Out of nowhere! It's a hit!
There's something to be said about a hero that's been there and wants to stop but can't. Not because he's addicted but because it's his duty. Hawkman has this air of modern nobility about him.
The Good:
A lot of times the art and the writing in comics seems disjointed, but this isn't one of them. Personally I prefer the cleaner crisper art of Jim Lee and the like. But reading through the comic, the feeling of being lost Carter has, the art nails that feeling so well. Philip Tan is spot on!
The writing in this as well! I don't often read comics a few times after purchasing it. But this book, I read it once on the bus and once at home. Then I read it again because I wanted to see if there was anything I missed! You don't know more than the main character, his internal monologue really sets such a great atmosphere. Especially as a place to start off, I would give this to someone who wanted to start reading comics.
I don't know much about Hawkman before reading this, for me he was that creepy guy from Justice League Unlimited(the cartoon), so grabbing this and just realizing there's so much mystery to this story and the fact that even the main character is now looking into that same mystery. It's an original way to introduce a character, it's not as blunt as just starting him anew to grab new readers and it's not so inattentive to realize that it ignores the chance there might be people that are fans of the character that might feel alienated by new volume in this character's story.
The Bad:
This issue is superb, it's everything I wanted from a Superhero Comic. The Verdict:
If you're sick of Batman, Superman and Green Lantern being everywhere. Pick up Hawkman. He's everything you want from a superhero and he feels human. I can really understand where Hawkman is right now, from both an intellectual point and an emotional way. If I was Tony Daniel, I'd submit this issue as a resume where ever I go!