Each Friday, we'll be letting a different DC.com writer share what they'll be reading over the weekend and why you might want to check it out. Here's this week's suggestion for a perfect Weekend Escape!
 

Supergirl. Batgirl. Harley Quinn. This Women’s History Month, we’re recognizing that many of the most prominent female characters of the DC Universe only got the chance to shine by escaping from the orbit of the male counterpart they were made to support. This is no truer for any DC hero than in the case of Hawkgirl, who has been tied to Hawkman in some incarnation or another since 1940. Bound through eternal reincarnations to her one true love, Hawkgirl has long existed not as a character, but an ideal—an object of love, but always an object.

In 1999, James Robinson, David Goyer and Scott Benefiel put the first cracks in that cycle by introducing us to a new Hawkgirl: the faulty, modern day partial reincarnation of Kendra Saunders. Bearing all of her past lives, but maintaining her own singular identity, the years that followed were mainly an examination of who this Hawkgirl was not. But what are the values of Kendra as her own person, independent from her love interest? What is the purpose of a Hawkgirl without a Hawkman? It’s a question which has remained open for a generation…until 2023’s Hawkgirl finally showed us who she is.
 

THE PREMISE:

After the great Robert Venditti Hawkman series solved the Riddle of Hawkman, the character’s long-convoluted backstory became clear, with one glaring exception. Kendra Saunders, the break-off half-life from the Hawkgirl legacy, remained an unexplained enigma.

Left with her own life to sort out, Kendra moves to A-Town, the trendy Metropolis neighborhood of extraterrestrial immigrants, at the start of this six-issue limited series. As Kendra seeks her value, a fairy-tale villain stalks the streets, trading lives for their inner child’s desires. With an all-star cast of allies old and new from her many paths traveled, Hawkgirl discovers this villain’s ties to the enigmatic Nth World, and perhaps a new calling of her own.
 

LET’S TALK TALENT:

Jadzia Axelrod is the GLAAD Award-nominated writer of Galaxy: The Prettiest Star, a young adult graphic novel translating the experience of queer self-discovery through the lens of comics and science fiction with a narrative grace unseen anywhere else. Fans of Galaxy can expect to see a lot more of her in Hawkgirl, as a new friend who leads Kendra into this new self-defined chapter of her life.

As the series artist, Amancay Nahuelpan is no stranger to taking on strong women, as evidenced by his work on Crush in Crush & Lobo, Lady Clay and Orca in Gotham City Monsters and Wonder Woman in, well…Wonder Woman. When you absolutely need a guy to draw a woman who can wipe the floor with everyone else in the room through sheer force of strength, accept no substitutes. No one has ever drawn Hawkgirl’s mace-wielding arms any better.
 

A FEW REASONS TO READ:

• Tough Ladies Get It Done: This is a book about Hawkgirl solving problems. Sometimes the problem is solving a mystery. Sometimes it’s her own crisis of personal identity. Sometimes it’s just a guy who needs to be hit with a mace. But if you like to read about a woman who can absolutely handle herself even in the direst of personal and global circumstances, this Hawk is your girl.
   
• The Worldbuilding: One of the coolest elements of Hawkgirl is the way it enriches the DC Universe, making everywhere Kendra goes feel like a more lived-in place. You’ll learn about the extraterrestrial community of A-Town, the queer nightlife of Gotham City, even the specialty Metropolis hot dog. Hawkgirl is as well-traveled as any superhero gets, and you’ll see the world and beyond with her.

• Guests Aplenty: As a member of both the Justice League and Justice Society, Hawkgirl has always been a team player. And you’ll see plenty of teammates old and new in this series as she battles a host of enemies from the Court of Owls to an actual freaking dragon: friends like Black Canary, Power Girl, Superman, Supergirl, Steel and Batman. With wings at your back, you tend to make friends in high places.
   
• Queer AF: Hawkgirl’s supporting cast in this series is made up of largely out and proud queer women, encouraging Kendra to discover her own authentic self. In A-Town, identities outside the norm are the norm, and that’s the sort of community where a woman like Hawkgirl can feel comfortable celebrating herself—even if it’s just for a four-minute dance.

• Action Corgi: This is Argus. He’s a very good boy and otherwise self-explanatory. If you’re not gonna read Hawkgirl for anything else, read it for him.
   

WHY IT’S WORTH YOUR TIME:

In 2023, Hawkgirl stood as a symbol of all that the “Dawn of DC” initiative promised: a slate of stories which deeply connected with these characters’ historic roots as they forged a new path ahead. When these characters who have been published for nearly a century are afforded the space to change and grow in a way that feels true on a human level, that’s a rare and precious enough development that it’s worthy of celebration. Hawkgirl is that journey for one hero who has long deserved it, and it brings that very celebration with it. Don’t miss this flight.
 

Hawkgirl by Jadzia Axelrod, Amancay Nahuelpan and Adriano Lucas can be read in full on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE. Look for it in print as a softcover graphic novel this summer!

Alex Jaffe is the author of our monthly "Ask the Question" column and writes about TV, movies, comics and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @AlexJaffe and find him in the DC Community as HubCityQuestion.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Alex Jaffe and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.