Official: Hawkgirl in new Justice League by Snyder, Jimenez, and Cheung

Well, that did not take long!

We have official word from DC Comics that the new Justice League title launching in June will feature Hawkgirl!  And judging from the promo to the second issue (due out June 20, on a bi-weekly schedule), Hawkgirl will be part of the action right from the start:

Shipping biweekly, in JUSTICE LEAGUE #2 on June 20 by Snyder and Jiménez, the League is faced with an impossible decision…and now they must face the consequences! While Martian Manhunter and Batman attempt to recruit an old ally back into the fold, The Flash and Hawkgirl are blindsided by new challenges that could rewrite their mythologies!

Looks like the speculation on the colors of Kendra's uniform were on the money as well, as she is sporting traditional green and yellow, with a red and black Hawk symbol on her belt.  The golden edging on the wingtips is a nice Egyptian-looking touch!  Aside, from Cheung's covers (which I think look really sharp), it looks like Kendra and J'onn might be having a "Best Abs in the League" competition going on...

This team -- both the creative team and the characters making up the League -- looks to be a really good group, and I am eager to see where things go from here!

What about you?  Are you excited for the new Justice League and Hawkgirl's membership?  

Image: Justice League covers, Jim Cheung, 2018.

Rumor: Hawkgirl to join the Justice League?

And the Hawk-news keeps on coming!  After the announcement last week about the new Hawkman ongoing by Rob Venditti and Bryan Hitch, now rumors are coming down that Hawkgirl -- in the form of Kendra Saunders -- will be appearing in the new Justice League, with the creative team of Scott Snyder and Jim Cheung.

Much as Dark Nights: Metal introduced Carter Hall into the post-Flashpoint, Rebirth-era DC Universe, the series also gave us our first glimpse of the Earth-1 version of Kendra Saunders for the same continuity.  Of course, we've had plenty of Kendra Saunders in the post-Flashpoint run -- over on Earth-2.  Being introduced to readers as Lady Blackhawk, this Kendra is one of the drivers of the story (which is written by Snyder), and is later confirmed to be having previously been Hawkgirl.  Her connection to Carter is played upon in Hawkman Found, as well.

Now, the speculation comes from the appearance of a sketch image by Cheung purported to be a promotional image for the new team, which surfaced online via DC's bookstore distribution website.  We also get what sure looks like the solicitation for the first trade paperback:

Visionary author Scott Snyder makes his mark on DC's most legendary team in Justice League Vol. 1!

Spinning out of the cataclysmic events of Dark Nights: Metal and the universe-defining No Justice, the core members of the Justice League--Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash and more--are finally reunited!

The cosmos suddenly opens up to new threats that the Justice League could not imagine! As Lex Luthor and Batman race to solve a mystery going back to the beginning of the DCU, the rest of the League dive deep into new corners of their own mythologies!

One of the most critically acclaimed authors of his generation finally scribes DC's flagship title in Justice League Vol. 1! Collects Justice League #1-6.

The big takeaway from the image for me is that even though we saw Kendra in a severe, almost villainous black and silver costume in DN:M, the sketch shows her in a more traditional uniform.  Obviously we cannot see any colors here, but the helmet, halter top, and gauntlets do echo her old costume.  Furthermore, the twin holsters on her hips remind me a lot of the Earth-2 Kendra, as do the bare shoulders combined with forearm sleeves.  I would imagine that this will be rendered in green and orange, but I could just as easily see this in blue and black ala Earth-2, especially considering the color palettes of some of the other characters featured.

There's other stuff to get excited about in this image, as well.  John Stewart as the team's Green Lantern is making a lot of waves online, which is just fine with me given that we have had seemingly every other GL but Stewart in the League since Flashpoint.  The appearance of both Cyborg and Martian Manhunter in the image brings a grin to my face, when one considers that Cyborg "replaced" Manhunter in the New 52 version of the Magnificent Seven.  And just the idea of Snyder, who has made some serious hay with his Batman stuff, handling the Justice League ongoing is exciting in and of itself.

For now, it seems like the Hawks are coming back in a big way this summer at DC Comics!  So what do you think?  Will we see Hawkgirl in the League?  And will you be picking it up?

Image: "Justice League .1" image, Jim Cheug, 2018, retrieved from Penguin-Random House.

Bonus Hawkman by Bryan Hitch

Straight from Bryan Hitch's Twitter account, check out this awesome inked shot of Hawkman battling a race of birdmen! Looks amazing!

Is it June yet?!

Image: Hawkman, Bryan Hitch, 2018.

Hawkman Getting New Ongoing Series Out of Dark Nights: Metal!

After months of speculation, it has been announced that the Winged Wonder Hawkman will be getting a new ongoing series this June from the creative team of Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch!

