What do you think?
Rate this book
Hawkeye (2012-2016) (Collected Editions)
Hawkeye, Volume 1: My Life as a Weapon
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Graphic Novels & Comics (2013)The breakout star of this summer's blockbuster Avengers film, Clint Barton - aka the self-made hero Hawkeye - fights for justice! With ex-Young Avenger Kate Bishop by his side, he's out to prove himself as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes! SHIELD recruits Clint to intercept a packet of incriminating evidence - before he becomes the most wanted man in the world. You won't believe what is on The Tape! What is the Vagabond Code? Matt Fraction pens a Hawkeye thriller that spans the globe...and the darkest parts of Hawkeye's mind. Barton and Bishop mean double the Hawkeye and double the trouble...and stealing from the rich never looked so good.
Collecting: Hawkeye 1-5, Young Avengers Presents 6
Collecting: Hawkeye 1-5, Young Avengers Presents 6
136 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2013
About the author
Matt Fraction
1,180 books1,810 followers"How he got started in comics: In 1983, when Fraction was 7 years old and growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he became fascinated by the U.S. invasion of Grenada and created his own newspaper to explain the event. "I've always been story-driven, telling stories with pictures and words," he said.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,713 reviews
February 22, 2016
WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO PICK THIS UP?! Hawkeye is the best! This was loaded with action & humor. All I need when it comes to comics tbh. Also Kate Bishop is bae.
April 9, 2023
Forget Robin Hood, he even doesn´t have a recurve bow. How primitive
But just like Robin, Hawkeye is a true self made superhero
And all natural, no superpowers or magic needed, just good old fashioned training and some high tech equipment. That´s all what´s necessary for the
SHIELD special mission section
Where all goes wrong. Not just that Hawkeye has been the one with possible inferiority complexes due to his lack of superpowers, but now he has some bonus troubles to accelerate the story. Besides that mysterious secret service plot, Hawkeye evolved
In a so complex direction that I´m once more confused (as a graphic novel rookie)
There is this very old 1965 1965 first supervillain, then superhero Hawkeye I´ve seen pictures of, the Marvel movie interpretation, and now this. As if the whole, forever expanding Marvel universe itself wasn´t already complicated enough, even the protagonists living in it are sometimes far too multi layered.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
But just like Robin, Hawkeye is a true self made superhero
And all natural, no superpowers or magic needed, just good old fashioned training and some high tech equipment. That´s all what´s necessary for the
SHIELD special mission section
Where all goes wrong. Not just that Hawkeye has been the one with possible inferiority complexes due to his lack of superpowers, but now he has some bonus troubles to accelerate the story. Besides that mysterious secret service plot, Hawkeye evolved
In a so complex direction that I´m once more confused (as a graphic novel rookie)
There is this very old 1965 1965 first supervillain, then superhero Hawkeye I´ve seen pictures of, the Marvel movie interpretation, and now this. As if the whole, forever expanding Marvel universe itself wasn´t already complicated enough, even the protagonists living in it are sometimes far too multi layered.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
August 4, 2018
all right, all right, all right. anne is correct in all things and maybe hawkeye can be interesting, in the right hands.
so, anne was kind enough to bully me into reading a hawkeye book. i'm not a superhero person, and i've read very little in the way of superhero-based graphic novels. i read Watchmen and X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga because they were assigned for one of my library-school readers' advisory classes, and i've read a bunch of batman books because - batman, but as far as the rest of the world of superheroes is concerned - i was completely at a loss. they're not approachable to me; too many different artists and conflicting storylines/alternate timelines and the early ones seem dated and cheesy but i felt like you would NEED to read the early ones in order to have a foundation for the characters and to see how things evolved or to understand the references or to get the jokes and it was one of those things that seemed too much trouble to even begin getting into now, when i'm probably more than halfway through my lifespan.
and hawkeye - meh. i may not know much about superheroes in graphic novels, but i do watch all the superhero movies that come out because i'm a sucker for the action films kaboom kaboom pow pow. and while i didn't actively dislike hawkeye the way i did captain america, he's just kinda … there. there's nothing particularly appealing about him, he's just the guy with the arrows, and he doesn't have pretty elfhair
and he's not katniss
so it's hard for me to be enthusiastic about archery when there's a giant green thing stomping and smashing and there's scarlett johansson and her attributes to look at instead.
but sometime it's good to be bullied into things. because that's kinda the point of this hawkeye book - he's just a guy. just a regular old joe whose heroic deeds include paying a dog's vet bills and preventing his neighbors from getting evicted. just a guy who can't even keep his arrows organized and labeled, but still gets to intercourse pretty girls and fumble into car chases and kick the butts of ninjas and magicians and various other hoods along with girl-hawkeye, while making plenty of self-deprecating remarks and having some great banter along the way.
it's a fun story, and i'm glad i read it despite my initial reservations of "i do not like this art" and "what is going on with this formatting and are these pages out of order because why does this dog story keep popping up into the middle of this other story and what is even happening?" but greg assured me things were as they should be, and even though i did not understand the last story at all and i think it relates to something outside of the boundaries of this book and is exactly the kind of thing i was worried about being confused by coming so late to the superhero world, i still enjoyed reading this for the laughs and the pizza dog and the general shrugged tone of the narrative.
so, yes.
greg sent me the next group of hawkeye adventures and i will read those soon, and thanks to anne for giving me virtual swirlies and beating me up by the internet flagpole and all that. i have promised to make her turtles from this book: Milk Bar Life: Recipes & Stories, and i will be making good on that promise probably next week - as soon as it cools off a little bit here and they won't turn into liquid blobs in the mail.
just don't make me read a captain america. even i have my limits.
turtles TK
come to my blog!
so, anne was kind enough to bully me into reading a hawkeye book. i'm not a superhero person, and i've read very little in the way of superhero-based graphic novels. i read Watchmen and X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga because they were assigned for one of my library-school readers' advisory classes, and i've read a bunch of batman books because - batman, but as far as the rest of the world of superheroes is concerned - i was completely at a loss. they're not approachable to me; too many different artists and conflicting storylines/alternate timelines and the early ones seem dated and cheesy but i felt like you would NEED to read the early ones in order to have a foundation for the characters and to see how things evolved or to understand the references or to get the jokes and it was one of those things that seemed too much trouble to even begin getting into now, when i'm probably more than halfway through my lifespan.
and hawkeye - meh. i may not know much about superheroes in graphic novels, but i do watch all the superhero movies that come out because i'm a sucker for the action films kaboom kaboom pow pow. and while i didn't actively dislike hawkeye the way i did captain america, he's just kinda … there. there's nothing particularly appealing about him, he's just the guy with the arrows, and he doesn't have pretty elfhair
and he's not katniss
so it's hard for me to be enthusiastic about archery when there's a giant green thing stomping and smashing and there's scarlett johansson and her attributes to look at instead.
