Hawkeye #1, 2 + 3 - Comics Review

Hawkeye by Matt Fraction, David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth

Clint Barton (Hawkeye) is one of those characters whom I enjoy seeing in titles such as New Avengers and in The Avengers movie portrayed by Jeremy Renner. But, I have never been interested enough in the character to want to read a solo series. However, when #1 of Hawkeye’s own new series was recommended to me I decided to give it a try as I realised I didn’t know much about the character and wanted to know more, and I am so glad I picked up this issue and the issues to follow as, after reading #1-3, Hawkeye has become one of my favourite current comic-books.

There are plenty of reasons to love this series. This main one being that it tells a very unique story. Hawkeye is an Avenger without Superpowers. He isn’t a God, a Super-Soldier or a mutant. He is just a man. When most of the other Avengers are flying solo, they’ll be protecting the city from their arch enemies and fighting a war of their own. Hawkeye, however, doesn’t protect New York City from alien invaders, mutants or terrorists. In fact, he’s usually the cause of whatever evil he ends up facing as shown in #1. We see him face off against petty criminals in the slums of New York and having a laugh while doing it. And that’s really what this series (so far) is all about. But laughs aren’t everything in Hawkeye (although there are plenty) as in every issue Clint finds himself in a situation that reminds him that he’s only human; a mortal. If you’ve read the series you know what I mean when I say that there are certain events that bring out the humanity in Hawkeye. Hidden beneath the witty and (even I think) charming mask that Clint wears is a down-to-earth and genuinely nice guy.

#1 was a great start to this series and after just that first issue I found Clint to be a very likable character. The story of #1 is quite simple and is pretty much wraps up by the end of the issue (although it connects to the events of #3). But this was a wise move on the writer’s part as he clearly took this time to introduce his version of Hawkeye who again is very likable, street-wise (although he can often be clumsy) and genuinely hilarious at times.

Compared to issues 1 and 3, #2 was likely the weakest in my opinion. But it was still a great issue! My only problem with it was that the villain introduced in this issue was not so memorable and I’m not holding my breath for his return. Apart from that, the issue was great. It’s very clear that there are some elements in this series (in both the writing and the artwork) that it is sticking with. For example, instead of foreign languages being translated or curses being censored, the letters show Clint’s thoughts (e.g. “some Spanish-sounding stuff”) which solidify the fact that this series belongs to Hawkeye; it is showing his world through his eyes which is what a superhero’s solo series should be like.

I picked up and read #1 of Hawkeye when it first came out in August. However, by the time I got around to looking for #2 it was sold out and I had to wait all the way until now to get my hands on a 2nd printing. After #2 sold out I was sure to pre-order #3. So I ended up reading #1 (again), #2 and #3 back-to-back, and what a roller-coaster ride that was! By the time I reached #3 I feared that I might be disappointed as my expectations were so high after #1 and #2. However, I’m happy to say that #3 only surpassed by expectations (which I didn’t even think was possible) and was probably one of the most enjoyable comic books I’ve read this year!

The only reason I feared #3 would disappoint was because #2 [re]introduces Kate Bishop (Hawkeye). Because I am not a follower of Hawkeye or Young Avengers, I had never heard of Kate before, and at first I feared that I would not like her character as I rarely find witty side characters to be very likable or even funny at all, especially young women (think Kat Dennings’ Darcy in Thor). However, she actually didn’t irritate me like I first though in #2 because she at least served a purpose. Right of the bat there is some great chemistry between the two Hawkeyes and she is certainly worthy of the name. However, it was in #3 that I found Kate Bishop to be a great addition to the series as she proved to be both likable and very funny. In fact, in #3 a one-liner from Kate had me laughing out loud, while in most comics books these days, humour very often falls flat, and it shouldn’t be that way, which is just another reason why Hawkeye is a breath of fresh air.

Overall, #1, 2 and 3 are all pretty small scale. Hawkeye finds himself battling small-time criminals and there is now immediate threat to the city as a whole (for now). However, I like this because this is Hawkeye’s series. If an alien race did show up and start attacking the city, then the Avenger’s most likely have to show up and aid Hawkeye. That’s the kind of thing I would want to see in The Avengers’ own comics, for now they should stay out of Hawkeye and let him continue telling his story which so far has had me turning the pages.

After #1, Hawkeye was already one of my favourite series. But after reading #3, which included an incredible action sequence and some hilarious laugh out loud moments; it might even be my favourite of all. With artwork and storytelling both at their best in this series, other Marvel comics would do well to take a leaf out of Hawkeye’s book. This comic book has taken a character I previously didn’t care for, and made him one of my favourite Superheroes in comics right now. For that, at the low price of $2.99, Hawkeye undoubtedly deserves you’re attention.

If only he was this cool in The Avengers (2012)…

-George