A redesigned Darkhawk gets a new title this August, with a new main character

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

As foreshadowed by his story in the recent Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk one-shot, writer Kyle Higgins will launch a new Darkhawk ongoing title in August alongside artist Juanan Ramirez.

In the new title, Chris Powell's amulet will arrive in the hands of a new Darkhawk following Powell sending it into space to find a new wielder moments before his death in Heart of the Hawk.

"Darkhawk #1 introduces a new heir to the mantle of Darkhawk in Connor Young, a seventeen-year-old star basketball player who, like Chris Powell before him, discovers the mysterious amulet and unlocks powers of Darkhawk," reads Marvel's announcement.

Higgins, who is also the writer of Marvel's Trials of Ultraman limited series as well as the creator-owned teen hero title Radiant Black, likened the themes he plans to explore in Darkhawk to some of the other stories he's recently told.

"My approach to the mantle and the book, in general, comes from the same place that some of my other recent superhero work comes from: building something new and contemporary, while staying respectful to what's come before," Higgins states.

"We'll be taking the body-swapping-with-an-android-but-still-controlling-it-with-your-consciousness-despite-not-being-genetically-compatible, in some pretty different new directions," Higgins continues. "And at the core of that, is Connor Young. And the sudden medical diagnosis that upends his entire life."

Along with a new hero in the mantle of Darkhawk, the classic character, who celebrates 30 years in the Marvel Universe this year, will also get a new costume design courtesy of artist Pepe Larraz (seen above).

"The Darkhawk design is bold and striking. There's a reason why the character has really lasted over the last 30 years, despite appearing infrequently. And I think a big part of it is how memorable his look is," Higgins explains of the redesign. "In my opinion, the look of a new superhero is 90% of the battle of creating a character that has the potential to stand the test of time."

Here's a gallery of interior pages:

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Darkhawk #1 is due out in August with a cover from Iban Coello, seen above. Stay tuned to Newsarama for Marvel's full August 2021 solicitations, coming later this month.

Check out Newsarama's list of the best Marvel Comics stories of all time.

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)