Supreme Power: Nighthawk

J. Michael Straczynski's re-imagining of Squadren Supreme was just the beginning. Supreme Power, along with Garth Ennis' Punisher, has been the best series to come from Marvel's mature imprint MAX since the line's inception, and this spin-off continues the trend. No, Straczynski didn't write it and there's no Hyperion; instead, Daniel Way has been given the task of writing Nighthawk, who is pretty much Marvel's answer to Batman. Millionaire Kyle Richmond's parents were murdered when he was a child, prompting him to become a masked vigilante with incredible technology at his fingertips, and he's not afraid to kill. However, he gets more than he bargained for once a scarred, clown faced psychopath spikes the city's drug supply, and that's only the beginning. Without mentioning too much more to ruin the story, this TPB is as mature is mature can get; with loads of blood, sex, violence, and cursing; but under Way's pen it never feels like it's too much, and it's surprisingly compelling. Preacher artist and co-creator Steve Dillon lends his more than welcome pencil work here, and the guy still does great work. All in all, if you loved Supreme Power, consider this a worth picking up, and while you're at it, make sure to pick up Straczynski's Supreme Power: Hyperion TPB too.

Possibly the worst comic book story I've read. I don't care about "originality" in comics, and can also tolerate extreme violence if it's given a reasonable context. This story, however, is unoriginal to a degree verging on parody without being clever or humorous; has no plot to speak of; and is extremely violent without any depth, interesting detail, or character development to balance it out. The main character is smart and capable until abruptly, for no reason, he's not. The villain is a murderous psychopath but doesn't kill the hero when he has the chance. There is no sense of a larger world, the whole thing is flat. When people say "why do you read comics?" this is the kind of crap they are referring to.

I love the Supreme Power rebranding of these characters. The "alternate DC" characterizations are excellent, the stories are fun and interesting, and the art never fails to impress. This time around, Nighthawk is on a solo outing, and faces a villain called White Face (obviously an alternate version of the Joker, with clown makeup and a carved frown). Great stuff!

"Supreme Power: Nighthawk" is one of the best graphic novels I've read all year. But be forewarned, this is an intensely violent and very disturbing storyline that gets more and more over the top with the turn of each page.In the plot, a demented pharmacist who has spent over 10 years institutionalized after fatally poisoning an entire family escapes. He then begins a reign of terror that leaves thousands of Chicago residents dead. With the city's political and law enforcement officials powerless, it's up to multimillionaire Kyle Richmond a/k/a Nighthawk to stop this clown-faced killer.If you've never read J. Michael Straczynski's "Supreme Power", the series that Nighthawk first appeared in, but nevertheless think these characters resemble a certain caped crusader and giggling, white-faced lunatic - the similarities are purely intentional.In the world of Supreme Power, earth's first generation of superheroes closely mirrors DC Comics' Justice League. Nighthawk, along with the rest of these characters first appeared as members of the Squadron Supreme in an issue of Marvel Comics' Avengers way back in the late 1960s. In later appearances, the group's membership was refined and revamped as Marvel's own riff on the JLA. The Squadron lived on a parallel earth and its members Hyperion, The Whizzer, Power Princess, were clearly thinly-veiled takeoffs on Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, etc., etc. Nighthawk was that world's Batman. The Squadron proved popular enough to merit numerous repeat appearances and even earned in their own 12 issue maxi-series during the 1980s.When Straczynski (Babylon 5, Rising Stars) recently revamped the characters for his "Supreme Power" series he put a more contemporary, politically charged spin on the characters. He also made Nighthawk African-American.Fortunately, "Supreme Power: Nighthawk," which collects a five-issue mini-series that first ran in 2005, presents a self-contained storyline that any reader can dive into and enjoy. But once again, be forewarned. The graphic novel is published under Marvel's mature readers, Max imprint, and the level of violence, profanity, and gore on display makes it clear why that was necessary.However, the storyline is also engaging thanks to writer Daniel Way(Wolverine). Way's plotting is perfectly complemented by the richly detailed artwork of Steve Dillon(Preacher, The Punisher). The end result is the equivalent of a Batman-Joker battle that DC would probably never have the guts to publish. There are scenes and dialog in this book that will linger with the reader long after the final page has been turned.Some will doubtless complain about what seems to be a clear lack of originality not only in the character but also in the storyline which bears the influence not only of Batman fiction but also of movies like "Halloween" and "Silence of the Lambs." Granted, there may be nothing new here but the old ingredients have definitely been well cooked to serve up a tasty dish.If there's one downside it's that Way chose not to explore some of the character points that made Nighthawk so interesting in the "Supreme Power" series. Like Batman, Kyle Richmond's parents were slain before his eyes when he was a child. In this case however the killers were White Supremacists.The end result is an African-American costumed hero with borderline racist feelings about White people. More recently Nighthawk's interactions with other costumed heroes including a budding friendship the White Superman-like Hyperion have led him to question those feelings but clearly the brother got issues.For whatever reason though, Way opted not to go there. Instead, he presents this mostly as a straightforward masked hero vs. psycho killer tale and the storyline suffers a bit for it.Still "Supreme Power: Nighthawk" is a definitely a solid read. I highly recommend it but suggest that the uninitiated check out the Supreme Power graphic novels, "Contact, "Powers and Principalities," and "High Command" first. It'll make this an even more enjoyable reading experience.

Here we have the next solo series from J. Michael Straczynski's superb Supreme Power series. Like Full Spectrum this was written by another writer; another writer who makes one fatal mistake. The book is titled Nighthawk but he isn't the star. Instead Way chooses to create his own villain for the piece. As the Supreme Power heroes bear more than a passing resemblance to other DC celebrities then a villain dressed in clown makeup was only a matter of time.It is quite an entertaining read competently executed but it doesn't live up to the Supreme Power name. Any weighty issues are skipped over in favour of people puking blood. The Marvel Max imprint can be a double edged sword promoting discussion of complex moral questions or gratuitous sex and violence. It's the latter here. Steve Dillon does an excellent job of upholding the high standards of art set by his predecessors but there is nothing new or outstanding. It is a Thumbs Up yet it feels like there should be a but...

La Marvel s'est amusée à raconter le conflit qui opposerait Batman au Joker si cet affrontement avait lieu dans la version adulte de leur univers (plus précisément, cet album fait partie de la collection Max, la bel adulte, et dans l'univers du Squadron Supreme ressuscité par J. M. Straczynski)En voilà un concept intéressant ! hélas, il aurait fallut un auteur moins « bas du front » que Daniel Way qui, sans doute à cause de la présence de Steve Dillon aux crayons, se prend pour Garth Ennis et fait dans la violence et la vulgarité. Résultat : si les dessins de Dillon sont superbes, le script est froid et jamais le lecteur ne peut ressentir la moindre empathie avec des personnages qui sont de vrais morts vivants.Quand on songe à ce qu'Alan Moore a su faire sur Smile ! avec Brian Bolland aux dessins, on se dit que, vraiment, n'importe qui ne peut pas rendre hommage à Batman.