Customer Reviews

Supreme Power: Nighthawk

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"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.

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.

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.

I have never read anything by Daniel Way and was apprehensive about plucking my hard earned money on a tradepaperback where the last mini-series from the Supreme Power franchise (Doctor Spectrum) is a complete dud. However, I let myself get tempted by Steve Dillon's artwork. Glad I did!

While the Nighthawk series may have justifiably drawn comparisons to the relationship between Batman and his arch-nemesis, The Joker, it does not deter that this is a solid, fast paced action story which delivers high octane entertainment. The demented villain is a straightforward killer that is no different from the ones that are presented on televesion shows such as A&E's American Justice or Cold Case Files. He is as sadistic as they come.

While the focus is on Nighthawk and the serial killer, I enjoy how Daniel Way interlopes some snippets of social commentary about crackheads, junkies and politicians. It's not preachy nor moralistic. All depending on which side of the fence you stand on, it's just enough to either sympathize or desensitize us to morons who do drugs and our so-called elected officials. As for Dillon, while his work never gets the praise and recognition because fandom is ridiculing itself once more by throwing itself at the feet of the Michael Turners and Humberto Ramos of the industry, he continuosly shames them by skillfully being able to draw facial expressions, body language and clear storytelling.

Nighthawk is not groundbreaking but it does what many of DC Comics' sagas and titles have failed to do for the longest time; That is, entertain.

Review by Brian Grindrod

Readers of Supreme Power, you should notice that JM Straczynski is not the writer for this spin-off focusing on the Nighthawk character.
Though this makes an enjoyable hour of reading, I must the plot is pretty thin and the resolution of the story is very linear and without surprise.
This feels too much like the screenplays of too many TV series where the plot, the characters and the whole background could be very easily transposed into another series (apart from the main character, the story does not relate to the universe of Supreme Power).
So, if you can't wait until the next "real" supreme power release, I'd recommend to buy the other spinoff "HYPERION" which was written by Straczynski, and has much more density and interest.

Nighthawk is a driven and angry man, and has been since his parents were killed.

He encounters someone similar, but this man is completely crazy, and slaughters people at random, much like the Joker. He must put himself at risk to stop this maniac, as well as having to deal with the rise of the superhumans in his world, when he is just a man, albeit a very wealthy and well trained specimen.

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.

Since the relaunch of Squadron Supreme (under the new title Supreme Power), the clever, gritty, real-world take on the characters of the DC Universe has constantly impressed me. This spin-off title does not fail that legacy.

With Daniel Way taking over for J. Michael Straczynski on this side project, the story is hard-core and real. Imagine Batman Begins on crank and with less moral uprightness. The character Nighthawk (based on Batman) is borderline sociopathic and the only thing that makes him the hero of this story is that the villain he fights is full-on sociopathic. It's the story of an anti-hero fighting a ruthlessly disturbed villain and it owns the audience until the last page.

Supreme Power is marvel's weirdo version of the DC universe and this trade covers "batman" facing off against their alt-joker, whiteface. Maybe it's the triumphs of low expectations, but what could have been one of the phoned-in-iest of characters turns out to be a horrific villain. He murders innocents, pees on carpets, and enjoys watching the news coverage of his rampage, slackjawed and naked. Evil. There's a bit with the mayor dealing with everything that's twistingly thrilling and frames a conclusion that delivers a rare worthy grand finale.

Daniel Way writes with wit, deft plotting and a very highest density of goosebump moments. Dillon still can't draw women but fortunately neither story feature many and he does great muzzle flashes.

This is the third spin off title I have read from the Supreme Power universe. For me, it is easily the weakest of them. Spectrum and Hyperion had superior writing and tied into the overall storyline nicely. This tale is simply a Nighthawk adventure, which would be okay if the story was stronger. It felt more like an episodic television story rather than a graphic comic. It seemed to focus more on the villain rather than Nighthawk, and I came away learning little more about Nighthawk who is the Supreme Power version of Batman. The writer also seems to be in love with the word f*ck. Every character seems to spew the word non stop. I like adult content comics such as Wanted or Empire, but this just seemed like he was using the word over and over because he could. The artwork is crisp and clean. Not enough to blow you away, but works well and serves. Though it is borderline, I would say to pick this one up to complete your Supreme Power collection.