawkman?" this is fabulous.  We should have gotten something along these lines in the first issue (h/t Count Drunkula).  It might be a bit melodramatic but it's concise and direct.  That's the new Hawkman in one page of thought bubbles.

But... and there is always a but... how does this jive with what we saw before?  #0 showed us a Katar Hol who was more lover than fighter.  Was there a warrior side to Katar which we never got a chance to see?  Evidently, or at least that is the retcon.

I have no qualms about a "Space Conan" as long as he is written consistently and effectively.  I hope Geoff Johns intends to do just that.

As for the issue itself, I liked it, even though it seems a little like going through the motions just because we all know the end is near.  I liked the bad guys, the return of some of the supporting cast, and the new Shadow-Thief was a totally new animal from Carl Sands, which I liked.  And of course the art was fantastic as usual.  So while not an issue that would save the series, certainly one I had fun reading.  That's all I am asking for right now.

Coming up, Justice League of America #1...