Hawkman: Endless Flight

Hawkman/Hawkgirl (2002) (Collected Editions) #1

by Geoff Johns (Writer), James Robinson (Co-Plotter), Rags Morales (Penciler)

Living thousands of lives from ancient Egypt to present times, the reincarnated Hawkman and Hawkgirl begin their latest existence together with the appearance of past enemies and the discovery of new mysteries. Reunited but estranged, Hawkgirl reluctantly turns to her soul mate when she learns that her parents' deaths were not accidents but murders. As the two Winged Warriors attempt to solve the mystery and deal with their own relationship issues, they find that the true mastermind may be an ancient enemy that dates back to the time of the pyramids.

Collecting: Hawkman 1-6

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.

His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.

Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that back in the day, I thought Hawkman (and all winged superheroes, for that matter) was the lamest thing around. It looks like I'll have to re-evaluate my opinion.

The writing is what drew me to this one. Geoff Johns AND James Robinson? How can I lose? Well, I couldn't. Here's what went down.

In the first story, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, constantly reincarnating lovers, are in the middle of a spat. Hawkgirl doesn't remember her previous incarnations the way Hawkman does and finds him creepy. Not to mention that he's a decade older than her. While searching for Hawkgirl's parents's murderer, they get caught up in a plot by an evil museum curator to swipe the Eye of Shiva. Mayhem ensues.

Instead of being lame, Johns and Robinson make Hawkman seem like a flying hybrid of Wolverine and Conan the Barbarian. The best parts of the book, however, are Hawkman's rocky relationship with Hawkgirl and his ever-present bickering with Green Arrow. Classic stuff.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was so awesome!

We get to see Carter back in action and as he teams with Kendra they go to India to rescue some guy named Danny and then fighting alongside the Komeriah warriors against "Makhna" to get "Third eye of shiva" artefact and then the battle there and a wild adventure there also involving their classic enemies: Shadow thief and Tigress and Copperhead and how they rescue this guy and the secrets there is the big story which was quite awesome and really gives you a taste of who Hawkman is and makes you kinda love him!

Then the story with Green arrow and them vs "The spider" and well showing how opposite these two characters are and I love the inter-play between these hotheads and Carter learning an important lesson for Ollie which was really well done and leads nicely into the next volume! So yeah a must read!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
I honestly wanted to like it more than I did. It wasn't bad by any means, it was just missing that something. Maybe it was the wacky we opened a portal to the gods of India, and helped save the enslaved elephant people part of the plot? Maybe it was that the pages weren't glossy, and I felt like I was reading a comic strip from a newspaper? Maybe it was that I've always thought that beaks were an uncool costume choice? Maybe it was that Hawkman came off as a slightly creepy douche?
The ending did slightly redeem him in my eyes, though. Maybe I'll give this title another chance at some point, just not right now.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second half of the volume, the "Sling and Arrows" Green Arrow "team-up" is far better than lame first half.
Not bad, but that's all.

[Donovan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoy B adventures? This is your ticket.

I've never read any standalone Hawkman comics. He's popped up in a few crises and events. So I was eager to check out the winged Thanagarian. Well, maybe try a different one.

Hawkman has an interesting origin. It involves Egypt, alien metals, and immortality. Now Hawkman and Hawkgirl are investigating the murder of Hawkgirl's parents one decade earlier in connection with the Stonechat Museum in St. Loch, Louisiana. Unfortunately I don't care about any of that except his origin, and that's what we get the least of.

So naturally this did not not live up to its full potential. Hawkgirl is a mere sidekick. Hawkman is barely more than a mace-wielding brute. And the artwork by Rags Morales and especially Patrick Gleason is terribly flat and outdated.

The dialog isn't great. The villains are one dimensional, or the anti-hero type who befriend the heroes against a common enemy. The archaeology was mildly interesting (probably my least favorite science), the Indian theology was boring, and Jayita, the Punjabi, was constantly ranting about how terrible, ignorant, close-minded, and stupidly accented Americans are. Not only does this seem unfair toward Indians, this is insulting toward the American readership and really turned me off.

