Hawk & Dove #6 Review

Hawk & Dove #6

writer/artst- Rob Liefeld

Not long ago, I posted a piece about the six titles DC Comics is sending south. I've had a couple of requests to review those books but I simply don't understand the point of reviewing cancelled books. Now, that isn’t to say all of those books are awful, it's just that nobody cares how good or bad a book is when it's on its last legs.

I liked Rob Liefeld for a few minutes back in the 80's when he drew Hawk & Dove and a little later when he was doing New Mutants for Marvel. I was a teenager then. It was all about crazy action scenes, huge breasts, and giant guns. I've matured a lot since then, so that kind of art usually hinders my enjoyment of a good story. Unfortunately, I've seen no sign that Liefeld has matured over the years. I wasn't even going to touch an issue of Hawk & Dove, that is, until one of my readers asked nicely. This polite, well meaning reader found Hawk & Dove #6 interesting because it had Batman on the cover. Batman is one of my all time favorite characters and the second most popular character in the DCU. It was my love for Batman and the good intentions of my reader that made me decide to cave in.

Written and illustrated by Rob Liefeld, Hawk & Dove #6 is reminiscent of his work from the 90's. The art is two-dimensional and disproportionate and characters' movements are physically impossible in the real world. Liefeld falls back on his old trick of hiding difficult-to-draw facial features and body parts w/ shading and strategically placed objects. I'll admit I'm not a fan and that I'm looking for the things that bug me. But I don't have to look very hard. On page five, Hawk is brawling with the berserker, Blockbuster. His internal monologue tells us that Blockbuster is after an amulet that Hawk's trying to keep safe. Right away, my eyes scan the page and look for a pouch or pocket or even a purse hanging over our hero's shoulder. Where is he keeping this amulet? Nowhere in the first six pages of the book will you find this mysterious medallion. Then suddenly, on page seven, it shows up around his neck, larger than life. This is the kind of continuity error we all love to point out in movies. But this isn't a full-length feature film, it's a 22 page comic book filled with several errors and ridiculous renderings. It's offensive to the eyes! Rob Liefeld should apologize to the reader, a fan of Batman, who asked me to review Hawk & Dove #6. In the current continuity of DC's New 52, Robin is Bruce Wayne's son, Damien. He's a highly trained 11 year old assassin. I don't think Liefeld knows that. In Hawk & Dove #6, Robin stands as tall as Batman and looks a lot like his predecessor, Tim Drake.

The art isn't the only thing wrong with this book, but before I go into the writing, I want to address the cover. The cover depicts Batman and Dove jumping into action with the Hawk & Dove title above them. “Hawk” is scratched out and “Batman” replaces it. I know there's a long running joke about images on the cover not actually taking place in the book, but this implies that Hawk has been somehow removed from the situation and Batman is stepping in to take his place. Spoilers here, folks: All that happens is Batman and Robin show up to help Hawk and Dove. It's not as exciting as the cover implies.

Ok, now we can move on to the writing. The story is extremely simple and reminds me of a plot I might see in a Superfriends cartoon. There is no depth and nothing to make the story memorable, nothing but Rob Liefeld's name and reputation and this line from Hawk: “What this mindless butt-head doesn't realize is... I'm an avatar of war!” An avatar of war who still calls people butt-heads...

Sorry, polite and well meaning reader. I'm afraid Hawk & Dove is being cancelled and not even Batman can save it.