but sometime it's good to be bullied into things. because that's kinda the point of this hawkeye book - he's just a guy. just a regular old joe whose heroic deeds include paying a dog's vet bills and preventing his neighbors from getting evicted. just a guy who can't even keep his arrows organized and labeled, but still gets to intercourse pretty girls and fumble into car chases and kick the butts of ninjas and magicians and various other hoods along with girl-hawkeye, while making plenty of self-deprecating remarks and having some great banter along the way.
it's a fun story, and i'm glad i read it despite my initial reservations of "i do not like this art" and "what is going on with this formatting and are these pages out of order because why does this dog story keep popping up into the middle of this other story and what is even happening?" but greg assured me things were as they should be, and even though i did not understand the last story at all and i think it relates to something outside of the boundaries of this book and is exactly the kind of thing i was worried about being confused by coming so late to the superhero world, i still enjoyed reading this for the laughs and the pizza dog and the general shrugged tone of the narrative.
so, yes.
greg sent me the next group of hawkeye adventures and i will read those soon, and thanks to anne for giving me virtual swirlies and beating me up by the internet flagpole and all that. i have promised to make her turtles from this book: Milk Bar Life: Recipes & Stories, and i will be making good on that promise probably next week - as soon as it cools off a little bit here and they won't turn into liquid blobs in the mail.
just don't make me read a captain america. even i have my limits.
turtles TK
come to my blog!
December 31, 2015
Hey, Marvel. Instead of massive crossovers and killing off major characters as publicity stunts, do more like this. Please and thank you.
Hawkeye seems like an odd character for Matt Fraction to do after his acclaimed run on Invincible Iron Man where he wrote Tony Stark as a slightly dickish genuis who was more interesting than the superhero aspect. He uses a similar style to give us a version of Clint Barton that relies on the character’s history instead of discarding it, yet could be picked up by any casual fan and enjoyed. As a result, we get a fresh perspective on Hawkeye and one helluva of a fun book.
This should be the usual thing of a hero best known for being part of a larger group having some side adventures on their own. Hawkeye is longtime Avenger where his insecurities about his lack of superpowers often manifested in a smart-ass attitude and problem with authority. As Clint points out several times here, he’s just a guy with a bow-n-arrow who usually works with people far more powerful than him. The easy thing to do would have been to revamp him closer to the Ultimate version that was used in The Avengers movie to make Clint a super-secret SHIELD agent who goes out and has covert adventures. That could have worked, but would have seemed very Wolverine-ish.
What’s brilliant about this is that Fraction went in the opposite direction and plays up the angle that Clint Barton doesn’t have any powers and is frequently in over his head. The first panel shows him crashing out a high window and the fall puts him the hospital for six weeks. When he’s not off avenging Clint wants to live a somewhat normal life in his Brooklyn apartment where he enjoys grilling out with his neighbors on the roof, but he keeps getting sucked into bad situations like dealing with a Russian mafia slumlord who owns his building. Even when he does a side job for SHIELD that involves going to sleazy Madripoor, Clint has to fight off thieves trying to steal his wallet. And since he doesn’t have the powers of a Norse god or a high-tech suit of armor Clint frequently gets the crap kicked out of him.
All of this is done with plenty of humor and heart. If the storyline involving Pizza Dog doesn’t get to you, then get tested because you’re probably a sociopath. I also love that they’re using Kate Bishop as a kind of partner/sidekick. There’s a funny dynamic to that because Kate replaced Clint when he was suffering from a minor case of superhero death, and she’s kept the name of Hawkeye, too. So it’s Hawkeye and Hawkeye. Batman wouldn’t put up with that, but it’s perfect for the adventures of a slightly scruffy superhero.
Hawkeye seems like an odd character for Matt Fraction to do after his acclaimed run on Invincible Iron Man where he wrote Tony Stark as a slightly dickish genuis who was more interesting than the superhero aspect. He uses a similar style to give us a version of Clint Barton that relies on the character’s history instead of discarding it, yet could be picked up by any casual fan and enjoyed. As a result, we get a fresh perspective on Hawkeye and one helluva of a fun book.
This should be the usual thing of a hero best known for being part of a larger group having some side adventures on their own. Hawkeye is longtime Avenger where his insecurities about his lack of superpowers often manifested in a smart-ass attitude and problem with authority. As Clint points out several times here, he’s just a guy with a bow-n-arrow who usually works with people far more powerful than him. The easy thing to do would have been to revamp him closer to the Ultimate version that was used in The Avengers movie to make Clint a super-secret SHIELD agent who goes out and has covert adventures. That could have worked, but would have seemed very Wolverine-ish.
What’s brilliant about this is that Fraction went in the opposite direction and plays up the angle that Clint Barton doesn’t have any powers and is frequently in over his head. The first panel shows him crashing out a high window and the fall puts him the hospital for six weeks. When he’s not off avenging Clint wants to live a somewhat normal life in his Brooklyn apartment where he enjoys grilling out with his neighbors on the roof, but he keeps getting sucked into bad situations like dealing with a Russian mafia slumlord who owns his building. Even when he does a side job for SHIELD that involves going to sleazy Madripoor, Clint has to fight off thieves trying to steal his wallet. And since he doesn’t have the powers of a Norse god or a high-tech suit of armor Clint frequently gets the crap kicked out of him.
All of this is done with plenty of humor and heart. If the storyline involving Pizza Dog doesn’t get to you, then get tested because you’re probably a sociopath. I also love that they’re using Kate Bishop as a kind of partner/sidekick. There’s a funny dynamic to that because Kate replaced Clint when he was suffering from a minor case of superhero death, and she’s kept the name of Hawkeye, too. So it’s Hawkeye and Hawkeye. Batman wouldn’t put up with that, but it’s perfect for the adventures of a slightly scruffy superhero.
June 21, 2022
I'd been looking forward to reading this for so long, that I think I had a little mini-anxiety attack when I realized I was looking at it.
I mean, all the cool kids had already read it.
And here it was, in my hands!
I. Was. Cool.
Then I opened it up. And I shit you not, my first reaction was this:
Wha..? No. But?! Mother fucker. What's up with this ugly-ass art?! Well, shit. This is just great. So that's what they were all talking about. That's just...fuuuuck. God. I can't...ugh.
So I shut it.
Yes. I was so pissed at the blocky drawings that I put it down and went to make myself some coffee.
Because coffee is my comfort food...
And I'll bet my secret stash mini-Snickers that you guys are all going What?! Is she insane? The art is the best part of the book!
