Hawkgirl #2 (of 6)
(W) Jadzia Axelrod (A) Amancay Nahuelpan
In Shops: Aug 15, 2023
SRP: $3.99
Hawkgirl’s made a new enemy, but also a new friend. Is Metropolis’s A-Town neighborhood big enough for the both of them? And will Galaxy discover the connection between Hawkgirl’s Nth metal wings and Vulpecula’s plans before it’s too late?
Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.
These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.
Logan
Hawkgirl #1 (DC Comics) – Apart from guest appearances here and there and of course her amazing role in Justice League Unlimited, I didn’t know much about Hawkgirl. But after reading Jadzia Axelrod, Amancay Nahuelpan, and Adriano Lucas’ Hawkgirl #1, consider me a Kendra Stan. Hawkgirl starts strangely with fairy tale narration and mysterious figures before turning into a superhero punch ‘em up. Kendra starting over and issues opening up and finding an outlet outside of hitting aliens with her mace make her relatable and endearing before Axelrod and Nahuelpan throw her into the main plot of the series. And speaking of Nahuelpan, his art is high energy and does Hawkgirl and the other superhumans’ abilities Justice. However, my personal favorite part of Hawkgirl #1 was also the queer representation, including Galaxy and Kendra’s college friend Abilene who is going through a similar life crisis. Galaxy’s enthusiasm (and talking corgi) make her a nice foil to Kendra’s world-weariness, and I’m definitely reading Prettiest Star while waiting for Hawkgirl #2 to drop. Overall: 8.9 Verdict: Buy (I purchased copy.)
Blade #1 (Marvel) – Even though it ends up being your standard team up and save the world from a supernatural threat with a tinge of East and Southeast Asian culture, Blade #1 is a stylish-looking action book from Bryan Hill, Elena Casagrande, and Jordie Bellaire, who especially pours on the red in an opening club sequence reminiscent of the 1998 film. Hill also has a solid handle on Blade’s stoic voice and nature introducing vulnerabilities and cracks in his personality towards the end of the first issue. There’s definitely an emphasis on stoic with Hill being content to let Casagrande’s visuals sing with horrifying imagery and clever fight choreography. This isn’t a particularly deep comic, but it’s a fun ride and filled with the brand of badass action that Blade is known for in other mediums. Overall: 7.7 Verdict: Read (I purchased a copy)
Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!
Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).
Hawkgirl #1 (of 6)
(W) Jadzia Axelrod (A) Amancay Nahuelpan
In Shops: Jul 18, 2023
SRP: $3.99
SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS AND BATTLING NEW FOES! Kendra Saunders, the winged warrior better known as Hawkgirl, has been one of the DCU’s greatest heroes for a long time, serving as a member of both the Justice League and the Justice Society. But with the Justice League disbanded, Kendra decides she needs a fresh start and heads to Metropolis to begin a new life. That life is quickly interrupted by a mysterious villain with a powerful connection to the Nth metal that makes up Hawkgirl’s wings and weapons. A brand-new adventure with sky-high action, adventure, and intrigue begins here by Jadzia Axelrod (GALAXY: THE PRETTIEST STAR) and Amancay Nahuelpan (WONDER WOMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS, THE FLASH).
Hawkgirl #1 (of 6)
(W) Jadzia Axelrod (A) Amancay Nahuelpan
In Shops: Jul 18, 2023
SRP: $3.99
SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS AND BATTLING NEW FOES! Kendra Saunders, the winged warrior better known as Hawkgirl, has been one of the DCU’s greatest heroes for a long time, serving as a member of both the Justice League and the Justice Society. But with the Justice League disbanded, Kendra decides she needs a fresh start and heads to Metropolis to begin a new life. That life is quickly interrupted by a mysterious villain with a powerful connection to the Nth metal that makes up Hawkgirl’s wings and weapons. A brand-new adventure with sky-high action, adventure, and intrigue begins here by Jadzia Axelrod (GALAXY: THE PRETTIEST STAR) and Amancay Nahuelpan (WONDER WOMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS, THE FLASH).
