(AfroGamers.com) A few years back, I’d run into some discussion on social media about the Marvel character Nighthawk. He wasn’t a character I’d heard of but he’d been in publication some years ago. Well, it was 2016 and we were getting a new Nighthawk comic.
The Decision to Run Nighthawk
When I become a fan of something long enough, I becoming curious about the behind the scenes decisions. I want to know how ideas were presented and what were the concerns or opinions. Were some titles up for discussion beforehand? What’s the procedure?
How did we end up with a series—which had its last book a decade earlier—getting another book in 2016? I want to know that decision-making business stuff. I don’t even think anyone was really rallying for Nighthawk like that prior to this.
Sure, the character would pop up in discussion from time to time. However, it wasn’t as if the line-up needed a Nighthawk book. I wasn’t exactly sure of what gap the new book was supposed to fill in. How would he be mixed in with the Marvel Universe? These were questions from that time. After a while, you stop caring after a character loses their book.
However, for a very short period this Kyle Richmond—Nighthawk—had me sold that the character deserved a book. I wanted to see what Marvel could do with the character that year.
Nighthawk: The Batman Marvel Deserves
When you get into the first two issues of Nighthawk from 2016, you realize this guy isn’t messing around. He is rough on corrupt cops and everyone else. Nighthawk isn’t having it at all. I don’t blame him, with the mask and gear off, he’s trying to make moves in public and in the business world. Moves that should help improve the community as well.
As you’d expect, peace and time to invest and build this is never allotted. People are working behind the scenes to keep the crime up in from of the cameras and the illicit trade running behind the scenes. While DC’s Batman can handle intergalactic threats with the help of the team—and sometimes alone—I love when he deals with street-level stuff in Gotham.
This allows you to see the detective side of Batman. He’s not just going in and bulldozing the mafia! Well, Nighthawk went in and bulldozed this gang and the cops. He had his information, he knew what to expect—he just ran through anyone in there.
I’ve always believed that even though the Justice League has a rule against killing, I believe it would be more accurate to say “No murder.” Batman slams criminals against brick walls, light posts, dumpsters, trashcans, sewer lids, the sides of vans, through windows, and hanging upside down stories above the ground.
The Dark Knight terrorizes and beats the hell out of these guys. Some of them had to have conditions and died after rumbling with Batman. He isn’t going to check a criminal’s health chart. Nighthawk? Didn’t care.
The Hero Deserves A Longer Book
I don’t know how he’ll be implemented into the Marvel Universe. The easiest route would be to just move him from Chicago to New York since most of the superhero activity in the Marvel Universe occurs in NYC.
Our more involved “We’re going to back this but we’re going to need a breakout, marketable star out of this” plan is to actually do some world-building on Chicago in the Marvel Universe and have that be Nighthawk’s Gotham. Of course, that’s resting on a big star coming out of this run of comics.
Low-to-no potential of a breakout star is enough to kneecap a potential series. It also results in some ideas never seeing the light of day. In that same stroke, those ideas can be considered groundbreaking years later. Nighthawk and Squadron Supreme always seemed like a group of characters made as a knock-off Justice League.
However, it also seemed like something more could be done with Nighthawk and the crew. Sometimes Marvel were on the right road with them and other times—not so much.
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.