Darkhawk #4

Darkhawk #4

Marvel Comics 2021

Written by Kyle Higgins

Illustrated by Juanan Ramírez

Coloured by Erick Arciniega

Lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham

TEAM-UP WITH SPIDER-MAN AND CAPTAIN AMERICA?!

Connor Young’s only been the new Darkhawk for two whole minutes, and already he’s not sure the super hero life is for him. But will he feel the same way when he meets Miles Morales and Steve Rogers?

Normally I am not that big of a fan of having new characters team-up with established ones so soon, however, Miles ran into him already and he and Connor have somehow managed to bond because Connor is who he is. I really liked this issue and who better to help Connor understand what the previous Darkhawk was capable of than Captain America? Well there are others who knew him better but I’m not sure how familiar Miles is with those heroes and when you can call in the big gun why not do it? That Connor has MS and what this means and then to have the suit find him and bond with him his life is all kinds turned upside down. There is something about the way we see all this being brought up, discussed and presented that is powerfully strong to see. It is touching, endearing and surprisingly tender and does as much to somewhat educate the reader or at least inspire them to research MS.

I am loving the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information are presented exceptionally well. The character development we see through the dialogue, the character development as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter continue to flesh out their personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more of the story we are seeing how the story seems to unfold in such a natural way.

I am pretty impressed with the way that we see this being structured as well as how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. I am also liking the way that we see the layers open up new avenues to be explored. Whether it is with Colt, Shawn or his disease, not to mention his new friendship and associations add this amazing depth, dimension and complexity to the story. The way we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.

I am a fan of the interiors here. The linework is strong, clean and crisp along with the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail within the work is sensational to see. When we see backgrounds they are amazing in how they enhance and expand the moments which is why I wish we’d see them more often, especially when there are blanks in the middle of a page where they are proficient. They also work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a stellar understanding of how colour works.

​

I am excited to see where this is going to go and I kind of like that we are seeing in his debut arc that he’s getting a formidable all his own that is as new as he is. I like that this is happening because it carries on the legacy but makes Connor his own entity as well and that’s just as important. The writing here is gently intense and the characterisation is beautifully frank and honest while the interiors are phenomenal. It will be nice to see Darkhawk as pat of the Marvel Universe again.