Sunday, September 6, 2009

Justice #5 and #6 :: Hawkgirl

The Martian Manhunter, who had been victim of a psychic attack by Gorilla Grodd, was able to free himself from the villain's trap, and flew to Midway City in search of fellow aliens Katar Hol and Shayera Thal. To his surprise, the museum lies in ruins after a devastating explosion.

Using his telepathy, J'onn J'onzz is able to find his friends alive, who hid inside a sarcophagus right before the detonation. Carter and Shiera change from their civilian identities to the winged wonders Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and fly along the Manhunter to a storage facility that the Martian Detective identified as the possible lair of Toyman.

J'onn J'onzz departs in search of the other members of the league, while the hawks get inside the warehouse, not before agreeing to meet at an emergency rendevouz point later on. Hawkman and Hawkgirl sneak into the storage facility, which is covered in absolute darkness.

Almost feeling impending doom, the couple shares their last "I love you" before being surrounded by hundreds of sinister and deadly toys. Armed with a shield and a maze, Hawkgirl bravely fights all the robots, dolls, stuffed animals, and airplanes that attack her with deadly weapons, while Hawkman discovers some form of microorganism that controls the toys.

When a giant doll attacks the duo with a plastic explosive, both heroes are thrown against a wall that falls down upon impact, and to their surprise, the facilities are more than just a warehouse for the storage of Toyman's creations: the place is also a factory for the construction of hundreds and hundreds of Brainiacs!

Issue number six is when we finally get to see Hawkgirl in her Thanagarian police uniform, and once again, she is shown as a strong, self sufficient, and agressive woman; this time, an equal to her husband. Notice that in issue number four, she was the prominent figure; here, both are pretty much at the same level; in subsequent issues, almost all is about Hawkman and no Hawkgirl... it's a shame. I liked the interaction between the hawks and J'onn, it was very natural seeing how all three are from alien worlds.

Art by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithwaite

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