Hawkman (2018-) #4

by Jeff Lemire

[Quirky Cat]

In Hawkman #4 we see Carter Hall continue his quest through his past lives to figure out what exactly is happening to him. It’s actually a well arranged situation; we get to learn more out about Hawkman’s past at the same time. For in this case our main character isn’t more informed on the subject than we are. It’s a pretty nice change, and it makes it easier to feel sympathetic towards Carter and his situation.
I do find myself wondering when we’re going to come back around to a few of the elements seen in earlier issues. Like the promise/warning that Hawkman would live/die thousands more lives before ever finding out the truth. Was that all an allusion to the search Hawkman is doing now, or is something more devious waiting for him? I’d like to think it’s the former…but in this sort of situation it’s hard to be sure of anything.
As far as Carter’s interactions with his past lives are concerned, I think this was my favorite on yet. Here we see him meet up with Katar Hol, Thenagarian space cop. There is still a decent amount of fighting and arguing between these two, which is pretty on par for the course so far, but their interaction is by far the most fascinating yet. You see, they actually took the time to stop and have a conversation, during which some secrets/memories were brought up. Finally we’re one step closer to figuring out what’s going on.
What I’m curious about is whether or not the past lives will remember these encounters with Carter? Since he doesn’t have access to those memories at the moment, it’s impossible to know. Though I’m more than a little bit curious. There could be some major implications for what is happening, based on what the other lives remembered.
I love the artwork for Hawkman. I know I’ve said that before, but I’ll say it again. To be honest, I’ve always loved the design of this character anyway. He’s such a striking figure, especially when he’s masked up and has his wings fully extended. It makes for a beautiful sight. Still, it’s nice to see an artist doing justice for the character.