Well, sorry. I wasn't expecting that. And coupled with my sky-high expectations for this one? Let's just say that I'm not terribly surprised that I had a bit of a hissy fit/mental breakdown. In fact, I can actually feel my blood pressure rising just reliving those first few moments.
Hang on. Gonna make some coffee...
I'm back.
shlurp
Ahhhhh.
Did I overreact?
Of course. Even I can see that, now. Hell, I could see it then. But I didn't care at the time, because I was in the middle of a hormone-induced break with reality. Couldn't be helped. There are some days when the slightest thing can send an otherwise rational woman spiraling into Crazy-Eyed-She-Devil territory. Yesterday was one of those days for me.
shlurp
I'm fine today. Mostly.
Although, I would advise that you wait a few days before mentioning that this review has turned into a bowl of rambling nonsense, just to be safe.
So how did this go from I-Want-To-Shove-It-In-My-Toilet-But-It-Won't-Fit-Down-The-Tiny-Hole-In-The-Bottom-Of-The-Bowl to 5 stars?
Coffee, of course.
shlurp
And maybe I raided the kid's Easter baskets for any leftover chocolate.
Then I sat down again. And this time I read it.
Oh. My. God.
It was everything you guys said it would be and more!
Hawkeye and Hawkeye
Bro
This looks bad
And:
The dog...
If you didn't get a little misty-eyed about Arrow/Lucky, then I'm afraid we can't be friends. Personally, I was slightly choked up by the time Clint named the dog.
Slightly choked up, mind you. Not a blotchy snotty mess. Nope.
Because I wasn't a fountain of raging mood swings when I read this.
This volume also included a story from the Young Avengers at the end, and it was phenomenal!
But.
I'll let you in on a little secret...
I missed the artwork from the Hawkeye title when I was reading it.
Don't. Say. It.
Get this review and more at:
I mean, all the cool kids had already read it.
And here it was, in my hands!
I. Was. Cool.
Then I opened it up. And I shit you not, my first reaction was this:
Wha..? No. But?! Mother fucker. What's up with this ugly-ass art?! Well, shit. This is just great. So that's what they were all talking about. That's just...fuuuuck. God. I can't...ugh.
So I shut it.
Yes. I was so pissed at the blocky drawings that I put it down and went to make myself some coffee.
Because coffee is my comfort food...
And I'll bet my secret stash mini-Snickers that you guys are all going What?! Is she insane? The art is the best part of the book!
Well, sorry. I wasn't expecting that. And coupled with my sky-high expectations for this one? Let's just say that I'm not terribly surprised that I had a bit of a hissy fit/mental breakdown. In fact, I can actually feel my blood pressure rising just reliving those first few moments.
Hang on. Gonna make some coffee...
I'm back.
shlurp
Ahhhhh.
Did I overreact?
Of course. Even I can see that, now. Hell, I could see it then. But I didn't care at the time, because I was in the middle of a hormone-induced break with reality. Couldn't be helped. There are some days when the slightest thing can send an otherwise rational woman spiraling into Crazy-Eyed-She-Devil territory. Yesterday was one of those days for me.
shlurp
I'm fine today. Mostly.
Although, I would advise that you wait a few days before mentioning that this review has turned into a bowl of rambling nonsense, just to be safe.
So how did this go from I-Want-To-Shove-It-In-My-Toilet-But-It-Won't-Fit-Down-The-Tiny-Hole-In-The-Bottom-Of-The-Bowl to 5 stars?
Coffee, of course.
shlurp
And maybe I raided the kid's Easter baskets for any leftover chocolate.
Then I sat down again. And this time I read it.
Oh. My. God.
It was everything you guys said it would be and more!
Hawkeye and Hawkeye
Bro
This looks bad
And:
The dog...
If you didn't get a little misty-eyed about Arrow/Lucky, then I'm afraid we can't be friends. Personally, I was slightly choked up by the time Clint named the dog.
Slightly choked up, mind you. Not a blotchy snotty mess. Nope.
Because I wasn't a fountain of raging mood swings when I read this.
This volume also included a story from the Young Avengers at the end, and it was phenomenal!
But.
I'll let you in on a little secret...
I missed the artwork from the Hawkeye title when I was reading it.
Don't. Say. It.
Get this review and more at:
September 11, 2015
My library actually got in a bunch of new graphic novels. So I was really excited to pick this one up because
1. Avengers
2. This guy
Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye is pretty cool. Even though he doesn't have the powers that the other Avengers have at their disposal.
He has a boomerang arrow for crap's sake! I should have loved it. All my friends on Goodreads that have read this book have rated it quite highly.
So of course I go and read it wrong...that's just what I do.
I think that is it!
Anyways. The art wasn't my favorite but I overlooked it because I almost got to see Hawkeye's wanker.
There is much ado about a tape that everyone wants..including an evil heiferness. The only part I really liked was Pizza Dog...because dogs.
*goes to sit in shame corner*
1. Avengers
2. This guy
Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye is pretty cool. Even though he doesn't have the powers that the other Avengers have at their disposal.
He has a boomerang arrow for crap's sake! I should have loved it. All my friends on Goodreads that have read this book have rated it quite highly.
So of course I go and read it wrong...that's just what I do.
I think that is it!
Anyways. The art wasn't my favorite but I overlooked it because I almost got to see Hawkeye's wanker.
There is much ado about a tape that everyone wants..including an evil heiferness. The only part I really liked was Pizza Dog...because dogs.
*goes to sit in shame corner*
July 24, 2014
If someone had told me that one of the best graphic novel collections of the past year would be about Hawkeye (the Avenger, not the M.A.S.H character), I would have scoffed. Hawkeye? Really? The bow and arrow dude with a big mouth and identity issues. Meh!
Well, true believers, they would have been correct. In this collection, he’s a compulsive, impetuous, big mouth first, super-hero second, who’s not above getting his butt kicked (repeatedly). One issue recounts how Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) on the way to the store to get post it notes to keep track of his arrow collection, gets sidetracked, making one bad decision after another until he’s rescued (again) by Kate Bishop, his female counter-part.
It’s smart, funny, and well-written. David Aja’s art is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a Marvel comic since Mike Allred did X-Statix.
Highly recommended, Bro.
Bonus: A clever place to hide your credit cards is suggested.
Well, true believers, they would have been correct. In this collection, he’s a compulsive, impetuous, big mouth first, super-hero second, who’s not above getting his butt kicked (repeatedly). One issue recounts how Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye) on the way to the store to get post it notes to keep track of his arrow collection, gets sidetracked, making one bad decision after another until he’s rescued (again) by Kate Bishop, his female counter-part.
It’s smart, funny, and well-written. David Aja’s art is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a Marvel comic since Mike Allred did X-Statix.
Highly recommended, Bro.
Bonus: A clever place to hide your credit cards is suggested.
August 8, 2016
“Okay... This Looks Bad...
... You cowboy around with the Avengers some. Guys got, what, armor. Magic. Super-powers. Super-strength. Shrink-dust. Grow-rays. Magic. Healing factors. I’m an orphan raised by carnies. Fighting with a stick and a string from the Paleolithic era. So when I say this looks ‘bad’? I promise you it feels worse... Paleolithic. I looked it up.”
That’s how Marvel’s influential surprise hit (first launched in 2012) starts, and it’s a good indicator of the title’s successful marketing strategy. At its core, Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye is a superhero comedy targeted at the politically and economically marginalized “emerging adult” who has a hard time identifying with, say, everybody’s favorite millionaire Bruce Wayne. Or with anybody in a position of power, for that matter. And as the quote suggests, the series initially matches its own ambitions quite well.
It quickly becomes clear, however, that Hawkeye does not really care about the underdog at all. Instead, it very much embraces the inherently conservative rules of the superhero genre and even takes them to the extreme in places. “Hobos” serve as the butt of several jokes, for example. In issue #1, Russian mobsters (rather than an exploitative system) are blamed for an increasingly unaffordable rental market. In issue #2, our hero for a brief moment considers the sad fact that “many” of the “ultra-rich” are “bad guys” but then, instead of pursuing this thought, goes for the generic baddies anyway: those who try to steal from the ultra-rich (and are portrayed as even more despicable individuals, of course).
In issues #4 and 5, the videotaped record of secret, government-controlled yet undemocratic so-called anti-terrorism activities that involve the Avengers and even murder is about to leak. Captain America’s response: “Make no mistake... This is very bad.” S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill couldn’t agree more: “We have 72 hours before the tape goes up for auction... After that it’s out in the wild... The tape gets out and it’s bad for you, for S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, the military, and it is personally very bad for the President of the United States.” Oh my. Thankfully, our hero saves the day by ensuring that the government’s illegal secret activities remain hidden from “the wild.” Phew, I guess we can all breathe a sigh of relief now.
With its refusal to acknowledge the systemic roots of poverty and its endorsement of government secrecy (even of the government’s right to have people secretly assassinated at will), Hawkeye Vol.1: My Life as a Weapon ultimately promotes a reactionary world view that feels more problematic today than ever before. Ironically, it is the kind of ideology that has contributed to the gradual disempowerment of young adults in North America since the 1980s—the very group of people that represents the title’s target audience.
From an ideological perspective, then, Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye is typical Disney fare. Thanks to its engaging “loser”-protagonist, though, it feels surprisingly relevant for a mainstream superhero title. It is also competently executed and even pretty funny in places, at least if you don’t let its underlying reactionary messages sour your mood.
... You cowboy around with the Avengers some. Guys got, what, armor. Magic. Super-powers. Super-strength. Shrink-dust. Grow-rays. Magic. Healing factors. I’m an orphan raised by carnies. Fighting with a stick and a string from the Paleolithic era. So when I say this looks ‘bad’? I promise you it feels worse... Paleolithic. I looked it up.”
That’s how Marvel’s influential surprise hit (first launched in 2012) starts, and it’s a good indicator of the title’s successful marketing strategy. At its core, Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye is a superhero comedy targeted at the politically and economically marginalized “emerging adult” who has a hard time identifying with, say, everybody’s favorite millionaire Bruce Wayne. Or with anybody in a position of power, for that matter. And as the quote suggests, the series initially matches its own ambitions quite well.
It quickly becomes clear, however, that Hawkeye does not really care about the underdog at all. Instead, it very much embraces the inherently conservative rules of the superhero genre and even takes them to the extreme in places. “Hobos” serve as the butt of several jokes, for example. In issue #1, Russian mobsters (rather than an exploitative system) are blamed for an increasingly unaffordable rental market. In issue #2, our hero for a brief moment considers the sad fact that “many” of the “ultra-rich” are “bad guys” but then, instead of pursuing this thought, goes for the generic baddies anyway: those who try to steal from the ultra-rich (and are portrayed as even more despicable individuals, of course).
In issues #4 and 5, the videotaped record of secret, government-controlled yet undemocratic so-called anti-terrorism activities that involve the Avengers and even murder is about to leak. Captain America’s response: “Make no mistake... This is very bad.” S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill couldn’t agree more: “We have 72 hours before the tape goes up for auction... After that it’s out in the wild... The tape gets out and it’s bad for you, for S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, the military, and it is personally very bad for the President of the United States.” Oh my. Thankfully, our hero saves the day by ensuring that the government’s illegal secret activities remain hidden from “the wild.” Phew, I guess we can all breathe a sigh of relief now.
With its refusal to acknowledge the systemic roots of poverty and its endorsement of government secrecy (even of the government’s right to have people secretly assassinated at will), Hawkeye Vol.1: My Life as a Weapon ultimately promotes a reactionary world view that feels more problematic today than ever before. Ironically, it is the kind of ideology that has contributed to the gradual disempowerment of young adults in North America since the 1980s—the very group of people that represents the title’s target audience.
From an ideological perspective, then, Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye is typical Disney fare. Thanks to its engaging “loser”-protagonist, though, it feels surprisingly relevant for a mainstream superhero title. It is also competently executed and even pretty funny in places, at least if you don’t let its underlying reactionary messages sour your mood.
August 15, 2013
Hawkeye is the best comic story in a decade.
January 20, 2018
Actual rating : 3.5 stars
░ Why did I find this hilarious? ░
✔ Because Clint Barton has the best bad ideas
✔ Because Captain America calls him.
Okay, ONCE. Whatever.
✔ Because BOOMERANG.
Oh, yeah, that's the moment where you pretend to understand what I say. Huh-huh.
✔ Because I discovered many kinds of arrows and of course, that's absolutely fascinating (RIGHT?).
✔ Because Clint says DAMN a lot. So do I, so do I.
✔ Because Kate totally rocks. Fortunately.
Oh! And there's this dog.
That's probably my useless review EVER. Sorry about that.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
░ Why did I find this hilarious? ░
✔ Because Clint Barton has the best bad ideas
✔ Because Captain America calls him.
Okay, ONCE. Whatever.
✔ Because BOOMERANG.
Oh, yeah, that's the moment where you pretend to understand what I say. Huh-huh.
✔ Because I discovered many kinds of arrows and of course, that's absolutely fascinating (RIGHT?).
✔ Because Clint says DAMN a lot. So do I, so do I.
✔ Because Kate totally rocks. Fortunately.
