Supreme Power: Nighthawk [Paperback]

Daniel Way (Author), Steve Dillon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 2006

As a boy, Kyle Richmond - the man who would one day become Nighthawk - witnessed the senseless murder of his parents. There was no reason for their deaths, no provocation - they were just simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was a traumatic event that has left him scarred for life - and turned him into a hero more feared than the criminals he polices. Now, it's happening again... but on a much larger scale. The people of Chicago - men, women and children - are dying in the streets, victims of a monster whose thirst for slaughter cannot be quenched, whose soul is a bottomless void and whose scars run even deeper than Nighthawk's. Long ago, Kyle Richmond looked into the face of madness - now, it's looking back at him. And it's flashing a killer smile. Collects Supreme Power: Nighthawk #1-6.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (July 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785118977
• ISBN-13: 978-0785118978
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #820,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nighthawk Flies High In This Intense, Engaging Story, July 5, 2006

By 

Kenneth V. Cockrel (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Supreme Power: Nighthawk (Paperback)

"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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting and entertaining take on the super-vigilante archetype., September 10, 2006

By 

J. E. Gosney "The BoogerMan" (Danville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Supreme Power: Nighthawk (Paperback)

Originally a six-part limited series, this story is now collected in this trade paperback. It is part of Marvel's mature line, Marvel MAX, and so isn't really suitable for very young readers.

The story centers around the title character, Nighthawk, who is loosely based on DC Comic's Batman, but is more brutal and pragmatic than the Caped Crusader (and unlike him, Nighthawk is willing to kill). The character plays out (much to my delight) like many of the film roles portrayed by Charles Bronson or Clint Eastwood in the past. He talks the talk and he walks the walk. He has strong sense of justice and a marked intolerance for malefactors, and takes it to them hard (no matter who they are or what position they hold in society). His portrait on the cover pretty much sums up the character: Uncompromising and unyielding; his goggles the unblinking, burning gaze of righteous fury.

I really liked this version of the character and hope to see more of him in the future.

The main of the plot focuses on Nighthawk's hunt for, and eventual confrontation with, serial killer Whiteface. Like the DC Comic villain Joker (on which he is based), Whiteface is dressed and made up like a clown, but isn't flamboyant or humorous. Instead he is a dysfunctional, soulless murderer with no conscience or remorse (very much like real serial killers).

On the whole, this was an excellent read. It was an interesting, gritty take on the archetypes that Batman and his mythos represent. The writing by Daniel Way was quite good, with snappy yet naturalistic dialog. I also really liked Steven Dillon's artwork, with its realistic proportions and simulation of movement.

All in all a good trade, and well worth the price of admission. I would definitely recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thank goodness! A decent story!, July 19, 2006

By 

Babytoxie (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Supreme Power: Nighthawk (Paperback)

While I am not a fan of "reimagining" established comic book concepts, I have been very impressed with J. Michael Straczynski's Supreme Power, which gives Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme a more modern and real-life approach. What makes it even more interesting is that the Squadron Supreme was already a take-off on DC's JLA, so I guess Supreme Power could be considered the "Ultimates" version of the JLA. Anyway, it was announced last year that several companion miniseries would be released, focusing on individual characters from Supreme Power, and I was all for it. Unfortunately, the first one out of the gate, DOCTOR SPECTRUM: FULL SPECTRUM, really made me fear for the remaining mini-series. As a result, I was not looking forward to SUPREME POWER: NIGHTHAWK, but writer Daniel Way and artist Steve Dillon have given me reason to cheer.

While not essential to the overall Supreme Power storyline, NIGHTHAWK does provide an interesting glimpse of billionaire Kyle Richmond and his war against both crime and racial intolerance (sometimes, his own). In this story, a pharmacist with a thing for poisoning people escapes from an institution and goes after an easy target: junkies. Daniel Way provides an interesting script that is full of social commentary on this issue - as Nighthawk investigates, questions are raised as to why the public should get so worked up over a bunch of dead junkies. But the situation quickly turns closer to home, with friends and family of both Nighthawk and the city politicians caught in the mix, and the death toll reaching the thousands. Seeing as the villain dresses like a clown, well... that and other angles are more than just simple references to Batman & the Joker. Dillon's art is absolutely beautiful, much evolved from his Hellblazer days, with more detail. His signature depictions of violence are present, as always, but they certainly fit the story. In fact, the best thing to me about Squadron Supreme and Supreme Power is how Marvel is able to combine heavy analysis of DC's classic characters with thoroughly enjoyable, thought-provoking, yet sometimes uncomfortable stories. So check out SUPREME POWER: NIGHTHAWK, as well as the 3 volumes of the regular Supreme Power series, and see what I mean.