DC Comics reviews for 9/11/19 – Batman #78, Event Leviathan #4

Hawkman #16

With their shadows stolen, Hawkman and Shade take the fight to Shadow Thief at the one place he wouldn’t expect.

Writer Robert Venditti keeps delivering quality work on this book. Having Carter remember all of his past lives now has been a tremendous step forward for the narrative. The pairing with Shade is inspired too. Venditti has brought in other characters like Ray Palmer and while I still want to see Hawkgirl, I’m starting to get anxious for Venditti’s take on Hawkman’s Justice Society pals.

This was artist Pat Oliffe’s strongest issue yet and there’s an encouraging sign that he simply needed to warm up and get more familiar with Hawkman’s world.

The big twist this issue is Hawkman is tapping into his more ferocious side. That’s a portrayal of the character more familiar to 90s readers when Hawkman was written edgier. Venditti has shown his take can be a more modernized version of the Silver Age character and still be just as effective. As always, Venditti has me very interested in what’s next for the character something that hasn’t always been the case with other creators and creative teams.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10