Shadowhawk was one of the first titles to launch from Image Comics, the creation of one of its seven founders, Jim Valentino. Now that he's stepped down as the publisher at Image, he's found more time to devote to the craft of comics as opposed to the business side of things, and I'm pleased. Of the Image founders, Valentino's work is the least stylized, and he seems to have more personal things to say than his comrades (as evidenced in his Touch of Silver series from several years ago). Instead of reviving his super-hero property here, Valentino rebuilds the Shadowhawk concept from the ground up. He abandons the grim, urban-crime leanings of the original character and embraces a more traditional super-hero approach. It makes for a fun read, and there's plenty of potential in the premise here. Unfortunately, this debut issue, while quite accessible, comes off as rather generic fare.
Eddie was a fairly typical teenager, but soon after moving to the big city with his dad, a visit from a mysterious stranger changed his life. The stranger gave him the helmet of the hero known as Shadowhawk, and now Eddie fights crime. However, he's far more determined to uncover the secrets of the Shadowhawk helmet, how it enhances his abilities and how it morphs to provide him with whatever he needs in battle. He soon discovers that he's not alone when wearing the helmet, and that he's the culmination of millennia of preparation and power. Eddie is not just Shadowhawk... he's the last Shadowhawk.
Valentino manages to shift the overall visual tone of the title character from a dark one to something that's a little less intense and gritty, and he does so without changing the costume design much at all. It's in part thanks to brighter colors and less shadow enveloping the character, and it's also due to Valentino's efforts to focus our attention on the guy inside the costume. Valentino's figures are a little inconsistent at times, but I love his designs for the Nommo. They exude power, magic and righteousness. The lettering motif for the Nommo and the past Shadowhawks is striking and effective in conveying the weirdness of the sounds Eddie hears.
Valentino pulls off a nice little trick here. He incorporates the previous Shadowhawk stories while completely casting off the themes he explored in those past efforts. He includes accessible exposition that informs the reader not only of the previous Shadowhawk's methods and problems, but of the more ambitious, cosmic premise the creator has crafted to introduce the character to a new readership.
This new Shadowhawk is one part Firestorm, one part Spider-Man, one part Hawkman and one part Green Lantern. For the most part, he's a rather typical super-hero stereotype, but Valentino's dialogue, when not focused on exposition, grants the main character a grounded voice, a personality with which the reader can connect on some level. This first issue isn't without its awkward moments, but there's some fun to be had here and plenty of potential. 6/10
