Polite Dissent

In the midst of Hawk’s crime spree, this issue takes a look back at when Dawn first learned Hawk’s secret identity.

Dove swings by Hank’s apartment, but he’s not there. She let’s herself in — he didn’t hide the key well — and sits to wait for him. While she’s waiting, the answering machine picks up a call from Hank’s dead brother Don and she begins to get an idea of what Hawk’s been up to.

Dawn fixes a cup of coffee and remembers when she first heard that Don, the original Dove, was dead. She was in England and had just helped capture some crooks when a police officer mentioned how sorry he was to hear that the other Dove had died. With his comment, Dawn realizes that she is the only Dove and decides that she needs to find Hawk.

She travels to Dove’s memorial service. There, she sees Cyborg, Wally West, and Hank Hall, among others. When Hank makes a comment about his dead brother Don, Dawn realizes that he is Hawk — but she doesn’t know his name. Looking back, she also realizes that Kestrel was there even then, looking for Hawk.

Dawn follows when Hank leaves. She can see that he’s becoming wilder and less restrained in his actions. For instance, when he fights a redneck cyborg named Turbeau (really), he leaves him drowning in the river after the fight.

She tracks Hank down to a hotel and manages to connive his name out of the night clerk. Once again hot on Hank’s trail, she stumbles across Turbeau’s jailbreak. She has to decide whether to follow Hank or stop Turbeau — but it’s not much of a decision. She knows Hank’s name now so she figures she can always find him later. Dawn changes into Dove and with a single penny is able to stop Turbeau in his tracks.

Back at Hank’s apartment, morning has come and still no sign of Hank — except for the morning paper which bears the headline “Wanted: Hawk Hunt Begins!’

Flashback issues are usually disastrous, introducing new characters that the heroes supposedly have always known (like Hush, or that Molten-Man wannabe over in the Amazing Spider-Man). This one actually follows established continuity and manages to fill in a few holes, but still is rather a dull read. The art is good, particularly the design of Turbeau (and speaking of Turbeau, I can’t decide whether his creation was stupidity or genius, but I’m leaning toward the latter — c’mon, he’s a redneck cyborg!). With the several mentions of Kestrel this issue, one gets the idea the writers were setting up his return, but with only two issues (and one annual) left, never got the chance to follow through. (He did re-emerge for two issues of the current Teen Titans series, but it’s yet to be explained how he returned since the last we saw him Barter had his essence in a jar.)

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