Ultimately, there are fertile conflicts and potent characters in Hawk and Dove, but so far overdramatic dialogue and one-note drawing are holding it back. Were Gates and Liefeld were late to the office the day they assigned who would produce which book? Did they draw the short straw? For these creators to meaningfully explore themes of war and peace, life and death, they need to convey what always lies at the heart of these issues: real human emotions.

Near the beginning of OMAC #2, a minor character named Sarge Steel spars against three training robots that he's probably fought countless times before. He defeats them easily, but he isn't proud. Instead, he poses a question, which seems an appropriate sentiment for this review. “C'mon, this the best we can do?”

Although the issue ends on a less-than-spectacular note, Tomasi's endearing portrayal of Guy still lingers. And the potential for Guy and John Stewart's Odd Couple pairing adds hope that even if the plot is a road that readers have been down many times before, at least they stand a good chance of enjoying the company.