A NEW STORY ARC BEGINS WITH THE GALAXY’S GREATEST HEIST!
Rebuilding a criminal empire doesn’t come cheap, and Mon*Star needs a big score to keep the credits flowing – the bigger, the better. There’s only one target that really fits the bill: the treasury planet, Dolar!
If the resurgent mobster can pull it off, he’ll have enough cash to cement his stranglehold on Limbo forever – and Commander Stargazer is determined to prevent that at any cost. But will his untested new SilverHawks be able to stand up to Mon*Star’s onslaught?
Find out as ED BRISSON and GEORGE KAMBADAIS’s celebrated series kicks off its second story arc in SilverHawks #6 – featuring cybernetically enhanced covers from JAE LEE & JUNE CHUNG, JAMES STOKOE, GERALDO BORGES, DREW MOSS, LESLEY “LEIRIX” LI, MANIX, and DAVID COUSENS!

As I hoped, volume 2 was an improvement. Grappling with the murders of Grey, Sparrow and Redtail, we get some more emotional weight. I may not be saddened by the death of the old guard, but I could connect with the conversations the characters had with each other. Like Osprey confiding with Quicksilver that she had thought she known grief and anger in dealing with Mon*star’s massacres. It was different because she never personally knew Mon*star’s victims. This is different, and it’s like a black hole of grief.

Just as it’s different for Stargazer to send up the new Silverhawks whom he’s scared he’s sending to their deaths, but he can’t show his fear or his grief because he needs to be the leader. However, a leader also has to show that he cares, Osprey reminds him. That one conversation showcased the decades of friendship they shared and really humanized them.

Additionally, the conversation between Bluegrass and Hotwing about revenge and pacifism was also meaningful albeit predictable covering similar beats in most kid’s cartoons. But all these conversations went a long way in showing the humanity of these characters and the universal emotions readers can relate with-grief, doubt, anger, hope. Great job from Brisson.

As for the plot, he ably balanced escalating the Mon*star’s threat with a Plague device with the threat of a third party seeking to murder Mon*star and any innocent that gets in his way. I was right predicting there was another antagonist more cunning than Mon*star waiting to attack, but I was disappointed by the resolution of that choice. Spoilers below

The secondary antagonist was a victim of Mon*star, his whole family and planet killed by him, who sought revenge by exploding planets (killing thousands) in order to draw Mon*star’s attention. A classic becoming the monster he fights. However, he did offer a solution to the Silverhawks’ dilemma that they can’t risk putting Mon*star in jail because what if he gets out. . . again. Nor will their moral code allow them to kill him. He offers the black hole bomb which is a black hole that will suck Mon*star in, and transform into an industructible spherical prison. Seems like a good solution, but then they don’t use it! he detonates the bomb, and the Silverhawks whisk Mon*star to safety to put him in jail!

Like what? Is the black hole bomb tainted because a antagonist was offering it to them? I don’t see why they didn’t use it, it seems almost childish black and white thinking after all of Stargazer’s proclamations that they have to make hard decisions to do what’s right. It relates to my complaint of Quicksilver who is positioned to be the new leader of the Silverhawks, however, it feels like he doesn’t change or grow in any way.

We also didn’t see the aftermath to Stargazer putting Hawk Haven between the Plague beam and Bedlama, saving thousands while destroying the original base. Granted he evacuated Hawk Haven before the beam hit so there was nothing to see, but maybe one panel of Stargazer’s reaction in seeing his old HQ/home being infected. Really pile the angst.

While the characterization has improved, I still feel it is hampered by having to many characters. Like Steelheart and Steelwill, the siblings, I don’t even remember their real names. And Hotwing almost had nothing to do outside of that one convo with Bluegrass in #6. Again, the helmets do not help.

Otherwise, Kambadais’ work remains excellent, and dynamic in depicting the space lasers and gun fights.

I wonder how they’re going to meld the two disparate worlds of the Thundercats and Silverhawks, and juggle all of them together. It’s sure to be epic and difficult.

3 stars