World Comic Book Review

25th March 2024

Nighthawk #1 (Review)

Nighthawk #1
(Marvel Comics, May 2016)
Writer: David F. Walker

As discussed in World Comic Book Review’s previous essay on homages to famous DC Comics’ character Batman, the other major American comic book publisher Marvel Comics has never hidden the fact that its character property called “Nighthawk” is intended to be a Batman analogue. The two characters have a similar backstory; each are depicted as being members of a group of substantially identical superheroes; and each character is described as deploying a similar Dracula-esque modus operandi of dressing up as a nocturnal creature and fighting street-level criminals at night.

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Squadron Supreme #1

“Squadron Supreme #1”
Marvel Comics, December 2015
Writer: James Robinson
Review by Neil Raymundo, 28 December 2015

It is safe to assume that US publisher Marvel Comics, flush with cash as a consequence of its purchase by entertainment giant Disney and buoyed by the success of the motion pictures based upon its characters, has the strategic goal, with the sheer number of title relaunches, reboots, and new series debuts in 2015, of attracting a new generation of fans.

Convoluted comic book continuity is a barrier to new readers. Targeting those who are not burdened by decades of comic book continuity and familiarity is a particularly good thing in the case of Squadron Supreme #1. (An indicia that Marvel Comics has placed some faith in this title is the painted cover by Alex Ross, a popular artist who is not afraid to ask for substantial sums for cover art.)

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