Instead of having a story that just focuses on Hawkman's origin, his origin is shoehorned into a very long B adventure involving unimportant secondary characters on an uneventful side quest. This isn't as much a Hawkman story as something he's doing because he's got nothing of his own to do. Sure, it's archaeological, supernatural, and connects to Thanagar. But it's just not that interesting. I'm not put off from Hawkman for good, but Johns didn't get me excited about him.

[Iain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having only read Hawkman as part of JLA stories before, this was a decent introduction to the character, and Hawkgirl, and gave them a more coherent back story.

[Eli · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This was my first Hawkman. Can't say I'm impressed. I mean, character-wise, this was a good introduction to Carter and Kendra. Hawkman seems like a good guy, but he's not all that compelling. I'm glad I read it for that. But plot-wise, it was kind of weak. It was basically Hawkman and Hawkgirl on an Indiana Jones-esque mission to India. Thankfully Green Arrow showed up and made me feel better about the whole thing.

[Tamas Nagy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Martin Štefko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kniha "DC komiksový komplet 70: Hawkman – Nekonečný let" představuje postavu Hawkmana jako takovou, která není nijak výrazně zajímavá, kromě toho, že je arogantní a protivná. Má akční příběhy, které ale jsou propojeny trochu násilně, protože scenárista chtěl mít něco různorodého, ale přitom nemyslel na to, že by to mělo nějak držet jako celek. Nedrží. Příběh s Green Arrowem je pak jen takovou prohnilou třešinkou, protože tam celkově nezapadá. Člověk si říkal, proč tam byl vlastně Hawkman potřeba. Green Arrow by ten případ hravě zvládl sám. Takže nezbývá než uvažovat o tom, že šlo jen o snahu nějak zvýšit prodeje. Geoff Johns z mého pohledu jen potvrdil, že má sice skvělé znalosti o DC Universe anebo je skvělý v oblasti rešerší ale jeho příběhy mě prostě nebaví, nic mi neříkají. nechá nás naskočit do existujících postav, ale vrací se k jejich originu, ale ani v jednom případě nepředvádí něco, co by bylo zapamatovatelné nebo nějak zajímavé. Po tomhle už bych ani Hawkmanovi nechtěl dát další šanci.

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original angry birds. Hawkman can be pretty savage and Hawkgirl has a chip on her shoulder not to be taken lightly. Great balance of character and plot development. Rags Morales' artwork does a great job of capturing the moods and emotions of the story. The Green Arrow cameo and his contentious relationship with Carter was great.

Despite many years of comics reading, this was my first Hawkman centered book. The introduction and how the story is written allowed me to jump right in and follow along without any difficulty. I picked this up because it was recommended to have the Hawkman background before reading Dark Nights: Metal (which I have no idea when I'll get around to). Feels like it was a solid introduction to the character.

[Bryson Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawk man is a guy that has wings and can fly. some cool stuff about hawk man is that he has a sidekick and it is a girl hawk man. Hawk man has a jet that he probably uses a lot he went to Egypt and back so he probably used it some. he also got enslaved closer to the end and had to help everyone out. what i like is that there are more pictures in the book the setting changed like 20 times so even if i wanted to talk about the setting they went everywhere. What I also thought was cool was that they had a mace and i thought that was a cool weapon of choice.

[roberto ortiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un hombre y una mujer alada, aventura, lugares exóticos, reliquias, y una explosión visual de acción. Geoff Johns, James Robinson garantizando la calidad de la historia y Rags Morales impactando antes de Crisis de Identidad con ese Hawkman saliendo de la página para golpearte. La segunda historia con Green Arrow lo posiciona dentro del Universo DC. Muy disfrutable.

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una introducción interesante a una reencarnación de dos personajes clásicos. Me gusta mucho la idea de que dos amantes se reencarnan una y otra vez durante siglos, pero en esta encarnación ella no lo recuerda. La trama es bastante normal, bien dibujo. A ver qué más sale.

[Ondra Král · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strašná tuctovka, nudil jsem se

[Adam Šilhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nic extra, jako představení Hawkmana ale fungovalo.

[Damián · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primera vez que leo algo de Hawkman y me gustó mucho. La primera parte es algo convencional, pero la segunda es más psicológica y atrapante.

