Polite Dissent

Hawk & Dove #1 is a set-up issue. Sure, there’s some action, but mainly it exists to re-introduce the characters from the Hawk & Dove mini-series and to provide hints of upcoming threats.

The issue begins with Hank and Dawn recalling their part in defending the Earth during Invasion! As you may recall, they appeared only briefly (and that’s being generous) in issue #2 of the mini-series. Hank and Dawn have more grandiose memories of their participation: Hank tells Ren that Hawk himself led the charge against the aliens in Australia. Dove, on the other hand, skimps over the action and instead remembers being hit on by both Guy Gardner and Booster Gold. I’m sure something could be made of the fact that Hawk remembers action while Dove remembers sexual harassment, but you won’t read it here. Nope.

The Kesels manage to include some very telling moments in the Invasion! flashback. Dove runs to rescue some children from a falling wall — the same way the original Dove died — and Hawk rushes over to rescue her, repeating “Not again! Not gonna let this happen again.” Dove, however, has managed to rescue herself. Later when the aliens drop the “Gene Bomb,” Hank and Dawn are not affected in the least and still retain their super-powers as Hawk and Dove. This proves that their abilities are not based on the meta-gene (DC’s answer to Marvel’s mutant gene), but are due to some other yet unexplained factor.

After the reminiscing, Ren, Hank and Dawn catch up with Donna and Kyle at the local pub. Meanwhile, our favorite cops, Captain Arsala and Wolfson, are trying to figure out what happened to Kestrel and whether Hawk killed him. “All I’m saying is that Hawk’s capable of doin’ it, Captain. More capable than most super-heroes, it you ask me.” They also skim over some cases that turn out to be most of the villains Hawk and Dove will encounter in their first year: “Explosion in Alexandria…No trace of bomb or natural causes. Unidentified man killed by an extremely high dose of snake venom. Bank in Richmond robbed by Dillinger, Bonnie & Clyde”

The real action of the story starts when a strange robot teleports into a DC jewelry store and starts stealing all of the gold. Hank and Dawn happen to be passing by and they rush in, change to Hawk and Dove, and confront the robot. A great deal of property damage is done, and in the end Hawk manages to decapitate the robot. In our second of three foreshadowing episodes, the robot teleports away but tells Hawk: “Name’s Gauntlet…Remember it…Got friends…We’ll be back.”

In our final bit of foreshadowing, Hawk and Dove’s appearance in the jewelry store catches the eye of a mysterious observer named Barter who deduces that the pair are some form of mystical conduit. He decides that they’ll be just perfect for his upcoming plans.

Writers Karl and Barbara Kesel manage to convey a great deal of information in this issue, and all in an entertaining fashion. Readers are re-introduced to Hawk/Hank and Dove/Dawn as well as their friends Ren, Kyle and Donna. The Washington D.C. SCU cops are re-introduced as well, and their antagonism towards Hawk, yet grudging acceptance of Dove, is demonstrated. After creating Kestrel, the evil reflection of Hawk and Dove, the Kesel’s create their second great villain in Barter. I’m truly surprised that no other writer has used him since.

The art by Greg Guler and Scott Hanna is well done. Comparing issue #1 to later issues, it’s apparent that Guler is still developing his skill at drawing the duo, but he’s already better than most. His action scenes, while not as explosive as Liefeld’s, show a stronger sense of composition and flow. He also shows that he’s better at drawing facial expression, especially humorous ones.