Plot: Giant robots, revealed secrets, double crosses.

Commentary: Jack Hawksmoor, former president of the United States, leader of the Authority and superhero detective is having a bad coupla’ days. He is drawn to San Francisco on a yearly basis, vaguely searching for answers to questions he can’t quite put together. This time around he finds a giant mech smashing the Golden Gate Bridge, an 8th part alien woman connected to a curious murder, and a group of people from the future that are responsible for the childhood abductions and modifications that allows him to talk to cities. He’s been blown up, smacked around, shot gunned in the chest and, at the close of issue #3, is facing down the giant robot he disabled in issue #1. This time, though, with his powers dampened down to almost nothing and a nemesis from the 70th century at the controls. Yeah, a rough coupla’ days.

The building action in Hawksmoor reaches a new high in the first half of this issue as Jack has to deal with a ten story machine bent on killing him in San Fran Bay. Jack is victorious over the robot but he is no closer to finding the answers that have been eluding him and more questions keep popping up: who is messing with him, why did they kill the civil engineer and where did those discs that dampen his power come from. What has also been building is the sense that Jack is a damaged man, emotionally crippled by what’s been done to him and unable to see a way to turn things around. At the end of his big confession (the reason why he and San Francisco don’t get along) he sums it up with the comment, “They call me the king of cities…I’m not their king. I’m their slave.” Jack’s dark damaged heart is just like all those noir heroes that this story is paying homage to. Haunted by a past he can’t let go no matter how much it’s twisting him emotionally. Of course the story structure is forcing a crucible on Jack; he’ll have to face his past and hopefully come out the better for it. What isn’t known is what the cost will be.

The story is a murder mystery and a look into Hawksmoor’s origin but it is also about Jack coming to terms with who he is and how he got there. It’s about Jack finding a small amount of peace with his past, something every great private eye eventually has to do. That’s what the story is building towards. The giant robots, future bad guys, and hot double crossing dames just make the ride a hell of a lot more fun.

Final Word: Things keep building up for Hawksmoor - plot, suspense and expectations. Thankfully the book has been delivering on all fronts. The one problem I have with this book is that there are only 2 issues left.

For some future noir go here:

"Who is Crazy Mary?"

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