This is truly fantastic news! With all of the attention being paid to Carter Hall in the Dark Nights: Metal storyline, and given the other series spinning out of it, it made sense for Hawkman to get a new shot at ongoing stardom.  Jeff LeMire has been teasing this for some time, and the rumor of Robert Venditti as the writer has been out there for a while as well.  But getting these confirmed has me extremely excited.

I am a big fan of Venditti's work over at Valiant, which has been my favorite publisher since their revival in 2012.  His signature title for Valiant was X-O Manowar, where he had a run of 50 regular issues plus some specials, but he has also handled titles such as Wrath of the Eternal Warrior (possibly my favorite ongoing series from this decade) and the miniseries Armor Hunters, plus plenty of modern Flash and Green Lantern at DC.  Venditti's experience writing Aric and Gilad (X-O and the Eternal Warrior for those not versed in Valiant) has me really champing at the bit to see his take on Carter Hall.  Aric is a man out of time, a Visigoth warrior who has possession of the most powerful alien artifact in the known universe, who finds his warrior's mentality no longer fits in with the modern context, having to learn how to be a "hero" in the 21st century. Gilad has lived countless lifetimes, and remembers all of them, having felt plenty of loss over the millennia -- but still he returns to serve the Geomancer, speaker for the Earth, out of his sense of duty and honor as a warrior.  It is easy to see how these sorts of characters can relate to Carter Hall, and the possibilities have me legitimately excited.

Bryan Hitch is one of those artists whose work is very well known to most American comics fans at this point, and I think that he is a good fit for Hawkman visually.  I honestly have not read any of his ongoing work, but his big superhero style seems like a nice pair with what I can assume will be an action-heavy series. And Hitch, of course, pencilled the Hawkman Found one-shot, which looked fantastic.

From the announcement, Venditti appears to be specifically setting out to explore new facets of Hawkman:

"Hawkman is a foundational character in the DCU," Venditti continued. "Over time I think he's lost some of that central importance to the DC universe, and we really want to bring that back and make him a marquee character. And to do that we're going to take him to a lot of unexpected, unexplored places and introduce a lot of new mythology for the character."

Hitch seems to be looking to the ancient world to inform the depiction of Hawkman:

"The Winged Man is such a significant and powerful image in myth and legend. That's exactly the element Hawkman fits best. It's such a unique image to play with from the Bird of Prey to the Angel, the winged man is genuinely awesome in the truest sense," added Hitch. "Carter [Hawkman] is the DCU's greatest warrior, but he's also part of its secret history. All of that gives you such a rich visual tapestry as an artist to play with."

Of course, this does bring up the question of Hawgirl, also introduced in her non-Earth-2 form in DN:M.  Never fear, says Venditti:

"She's as foundational to the concept really in a lot of ways that Hawkman is," Venditti said. "Now how we're going to do that is hopefully going to be set up in a way that will surprise some people. Even when she's not there on the page, she's still there in terms of what we're building and how we're working towards it."

Truly a good time to be a Hawkfan! June can't get here fast enough!  Onwards and upwards!

Image: Hawkman, Bryan Hitch, 2018.  

Solicits For Hawkman Found, Dark Days: Metal Tie-In

DC has posted the solicitation for Hawkman Found, a Dark Days: Metal Tie-In which promises to explain just what happened to the Carter Hall Hawkman in the Metal prologues. Take it away... HAWKMAN FOUND #1 Written by JEFF LEMIRE Art by BRYAN HITCH and KEVIN NOWLAN Cover by BRYAN HITCH Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS One of DC’S greatest heroes is missing! No one has seen or heard from Carter Hall—a.k.a. Hawkman—in years. Reincarnated repeatedly since the dawn of humanity, Hawkman has spent his many lives uncovering history’s most fantastic mysteries, and now he has become one himself! Take a journey into the one of the darkest corners of the DC Universe as a mysterious man tries to piece together what happened to Hawkman, and how it all connects to the events of DARK NIGHTS: METAL! On sale DECEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+ Scott Snyder has been dedicated to involving Hawkman in the DD:M story so far, and my experience with Jeff Lemire (mainly on Bloodshot over at Valiant) has been good, so I am looking forward to this one-shot right before Christmas. Brian Fitch's art seems like it would be a good fit to the Winged Wonder based on the cover, so this looks like a solid package on first blush. What about you folks, are you eager to see if Carter Hall gets found, and what his connection to all this Dark Multiverse and 9th Metal business is? Image: Hawkman Found, 2017, Bryan Hitch.

So, about DC's Upcoming Dark Days: Metal...

It seems that the forthcoming DC event Dark Days is, in fact, at least partially about DC's most famous fictional metal, the Nth Metal made famous by our favorite Winged Wonders.

http://www.newsarama.com/34152-dark-nights-metal-brings-back-classic-dc-history.html

Speaking at a private press event during C2E2, DC co-publisher Jim Lee revealed that the "metal" in the title of DC's summer event Dark Knights: Metal is none other than Nth metal - the mysterious Thanagarian element that allows Hawkman to fly and has other strange properties.

