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    Gunhawks #1 Review
    Review

    Gunhawks #1 Review

    Matthew PetersonBy Matthew PetersonFebruary 11, 20193 Mins Read

    Clearwater, AZ.  1914.  Things are changing in the West, but not every one is happy about it.  Your Major Spoilers review of Gunhawks #1 awaits!

    GUNHAWKS #1

    Writer: David & Maria Lapham
    Artist: Luca Pizzari
    Colorist: Neeraj Menon & Rachelle Rosenberg
    Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
    Editor: Jake Thomas
    Publisher: Marvel Comics
    Cover Price: $3.99
    Release Date: February 6, 2019

    Previously in Gunhawks:  In the days of the Old West there were plenty of fearsome folk… cowboys, rustlers, lawmen and outlaws…but few were as fearsome as THE GUNHAWKS!

    THE BALLAD OF DEADMAN DONNELLY

    Just outside the town of Clearwater, Sheriff Dean Donnelly has met up with a group of neer-do-wells from south of the border, questioning them about their intentions.  The desperadoes inform him that they’ve come on a mission of revenge, calling him by his old name: Deadman Donnelly.  Gunfire is exchanged, and one of the bad folks goes down, but Donnelly takes a bullet in the shoulder for his trouble.  Returning to town, he prepares his deputies for war and desperately tries to find his lady-love, Colleen.  Donnelly finds her at their ranch and tells her the real story of his work in Mexico with Pancho Villas raiders, explaining that these gunhawks have come to find him.  Returning to town, Deadman Donnelly faces down an army of outlaws, meeting their leader one-on-one before finding out that one’s past cannot be outrun…

    STRIKES THE PERFECT TONE

    This issue’s story reminds me of modern westerns like ‘Unforgiven’, taking place as it does well after the apex of the cowboy way, but still working with the classic tropes.  The Laphams’ story here is tragic, as Deadman Donnelly thought that his past could never catch up with him, ending with an unexpectedly touching sequence featuring literal buckets of blood.  The art is also quite solid, with the haunting face of Colleen as she screams for her lost love will stick with a reader well after the books is closed.  There is a slight downside for me, in that this book has nothing to do with the previous Marvel ‘Gunhawks’ series, but that’s a relatively minor concern in the grand scheme of things.  All in all, this is a story about the end of the era of the Old West, about civiliization taking over what was once the purview of outlaws, masked vigilantes and their mighty steeds, and it works well in that regard.

    BOTTOM LINE: A GOOD READ

    In short, Gunhawks #1 serves as a bookend to the era of Marvel Westerns long gone, with a haunting, effective story paired with strong art for a rare reading experience, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall.  As a celebration of 80 years of Marvel, it’s a a great tribute to a genre of comic book that you just don’t get to see anymore.


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    GUNHAWKS #1

    77%
    77%
    Done-In-One Fun

    It's a classic Western story with blood, guts, action and a lost love, all wrapped around the fundamental question of whether man can change. Good stuff.

    • Writing
      8
    • Art
      8
    • Coloring
      7
    • User Ratings (0 Votes)
      0
    David Lapham Gunhawks Luca Pizzari Maria Lapham marvel comics Review
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    Matthew Peterson
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    Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.

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