Guion: 7,5
Dibujo: 7,5

[Angelina Titeryakova · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Антон Меляков · Rating 5 out of 5]

За първи път ми е интересен тоя герой :) . Не, че поредицата е нещо велико, но е достатъчно забавна. Особено кросоувърът в последните броеве със Зелената стрела беше топ :D

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hawkman takes flight again in the latest graphic novel offering from DC Comics. With an origin tied to death and resurrection, Hawkman is back as archaeologist Carter Hall. Teamed with a Hawkgirl who has no romantic memories of their previous lives, Hall attempts to build up a friendly relationship in order to explore their endless cycle of lives. This arc sees the hawks move to the town of St. Roch, assisting its renowned yet failing museum with its studies and artifact collection. A trek to India for both a treasure hunter and information leads to a clash with Shadow Thief, Tigress, and Copperhead in the first arc, as well as a mystical power struggle against Indian deities. Green Arrow guests in the second arc, tracking the bow-wielding killer Spider and re-establishing the classic Hawkman/GA rivalry. The volume concludes with the return of the reincarnated villain Hath-Set, and sets the stage for upcoming trials for the hawks. While it is good to see the history of Hawkman cleared up by writer Geoff Johns, the volume is still entangled with the convoluted pasts of previous Hawkmen. Granted, this is the issue that has plagued Hawkman through his publishing career, but it still takes away from a full immersion in this graphic novel. Still, it is good to see the JSA warrior soar onto the bookshelves once again.

[Edmund Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superheroes are, ultimately, romantic fantasies of heroism. Here, we have a character with old-world chivalric values living in today's world. And in this book, we see superhero romance done right.

Geoff Johns writes with passion. He obviously loves these characters. Rags Morales is one of the best artists in comics today. And together they have delivered a superhero story with heart - as in a "broken" one. Hawkman returns from oblivion in the "Return of Hawkman" JSA storyline only to find that the Hawkgirl of this incarnation doesn't even recognize him. She "knows" that he is her husband from all previous incarnations but she just doesn't "feel" that he is. That kind of corny stuff. But done right. With just the right amount of irony and heart-wrenching dialogue - "Partners. That's all we will be. Try to go further than that and I'll fly away so far away that you'll never find me. EVER.", Hawkgirl warns Hawkman.

The second part of the book features a meeting between Green Arrow and Hawkman. These two are the successful revamps of the recent years. And their meeting is a laugh-out riot!

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow writers Geoff Johns and James Robinson along with penciller, Rags Morales, are able to take the ridiculously convoluted history of the Hawks and push it slightly to the side to tell a good straight forward story. While the back story is still there, it doesn't bog the book down. The interplay between the Hawks is emotional and always interesting. Sadly, as with many DC books, there is a certain corniness to the villains. Morales pencil work is beautiful. Overall a really solid book.

[Nate Deprey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawkman isn't my hero. I have always found the character boorish and not that interesting but in Geoff Johns hands he has become a compelling and interesting character. The title ties up heaping helpings of DC continuity problem and expands the books central characters in a way that makes them far more compelling.

[Victor Orozco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally got my hands on the first collection of stories on Hawkman after his return and Kendra Saunders debut as Hawkgirl.

This is an excellent series and I am very happy to collect this. Its a bit pressing having Carter so dedicated to Kendra and her not returning his affection. But the adventure is still great.

C+

[Kaotic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually own a couple of the individual issues as well as the trade paperback version (which is what this review is of.)

The parts of this series that I have been able to read have been good. I would like to finish it, but we'll see when I will actually be able tp get my hands on them, haha.

This series has a lot of good action, strong feels, and plenty more.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to see Hawkman back in action and Geoff creates a great city and supporting cast, but there's so much sub-plot and romantic angst that isn't as much fun as it could be.
A noble attempt, but it pales against some of DC's other, better solo series, like Starman and Flash.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the day, Hawkman was an automatic buy for me. Hawkgirl was the reason. I really like the rocky relationship between Hawkman and Hawkgirl in this book. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is a superhero story but a romantic fantasy of heroism? Hawkman (Carter Hall) is a character with (very) old world values living in the 21st century. And thanks to Geoff Johns’ writing, we see superhero romance done completely right.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from the public library.

See my note on it from the blog:

[http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...]

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say: I love the Hawks.

[Ola · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best version of the Hawkman comic. Best background story, best characters and best character interactions.