DC Pride returns on May 30th with DC Pride 2023, an all-new 104-page anthology starring DC’s fan-favorite stable of LGBTQIA+ characters—this time, with a focus on never-before-seen team-ups! Check out the full list of contents which includes an introduction by Phil Jimenez; a preview of the upcoming Bad Dream graphic novel starring Dreamer (written by Nicole Maines and drawn by Rye Hickman!); pinups by artists Angel Solorzano, Noah Dao, Babs Tarr, Maria Llovet, Brandt & Stein, Claire Roe with Triona Farrell, Travis Moore with Tamra Bonvillain; a tribute to trailblazing comics writer Rachel Pollack from Neil Gaiman, Tom Peyer, Jadzia Axelrod, and more.
This year’s oversize one-shot special is headlined by Grant Morrison returning to Multiversity, with a cosmic love story illustrated by Hayden Sherman! In a story from Leah Williams and Paulina Ganucheau, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy go to extreme measures to get a little alone time… but there’s nowhere on the planet Crush can’t crash! Nadia Shammas and Bruka Jones helm a tale of Tim Drake and Connor Hawke learning that there’s nothing more awkward than reuniting with an old friend—after you’ve both come out and one of you was indoctrinated by the League of Shadows for a while. A.L. Kaplan writes and illustrates Circuit Breaker’s struggles to stifle his powers after the Flash of Earth-11 leaps out of the time stream and knocks them both into another dimension! Jon Kent gets a comprehensive course in dark magic when John Constantine unleashes a fetch on him, courtesy of writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Skylar Patridge! All this and much more, including Spirit World star Xanthe Zhou meeting Batwoman in a story by Jeremy Holt and Andrew Drilon!
With over 100 pages of original stories and content, DC Pride 2023 celebrates the bravest and the boldest of DC’s Super Heroes. Here’s a sneak peek into what a few of the teams will be delivering:
An official collaboration between DK and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, The DC Book of Pride is an inspiring illustrated hardcover that profiles more than 50 LGBTQIA+ characters in detail, including Harley Quinn, Jon Kent, Nubia, Tim Drake, Batwoman, Aquaman, Dreamer, new character Circuit Breaker, and many more. Authored by Galaxy: The Prettiest Star writer Jadzia Axelrod, itillustrates the rich histories, fascinating origins, amazing superpowers, and key storylines of DC’s leading queer Super Heroes and Super-Villains. With stunning interior artwork and an exclusive cover by renowned illustrator Paulina Ganucheau, this DK book is a wonderful guide for DC fans that arrives just in time for Pride Month on May 16.
The Dawn of DC has kicked off, DC Comics‘ initiative that launches new series and new teams on ongoing comics. A yearlong initiative, this May will see the free The Dawn of DC Primer which will reveal secrets about what’s going on.
In June, The Flash and Wonder Woman will each reach 800 issues, a pretty big occasion. Each will see oversized issues and each will see new creative teams for both series. Simon Spurrier and Mike Deodato, Jr. will taking on The Flash and Tom King and Daniel Sampere will be the creative team on Wonder Woman. Actor Michael Dorn will will write Steelworks with art by Sami Basri. Hawkgirl will launch from writer Jadzia Axelrod and art by Amancay Nahuelpan.
The Dawn of DC Primer launches the next phase on May 16 written by Joshua Williamson and art by Leandro Fernandez. It reveals the secrets, threats, and connected stories for 2023 and beyond. Amanda has operated in the shadows and created an army of allies who agree the heroes of the DC Universe are dangerous and a threat to the world. Now, she’s making an offer to some of the worst of the DC Universe, an offer they can’t refuse.
The Flash‘s 800th issue runs into shops on June 6. Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, Joshua Williams, and Jeremy Adams all contribute stories with art by Fernando Pasarin, Oclair Albert, Todd Nauck, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Scott Kolins, and Mike Deodato, Jr.