This comes on the heels of the solicitation for the prologue book Dark Days: The Casting:

DARK DAYS: THE CASTING #1
Written by SCOTT SNYDER and JAMES TYNION IV
Art by JIM LEE, ANDY KUBERT, JOHN ROMITA JR. and others
Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Variant cover by ANDY KUBERT
Variant cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for details. Includes a code for a free digital download of this issue.
The Joker's surprise attack threatens to lay waste to all of Batman's carefully laid plans. Will the Dark Knight be able to regain the trust of his closest allies, Green Lantern and Duke, and prevent the forces of darkness from consuming the DC Universe?! Will Hawkman's warning stop our heroes from peering into the abyss?

Emphasis mine.  What does this all mean?  I have no idea! To be honest, when I first read the solicitation, I assumed that the "abyss" was the some form of the afterlife, and the spirit of Hawkman would be delivering the warning to the DC Heroes.  Now?  I got nothing.

Look, I'll be honest, as much as I enjoyed Rebirth and have been enjoying the one DC ongoing I am reading (The Flash), ultimately I am mostly disengaged from DC because of the same reasons I was before Rebirth -- too many similar titles, namely way too many Batman and Bat Family books. Death of Hawkman was pretty good (I should probably get around to writing it up... yeah?) but ultimately not the Hawkman Rebirth title I was hoping for.  So I am curious about Metal, but not totally sold on it.  If it means a true Rebirth for Hawkman and Hawkgirl, then I am down with it.  Otherwise, well, we will see how it goes.

How about you?  What do you think about this Nth Metal development?

Hawkman Returns In New Miniseries!

Even as DC Rebirth continues to roll on, Hawkfans had precious little information about Hawkman coming down the pipeline (read: absolutely nothing).  Well, that all changed today with announcement of a new miniseries starring Hawkman and Adam Strange!  Get ready for Out Of Time!

Residing on Earth and out of the hero game, Adam Strange finds himself trying to live a 'normal' life, until he's literally pulled back into adventure again as a seemingly normal Zeta beam transmission returns him to the planet Rann, where he hopes to be reunited with his beloved Alanna. But instead, he finds the once great city of Ranagar in ruins with millions dead, and the once peaceful Alanna is now calling for the blood of Rann's oldest enemy, Thanagar, home of the Hawkmen.

"Sensing something is amiss, Strange enlists the aid of Thanagarian policeman Katar Hol, aka Hawkman, who is also trying anything possible to avert war. Together the two try and uncover who's really behind the destruction of Rann while at the same time preventing Rann and Thanagar from marching into interplanetary armageddon!"

Hawkman and Adam Strange mashed up again! From the description of Thanagar, this definitely sounds like it builds on the New 52 version of the planet, with the hawk motif carrying on.  The description of Hawkman as a "policeman" fits with the post-Justice League of America approach to the character, which is fine as it fits with the general theme of the Rebirth initiative ("That's familiar!").

I like Aaron Lopresti's work from his Garbageman feature from My Greatest Adventure and Weird Worlds, and the idea of him drawing a science fiction space war sounds fantastic!  Marc Andreyko I am less familiar with, although a cursory glance over his credits shows that the stuff of his I have read I did enjoy (including an arc featuring Black Lightning and Blue Devil in DC Universe Presents).  So this is wonderful news for this Hawkfan to see the hero get a little 4 Color attention!

What about you, are you excited about this new Hawkman/Adam Strange team up?

Image: Hawkman and Adam Strange: Out Of Time, 2016, Aaron Lopresti, Newsarama.  

SC Comicon: World's Finest

When I started this blog way back in hallowed antiquity, there was a tremendous amount of Hawkman comics out there for me the hunt down, and hunt I did, at various comic cons and sales.  The upshot of this activity is that eventually you run out of books which you can find easily and cheaply, and with Hawkman, there is a definite schism there.  So, with all of Hawkman volume 2, volume 3, and volume 4 in my possession, and all of volume 1 collected in Showcase Presents books, I have now began to widen my view to the Winged Wonder's non-headliner appearances, namely his runs in Detective Comics and World's Finest Comics.

In the intermezzo between the end of his first title and his second, Hawkman (along with Hawkgirl) made some hay as a backup, first in Detective, but then for a longer term in World's Finest during it's oversized Dollar Comic era. (You can find more information on this era in the wonderful book The Hawkman Companion by Bearer Of The Honor Wings Doug Zawisza!) I had not pursued these books much in the past because, when compared to issues of Hawkman's own titles, these tend be a bit pricier, no doubt due to the presence of other, more popular characters.  And as is typical of my approach to things, waiting until Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was released, there has been a lot more uptick in discussion and movement on these Batman/Superman books.  

