Darkhawk #51 (Legacy)

The issue begins with Chris Powell (better known as Darkhawk) having the same nightmare he’s had for days now; where he is Chris Powell, floating at the Tree of Shadows – the birthplace of the Raptors – when he’s suddenly attacked by the Fraternity of Raptors, but can’t change into his Darkhawk form.

He awakens and his fiance, Miranda, is there, brushing her teeth asking if he’s all right. Powell goes on to talk about his origin of becoming Darkhawk, the struggles he’s dealt with since then, and realizes Miranda has heard it all before. She suggests getting rid of the amulet by dropping it off with the Avengers, or X-Men, or someone else, more familiar with handling such things.

Chris dons on his work clothes – showing that he’s followed the footsteps of his father, and become a police officer. He thinks about how his father was on the take; despite how well he seemed to know everyone; and now Chris feels like he has to make up for his father’s mistakes and be the man that he always believed his father was – the man he should have become. Chris gets a call about some potential trespassing and vandalism at the Wonderland Park, and decides to take it – knowing the park well (it’s where he originally became Darkhawk when he found the amulet). A little side note, we get a nod to Danny Fingeroth and Mike Manley who worked together on Darkhawk, portrayed here as Officers exchanging dialogue about Chris’ father being crooked.

The officers meet Powell at the Wonderland Park and explain that they knew Chris’ father, and while they didn’t get along, they did have the same mutual, generous friends. Chris explains that he’s not his father, and he will radio to dispatch that he didn’t find anyone at Wonderland Park, just a couple of rats. Sergeant Harold Conrad suddenly finds himself eviscerated when two Talons appear coming after Powell, named Aceptar and Canorus. Powell lures one of them into the maze of mirrors and hits him with a taser, that nearly knocks Aceptar to his knees. Canorus comes and hits Powell from behind, and Chris curses that he can’t change into Darkhawk. Canorus grabs the amulet from around Chris’ neck and puts it in his own chest piece and becomes a Talon. The Talon begins beating Aceptar and Chris recognizes who it is and demands Talon to stop. (For those that are wondering who Talon is – you may wish to check out the Darkhawk: War of Kings synopsis or books). Razor grabs Powell’s hand and forces him to touch the amulet – and they’re transported to a place called The Perch – and Razor explains that he’s adopted the name given to him by Powell – which is Darkhawk. Talon explains that after years of being bonded to Powell, he saw the Fraternity of Raptors as an ultra-violent organization and he broke himself free of his pod in the Tree of Shadows – thus severing his connection with the amulet, as well as Powell.

Powell and Razor merge back into Darkhawk; and Darkhawk blasts Aceptar and sends him back to the stars where he reports to Lord Talonar that the Powell has merged once again with the Darkhawk armor and he plans to come after the Fraternity of Talons!

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