Post by chadwilliam on Oct 20, 2017 22:00:47 GMT -5
Not quite a guilty pleasure yet not something your mind can necessarily let go of, what's out there that leaves you thinking, "You know, if they only changed this and that, this would be quite a good series/character/story/whatever"?
Here's one of mine:
Shadowhawk by Jim Valentino.
Shadowhawk was a vigilante whose MO was to break the spines of criminals he'd catch either in the act or about to commit an act of violence - ie. rape or murder. As the series went on, we learned that he was really District Attorney Paul Johnstone. It sounds very 90's-ish and - yes, you guessed it - was released by Image Comics in 1992. What made him different from the other violent heroes of that decade?
Well...
Jim Valentino has stated that he didn't quite feel like he was the big superstar artist that Image was becoming famous for recruiting. He wasn't a Todd McFarlane or Erik Larsen with Spider-Man under their belt or a Jim Lee or Rob Liefeld with X-Men as their claim to fame - he was known for Guardians of the Galaxy which 25 years ago, didn't quite have the cache it does today. Perhaps this is the reason that his contribution to Image feels as though it's vacillating between being something big and splashy and something with poignancy to it. Yes, you get those giant two page spreads of the hero leaping into action or just walking down the street, but there's a direction to this series that is low key and subtle.
As the series goes on, we learn just why Johnstone became Shadowhawk. Tainted with the HIV virus, he became a pariah at work when news of his condition spread. He grew increasingly angry at his treatment at the hands of co-workers and at the lack of control he had over his life and as DA, he was growing sick with how violent criminals were getting away with repeat offences. But which of these factors really set him on the course of vigilantism? Was he a man angry at the legal injustices which let murderers and rapists get away with their crimes who now decided to protect the innocent or was he a guy who was simply pissed off about how he himself had been treated and wanted to release some of that anger in way he could justify to himself as "protecting the innocent"?
This was the germ of an idea which really intrigued me when reading these issues, but Shadowhawk still isn't without its problems.
Firstly; while Valentino may have given Johnstone a fascinating personal dilemma to resolve, he didn't really provide him with a cast of supporting characters or villains worthy of such a set up. There's Arson; a pyromaniac who finds himself transformed into a blazing Human Torchesque bad guy after his initial battle with Shadowhawk. While his first reaction to his new status quo is to ask how he's going to eat, sleep, and pretty much live in this state, when we see him next, he's a one-note baddie spouting lines such as "I pity the fool who gets in our way!!!". There's Vortex; a pouch laden bad guy with the ability to speak in an outlandish New York accent. "I wants(sic) ta (sic) make one ting (sic) clear... I'm not into playin (sic) soopa-villain (sic). I don't care about conquerin (sic) da (sic) city, da (sic) world, or dancin (sic) wit (sic) soopa (sic) heroes". There's Hawks Shadow; a racist bad guy who thinks he's a good guy who attacks a black man he sees kissing a white woman (who turns out to be the black man's wife) while shouting "I SIMPLY WILL NOT ALLOW IT! NOT IN MY CITY! NOT ANY MORE!! STAND BACK DEAR LADY AND FEAR THEE NOT!!" all while in mid air from out of a giant one page splash.
And Shadowhawk himself isn't very clear throughout Valentino's run. While he'll cripple rapists and killers hanging around back alleys, he seems to have no issue working alongside Arson - who burns innocent people alive - when the situation calls for it. Later on, when we learn more of his backstory, we're told that Johnstone had to be somewhat coerced into taking on the Shadowhawk role when early issues implied that this identity is his baby. Still, there are little moments throughout that make you suspect that Valentino had a much more powerful and affecting story to tell that perhaps either a lack of confidence or a concern that it didn't quite fit the paradigm of what people expected from Image at that time led him to minimize in favour of something flashier and gaudier. It's interesting to note that as Johnstone comes to grips with the fact that he can't alter his condition, he does lighten up and discover an inner peace which transforms him into a much less violent hero. In fact, his end comes when following the public revelation of his identity, he decides to visit his mother to say good-bye where the police are waiting. It would be a nice little coda to his story if only...
"I heard y'all was havin' a little party... hope ya don't mind but I decided to CRASH it!!" Yeah, Hawks Shadow shows up and this is the kind of dialogue he decided to bring with him.