Be that as it may, I did pick up a couple of issues of World's Finest while at SC Comicon 2016 the weekend before last. SC Comicon is rapidly becoming my "home" con, as here in it's third year it has really grown up.  I went only on Sunday this year, and I have to admit that if this growth continues, this may actually turn into a two-day experience for me.  Attendance seemed up but not to the point that it seemed like a crush of people, and the guest list was a nice mix of mainstream and indy folks, plus some media guests as well. The fact that it's a 20 minute drive from my house helps too...

Now then, the books were:

World's Finest Comics #264 -- Have not had a chance to read this issue yet, but I like the cover to this one since it has the hutzpah to only show Batman from the back, as well as the slimy green monster.  Kind of a murderer's row of DC characters here, not that I am complaining about getting Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Green Arrow, and Aquaman in addition to the Hawks.

World's Finest Comics #277 -- This cover is pretty unusual, I do not really know what to think of the powder blue backgrounds behind the backup characters, but at the same time I do like the bullseye motif.  The colors in the Superman and Batman image are evocative, but I can't help but thinking that this would be better served with a normal color scheme.  Still, looks like a fun comic, especially as an oversized book.

I was able to pick these two up for $3, so not bad all told.  Admittedly, I did have to dig through quite a number of bins to find this era of World's Finest which weren't $5 apiece or more, and these were both priced at $3, but I got the guy to work with me.   So, the new aspect of my journey into Hawkfandom begins in earnest.  If nothing else, these should be a nice slice of DC Bronze Age comics for my reading pleasure as I start down the backup strip quest...

DC Rebirth: A Distinct Lack Of Hawkman

Well folks, considering that there is nothing Hawkman related in the DC Rebirth information released at WonderCon, you would think this would be a short post, and you'd be correct.  What's shocking is just how short.

I remember when the New 52 was announced.  Amidst all of the cynicism and paranoia, there was a general sense of excitement both from me and my comics-reading friends.  The general idea was that DC was trying to shake things up, streamline a continuity which since the Crisis had become unwieldily without using Wikipedia, and trying to diversify the line by offering different families of titles.  The fact that there was going to be a Hawkman title was icing on the cake, but no doubt played a role in my excitement.

Of course, so did the fact that we were getting 2 War books, a Western book, a Horror-inspired Swamp Thing, and other titles which were not just Superheroes.

Whatever your opinion of the New 52 relaunch -- and this being the Internet, I am going to assume your opinion as you read this is negative -- there was a definite approach of trying to reach as many readers as possible.  

In the intervening years, I have been called a "DC apologist" as well as "not a real DC fan," been told that would "settle for anything" and that I was simply "riding out a rough patch."  I was told to "shut up" since I don't know anything about comics because I am "just [a] Godzilla guy."  I haven't made most of this stuff public because frankly I don't want or need to spread negativity; we have enough of that already. I prefer to try to focus on what I enjoy rather than what I don't.

For instance, I thought Convergence was a great throwback series, a reminder of the "mash up smash up" crossovers from when I was first reading comics back in the 1990s. It was fast and fun, with surprising characters and twists.  I liked it a heck of a lot more than Marvel's boring, inert slog Secret Wars, which I was more than happy to trade in to the used book store as soon as it was over.  That's my opinion and I come to it honestly, so I do not feel the need to defend it with a bullet list about why.  (For the record, Book Of Death was a lot better than both of them... and you could buy ALL of the event for less than half of one month of either the DC or Marvel event... but I digress...)

So what does this have to do with Rebirth? Ultimately not much; I suspect that all of the "Told You I Was Right" and "Victory Lap" articles and blogposts about the end of the New 52 won't amount to much more than a tempest in a teapot since it seems that the New 52 universe is still going to be around... you'll recall seeing similar sentiment after Convergence with the Post-Crisis diehards claiming "victory" and yet the New 52 was still there.  

But looking over these titles and creative teams, I'm sorry, there's just not much here for me to get excited about.  One of the continuous charges leveled at the New 52 books was one of "sameness" or homogeneity. I personally never saw that, but then again the only "mainstream" book I read consistently was The Flash -- the fringe titles I was drawn to were more unique... which is no doubt why they got cancelled.  Be that as it may, the Rebirth titles seem to have doubled down on this, narrowing the focus of DC comics even more, at least at the launch.

To be fair, Geoff Johns did say that groups like the Legion, JSA, etc. have a role going forward but will have their own stories to bring them in.  So that is good.

And if you want to have someone architect your universe, Johns seems like a better choice than Jim Lee and Dan DiDio.  And this is coming from one of the very few avowed Dan DiDio fans.  Exactly how much of the actual creative stuff of the New 52 came from DiDio will probably never be known for sure, but I have always liked the books he has written, and the way that as an executive he puts himself out there as the face, complete with all of the tomatoes and cabbages which get lobbed at said face. But again, there I am being a "DC Apologist" once again.

Anyway, there's so few titles of this group of launches which I am interested in, it's a little surprising and somewhat sad.

