When I first heard that Hawkman would feature globe-trotting action, I thought it sounded like a great idea for a character with an archaeologist alter ego, but in practice, I've found my interest in the book waning a little whenever they actually leave the setting of St. Roch. So I wasn't as enamored of this issue, taking place in a remote mountain range in Tibet, as I have been with the last few, but I'm still intrigued largely on the basis of the interesting character dynamic that has been introduced between Hawkman and Hawkgirl and because of the absolutely gorgeous artwork by Morales and Bair.
Given James Robinson's involvement in this book, I had expected it to be a little more continuity-heavy, but as it turns out, it's fairly easy to get into with any given issue. Johns and Robinson seem to be aiming for a fairly light adventure book, rather than a more intense examination of love and reincarnation with the same depth that Robinson gave family relationships in Starman. That's both good and bad, as it makes each issue feel a little flimsy in terms of actual story development, but it provides a good vehicle for action and soap opera style romance.
The action here is truly great, and it's hard to argue that Rags Morales is actually the best part of this book. His work on Hawkman and Hawkgirl, making their helmets look like almost a part of them, is phenomenal, and I love the tweak of their costumes this issue for a cold environment. I also really enjoyed the fight between the Hawks, their climbing party and the Yetis. It's a fight that comes out of nowhere and serves little real plot function, but I'll be damned if it doesn't look absolutely gorgeous thanks to Morales, Bair and Kalisz.
While I find Hawkman to be plot-light, and even characterization-light compared to Johns's other books, that's not to say it's directionless or without it's intriguing plot elements. The appearance of a ghostly figure who I believe to be The Gentleman Ghost or something along those lines, an old DC character, speaks of Robinson's influence and should make for interesting stories in the future, and the central conflict in the Hawkgirl-Hawkman romance continues to intrigue. There was a nice reversal of that in a previous issue, so that now Hawkman is the one fighting against a relationship he once wanted, and the complications of other love interests and Kendra's obviously-difficult past make that even more interesting.
Hawkman continues to be a tough book for me to get a handle on. Some issues, focusing on the characters and their interaction with others, just grab me and don't let go, but what should be a more interesting action thrillride doesn't really work, even though the artwork is more than up to the task. At any rate, there's enough talent here to keep me interested, and it's hard to complain too much about any book that looks this good.
