Darkhawk #1 (V1)

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The issue opens up with the appearance of Hobgoblin, one of Spider-Man’s most notorious villains. His face, features, and outfit are contorted into a monstrous appearance, due a deal he struck with a demon during Inferno, do little to unnerve Philippe Bazin, a notorious criminal mastermind. Hobgoblin demands the item he’s looking for, but Bazin doesn’t have it – but assures the Hobgoblin that his men are currently following a lead.

The scene shifts to Wonderland Park, an amusement park that was at one time “the hip place” to hang out – but has now been closed for three years and slated for being demolished. Inside the park, several of Bazin’s men are roughing up a homeless man that calls himself “Saint Johnny.” Bazin observes from the car and calls his men off, since Saint Johnny claims to know nothing of some specific item that they’re looking for. Bazin then throws several hundred dollars on the ground and tells Saint Johnny to go drink it away; and then perhaps, his mind will be a little more clear – and that he can call the number on the money band in case it “refreshes” his memory.

The following morning, we see Grace Powell walking through the courtroom area, when she’s approached by a mysterious man who offers her several thousand dollars to leave well enough alone. She bats the money away, and informs the man to tell Mr. Brazin that she can not be purchased, and the only thing she wants from him is a signed confession for his crimes. Later that night, a storm comes over New York, and Grace is home looking out the window, concerned that something may have happened to her husband, Mike, who is a police officer, since Brazin seems willing to do anything to scare Grace off of the case. Chris, Grace’s eldest son, and the two younger twins, Jonathan and Jason come in the room and tell their mother not to worry – that their father is probably just working late. Almost on cue, he walks through the backdoor – surprising everyone, informing them that he didn’t want to come through the front door and track mud through the house. Mike sounds demoralized, telling Grace that perhaps it’s time that they leave the big city and settle for a simpler life.

Mike promises to take the twins to Wonderland before it closes, however, come Sunday, both Mike and Grace are called into work. The twins pester Chris about him taking them to Wonderland, but Chris informs them that he promised not to leave the house. That, however, goes out the window when Chris’ friends, Gene and Rebecca show up. Chris tells the kids that he will be back in a short while with Milk Shakes for them.

The next scene is Grace yelling at Chris because the twins are gone. She’s fearful that Bazin has gotten a hold of them, but Chris suspects he knows where they went. He takes off to Wonderland where he asks the homeless man, Saint Johnny, if he has seen two kids pass by. Saint Johnny informs Chris that he saw two kids that matched that description going into the Funhouse. Inside the Funhouse, Chris finds the twins and grabs them – but before they can slip out they hear some noise, and suspect it’s a security guard. However, when they go to look, they see some questionable gentlemen paying off a cop. The cop is none other than Mike Powell, their father! A fight breaks out, and just as it seems that the mobsters are going to get the drop on Mike, Chris and the twins are pulling into the fight. In the chaos, the officer is knocked unconscious when he’s struck behind the head by the butt of a gun. Chris, and the twins make a run for it and fall through a rotting floor. As the mobsters give chase and close on them, Chris shoves the twins into a closet and tries to push a steel cabinet on the mobsters as they come through the door. This reveals a strange, black, glowing crystal. Chris picks it up, intending to use it as a weapon to stab the mobsters if they come through; instead it changes him into… DARKHAWK.

As Darkhawk, his rising anger at the mobsters and how they have threatened his entire family, suddenly channels into a blast from his chest. The startled mobsters begin shooting at him, and when Chris speaks, his voice is drastically altered. The mobsters rush him, but Chris is able to easily toss them aside as if they weighed nothing. He manages to defeat the mobsters and ties them up when suddenly the pounding from the closet reminds him the twins are in there. He goes to reach for the closet and notices his arm is changed, then noticed his entire body is changed; encased within the Darkhawk armor. Chris confronts his father who has regained conscious, but his father says he can’t explain, and asks Chris to take care of his mother, and runs off. Chris gets the twins and begins heading home, when he passes Saint Johnny who mutters, “Power’s got to be used, not abused by a Darkhawk.” When Chris turns around, Saint Johnny is gone.

At home, the twins fight; one saying that their father is crooked, the other defending their father. In his room, Chris realizes that Bazin is responsible for tearing his family apart. He dons the Darkhawk amulet once more and swears to take down Bazin.

Meanwhile, Bazin is in his office, dealing with Hobgoblin, and tells the deranged villain to begin his search at Wonderland, since that’s where his men first encountered Darkhawk.