But somewhere in those 18 issues, there's... something.
Here's one of mine:
Shadowhawk by Jim Valentino.
Shadowhawk was a vigilante whose MO was to break the spines of criminals he'd catch either in the act or about to commit an act of violence - ie. rape or murder. As the series went on, we learned that he was really District Attorney Paul Johnstone. It sounds very 90's-ish and - yes, you guessed it - was released by Image Comics in 1992. What made him different from the other violent heroes of that decade?
Well...
Jim Valentino has stated that he didn't quite feel like he was the big superstar artist that Image was becoming famous for recruiting. He wasn't a Todd McFarlane or Erik Larsen with Spider-Man under their belt or a Jim Lee or Rob Liefeld with X-Men as their claim to fame - he was known for Guardians of the Galaxy which 25 years ago, didn't quite have the cache it does today. Perhaps this is the reason that his contribution to Image feels as though it's vacillating between being something big and splashy and something with poignancy to it. Yes, you get those giant two page spreads of the hero leaping into action or just walking down the street, but there's a direction to this series that is low key and subtle.
As the series goes on, we learn just why Johnstone became Shadowhawk. Tainted with the HIV virus, he became a pariah at work when news of his condition spread. He grew increasingly angry at his treatment at the hands of co-workers and at the lack of control he had over his life and as DA, he was growing sick with how violent criminals were getting away with repeat offences. But which of these factors really set him on the course of vigilantism? Was he a man angry at the legal injustices which let murderers and rapists get away with their crimes who now decided to protect the innocent or was he a guy who was simply pissed off about how he himself had been treated and wanted to release some of that anger in way he could justify to himself as "protecting the innocent"?
This was the germ of an idea which really intrigued me when reading these issues, but Shadowhawk still isn't without its problems.
Firstly; while Valentino may have given Johnstone a fascinating personal dilemma to resolve, he didn't really provide him with a cast of supporting characters or villains worthy of such a set up. There's Arson; a pyromaniac who finds himself transformed into a blazing Human Torchesque bad guy after his initial battle with Shadowhawk. While his first reaction to his new status quo is to ask how he's going to eat, sleep, and pretty much live in this state, when we see him next, he's a one-note baddie spouting lines such as "I pity the fool who gets in our way!!!". There's Vortex; a pouch laden bad guy with the ability to speak in an outlandish New York accent. "I wants(sic) ta (sic) make one ting (sic) clear... I'm not into playin (sic) soopa-villain (sic). I don't care about conquerin (sic) da (sic) city, da (sic) world, or dancin (sic) wit (sic) soopa (sic) heroes". There's Hawks Shadow; a racist bad guy who thinks he's a good guy who attacks a black man he sees kissing a white woman (who turns out to be the black man's wife) while shouting "I SIMPLY WILL NOT ALLOW IT! NOT IN MY CITY! NOT ANY MORE!! STAND BACK DEAR LADY AND FEAR THEE NOT!!" all while in mid air from out of a giant one page splash.
And Shadowhawk himself isn't very clear throughout Valentino's run. While he'll cripple rapists and killers hanging around back alleys, he seems to have no issue working alongside Arson - who burns innocent people alive - when the situation calls for it. Later on, when we learn more of his backstory, we're told that Johnstone had to be somewhat coerced into taking on the Shadowhawk role when early issues implied that this identity is his baby. Still, there are little moments throughout that make you suspect that Valentino had a much more powerful and affecting story to tell that perhaps either a lack of confidence or a concern that it didn't quite fit the paradigm of what people expected from Image at that time led him to minimize in favour of something flashier and gaudier. It's interesting to note that as Johnstone comes to grips with the fact that he can't alter his condition, he does lighten up and discover an inner peace which transforms him into a much less violent hero. In fact, his end comes when following the public revelation of his identity, he decides to visit his mother to say good-bye where the police are waiting. It would be a nice little coda to his story if only...
"I heard y'all was havin' a little party... hope ya don't mind but I decided to CRASH it!!" Yeah, Hawks Shadow shows up and this is the kind of dialogue he decided to bring with him.
But somewhere in those 18 issues, there's... something.
) But they use a variety of artists, some better than others.