Oh! And there's this dog.
That's probably my useless review EVER. Sorry about that.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
November 23, 2021
Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon was a fun read! The artwork is great, but the last section was probably the best. The style changed quite a bit. The first few sections are a bit more raw, like they were older. The last one had a different look to it, but I liked both styles. Clint Barton hasn’t had enough of the spotlight in the movies so I was excited to read this. I’m also excited about the Disney+ show coming out in a couple of days. This collection of stories in volume 1 focuses on Clint and Kate Bishop. It isn’t really in chronological order but that’s okay. Their banter is fun and helps set a good tone for each story. I loved the repetition of the line “This looks bad.” Great start to each section! The action looks good. The characters are fun. I do love seeing heroes who aren’t “super” do amazing things. The short story style of each plot is entertaining. I really enjoyed this closer look at Hawkeye. A little disappointed that we don’t see his family, but I think that’s because this is a different Hawkeye than the movies. Although, we get to see him as a good neighbor, an avenger/Hawkeye, a mentor, and as Ronin (great costume design!). He does get knocked out a lot 😂 but that just provides some great comedy. I definitely want to read more!
December 21, 2014
I believe this will be my first time writing a review for graphic novels. I firmly believe that graphic novels need the same attention and effort given to regular novels. From now on, I'll be reviewing more graphic novels.
Hawkeye is probably the most hated avenger, and I used to be one of them. I believe I used to think of him as a ripoff Green Arrow, but maybe I was a huge DC fanboy then. I even researched who came first, and was glad that Green Arrow came first. If you even saw my profile, it's stated there that I'm a huge Green Arrow fan, so there's that.
This new graphic novel series about Hawkeye focuses on his life outside the avengers. I wasn't that interested in reading it, but I eventually bought this and was obliged to read this. I have to say I'm glad I decided to read this. Not only did it make me want to know more about Hawkeye, but it also made me like him a bit more.
Like I said, his life outside of the avengers. I'm not sure if this new series was a new take on Hawkeye, but he still had a pretty cool life outside avengers. He's rich and good with the ladies. Somewhat like a brighter Batman (who do I keep comparing DC and Marvel characters). Even when he's not with Capt. America and the others, his life was still action packed. A few appearances of the avengers cast produced a smile from my face, especially Spider-man.
4/5 stars. While I was really entertained, I was also hoping for more. This is a very good first volume for fellow Hawkeye newbies. It will not blow your mind, but this is kinda new in terms of style. I'm not a huge reader Marvel wise (DC fanboy), but I am trying to be updated especially on X-men and Wolverine. I can be unbiased, even if DC dominates my childhood, and my life. Marvel is starting to grow on me though.
Hawkeye is probably the most hated avenger, and I used to be one of them. I believe I used to think of him as a ripoff Green Arrow, but maybe I was a huge DC fanboy then. I even researched who came first, and was glad that Green Arrow came first. If you even saw my profile, it's stated there that I'm a huge Green Arrow fan, so there's that.
This new graphic novel series about Hawkeye focuses on his life outside the avengers. I wasn't that interested in reading it, but I eventually bought this and was obliged to read this. I have to say I'm glad I decided to read this. Not only did it make me want to know more about Hawkeye, but it also made me like him a bit more.
Like I said, his life outside of the avengers. I'm not sure if this new series was a new take on Hawkeye, but he still had a pretty cool life outside avengers. He's rich and good with the ladies. Somewhat like a brighter Batman (who do I keep comparing DC and Marvel characters). Even when he's not with Capt. America and the others, his life was still action packed. A few appearances of the avengers cast produced a smile from my face, especially Spider-man.
4/5 stars. While I was really entertained, I was also hoping for more. This is a very good first volume for fellow Hawkeye newbies. It will not blow your mind, but this is kinda new in terms of style. I'm not a huge reader Marvel wise (DC fanboy), but I am trying to be updated especially on X-men and Wolverine. I can be unbiased, even if DC dominates my childhood, and my life. Marvel is starting to grow on me though.
November 9, 2019
I started out reading Kate Bishop Hawkeye. This was first, but it's so similar to Kate Bishop that it didn't feel new to me after starting with the later read. I can tell this is a story people like and it introduces characthers that stick around in the stories to come. It's a thriller and the story is a little choppy at times.
It's a good story and the artwork was cool, but it was a little bit melodrama, I thought. I'm interested to see where this story goes and to keep on with it. Still, it's not my favorite. I find that there aren't many Marvel comics that I think are amazing. I love the movies, but the comics seem to be missing something, maybe a connectivity. They try to be too action packed or something.
It's a good story and the artwork was cool, but it was a little bit melodrama, I thought. I'm interested to see where this story goes and to keep on with it. Still, it's not my favorite. I find that there aren't many Marvel comics that I think are amazing. I love the movies, but the comics seem to be missing something, maybe a connectivity. They try to be too action packed or something.
March 5, 2014
Introduction:
Now, I will admit that when I first heard about Marvel launching their “Marvel NOW” line (which is similar to DC doing their “New 52” reboot, except that “Marvel NOW” is not a reboot), I was a bit hesitant about reading any of the comic books from this line because:
1) I did not like the direction that Marvel was taking some of their franchises (X-Men in particular).
2) Since I have not been reading Marvel Comics (or DC comics for that matter) that long, I was afraid that I would not understand some of the new comics coming out since I have not read a lot of the previous comics before the 1970s and some from the 1990s yet.
But, after I heard so many good things about this comic book, I just had to put my reservations about the “Marvel NOW” comic book line on hold and give Matt Fraction’s hit series “Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon” a chance! Lo and behold, I found myself loving this series and I wanted to read more from “Hawkeye!”
What is this story about?
Basically in this volume, it details the adventures that Clint Barton, also known as the legendary Avenger, Hawkeye, has whenever he is not with the Avengers. Along for the ride in these adventures, is Young Avenger member Kate Bishop and she and Clint end up fighting crime in New York City while wielding their bow and arrows in the process!
What I loved about this story:
Matt Fraction’s writing: Now I will admit that this is probably the first time I had ever read an “Avengers” comic book since I am more of an “X-Men” fan, but after hearing so many good things about this comic book, I decided to give Hawkeye a try and I found myself loving this volume! Matt Fraction has done a brilliant job at keeping this story self contained (which was what I was looking for when I picked up some comic books in the “Marvel NOW” comic book line) and I really enjoyed the solo adventures that Hawkeye went on. I also loved the way that Matt Fraction made Clint Barton into a truly hilarious and active character and I loved his little quips throughout the entire story. Some of my favorite lines from Hawkeye was when he was making fun of how the older comic books would set up the dialogues whenever they are translating foreign languages (like you know how the older comic books would tell the readers “translated from Russian” or “translated from Japanese”)? Well, his dialogue would go like this:
“(Some Spanish-sounding stuff)!” or “(French Stuff).”