In September, The Flash #1 launches from Simon Spurrier and Mike Deodato, Jr.
Wally West has never been quicker, more fulfilled, more heroic. His loving family is around him. And yet something is off. Very off. His evolving understanding of his powers has opened Wally to new avenues of sci-fi adventure, and attuned his senses to strange new ideas. Something whispers from the dark vibrations beyond the Speed Force, and as Wally experiments with creative new approaches to his powers he encounters new realms, mysterious allies and mind-shattering terrors. Starting with a prelude in the soon-to-be-legendary The Flash #800, the chronicles of the Fastest Man Alive take an action-packed turn towards cosmic horror.
On June 20, Wonder Woman #800 comes to shelves and Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad‘s “Whatever Happened to the Warrior of Truth?” comes to its conclusion. Wonder Woman #800 is written by Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, and Tom King with art by Joëlle Jones, Jen Bartel, Daniel Sampere, and others.
Then, in September, Wonder Woman #1 launches with King and Sampere after its prelude in Wonder Woman #800!
After a mysterious Amazonian is accused of mass murder, the U.S. Congress passes The Amazon Safety Act, barring all Amazons from American soil. To carry out its new law, the government sets up the Amazon Extradition Entity (AXE) task force to remove those who don’t comply by any means necessary. In her search for the truth behind the killing, Wonder Woman now finds herself an outlaw in the world she once swore to protect.
Actor, and the voice of Steel in Superman: The Animated Series, Michael Dorn will be writing Steelworks which features art by Sami Basri.
The Metropolis of the future is here today, but can it survive a terrorist who’s out for revenge against its builder, John Henry Irons—a.k.a. Steel—and his company, Steelworks…and who possesses secrets that could undo everything John has worked so hard to build?
While John’s professional life is firing on all cylinders, his personal life is even better, as his on-again, off-again relationship with Lana Lang might be back on, permanently. Now he must decide whether it’s time to give up being Steel once and for all. But does John even know who he would be without his superhero identity? How does the other Steel—John’s niece, Natasha Irons—feel about his momentous decision? And does any of that matter if Steelworks crumbles around him when he lacks the superpowers to fight back?
A sky-high adventure begins in Hawkgirl by Jadzia Axelrod and Amancay Nahuelpan.
Kendra Saunders, the winged warrior better known as Hawkgirl, has been one of the DC Universe’s greatest heroes for a long time, serving as a member of both the Justice League and the Justice Society. But with the Justice League disbanded, Kendra decides she needs a fresh start and heads to Metropolis to begin a new life. That life is quickly interrupted by a mysterious villain with a powerful connection to the Nth Metal that makes up Hawkgirl’s wings and weapons. Hawkgirl will also feature a series of variant covers that recount Kendra’s DC history.
Hawkgirl #1 arrives July 18.
“Being normal was never going to save me,” says Galaxy the trans space princess protagonist of GLAAD Award Nominated graphic novel Galaxy: The Prettiest Star. “That’s my ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ moment. That’s [Galaxy’s] superhero moment,” says co-creator, writer Jadzia Axelrod.
Jadzia is the author of Galaxy: The Prettiest Star, a new YA graphic novel illustrated by Jess Taylor and published by DC Comics. Jadzia joins us to talk about creating this new trans (and not just metaphorically trans) superheroine, her creative process, some DC Comics queer history, why David Bowie works in a contemporary graphic novel and Hawkgirl’s favorite football team.
“Taylor Barzelay has the perfect life. Good looks, good grades, a starting position on the basketball team, a loving family, even an adorable corgi. Every day in Taylor’s life is perfect. And every day is torture.
Taylor is actually the Galaxy Crowned, an alien princess from the planet Cyandii, and one of the few survivors of an intergalactic war. For six long, painful years, Taylor has accepted her duty to remain in hiding as a boy on Earth.
