This fill-in issue caught my attention for one reason: John Byrne's participation. Given his work with Chris Claremont on JLA and the recent announcement that he's reviving the classic Doom Patrol lineup for a new series, it's not difficult to see Byrne as being in the process of something of a comeback. Not that he was ever gone from the comics landscape, mind you, but he's been without a major success in recent years. His work here is light and enjoyable, but it doesn't really fit in with the darker atmosphere for which the script reaches. This is perfectly competent super-hero fare overall, but thoroughly generic as well.
Hawkman takes to the night air in St. Roch, hunting a specific prey, but that prey comes to him, doing a bit of hunting of its own. Vampires have gathered in St. Roch, and it's up to the city's winged champions to track down their leader. If their murders weren't enough incentive, Hawkman has an even more personal reason for putting an end to the undead's horrific crimes. Hawkgirl's life hangs in the balance, and Hawkman soon discovers he's not the only one with a personal stake in this matter.
The first problem with the art for this issue is the cover. It gives away a key plot point far too early. Inside, the rougher quality of Byrne's work, combined with the central character, puts me in mind of the art of Joe Kubert. I honestly can't recall the last time I saw Byrne handle Hawkman, and he offers a solid take on the character. Mind you, the tone of the script -- and of this series as a whole -- calls for darker and more realistic depiction of the title character. It's not that Byrne does a poor job of the assignment; it's that his style isn't suited to it. Byrne can write horror well -- seek out his little known Whipping Boy novel for proof -- but his art isn't at home in the genre.
Josh Siegal -- whom I'm guessing is a newcomer to comics, since I don't recognize the name -- does an excellent job of tapping into the overall themes established by Geoff Johns during his previous 25-issue run on the title. He makes excellent use of the title character's reincarnation riff here, and the notion that he yearns for some sense of finality, for an eternal rest that everyone but him seems entitled to, makes for some interesting characterization.
The villains here are far too generic for my taste. I enjoyed the achronological storytelling approach, but the story lacks tension. The throwaway nature of the villain makes it difficult for the reader to see him as a viable threat to the heroes. The threat should have been posed to a minor player so as to reinforce the meance of the monsters. It seems to me that Siegal had the makings a strong multi-chapter story arc here; a longer story could have propped up the villain as a significant threat and reinforced the link he shared with the title character.