-- The Flash: Josh Williamson, Carmine DiGiandomenico, Neil Googe.  Don't think I am familiar with any of these guys beyond a passing recognition.  I'll always buy The Flash though, what can I say?  The little blurb they gave about a bunch of new speedsters sounds intriguing, and the cover art preview they showed appealed.  The fact that said cover includes Wally West wearing his Kid Flash costume as seen during the Future Flash story, and Captain Cold is wearing a vest, suggests this takes place firmly in the New 52 U.  But never mind the facts, the New 52 is dead, VICTORY LAP!!!!!!

-- Action Comics: Dan Jurgens, Patrick Zircher, Tyler Kirkham, Stephen Segovia.  I was a big Superman guy in the 90s.  And you don't get more "Superman in the 90s" than Dan Jurgens.  So, DC, you have my attention.  I know Patrick Zircher from his short stint on Iron Man, as well as his Valiant work, and I am eager to see his take on the Man of Steel.  Will I buy this? I don't know.  Maybe.  But it stood out, like I said, and Jurgens writing style has always appealed to me.  

-- Trinity: Francis Manapul, Clay Mann.  Manapul is a guy who's Flash work I just ate up, whether it was pre- or post-Flashpoint.  So to see him take on the Big Three has got my brain juices flowing. I'm not much of a Batman fan (Batman Minimum Appreciation Index not withstanding), but this seems like a perfect assignment for Manapul and I definitely want to see more of the details.

And... that's it.  3 books, one of which I have been buying in one form or another since I was in high school.  

I get that I am the oddball, the weird-o who liked DC comics in general during the last 4+ years.  And I also get that I am not going to buying any Batman books any time soon (unless they bring Paul Dini back to Detective like they did around 2007 or so), so maybe the line is not for me.  That's fine.  It's disappointing, but not surprising.

I have been leaning more and more away from DC AND Marvel over the last few years, as Marvel moved into the near-constant relaunches which they popularized but DC gets accused of, and DC started getting more tunnel vision with more titles getting focused on less characters, a tactic they stole from Marvel (even as Marvel seems to add more screwball titles each month). Honestly I buy more books from Valiant than DC and Marvel combined, and Rebirth will not change that.  But that's alright, I am seeing people excited about books like Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka (I wonder how much of Brian Azzarello's mythology will be tossed?) or Super Sons (we miss you, Bob Haney), and I am glad that there are new books coming down the pipeline that people are looking forward to.

Nothing snarky here, folks; I've said it for years: Read what you enjoy, and if you don't like it, don't read it.

Legends Of Tomorrow Hawkman and Hawkgirl Revealed!

So the hits keep on coming as we roll towards the new seasons of Arrow and The Flash, plus the debut of Legends of Tomorrow (and, I suppose, Vixen as well). And from Deadline (care of Newsarama) comes this promotional picture showing us the full uniforms (sans wings) for Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

A couple of thoughts:

--Firstly, obviously no wings.  I am going to assume that the wings will be retractable or removable on the show so that they can move around sets without bumping into things.  Whether they will be practical or CGI is a debate I have seen; I am leaning towards a mix, similar to what was done on Smallville.

--The color scheme seems so... drab.  Couldn't they have thrown a little green in there?  Of course, given that Ollie is wearing more green, Barry wears red, and so forth, maybe going with a brown palette is a way to break things up visually across the DCTVU.  If you wanted to get a darker color scheme for the Winged Wonders, I suppose you could have gone with Hawkworld style grey and gold, but that might be a bit too severe.  I do like the hints of straps and Hawk emblem on Carter; Kendra looks to be wearing a medallion of some sort, and her bodice suggests straps across her chest and sternum as well, sort of like the post-Blackest Night Shiera.

--The helmets look well put together.  I like that they are a little bit ornate but overwrought. I also like keeping the basic shape of Kendra's swoopy, Silver Age style helmet rather than putting them in similar styles.

--Where's Kendra's weapon?  I am going to assume that she will be wielding her typical arsenal in the series, but would it have been too hard to give her a spear or flail here?  Looking closely, you can just kinda-sorta make out what might be a cestus on her glove, but it looks too far back on the hand to really convince me.  As far as Carter, the morningstar is most welcome.  Given the amount of arrow-piercings that CW can get away with, I am hoping to have some good "smash ups" in his fights.  More intriguing though -- check out the holster on his hip! Maybe I am reaching a bit here but is it too much to ask that we get the debut of the Graviton Pistol?!

--Interesting enough, Carter appears less covered than Kendra. She has a bit of a neckline, but certainly not plunging (pun intended) into Power Girl territory.  But Carter also has a neckline, as well as his beefy biceps on display for all to see.  I do like Kendra's belt as well -- a little bit Julie Newmar, a little bit Han Solo.

