Written by Jim McCann
Illustrated by Paco DiazGet it here: the past, present and future of the world’s greatest archer set to star in the upcoming Marvel Studios’ The Avengers movie! Hawkeye is left blindsided after the events of WIDOWMAKER, with a new vision of the world around him and, in order to move forward with his new life, he must first re-examine how it all began. All new era for the Avenging Archer begins here, as writer Jim McCann (Widowmaker, Return Of The Dapper Men) brings you a Clint Barton you’ve never seen before!
Jim McCann returns to script the latest part of his Hawkeye epic, from the Reunion through Hawkeye and Mockingbird and the Widowmaker crossover. With Hawkeye now running solo, McCann gives a story that not only should define Hawkeye and his future role in the Marvel U but also help redefine his origin in time for the upcoming film. But how does it compare to his previous tales?
Find out after the cut. Also, mild spoilers are discussed, including what is ultimately a major plot element. Note that at your own risk.
As the Widowmaker crossover ended, I suppose you’d be hard pressed to find someone who would agree that it didn’t fully live up to expectations. Picking up the threads of two books that had ended definitely before they were ready, the book shot too hard too fast and attempted to take Hawkeye out of the Marvel Universe that he was just reconnecting with in his original persona. Now McCann lets Hawkeye be Hawkeye – except not quite, because apparently due to a hit he took at the end of Widowmaker, Hawkeye is now going blind. Yes – the man whose sole power relies on his eyesight is going blind. And you thought Bendis killing him twice was mean!
The story does exactly what you expect it to. Hawkeye’s past has largely been irrelevant to the character, especially within the past decade. His involvement with Swordsman, his brother, and even his roots as a criminal have had nothing to do with anything as Hawkeye served as one of the leaders for the New Avengers as well as an all around badass. That’s why it’s nice to see someone retreading his origin for fans in a way that’s not strictly linear. In many ways, Hawkeye: Blindspot begins to play in a similar fashion to Black Widow: Deadly Origin (which seems appropriate, given that that book ended up influencing Widowmaker). The flashbacks are tied into cues from the main story, which features heavy involvement from the Avengers’ Holy Trinity of heroes trying to coach Hawkeye into this sad new world he’s entering in as he loses his sight. It seems like an odd time to beat Hawkeye down with this, especially given the things that McCann has put him through relationship wise with Bobbi, but there is something to be said for a creator who obviously loves a character continuously knocking him down in emotionally devastating ways for the dear.
That’s the thing that ultimately sells Hawkeye: Blindspot. Say what you will about McCann’s work with the character (which is very much a love it/hate it run between 3 arcs), McCann very obviously loves the character. People who know the origins of Hawkeye can see it shining through here. McCann knows his stuff, and he’s not seeking to completely redefine it, but rather sharpen it for modern fans who don’t know it and are just falling in love with the character now. That element of the story makes the rehash seem more relevant and appropriate, and tied together with the current story offers up an interesting parallel. This is the story both of how Hawkeye gained and lost his incredible powers – at least, with the first issues dark premise it certainly seems that way. McCann also continues his streak of techno-jargon here, coming up with creative ways to “replace” Hawkeye’s sight rather than restore it, which in turn allows McCann to subtly leave his mark on a character that has a rather large history.
Additionally, putting Hawkeye up against the villain that McCann chooses once again not only once again shows McCann’s love of the character and his past (see: Thunderbolts), but it also adds an interesting twist to the antagonistic element of the tale that – given the current Captain America run/arc – you wouldn’t immediately expect. Of course, on that exact same token, this villain – as well as his archer pal – could in turn offer up an odd twist to the story. McCann is a solid writer, but the issues that existed with Widowmaker and his run on Hawkeye and Mockingbird is that as grandiose and interesting as the villains were on paper, their ultimate pay-offs left something to be desired. Here’s to crossing your fingers on the latest antagonist.
Continued belowPaco Diaz enters the fray as the latest companion in McCann’s Hawkeye run artistically, following David Lopez. Lopez had a very sleek style, with his inks and colors from Nathan Fairbairn. However, the team of Diaz (and colors from Tomeu Morey) add just as much energy and flavor if not more so. Lopez was a talent sure, but the odd thing about Lopez is that he drew somewhat uneven faces (such as the oddly old Black Widow in his issues of Widowmaker). Diaz follows this with art that matches the feeling of his predecessor but also offers up much more artistic continuity in his representations that help the story to flow. The flashback sequences are also the best element of the book, featuring great colors to invoke a proper sense of nostalgia as well as allowing Diaz to coyly illustrated some fun moments from Hawkeye’s past that may or may not be familiar to readers.
Hawkeye: Blindspot is pretty much everything you’d think that Marvel would want for a mini-series starring an “underdog” character who is about to appear in a major motion picture. Providing the perfect jumping on point to the character’s life, the mix between the old and the new are at the beginning a great set-up for a story. You’d be hard pressed to believe that his eyesight will be fully taken away by the end of the story, but as we begin it does offer up a great point/counterpoint relationship between the history element as well as the current scenario. McCann’s love of the character also shines through enough to seep into your reading pores, so here’s hoping that this story is finally the story that Hawkeye has honestly deserved since the Scarlet Witch accidentally brought him back after killing him a second time.
Final Verdict: 8.2 – Buy
As a side note, that solicit is full of way too many puns – Blindsided? “A new vision”? “You’ve never seen before”? Heck, the title – Blindspot? Laying it on a bit thick, eh?
