Hawkeye #15

Writer Matt Fraction Artist Annie Wu

 

Introduction

 

The last issue of Hawkeye brought some interpersonal drama to the book with highly successful results. The titular character leads a destructive lifestyle of never being able to stop doing good, or whatever Clint Barton’s definition of good is at the moment. Lately, the fragmented narrative has made it so the book has almost seemed like filler. Thankfully, scribe Matt Fraction has officially started to move the plot into different directions with the last installment of the series. Barton has had trouble stepping back and focusing on his personal life, and instead of being weighed down by him, Kate Bishop has finally decided to take charge of her own life. We saw her stumbling about in the recent annual, trying to pick up the pieces of where to go next. The interesting question about whether the rich can still be good in poverty has also been raised. Compared to some of the other characters in the story, she has always been a beacon of hope that others follow suit. The fight between Kate and Clint was a massive shift in the story that seems that will be the status quota for the title going forward. What does Kate’s life look like without the Hawkguy?

 

Writing

 

Fraction and company really outdid themselves on this issue. It has a tone that is definitely lighter than most of the issues of the series thus far, but still bold and dangerous. The misadventures of Kate Bishop end up being one of the most entertaining issues of the series. The annual was good, but this mystery has some deeper implications for what could be coming to the female Hawkeye. There was not even so much as a tease toward what Clint was doing, but readers are treated to a mystery that is so enthralling that they should forget about him. The heroine has some intriguing adventures that make her story fascinating to fully digest. Tricks that permeate the main title still deliver for the utmost humourous effect. The scene with the flyers is another trick from Fraction that will make readers howl with delight. Many sequences in the comic play with sequential storytelling in a manner that makes the book a joy to read each and every month.

 

Art

 

The script in the book is airtight, but it is significantly boosted in quality by the art of Annie Wu. The pencils are a thrill to look at and feature some incredibly concise human beings that always look impressively detailed in their own right. There are many interesting choices in storytelling that make this comic truly look thrilling. Car chases are a motif in the book that are impressivel utilized to their full potential by the artwork. Line work can be occasionally scratchy at time, but usually it is for the effect of the character and not a mistake or style choice. There is an acute detail to the different fashion styles of the people in this book that make them fun to look at. Matt Hollingsworth really goes out of his way to give the colors a uniform look that help out the rest of the series. Often times when some are done reading the story, they tell me that they can distinctly remember a deep shade of purple. This is the genius of Hollingsworth and his fascinating approach to the color palette of the book.

 

Conclusion

This is one of the best issues of Hawkeye in recent memory. Fraction and Wu work really beautifully together, as they foster an amusing tale of early adulthood.