--Falk Hentschel has his Hawk-frown down. Ciara Renee does make me think of Kendra here, specifically from Volume 4 when she tended to be more interested in helping people than hurting bad guys. Still eager to see her in full "Hawkgirl Smash" mode.

Overall, as a promo picture, it does its job of getting me -- as a Hawkfan -- very excited! I was not expecting bright green and yellow, so even though the brown is still a bit odd, I can appreciate what the production seems to be shooting for.  I remaing very excited for this show and can hardly wait to see the Hawks in action.

What do you think of the new promo shot? Does it get you more hyped up for Legends, or is this some cold water?

Image: Hawkman and Hawkgirl Legends of Tomorrow Promotional Picture, 2015, Newsarama.

Hawkman Confirmed as Series Regular for Legends Of Tomorrow

Speculation as to the level of involvement which Hawkman would have in DC's forthcoming Legends Of Tomorrow series seemingly can end now, as Executive Producer Phil Klemmer has stated that Hawkman will be appearing in every episode as a series regular.

Well, huh.

Take it away, Mr, Klemmer:

It doesn't [take away from Hawkgirl's presence], because the way we've imagined them is that they've obviously been reincarnated through the ages together, but the fact that he remembers their previous lives and she doesn't… it gives them very much like a Bogie & Bacall sort of [relationship].

Klemmer also states that the show is specifically avoiding "sentimentality," and while romance is not out of the question, "there'll be more sex than romance."

Well, uh... huh again.

Honestly I'm so muddled by this little piece that I am not even sure what to think.  I was -- and remain -- very excited for Hawkgirl to be a part of this series since, let's face it, Hawkgirl rocks.  And I am excited to have Hawkman be a part of the series as well, because I think the history between the two characters (as explored by Geoff Johns and David Goyer in JSA and Hawkman V.4, also referenced by Klemmer) is ripe for mining in a media adaption featuring the characters.

But some of this TV-producer speak turns me off.  "More sex than romance?" Can't we have them just bash people with weapons and then be tense afterwards? Why does there need to be sex for the Hawks to interact?  Some of the best character work from those early days of Volume 4 was the idea of NOT forcing destiny, with Carter and Kendra working together but not being together. "Partners but not a couple" serves these particular iterations of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, so I am concerned about their relationship being akin to bickering in the field of battle and then angry copulation back in the bedroom.

Then there's the simple fact that this cast is getting outrageously large.  There were a lot of characters involved before, and now we have just added another full-time regular member to said cast. How are all of the various storylines and subplots going to be juggled and still be comprehensible?  Both Arrow and The Flash feature ensemble casts, sure, but their casts are not all powered "name" characters. If Thea Queen or Paco Ramone take something of a back seat in a particular episode, without any major plot developments for them, well, that's alright because they are supporting characters. But this is (ostensibly) a team of heroes, all of whom need to be served by the overall ongoing plot. How in the heck do you keep this many plates spinning on a 44 minute TV show?

This isn't a team book where you can have a single thought balloon or caption to keep a subplot going month to month.

I'm being cynical but these are cynical days.

Of course, that having been said I am still very eager to see Legends of Tomorrow and to get the Winged Wonders on the small screen once more.

So what do you think?  Yea or nay on Hawkman as a series regular?

Report: Hawkman Cast For Arrow, The Flash

Per Newsarama, Variety is reporting that Falk Hentschel (who played Marc Scarlotti AKA Whiplash in one episode of Agents of SHIELD) has been cast as Carter Hall AKA Hawkman for appearances in the upcoming seasons of The CW's DC superhero dramas Arrow and The Flash, as part of a crossover which sets the stage for Legends Of Tomorrow, which of course, features Hawkgirl.  

I did enjoy Hentschel's turn as Whiplash over the fence on SHIELD, and hoped he would make a return in the role.  I think he definitely has the physicality for the part of Carter, but as he did not get much time to speak as the villainous HYDRA asset, I do not know how he will work out for the less-smashy scenes.  I am, unfortunately, not familiar with any of his roles beyond that one. Still, it is very cool that we are getting a new live action Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and I retain my high hopes for the new seasons of Arrow and The Flash, and am very much looking forward to Legends.

What about you?  Do you like this casting, or is this a bust?

Hawkman Coming to The CW?

As we start ramping up anticipation for the new seasons of both Arrow and The Flash, plus the debut of DC's Legends Of Tomorrow, a new rumor making the rounds is that in addition to Hawkgirl bashinh heads and taking names on Legends, Hawkman himself will be popping up on the network as well.  Per Newsarama:

Entertainment Weekly reports that Carter Hall, A.K.A. Hawkman, is coming to Arrow and Flash before he appears in the spin-off DC's Legends Of Tomorrow. 

The report describes Hawkman as “charismatic and wise beyond his years, Hawkman is a natural-born leader with an abundance of charm and confidence—well, that’s because he’s 5,000 years old.” Hawkman will also reportedly retain the memories from his many resurrections, unlike Hawkgirl who will have no memory of her past lives or even Hawkman when the pair meet.

