Hawk and Dove 1 Thoughts

Writer: Sterling Gates
Artist: Rob Liefeld

Most iffy comic I actually chose to read. Sterling Gates was the first writer to make Supergirl readable on an ongoing basis since Peter David left the character in 2003--I know he has the chops to make this title work.

Rob Liefeld on the other hand...I'm not sure what to say. I have no ill will against the guy. He's a creator that had a very strong career in the early 90's, and no matter how many people insult the guy, he's still probably sold a geometrically larger number of comics than most people's Top 5 favorite artists put together. But overall I'm not a big fan of his work.

And it kind of...affects the whole of this opening issue. It feels like the first comic Gates has ever done, when I know that's so far from the truth. Hawk and Dove's origin sounds so unoriginal I feel like a kid came up with it, but I don't think that's Gates' fault.

What is Gates' fault is that in twenty two pages I wasn't given a reason to actually care about Hawk or Dove, even though I liked Dove when she was written by Gail in the last BoP. Still, he manages to introduce seemingly two brand-new villains while also setting up an internal conflict that will play out over the next few issues. And, best of all, pretty much everything you need to know about the comic is right here, plain as day. There's no need to ever pick up Brightest Day or older Hawk and Dove comics because it's all right in front of us.

That said, I can't actually say the next issue is worth anything more than a flip through on the stands, though the last page is pretty interesting. (Would make the next issue worth a buy if the concept hadn't already been done at DC a few times over.) But, on the bright side, if this is the worst comic DC has to offer, they're doing fantastic.