Polite Dissent

Teen Titans #22 introduces the new Hawk and Dove.

As a self-admitted Hawk and Dove fanatic, what do I think? I think it’s got definite potential.

This is more or less the third incarnation of the team (purposefully ignoring Mike Baron’s Hawk and Dove series of the 1990s). The first team consisted of brothers Hank and Don Hall. After Don’s death during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new Dove (Dawn Granger) joined Hawk. Their partnership came to an abrupt end during the second issue of Armageddon 2001. However, the supposedly dead Dawn surfaced several years later in JSA, and now appears in this issue of Teen Titans with a new Hawk, her heretofore unknown sister Holly.

Writer Geoff Johns continues the wordplay with names, following the example set by Karl and Barbara Kesel, the writers the second Hawk and Dove series.

Dove #1: Don Hall – Dove #2: Dawn Granger
Hawk #1: Hank Hall – Hawk #2: Holly (Granger?)

This new Hawk has one thing going against her from the start*: her manner of introduction. In the original team, we met Hank and Don well before they became Hawk and Dove. For the second Dove, we met both her and Dawn Granger simultaneously. For this second Hawk, we’ve met Hawk but not really Holly. Since the powers of Hawk and Dove amplify the person’s natural abilities (and personality), it would be nice to know more about Holly herself.

Still, I’m pleased with the new team. I enjoy Johns’ writing and he’s done a good job of showing respect for the older characters he writes in JSA. There may be hope for Hawk and Dove yet.

*Actually two things are going against her, the second being her overdone British mannerisms (or at least the mannerisms we Americans believe the British have). All we need is a “bollocks” and a “wanker” and we’ll complete the set