This would not be the first time that Hawkman showed up on The CW, of course, as Michael Shanks portrayed the Winged Wonder a few times back on Smallville.  But it would make a lot of sense to introduce Carter as the story tool for Kendra to begin her journey of remembering all of her past lives -- which was not dissimilar to what was done on Justice League Unlimited, either.


So what do you think?  Will we have both Hawkman and Hawkgirl on the small screens this coming season?

DC's Legends Of Tomorrow Trailer

Well the hits just keep on coming today as far as DC's Legends Of Tomorrow is concerned!  No sooner do we get an official group shot and confirmation of Vandal Savage, but now we get to see the team in action in the trailer!

And what a trailer it is, as we get to see all of the team in action, including our very own "girl with wings and a past lives complex."  Oddly, we don't see as much of Hawkgirl as we do others (especially White Canary and Atom), suggesting that the effects work on her scenes may not be complete yet.  But so help me Onimarr Synn but I spotted a helmet and boot talons!  Seeing her take flight off a "perch" and then pacing Firestorm swooping through the city was mind bogglingly cool (shout out to Shag).  I may be a sucker for this sort of thing but I've already swallowed the hook and we're months away from the debut.  

Other DC nerd moments -- seeing Captain Cold and Heatwave going to town on Savage's goons, White Canary's "birth" (of sorts), and Atom displaying some rather nifty new powers (heh heh).  And I did have to laugh at Rip Hunter's Time Lord... err, excuse me, Time Master having an incredibly British accent.  

Speaking of Rip, he mentions that the team will have to travel through time... I have to wonder, will this be a Timeranger sort of deal (we travel in time once and stay there) or a Back To The Future sort of deal?  I guess we will find out soon enough.

This show was already a "no-brainer" for me but this trailer serves to get me even more hopped up for it.  What kind of emotions does this trailer raise up in you, gentle readers?  Comment and share!

h/t to Newsarama for posting this item!

Vandal Savage To Face DC's Legends

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Newsarama is reporting that Vandal Savage will be the first "antagonist" which the titular Legends of DC's Legends of Tomorrow will face.  You'll recall that I predicted this thanks to the "immortal threat" verbiage in the teaser.  Me, and every other DC nerd everywhere, that is.

h/t to Newsarama for breaking this item.

DC's Legends Of Tomorrow Official Cast Shot And Description

As the network upfronts continue, more information continues to roll out for DC's upcoming superhero TV shows, including the one we are looking at today, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow.  The promotional image gives us our first official look at the ensemble, including the very Doctor Who-ish Rip Hunter (no surprise there), Sara Lance as "White Canary" (hmmm...), and the main point of interest for this blog, Ciarra Renee as Hawkgirl.

Not much I can say other than she looks much more serious minded than in the previous photo The CW had released, but that was not an in character shot, so that is to be expected.  In a subtle touch, she is looking up to the sky...

The official synopsis released doesn't reveal much more than we have already heard, but here it is:

When heroes alone are not enough… the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a disparate group of both heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat — one in which not only is the planet at stake, but all of time itself. Can this ragtag team defeat an immortal threat unlike anything they have ever known? DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW stars Victor Garber ("The Flash," "Alias"); Brandon Routh ("Arrow," "Superman Returns"); Arthur Darvill ("Doctor Who"); Caity Lotz ("Arrow"); Ciarra Renee ("Pippin"); Franz Drameh ("Edge of Tomorrow"); with Dominic Purcell ("The Flash," "Prison Break"); and Wentworth Miller ("The Flash," "Prison Break"). Based on the characters from DC Comics, DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti ("Arrow," "The Flash," upcoming "Pan"), Marc Guggenheim ("Arrow," "Eli Stone," "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"), Andrew Kreisberg ("Arrow," "The Flash," "Eli Stone," "Warehouse 13") and Sarah Schechter ("Arrow," "The Flash," upcoming "Pan").

h/t to Newsarama for posting this.  I'm very excited about DC's Legends of Tomorrow and seeing Hawkgirl on the small screen!  What about you, are you excited for the next wave of DC's television offerings?

Image: DC's Legends Of Tomorrow, 2015, image obtained from Newsarama.

Introducing DC's Legends Of Tomorrow!

As we move into the "silly season" of the network television industry, we can expect news to come fast and furious when it comes to our favorite superhero and comic book based television shows, including the "untitled Arrow/Flash spinoff" which will feature Hawkgirl.  And the first bit of good news is that the series has a title! (h/t to Newsarama) Not a great title, mind you, but a title none the less...

Everyone say hello to DC's Legends of Tomorrow!  The "DC's" branding really makes me think of Marvel's Agents Of SHIELD and Marvel's Agent Carter, but that's alright.  And much like my wife and I call Agents of SHIELD simply "SHIELD," this series will most likely simply become "Legends," which works for me.

