James Robinson writes the first "Lives Past" issue, showing the former lives of the Winged Wonder. It's back to the Old West, where we get a glimpse into the St. Roch of yesteryear, along with a look into the life and times of a gunslinger by the name of Nighthawk!
I'm been rather looking forward to this issue, as the "Times Past" issues that James Robinson delivered on the "Starman" series provided some of the best issues in the much missed title. Now this issue isn't quite as strong, as the plot that supports this issue is pretty familiar terrain when one has seen as many Westerns as I have, and James Robinson doesn't take the story anywhere too unexpected. Still the characters Nighthawk & Cinnamon make for an interesting duo, and I wouldn't mind a return visit to this era provided the plot they're involved in is a little more imaginative. As for the idea of Nighthawk & Cinnamon playing host to the reincarnated spirits of Hawkman & Hawkgirl, this idea does sound promising, as it will allow this book to pay visits to a number of different eras, and we can see these two discover each other again. I do hope their reunions don't always have them leaping into each others arms like they did in this issue though. Read Full Review
The western motif itself borrows heavily from other westerns. The madwoman comes from For a Few Dollars More, the black man being scheduled for a hanging may have arisen from Silverado. Perhaps this is what bugs me the most about the story. If this is the DC universe, why aren't bizarre things happening? Why reintroduce a cowboy who can be replaced by every other generic cowboy when you could have helped made this character special by adding an element of the weird to the west? Introduce problems only he can solve: a demonic bear or a ghostly assault by angry natives. The story seems far too simple. A below average episode of the Cisco Kid is a better representative of the genre. Read Full Review
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