Writer: David Walker

Artist: Ramon Villalobos

Colors: Tamra Bonvillain

As the Squadron Supreme have been getting accustomed to the All-New All-Different Marvel Universe, we visit the city of Chicago, under the protection of Nighthawk.

The story follows Nighthawk taking down white supremacists, and tries to figure out who is the serial killer known as “The Revelator”. David Walker does an impressive job of getting us in the mindset of Nighthawk, and how far he goes in the fight against crime. He is full of rage, and that rage can either tear him apart or he can exact vengeance on the wicked. He does have a voice of reason with his sidekick/partner Tilda Johnson, who does offer some words of advice. The dialog is good and makes you feel as if you’re watching a gritty crime drama. There are cultural references like the police violence against people of color, and the gentrification of neighborhoods. Even bringing up “Chiraq”, which I wasn’t expecting at all. The pacing was great, as it gets you to know some of the characters in the story. I didn’t like the villain at all, as he/she just comes off as pretty generic. It felt the villain was Will Smith saying, “Tell the Truth” when their motives are established.

The art by Ramon Villalobos wasn’t my cup of tea, but it did capture the tone of the script. The little bit of action that was there was great, and the characters have a unique look to them. For a mature title, he even makes the crime scenes in the issue look gruesome. I did have a problem with Nighthawks shoes. I know that it’s a nitpick, but I don’t see the purpose of him rocking sneakers with an all black suit. I’ve been reading Squadron Supreme and he’s been wearing black boots in that title. Also, some of the characters proportions seemed off, and the art style has a certain curviness to it. The colors did look fantastic, and had a neon-like glow in certain parts of the issue.

Nighthawk #1 gets you right into the story and makes good use of the dark hero. The writing is solid and gets you right into the story. The villain is less than stellar, and the art, while not to my liking, worked for this issue. I’ll definitely stick around to see where this story goes.

4 Nighthawks out of 5