The newly-titled series has received a "sight unseen" pilot order, and now has the following official description:

"When heroes alone are not enough ... the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a disparate group of both heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat — one in which not only is the planet at stake, but all of time itself. Can this ragtag team defeat an immortal threat unlike anything they have ever known?"

Okay, now that's cool!  With Rip Hunter coming back from the future, there are all sorts of storytelling options available.  From a Hawk perspective, I could see this being used to take Kendra/Shiera back in time to view her past lives, or maybe even all the way back to ancient Egypt! Also amusing is that this is a similar sort of set up to The Flash with one character knowing the future and using that knowledge to steer history one direction or another.

Also, "immortal threat?"  Is it just me or does that suggest Vandal Savage?!  

I continue to remain hyped up on goofballs about this show and seeing Ciarra Renee as Hawkgirl on the small screen!  What about you?  Are you excited for DC's Legends Of Tomorrow?

Big Screen Suicide Squad To Appear in Midway City

Even if the Hawks are not in the DC's big screen plans, it looks like their old home town is, as this article from Newsarama points out.  While checking in on the filming of the upcoming Suicide Squad film in Toronto, Ontario, Canadian entertainment news outlet Entertainment City snagged a pic of this sign, showing that "Hollywood North" will be standing in for Midway City.

Whether this has anything to do with the Carter and/or Shiera Hall, the Midway City Museum, Midway City Police Commissioner George Emmett, Mavis Trent, Hawk Valley, "Big Red," or the Doom Patrol remain to be seen.  

Suicide Squad opens on August 5, 2016, but in keeping with Internet fanboy regulations, no one is allowed to discuss nor be excited for a DC Comics movie, which is why you haven't heard anything about it.  The film stars Will Smith as Deadshot, and also includes Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje!), Rick Flagg, Harley Quinn, and others.

So what do you think?  Will we get any Hawk-related gags or Easter Eggs in Suicide Squad?

Image: Midway City set dressing, 2015, image obtained from Newsarama.

Upcoming: Bat-Mite #2 featuring Hawkman (or Hawkmen)

One of the new titles debuting for DC after Convergence is Bat-Mite, which is being done by Dan Jurgens and Corin Howell.  Newsarama caught up with Jurgens, and he explained how Bat-Mite is out to "fix" the heroes of the DC Universe.  The fanboys should love this...

How does this involve Hawkman?  The cover to Bat-Mite #2 features not one, not two, not three, but FOUR Hawkmen!  The solicit for the issue is as follows:

BAT-MITE #2
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art and cover by CORIN HOWELL
On sale JULY 1 • 32 pg, 2 of 6, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E
Bat-Mite assists Batman on yet another case…whether the Dark Knight needs his help or not. This time, it leads the imp to the diabolical Doctor Trauma, who has terrible plans in store for Hawkman!

If this is a done-in-one story, I might pick it up.  I have no real interest in Bat-Mite outside of his fun appearances on Batman: The Brave And The Bold, and I have no illusions of this book lasting more than 12 issues.  Still, it sounds like a fun concept for a series starring someone as insane as Bat-Mite, and if the cover is an indication of the art, it should look nice if nothing else.  

I am assuming that the green suited Hawkman is the New 52 version, but I'll be darned if I can remember a sequence where he wore that costume.  The Post-Crisis, Golden Age, and Silver Age Hawkmans look fantastic, though!  I love the frown on Post-Crisis Katar, and the wild take on Carter looks fantastic and very full of character.  For what it's worth, Bat-Mite looks good too.  

So what do you think?  Are you interested in reading the adventures of Bat-Mite "fixing" the DCU?

Image: Bat-Mite #2, 2015, Corin Howell.

What Is The Sneak Preview in Convergence: Hawkman #2?

DC has been leaking little snippets of what we can expect in the previews of the second issues of the Convergence tie-ins, week by week, and with Week 3 being revealed on Newsarama, we know what the preview is going to be in Convergence: Hawkman #2!  Take it away, Newsarama!

CONVERGENCE: HAWKMAN #2 features a bonus GRAYSON story written by Tom King and Tim Seeley and illustrated by Mikel Janin.

Dick and Spyral join the mile-high club as they attempt to save a young boy from an airplane mid-flight.

Huh.

Huh.

Well, looks like I can safely skip the preview pages in the back of Convergence: Hawkman #2 without any concern or worry.  Really DC?  You really think that readers who are champing at the bit for a Hawkman and Hawkwoman fix want to read about super-duper secret agent Dick Grayson?  

This is a complete fumble on the part of whomever made the editorial choices of which previews to include in which Convergence title.  As far as I am concerned, this is a complete waste of pages now.  No disrespect to King, Seeley, and Janin, but I am just not interested in Dick Grayson, secret agent man.

Move along, nothing more to see here...