I also loved the way that Matt Fraction portrayed Clint Barton’s relationship with Kate Bishop as it is both heartwarming and hilarious to look at and it was fantastic seeing another character who had the same sharp-shooting skills as Hawkeye does.
David Aja and Javier Pulido’s artwork: David Aja and Javier Pulido’s artwork were fantastic in this volume as they are reminiscent of the artwork in Frank Miller’s classic “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” comic book. I loved the way that David Aja’s artwork in the first three issues is scratchy and bold lined while still capturing the essence of each action scene involving Hawkeye and Kate Bishop fighting against criminals. Javier Pulido’s artwork in the fourth and fifth issues are much lighter in color tone and much more detailed in designs and I really loved the way that they captured the characters and the action scenes.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
Probably the only issue that I did not care for in this volume was the “Young Avengers Presents #6” issue. For one thing, I do not normally read the “Young Avengers” comic book series, so I will admit that I was a little confused about what was going on, even though this issue is supposed to be when Kate Bishop first meets Hawkeye. Another thing about this issue was that I felt that the tone of the story was way too different from the tone of the rest of the volume, which was light hearted and action-packed while this issue was dark and had too much soap opera drama for my tastes. So, all in all, I think that this issue was just average and not as good as the rest of the issues in this volume. Although, I did enjoyed Alan Davis’ artwork in this issue as it was gorgeous to look at and the characters’ facial expressions were realistic.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon” is one truly brilliant volume for anyone who is a huge Hawkeye fan and I am definitely looking forward to reading more of his series in the near future!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
February 1, 2016
"Hawkeye became the greatest sharpshooter known to man. He then joined The Avengers. This is what Hawkeye does when he's not being an Avenger. That's all you need to know."
This is the quote that starts the volume. I have to say my general best case scenario when it comes to Hawkeye is indifference. The man fights with a bow and arrow for goodness sakes. I'll admit he's effective with it, but who fights with a bow and arrow. The ammo that can be carried is always severly limited, there is a risk of it falling out, and against any notable enemy his arrows are practically useless. Anyway that's my general thoughts on Hawkeye, let me talk about the volume.
My Life as a Weapon wasn't really my thing. Covering Hawkeye's life outside the Avengers is akin to focusing on every time someone semi interesting goes grocery shopping. Everyone knows people have to buy food, but most people aren't interested to hear about it. So seeing Clint hospitalized, fighting legally correct thugs over rent, and just walking around wasn't doing anything for me.
I wasn't really a fan of the artwork either. It wasn't bad, I prefer the sharp realistic artwork over the Sunday Comic Section artwork style.
Most people I know loved this, but My Life as a Weapon left me indifferent.
2.5 out of 5 stars
September 17, 2014
3 – 3.5 stars
Ok, so as Hawkeye’s number 1 fan it’s a little surprising that it’s taken me this long to get to this critically acclaimed series starring comicdom’s greatest archer (shut up Ollie!) Matt Fraction and David Aja make a great team as they take a peek into the ‘everyday’ life of a superhero…a superhero who can’t shoot lightning bolts, fly, or bench press a city bus. What does an average Avenger do on his days off?
The story starts by letting us see Clint Barton, aka the Avenging archer Hawkeye, having a pretty bad day (which seems to be the norm for him): he’s just gotten out of the hospital after sustaining pretty major injuries during his ‘day job’, runs into a track suit mafia that wants to evict all the tenants from his low-rent apartment building, and becomes responsible for a dog that got hit by a car, partially due to Clint’s intervention. Things don’t really get much rosier from there. We then get a list of every bad decision Clint is capable of making in one day (for the record it’s nine this time) – along with a running tab on his arsenal of trick arrows, both the whacky and the wonderful: boomerang, respect it. Finally we follow Clint on his quest to wrest an incriminating video tape (yes, tape) from the clutches of a cadre of rich supervillians intent on getting some dirt on one of the Avengers. Ultimately we see how trying to do the right thing can lead to all sorts of complications, misunderstandings, and just plain bad luck. It’s not always easy being Clint Barton. In fact it’s probably never easy.
The other major player in the series is Kate Bishop a privileged young heiress whose defining attributes seem to be an overabundance of sass and world-class archery skills. These make her more than qualified to be the de-facto protégé of Hawkeye, a hero known to be pretty good with a quip and a bow himself. Kate plays the hip sidekick to Clint’s somewhat in over his head mentor and it’s here that I ran into a few issues with the series. Please allow my inner-geek to vent a bit: granted one of the great hooks for this character has always been his low self-esteem and the fact that he was a ‘mere’ human who sometimes felt in over his head working on the premiere Marvel super-team peopled by gods and monsters; also granted that having the whole protégé-teacher dynamic turned on its head in various ways is a clever and entertaining idea. Despite these things, though, it sometimes felt like Fraction was leaning a little too heavily on the ‘Clint’s an all-too-human screw-up’ side of things. I mean by now he’s proven himself time and again and has even led both the Avengers and the Thunderbolts fer crissakes! And Fraction has him being led around by the nose by Kate freakin’ Bishop?! Is it really that likely that Clint is such a mess that he has to have his supposed protégé telling him how to act on a mission? I can accept the snarky banter between them: she wants to sass Clint and he plays along? Cool. But to think that she’d be the real backbone of the partnership just kinda rubbed me the wrong way. It was a bit too extreme. Ok, end of rant.
The art by David Aja in issues 1-3 is awesome: reminds me of Mike Allred’s stuff, which is always a good thing. The art by Javier Pulido for issues 4-5? Um, not so much. The additional story in the back from the pages of the Young Avengers was ok, it certainly showed Hawkeye as less of a screw-up and more of a mentor, but it was definitely a change in pace and style from the rest of the book.
All in all this is good stuff. I totally understand the love this title gets…I just wish Hawkeye got a little more respect. The poor guy deserves a break every now and then.
Oh and Dan? Apropos of nothing: Hal Jordan is still better than crab-face guy!
Ok, so as Hawkeye’s number 1 fan it’s a little surprising that it’s taken me this long to get to this critically acclaimed series starring comicdom’s greatest archer (shut up Ollie!) Matt Fraction and David Aja make a great team as they take a peek into the ‘everyday’ life of a superhero…a superhero who can’t shoot lightning bolts, fly, or bench press a city bus. What does an average Avenger do on his days off?
