Marvel’s biggest archery enthusiast has his own book with an elite creative team. Does it continue to fly straight after a strong start? Let’s take a look.
Written by Matt Fraction
Illustrated by Dave AjaWhat you need to know: Fraction. Aja. Hawkeye. Kate Bishop. Cars. Guns. * Stealing from the rich never looked so good. * Get. Now.
Hawkeye is a very, very interesting book. I don’t mean that in the mitigating sort of way – like, I can’t come up with a descriptor that balances “good” and “bad” properly so I fall back to interesting. I mean it’s interesting in that it truly doesn’t feel like any mainstream book on the racks today.
That makes sense though, considering who is involved.
Writer Matt Fraction is, for me at least, one of the biggest enigmas in comics, but he’s never nothing less than a bold, challenging writer who has an identity and indelible sense of panache in his writing. Whether you’re talking about his work on creator-owned efforts like Casanova (undoubtedly one of the most inventive comics in recent memory) or his work on Big Two titles like the Immortal Iron Fist or Invincible Iron Man, this is a writer who, when fully connecting with his material, is on par with some of the best in the business.
Then you have Dave Aja. I could count the names of creators I would buy anything from just because they are involved on one hand probably, and Aja? He’s on that list. His influences are undeniably present in his work, but the way he blends them together creates a look and feel that is nothing short of spellbinding. His storytelling is particularly strong, and the way he pushes narrative through his art is unparalleled in the industry.
Put them together with a blank canvas of sorts in Clint Barton – a character who long has had a mix of identities depending on who is involved – and, well, you have the opportunity for greatness.
And I’ll say it: this is a great comic. This is two pro’s pros operating in sync and at their highest of levels, and what comes out feels like a throwback to old street level Marvel books with a rich sense of personality and innovation in delivery of story. This is Clint Barton at this best and, with apologies to Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, it’s even Kate Bishop at her best.
I don’t want to get too in-depth in terms of plot on this book, because this is really a grounded book that has callbacks to Barton’s pre-Avengers life while setting him on a new path. The main thing I want to talk about is that synchronicity between Fraction and Aja I mentioned before.
When I was reading Casanova: Avaritia, one of the things that I applauded Gabriel Ba most for was his deft handling of paneling as a device for rate of storytelling and timing. I sung his praises from the rooftops, and after reading this issue, something became pretty apparent: Fraction was a big driver of that. This issue finds a lot of really impressive use of paneling to dictate story flow and order of operations, especially in the opening scene that finds Barton stringing and firing three arrows (simultaneously) in the time it takes Bishop to say, “That’s cool.”
The way Fraction assuredly scripted it was a major impetus for how it played out, but Aja’s handling of the sequence was world class. The guy is so gifted at this type of thing as is (see his kung fu Secret Avengers issue), but while working with a partner like Fraction? It’s just outstanding work.
The last thing I want to touch on though is just the sheer force of personality that is evident in this book. This is one of the most fun books around, with crackling dialogue, adventures that feel like just that, and a story that stands alone and still drives Barton’s central narrative. The first issue was setting the ball up on a tee. This issue was hitting the ball out of the park in a way that says, “yeah, we’re here to stay.”
I am a big fan of Hawkeye anyways, but this? This is the Hawkeye I want to see. This is the bow and arrow equivalent of Waid and team’s Daredevil. It’s not an apples to apples comparison, but they both just capture this sense of spirit and vitality that previous iterations of the characters had lost touch of. And I for one am very thankful that this book is around, even if Aja is off after issue three. Don’t miss this book, people.
Final Verdict: 9.5 – Buy
