Hawkeye: Freefall #6 Review

by Nick Devonald on July 01, 2020

Writer: Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Otto Schmidt
Letters: VC’s Joe Sabino

Hawkeye: Freefall has been one of the best Hawkeye comics, period. It started off hilarious but as the series has progressed Clint has made more and more desperate choices, all with the intent of taking down the Hood, and his actions have spiralled further and further out of control, as have the consequences of said actions. By this concluding issue Clint is in a dark place and at his most desperate.

It culminates in a showdown that promises lasting effects for the characters. Matthew Rosenberg has a great grasp on the character, he makes the reader root for Hawkeye even as he makes decidedly questionable choices. These decisions he’s made have left Barton increasingly cut off from his friends, all of whom are questioning him as well, and the final line of the comic will send a chill down fans' backs.

And just because the tone has gotten darker and more serious as the stories progressed, the humour is still present and while not quite as laugh out loud as earlier issues it will be sure to put a smile on readers' faces. For newer readers this series also makes a great starting point for Hawkeye, no prior knowledge is needed, and this concluding issue is a strong one.

The switch to digital-only for the concluding issues of Freefall has disappointed many fans, and hopefully this switch doesn’t reflect a lack of faith from Marvel in the character. This mini-series has left Hawkeye in an interesting and exciting place, and it would be a shame not to explore what this means for the character in an upcoming series. Fingers crossed that not only is there a follow-up series, but that’s it’s written by Rosenberg and illustrated by Schmidt.

Just as Matthew Rosenberg was the perfect writer to tell this tale of Hawkeye so too was Otto Schmidt the perfect artist to bring this tale to life on the page. His visual style was not only in keeping with the lighter tone at the beginning of the tale, it’s managed to adapt to the darker tone as the stories progressed. There’s a moment with Hawkeye sitting alone contemplating his next move which brilliantly captures the emotions he’s going through.

One of the best Hawkeye series in years, it begs for a follow-up series from the same creative team to explore where Clint goes next and what the future holds for him. The story has developed excellently over the six issues, Rosenberg understands what makes Barton great, and has been absolutely hilarious at times. The dark spiral that Clint has undergone throughout the series has made for compulsive reading and this series will not only appeal to Hawkeye fans but to a larger audience as well.

Our Score:

9/10

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