Darkhawk #3

Darkhawk #3

Marvel Comics 2021

Written by Kyle Higgins

Illustrated by Juanan Ramírez

Coloured by Erick Arciniega

Lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham

Someone very close to Darkhawk is dead! But who is it? And is it Darkhawk’s fault? More importantly, will the new Darkhawk cross the line that no hero should ever cross?

Kyle is doing such a great job on this book that I’m now invested in Connor and what is going on with him. From the MS diagnosis to his gaining the amulet and becoming Darkhawk plus his best friend turning out to be working for that boss man he was well it’s all kinds of involved, messed up and intriguing. Plus with the way things ended last issue, well that’s certainly something to remember and it’s going to play a huge role and imp;act how we see events in this issue. That I am this invested and engaged in this is a testament to just how good Kyle is and how he can take someone new and in such a short amount of time get us to care about them. Plus it is nice to see that someone is going to keep the mantle of Darkhawk alive and well, at least as he’s remembered on Earth.

I’m really digging 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 is presented exceedingly well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter continues to flesh out their constantly evolving personalities is sensationally done. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story the more gripping the story becomes.

I greatly appreciate the way that this is being structured and how we see the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. How we see these layers open up new avenues to be explored, some immediately, some later and some not at all is not relevant as they all add this great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. I mean once Connor finds out about Derek I’m not sure there are any bets left on the table and maybe, just maybe his new friend can help him out. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is impeccably rendered.

The interiors here are really pretty solid. The linework is clean, crisp and sharp and how the varying weights and techniques are being utilised to create the detail within the work we’re seeing is nicely rendered. Could it be cleaned up a bit more and we see fewer needless lines on the faces sure and a tad more consistency wouldn’t hurt either. Still we see the attempt at backgrounds being made and they do enhance and expand the moments as well as 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 decent eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is extremely well rendered.

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Talk about trial by fire for this new Darkhawk! With no time to figure out how the suit really works he’s up to his neck and in over his head in ways he cannot comprehend due to the blind rage that’s overcome him. Plus with his brain lesions at risk of becoming more severe is he causing himself more harm by his continued superhero antics? I say antics because it’s like a kid playing pretend as he’s really unaware of the power at his disposal or how to properly wield it. With some sharp, intelligent writing and powerful characterisation all wrapped around these interior pages we’re seeing a new generation of hero emerge, the only question is if he’ll last long enough to make an impression of his own?