Not JUST For Kids!
Isn't it kinda weird that an all-ages Johnny DC book has the title of an "R" rated remake?...even though it does star the current live-action Batman, Christian Bale...the original starred Clark Kent's adoptive father, Glenn (Jonathan Kent) Ford.
3:10 To Thanagar, by Sholly Fisch and Rick Burchett; backed by inker Dan Davis, colorist Guy Major, Letterer Dezi Sienty and edited by Jim Chadwick and Chynna Clugston Flores teams Batman and Hawkman against Byth. Batman and Hawkman are helped by The Atom in quickly overpowering the alien shap-shifter. It's one of those moments you don't see coming, but totally makes sense. Hawkman and The Atom! The Atom disables Byth through his inner ear!
And then, the real story begins.
The action really happens on the ride from Earth to Thanagar. It starts out kinda slow, with The Dark Knight and The Winged Avenger comparing notes. Then Byth's henchmen show up. Now, Byth thinks that they're coming to rescue him. Batman and Hawkman know better. They've come to shut him up and keep him from talking when he gets to Thanagar.
The Good ~
This is such a fun book; and, this is a fun story. Hawkman's backstory is kept really simple. Batman shares that Hawkman has lived past lives, from an old west gunman to an archeologist to an alien lawman from Thanagar. The one constant in his life is his love for Hawkgirl.
By now, most people have seen Hawkman on Smallville and are familiar enough with the character.
Byth is treated like such a D-list villian. He's not much of a threat, even with his shape-shifting abilities. He's pretty much comic relief here.
The story is pretty playful and fun; pretty much played for laughs. I like that.
The Bad
There really is nothing I can find to complain about this issue. It's like watching an episode of the animated series. Sholly Fisch really has a grasp of the characters and the concept.
Really, the one and only complaint I have is that there aren't more books like this.
It really is a shame that the "mainstream" The Brave and The Bold book imploded.
The Skinny
I can't be shy, I have to admit I'm biased to like this book. It's Batman. It's a '60's style, Earth-2, Silver Age Batman. There really aren't any hard and fast rules of continuity. But someone, somewhere decided to start with A-list team-ups. Hallelujah!!! God bless America!
Hopefully, this book will survive long enough to mine the deep well of characters that DC has. I'm looking ahead to a Batman-Grifter team-up!
Some gut instinct tells me, though, that if they are putting all the A-listers up front...
I give this issue 5 out of 5 stars because Sholly Fisch and his crew bring Batman and Hawkman together and get Hawkman right! If there is another Batman-Hawkman team-up, hopefully it be a time travel story set in ancient Egypt, Camelot, the Old West, or the future against The Shadow Thief! Now that would be just as cool as this issue!
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