Eric was left with a few loose ends and issues when we left him at the end of The Hawk of New York #6, and he needs to get life back under control, whether he’s finishing things up with the Bogre and the Devil Marauders or trying to build the foundation of a typical life by taking plucky reporter Yvonne on a well-deserved night at the circus as a first date. Nothing is simple for Eric’s quest as a vigilante, though, and the last remnants of the Devil Marauders want to take him down for destroying the rest of their gang. Can they succeed in turning public opinion against The Hawk of New York, or will their choices sink the Devil Marauders for good?
The Hawk of New York #7 presents three short stories focusing on the main cast and a fourth bonus featuring the origin story of grunge band, Pure Ed, who provided lyrics to one of the Eric-focused stories. The first, “Curiosity and the Dreamer,” cautions against handling items you can’t identify when Doc releases some mysterious forces when he examines the item Eric received from the Bogre. “Road Hog” and “One Night Only” work together to provide backstory for the events at the circus and push Eric further into the public eye as a complex figure. Unsurprisingly, the final story, “The Pure Ed Story,” features the history and creation of the band, Pure Ed, which seemed light and uplifting after some of the darker events of the previous three installments. The first and last pieces worked better for me as framing pieces for the other two since they flowed into each other more seamlessly and presented more connecting plot points.
Randyl chooses to use his Randy’s Rantings section in the middle of the volume to highlight a creative collaborator and friend, Jay Garrison, who unfortunately passed away in 2020. Jay had been working on the cover for this issue of The Hawk of New York, and while some of his artwork was recovered, ultimately, it is being held for another time since the time didn’t feel right to use it since Jay can no longer approve it. Jay’s website and work is still available, so if you would like to see how he could have influenced The Hawk of New York #7, I highly recommend checking his portfolio.
Pure Ed is the musical focus of this volume of HONY, but except for a few panels in “One Night Only,” this volume again focuses on action and moving the plot forward rather than featuring musical interludes. Of course, “The Pure Ed Story” contains many lyrics and musical references since the subject is the titular band.
In the end, The Hawk of New York #7 shows Eric trying to create a normal life while being known as a vigilante. Yvonne is a strong enough person to accept the darkness in his past and appreciate all he’s done to become a functional adult, and even when the last Devil Marauders try to burn it all down, she just wants to get the best story, so everyone can know the truth. I may stan Yvonne a little. I want to see Eric get the opportunity to find real happiness with someone, and I want to know how the final events end up playing out. I guess I’ll just have to stay on board for issue #8, and it can’t come soon enough!
4 Hawk of New York Impersonators out of 5
Creative Team:
Curiosity and the Dreamer — Randyl Bishop (editor and creator), Eric Dotson and Peter McLeod (creators of some of the featured characters)
Road Hog – Randyl Bishop (editor, creator, and writer), Ricky Zero (co-writer)
One Night Only — Randyl Bishop (creator), Will Calligan (script), Peter Palmiotti (inks), Jas Ingram (splash page title art), Pure Ed (song lyrics from their forthcoming album), Mark Wright (cover art, editing)
The Pure Ed Story – Randyl Bishop (art, editing), Ricky Zero (writer), Jason Cope (story consultant), Pure Ed (songs from their album Shoes, Ships, and Sealing Wax)
Publisher: Timebound Entertainment
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