Polite Dissent

In 1988, Hawk and Dove got a new lease on life following with a mini-series and a subsequent regular series from the Kesels (Karl and Barbara). The mini-series introduced a new Dove — a female Dove — into the DC Universe. For better or worse, this mini-series also introduced Rob Liefeld. Today I’ll take a look at the first issue of the mini-series, with subsequent posts covering the later issues.

In the twenty years since the first appearance of Hawk and Dove in Showcase #75, a great deal had changed about the country. The Viet Nam war was long over. Watergate had come and gone. Mobile phones weighed fifteen pounds and Ronald Reagan was just finishing his second term of office. The original pro-war/anti-war stances of the characters were just a quaint reminder of times past. Various writers had tried to update the characters with varying levels of success. To one writer they represented violence versus pacifism and to another they were conservative versus liberal. None of these concepts translated particularly well to the comic book medium however.

In 1988, a new Hawk and Dove mini-series was released that took a new approach to the characters. This time Hawk represented Chaos while Dove represented Order. There was some underlying connection between the characters, but that was just hinted at during the mini-series. This concept of the characters was an entirely new approach, yet tied into established DC history, particularly the ongoing war between Order and Chaos. This approach also allowed more flexibility to the duo: Hawk could reason and Dove could fight without acting out of character.

In this mini-series, Hawk and Dove also got something they’d never had before: an arch-villain. In their own title, Hawk and Dove only fought a costumed villain once, and then he was just a cat burglar dressed up as, well, a cat. In the new series they got Kestrel. He had abilities suspiciously similar to theirs and a very similar costume. Where Hawk’s outfit was red and Dove’s was blue, Kestrel wore purple (red + blue = purple). Kestrel showed up to bedevil the duo on several occasions and it’s been hinted that he’s in the Injustice Society, though I don’t think he’s actually been in there¹.

Hawk & Dove #1 takes place shortly after The Doom Patrol and Suicide Squad Special #1 where Hawk was held prisoner in Nicaragua. Now back in the United States, Hank is chagrinned to discovers that his parents² have enrolled him in Georgetown³ to “get him back on track”.

Most of the first issue is spent introducing the main characters. Hank – and Hawk – are reintroduced and the origin of Hawk and Dove told in flashback. Readers are also introduced to “Georgetown’s Olympic marathoner hopeful” Kyle Spencer and his girlfriend Donna Cabot⁴. Donna’s photographer roommate Ren Takamori shows up and takes a quick shine to Hank. Finally Dawn Granger literally stumbles into the group one night. These five characters make up the basis of both this mini-series and the regular series that followed.

There is plenty of action in this issue as well. Kestrel shows his skill at vivisection as he works his way up from Nicaragua searching for Hawk. Speaking of Hawk, he manages to foil a robbery as well as a mugging. As the issue ends, Hawk again encounters the first group of robbers, but is stunned when the new Dove also appears.

Karl and Barb Kesel did a good job creating memorable characters. Each individual is unique, yet no one is stereotyped. While remaining true to the spirit of Hawk and Dove⁵, they manage to set up an effective mystery that plays out over the following four issues: who is the new Dove?⁶

The art by Rob Liefeld is actually quite good. True, his characters all seem to have that weird angled smile, but the outrageous anatomy and lack of continuity that have come to characterize his current art is all missing. It also helps to have the accomplished inks of Kesel overlying his pencils.

This series can be found inexpensively on eBay, and there was a trade paperback⁷ out at one point too.

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Notes:
¹ Kestrel was shown as a member of the Injustice Society in one of the Secret Files and the recent DC Encyclopedia.

² Why Judge Hall — a small town judge last seen in Eldon, Oregon – is now serving as a judge in Washington D.C. is never explained. Maybe he’s a Justice on the Supreme Court. If the DC Universe can have Luthor as President, and Talia and Sgt. Rock on the Cabinet, then Hall can be on the Supreme Court as far as I’m concerned.

³ How Hank, always described as a mediocre student at best is accepted into Georgetown remains a mystery. Maybe his dad’s an alum, or maybe having a father who is a Supreme Court Justice carries a lot of weight.

⁴ If there’s one noticeable flaw in the Kesels’ characters is that sometimes they just seem too perfect. Kyle is an Olympic hopeful, Donna is a pro tennis player and so on. It’s just a small issue, but it becomes a little distracting at certain points in the regular series.

⁵ About halfway through the issue, there is a nice scene where Hank meets Linda on the campus. Don’t remember her? She was the girl Don was trying to hit on in The Hawk and the Dove #3, but who actually went home with Hank. Here she reminisces about how great Don was (apparently forgetting that she chose his brother over him) and then accuses Hank of missing his brother’s funeral. I’m pretty sure Hank is at the funeral (that’s why I scanned in that panel all those months ago, just to make this point) – I think the Kesel’s are just trying to tighten up the timing a little. And what’s Linda doing in D.C. anyway? Did the entire town of Eldon move out there?
(Finally, for all you complete continuity buffs, Linda is Hank’s wife in the non-canon appearance in The Brave and the Bold #181)

⁶ Now we all know who Dove is, but it was a well done mystery with good clues and some clever red herrings when the book came out. As for who Dove is: Princess Projectra⁸.

⁷ I noticed that they fixed the tennis error when printing the trade paperback (Wimbledon is now correctly identified as having grass courts), but a few coloring errors were left in, as was a panel where the word balloon are mis-assigned (but I’ll get to that at a later date).

⁸ Oops. That’s the solution to the mystery of who Sensor Girl was. The new Dove is Kara Zor-El.