Hawkeye #13

Writer Matt Fraction Artist David Aja

 

Introduction

 

It feels like significant amount of time has passed since the last issue of Hawkeye. In the Marvel Now world of double shipping that sentence seems like utter blasphemy. Upon looking back at the shipping dates, there seems to be a two and half month break between issues. This will not affect the steady sales of this series at all, due to the word of mouth that this wonderful comic book gets from the current industry. Issue #12 got really serious really fast, showing the fractured family life with Clint and his brother. It was refreshing to see the darker aspects of the characters world going to back to the early 60’s, where he was an angry man child challenging the authority of Captain America at every turn. Reading the old Avengers material, then comparing and contrasting the character readers are given now shows some added depth. All of continuity seems to line-up because Marvel has never had a reboot, this is all really a testament author Matt Fraction for doing his homework. The annual had a spotlight on Kate Bishop getting her foot in the ground in a world without her parents or rich superhero friend. There are some exciting things happening in this book.

 

Writing

 

Its amazing how this series can come dangerously close to touching continuity, and just take a brief sidestep into another another universe where all the comic book stuff does not matter. The first page will immediately engross readers looking for a return to form for the series. The writing is as sharp as it has ever been, and features our favorite Avenger down on his luck with a Parker like moment. In many ways the series has a lot in common with Spider-Man, but features a character with stories that have not been exploited in a solo series for 60 years. Clint Barton seems even more down on his luck than usual with this story, the evidence is notable thanks to the growing amount of bandage covering his body. The purple hero is going down a dark path, that is reflective of some of the same trials and tribulations faced by the author. Another moment featuring a certain canine will fill readers with unashamed delight.

 

Art

 

David Aja’s art has been sorely missing on the title for quite some time. The artist defined the visual language for the engrossing series. His interiors are some of the best in comics, and this is by far his greatest work. The artist’s design sense makes his pages so much more fun to look at. In Iron Fist with the same creative team, there were less of those elements proving how much Aja has grown since then. This installment makes another visual choice that is ridiculously bold. Every single page is none other than a nine panel grid. It is a choice that would require more work in the long run, and bold move that we love to see from this title. It is an incredible that the entire creative team can continue to find new ways to mix things up, after trying so many bold strokes previously.

 

Conclusion

Fans of this title will get another dose of beautiful writing, art, and craft in Hawkeye #13. The characters are incredibly expressive, yet there is still a progressive art experiment happening within these pages. This another instance this week of a book that is as good as comic books can ever hope to be.