That all changes when Taylor meets Metropolis girl Katherine “call me Kat” Silverberg, whose confidence is electrifying. Suddenly, Taylor no longer wants to hide, even if exposing her true identity could attract her greatest enemies. From the charming and brilliant mind behind the popular podcast The Voice of Free Planet X, Jadzia Axelrod, and with stunningly colorful artwork by Jess Taylor comes the story of a girl in hiding who must face her fears to see herself as others see her: the prettiest star.”
DC Pride 2022
(W) Danny Lore, Ivan Cohen, Devin Grayson, Greg Lockard, Stephanie Williams, Stephanie Phillips, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Travis F. Moore, Jadzia Axelrod, Dani Fernandez, Alyssa Wong, Tini Howard, Kevin Conroy, (A) Nick Robles, Giulo Macaione, Meghan Hetrick, Samantha Dodge, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Travis G. Moore, Lynne Yoshii, Zoe Thorogood, W. Scott Forbes, Brittney Williams, Evan Cagle, J. Bone
In Shops: Jun 07, 2022
SRP: $9.99
DC’s 2022 celebration kicks off with more stories, more characters, and more pride than ever before! This anthology features 13 all-new stories spotlighting LGBTQIA+ fan-favorites new and old including Superman (Jon Kent), Nubia, Tim Drake, Kid Quick, Aquaman (Jackson Hyde), Green Lantern (Jo Mullein), Alysia Yeoh, the Ray, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Batwoman, and more! This special also includes:
o A Multiversity: Teen Justice kickoff story spotlighting Kid Quick and written by the miniseries team, Danny Lore and Ivan Cohen!
o An introduction by activist, actress, and real-life superhero Nicole Maines that will include a teaser for her upcoming Dreamer project!
o Pinups by P. Craig Russell, J.J. Kirby, and more!
DC Pride 2022’s storytellers have ambitious goals: to deliver new stories, highlight DC’s fan-favorite LGBTQIA+ characters, and show fans more pride than ever before. DC has released more details about DC Pride 2022, including an excerpt from Nicole Maines’ introduction, the addition of Kevin Conroy (the iconic voice of Batman in Batman: The Animated Series), J. Bone and Aditya Bidikar to an already packed roster of talent, a first look at some of the artwork coming in from the creative teams, and more. Local comic shops are taking preorders through May 1 and the 104-page Prestige format comic will publish in print and on digital platforms on May 31.
So, what’s inside DC Pride 2022? Will there be a Harley and Ivy story? Will there be a Tim Drake story? What other characters are getting a spotlight? The answers are “yes, yes, and wait and see!” but before DC reveals of the full list of talent contributing to DC Pride 2022, please take a moment to read a passage from Nicole Maines’ introduction. The author, actress and real-life superhero is on the front lines of activism and has an important message for readers:
“Representation is something that so many take for granted. But as queer people, we have always understood not only its necessity, but its power. Seeing yourself in the media you consume is validating in a way that says, “You are not alone.”
Seeing yourself in comic books, though, in your favorite superheroes, is especially powerful. It tells us that not only are there other people like us out there (something that this young trans girl growing up in rural Maine desperately needed), but that they stand alongside the very best of us.
They are the best of us.
Superheroes set the bar and they set it high. Because if you can be a superhero, you can be anything. And superheroes are categorized as such not due to their superhuman abilities, extraterrestrial origins, or truly fabulous fashion choices. They are superheroes because they stand up for what is right against any odds.
It is their courage that sets them apart.” —Nicole Maines, DC Pride 2022
Check out all the incredible stories that DC Pride 2022 will include and the talent behind them, then scroll down for a few sneak-peek previews and more!
The DC Pride 2022 creative teams will include:
With over 100 pages of original stories and content, DC Pride 2022 celebrates the strength and courage it takes to be a DC Super Hero. Here’s a sneak peek into what a few of the teams will be delivering:
