Polite Dissent

A much darker issue of Hawk & Dove than usual, but given that it is dealing with Apokolips — at least in part — that should come as no surprise. The story by the Kesels is up to their usual standards, and I think Karl Kesel is one of the best of the modern comic book creators at handling the legacy of Kirby’s Fourth World. Steve Erwin handles the art this issue and does an excellent job, particularly when you consider that he has to deal with some of those bizarre Apokoliptan outfits.

It’s a girl’s night out. Dawn, Ren, and Donna are skating at the Capitol Skating Rink. Actually, Dawn and Donna are skating, Ren is floundering. There is a loud Boom and two armored women appear and start wreaking havoc at the skating rink and the surrounding parts of Washington D.C..

Across town, it’s also a guy’s night out and Hank, Kyle, and Rodger are at an inner city Boy’s Club. Here, at last, we learn the secret of the Black Russian. Honestly, it’s not much of a secret: Rodger dresses as the Black Russian, a fake super villain, to teach children how to deal with child molesters. Hank and Kyle are along to watch. The act is interrupted by reports of a fire down the street and Hank and the gang run off to investigate.

The villains in both cases are the same. A squad of Female Furies has come to Earth from Apokolips. Two teams of two Furies each are competing to score the most points by claiming prizes from their dead victims. The ultimate prize is the mask of a super hero; whichever team obtains one will win the competition – the other team will be punished by Granny Goodness.

The Female Furies seen here aren’t the main Furies, but instead four junior Furies. There’s Malice Vundabaar and her giant invisible cat, Chessure. Speed Queen is super strong strong and wears roller skates (think an Apokolips version of Dazzler). Bloody Mary is a vampire with telekinetic powers. Finally, there’s Gilotina who has hands which are able to cut through anything. This issue marks the first appearance of these newer Furies, except for Gilotina who appeared briefly in Mister Miracle #8. They have all since shown up a few times including Superboy #24-25 (also written by Karl Kesel) and, if memory serves, at least one episode of Justice League Unlimited.

Dove fights Gilotina and Speed Queen. She tricks Speed Queen into rolling full speed into the Potomac, and then confronts Gilotina. Speed Queen climbs out of the river and grabs Dove. She is able to escape and Speed Queen plows full speed into propane truck. The resulting explosion slows down the Fury, but doesn’t stop her. She is ready to attack Dove again when a Boom Tube appears and Speed Queen and Gilotina are whisked back to Apokolips.

Meanwhile, Hawk battles Malice, Chessure, and Bloody Mary. He is clever enough to use Bloody Mary’s telekinesis against her, but Chessure is strong enough to inflict a great deal of damage on the near invulnerable Hawk. When Hawk is ultimately captured, Rodger tries to distract them so Hawk can escape, but he is in turn targeted by the Furies who see his Black Russian costume and think he is another super-hero. They attack Rodger, grab his mask and then Boom Tube back to Apokolips, the victors in their deadly little competition.

As the issue ends, the Furies have returned to Apokolips but left behind scores of dead and injured, as well as a mortally wounded Rodger.

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