The story starts by letting us see Clint Barton, aka the Avenging archer Hawkeye, having a pretty bad day (which seems to be the norm for him): he’s just gotten out of the hospital after sustaining pretty major injuries during his ‘day job’, runs into a track suit mafia that wants to evict all the tenants from his low-rent apartment building, and becomes responsible for a dog that got hit by a car, partially due to Clint’s intervention. Things don’t really get much rosier from there. We then get a list of every bad decision Clint is capable of making in one day (for the record it’s nine this time) – along with a running tab on his arsenal of trick arrows, both the whacky and the wonderful: boomerang, respect it. Finally we follow Clint on his quest to wrest an incriminating video tape (yes, tape) from the clutches of a cadre of rich supervillians intent on getting some dirt on one of the Avengers. Ultimately we see how trying to do the right thing can lead to all sorts of complications, misunderstandings, and just plain bad luck. It’s not always easy being Clint Barton. In fact it’s probably never easy.
The other major player in the series is Kate Bishop a privileged young heiress whose defining attributes seem to be an overabundance of sass and world-class archery skills. These make her more than qualified to be the de-facto protégé of Hawkeye, a hero known to be pretty good with a quip and a bow himself. Kate plays the hip sidekick to Clint’s somewhat in over his head mentor and it’s here that I ran into a few issues with the series. Please allow my inner-geek to vent a bit: granted one of the great hooks for this character has always been his low self-esteem and the fact that he was a ‘mere’ human who sometimes felt in over his head working on the premiere Marvel super-team peopled by gods and monsters; also granted that having the whole protégé-teacher dynamic turned on its head in various ways is a clever and entertaining idea. Despite these things, though, it sometimes felt like Fraction was leaning a little too heavily on the ‘Clint’s an all-too-human screw-up’ side of things. I mean by now he’s proven himself time and again and has even led both the Avengers and the Thunderbolts fer crissakes! And Fraction has him being led around by the nose by Kate freakin’ Bishop?! Is it really that likely that Clint is such a mess that he has to have his supposed protégé telling him how to act on a mission? I can accept the snarky banter between them: she wants to sass Clint and he plays along? Cool. But to think that she’d be the real backbone of the partnership just kinda rubbed me the wrong way. It was a bit too extreme. Ok, end of rant.
The art by David Aja in issues 1-3 is awesome: reminds me of Mike Allred’s stuff, which is always a good thing. The art by Javier Pulido for issues 4-5? Um, not so much. The additional story in the back from the pages of the Young Avengers was ok, it certainly showed Hawkeye as less of a screw-up and more of a mentor, but it was definitely a change in pace and style from the rest of the book.
All in all this is good stuff. I totally understand the love this title gets…I just wish Hawkeye got a little more respect. The poor guy deserves a break every now and then.
Oh and Dan? Apropos of nothing: Hal Jordan is still better than crab-face guy!
November 9, 2022
Reread: 09/11/2022
Its been almost a year since i read it but I freaking love this volume. Like how it focuses on Clint and his daily life and giving him some cool enemies in Tracksuit mafia and his dynamic with Kate is so awesome and then that story with Madame Masque was amazing and just shows the heroic sacrificing side of Clint so well and the art <3!
______________________________________________________________
This was pretty cool tbh!
I loved the whole thing!
Its simple short stories like the one with the dog and the "bro" building owner villain was fun, Clint getting a dog and then the story with them teaming to take down random villains is awesome or when they have to rescue a tape and how Kate comes in and the whole fiasco with Madame Masque was something and well written lol. Its funny but I like the dynamic they establish with these two right out of the bat.
Plus my fav story has to be Kate officially being recognized as Hawkeye even before the series started and thats one hell of a story, legacy and all. Overall the series was great, strong art and the writing could be considered weird but in a good way I think! Its one of those series that revamps the character in a good way! A MUST RECOMMEND!
Its been almost a year since i read it but I freaking love this volume. Like how it focuses on Clint and his daily life and giving him some cool enemies in Tracksuit mafia and his dynamic with Kate is so awesome and then that story with Madame Masque was amazing and just shows the heroic sacrificing side of Clint so well and the art <3!
______________________________________________________________
This was pretty cool tbh!
I loved the whole thing!
Its simple short stories like the one with the dog and the "bro" building owner villain was fun, Clint getting a dog and then the story with them teaming to take down random villains is awesome or when they have to rescue a tape and how Kate comes in and the whole fiasco with Madame Masque was something and well written lol. Its funny but I like the dynamic they establish with these two right out of the bat.
Plus my fav story has to be Kate officially being recognized as Hawkeye even before the series started and thats one hell of a story, legacy and all. Overall the series was great, strong art and the writing could be considered weird but in a good way I think! Its one of those series that revamps the character in a good way! A MUST RECOMMEND!
April 30, 2014
This book demands multiple readings. On the first read-through it just works so smoothly that it's easy to miss the exquisite creative relationship between Fraction and Aja.
I'm leaving this to fester in my subconscious for another month or two before I pore over it again - I just can't do it justice on one reading.
...even knowing how much Fraction handed over control to Aja - and even knowing that Marvel Style was the scripting approach - I still gotta credit the talent behind the keyboard as much as the brush. I mean, the art is phenomenal - monster-sized amazing - don't get me wrong - but on second reading, I'm still just enthralled by the words that make it on the page.
I feel like Barton is a guy I would totally know, and would definitely want to hang with. I wouldn't feel *cool* enough to actually try - he's far too self-effacing and (mostly) ego-free for me to feel...well, here's the thing: I'm more *together* than him (his personal life is a shambles - a real wreck of epic neglect), and I can't say I feel less clumsy than him (to be fair, I haven't tried to dodge bullets or cling for life and hero-uplevel-points off the roof of a careening - or is it careering? - car). So I guess I'm conflicted on which of us would be a worse influence on the other. Good, we've established a bro-bond.
OK so the characters seem more real, scratched up, rode hard - love them one and all. Even the Draculas (especially the Draculas). Even Katie Bishop with her impossible...ness - better than me in every way except the irrepressible sarcasm (at which she excels too).
But holy gods does the art make you want to get out a protractor and a set of crayolas and just go to town on the walls of your house. Composition, line work, nothing unnecessary, framing, layout, sizing. This book alone will give me a sizeable chunk of my talk on Comic Book Storytelling User Experience - the book's a treatise on how to use the medium to its fullest unique contributions. Shit, even the colourist - I mean, this is where I learned what a colourist really does for a comic. Palette choice, subtle shading, contrasts, consistency, mood. Damn Matt I am a fan for life.
Wish I could say Pulido was doing as many creative things as Aja in the two-parter, and it felt a little less like the Bond/Rockford/super-cool story for that stretch, but it's still first-rate fun.
I don't exactly remember, but I think I'd already heard some specific commentary on the art by the time I'd read this - like I'd at least heard Sims & Wilson raving on War Rocket Ajax, and I'd maybe even heard the Fraction/Aja interview on Gillen's Decompressed podcast. So I was ready to drool over the art before I ever saw it.
And it's so good - so well *designed* - that I included pages from Hawkeye three times in my "User Experience of Comics Storytelling" talk. (Most other creators and books get *one* mention, except Locke & Key.) This book is fantastically designed, and credit to both Aja *and* Fraction for collaborating so hard to get the tone and the flow just right. But heavy kudos to Aja for obsessing over layout, symmetry and eyeline on every page.
I'm leaving this to fester in my subconscious for another month or two before I pore over it again - I just can't do it justice on one reading.
...even knowing how much Fraction handed over control to Aja - and even knowing that Marvel Style was the scripting approach - I still gotta credit the talent behind the keyboard as much as the brush. I mean, the art is phenomenal - monster-sized amazing - don't get me wrong - but on second reading, I'm still just enthralled by the words that make it on the page.
I feel like Barton is a guy I would totally know, and would definitely want to hang with. I wouldn't feel *cool* enough to actually try - he's far too self-effacing and (mostly) ego-free for me to feel...well, here's the thing: I'm more *together* than him (his personal life is a shambles - a real wreck of epic neglect), and I can't say I feel less clumsy than him (to be fair, I haven't tried to dodge bullets or cling for life and hero-uplevel-points off the roof of a careening - or is it careering? - car). So I guess I'm conflicted on which of us would be a worse influence on the other. Good, we've established a bro-bond.
OK so the characters seem more real, scratched up, rode hard - love them one and all. Even the Draculas (especially the Draculas). Even Katie Bishop with her impossible...ness - better than me in every way except the irrepressible sarcasm (at which she excels too).
But holy gods does the art make you want to get out a protractor and a set of crayolas and just go to town on the walls of your house. Composition, line work, nothing unnecessary, framing, layout, sizing. This book alone will give me a sizeable chunk of my talk on Comic Book Storytelling User Experience - the book's a treatise on how to use the medium to its fullest unique contributions. Shit, even the colourist - I mean, this is where I learned what a colourist really does for a comic. Palette choice, subtle shading, contrasts, consistency, mood. Damn Matt I am a fan for life.
Wish I could say Pulido was doing as many creative things as Aja in the two-parter, and it felt a little less like the Bond/Rockford/super-cool story for that stretch, but it's still first-rate fun.
I don't exactly remember, but I think I'd already heard some specific commentary on the art by the time I'd read this - like I'd at least heard Sims & Wilson raving on War Rocket Ajax, and I'd maybe even heard the Fraction/Aja interview on Gillen's Decompressed podcast. So I was ready to drool over the art before I ever saw it.
And it's so good - so well *designed* - that I included pages from Hawkeye three times in my "User Experience of Comics Storytelling" talk. (Most other creators and books get *one* mention, except Locke & Key.) This book is fantastically designed, and credit to both Aja *and* Fraction for collaborating so hard to get the tone and the flow just right. But heavy kudos to Aja for obsessing over layout, symmetry and eyeline on every page.
September 6, 2015
I guess everyone is right.
There is some quality storytelling here that lets me forget the middling art and drops me right into the very real pathos and snark that is a pretty damn interesting Hawkeye.
Though, if I'm going to be utterly honest, I think I like his little sidekick even more. She doesn't so much snark it up with words as she does it with action. I really, really like her.
It looks like I'm gonna have to sit down for the rest of the night and run through all five volumes and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna love it.
There is some quality storytelling here that lets me forget the middling art and drops me right into the very real pathos and snark that is a pretty damn interesting Hawkeye.
Though, if I'm going to be utterly honest, I think I like his little sidekick even more. She doesn't so much snark it up with words as she does it with action. I really, really like her.
It looks like I'm gonna have to sit down for the rest of the night and run through all five volumes and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna love it.
September 10, 2014
Fraction writes the best book of his career with Hawkeye, giving the character the kind of adventures the other Avengers wish they could have. Phenomenal art from Aja and Pulido makes Volume 1 of Hawkeye one of the best books Marvel has put out all year. Full review here!
April 1, 2020
Süper kahraman hype'ına kapılıp okuduğum geriye bişey kalmayan çizgi romanlardan, buna para harcamamışımdır umarım... zira nasıl okuduğumu hatırlamıyorum zjfjkdls sahildeydim sanki?
October 28, 2013
When I walked out of the theatre after watching The Avengers last year, I was too blown away by the awesomeness of The Hulk to even remember Jeremy Renner’s performance as Clint Barton (a.k.a.Hawkeye; a.k.a. the guy with the arrows). His role as a member of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes had felt rather diminished and seemed like an afterthought. Hawkeye wasn’t nearly as exciting, memorable or as flashy as Thor, Iron Man or even Agent Colson. So when I heard all the buzz behind Matt Fraction’s take on Earth’s Mightiest Marksman, I had to see this for myself.
Fraction basically approaches Hawkeye by treating him as that outsider, the guy in the Avengers without the mind-blowing super powers. He’s not a God, he’s not a super soldier and he’s certainly not a giant green rage monster – Clint Barton is just an exceptionally skilled archer. How he deals with that fact is the core of this series, his missions seem almost secondary – which I’m completely OK with. Marvel has always been known for its strong character development, trying to make the heroes as relatable as possible in an effort to tie the story to the reader in the most emotional way possible. You could write a story about a hero constantly saving the day, taking out the villains over and over again but in the end, it’s the guy behind the mask that keeps the reader coming back and Fraction gives us that in a strong opening to his new project.
I do have a few small complaints though. I absolutely loved David Aja’s work in the first three issues, giving it a style reminiscent of Sean Phillips (one of my favorites). What confused me was the sudden shift to Javier Pulido for issues four and five. Pulido isn’t bad per se, it just made me wonder where Aja went. The final chapter, which is an issue of Young Avengers Presents, seemed tacked on to pad out the book.
I’m interested to see where things go from here. Bring on Volume Two!
Fraction basically approaches Hawkeye by treating him as that outsider, the guy in the Avengers without the mind-blowing super powers. He’s not a God, he’s not a super soldier and he’s certainly not a giant green rage monster – Clint Barton is just an exceptionally skilled archer. How he deals with that fact is the core of this series, his missions seem almost secondary – which I’m completely OK with. Marvel has always been known for its strong character development, trying to make the heroes as relatable as possible in an effort to tie the story to the reader in the most emotional way possible. You could write a story about a hero constantly saving the day, taking out the villains over and over again but in the end, it’s the guy behind the mask that keeps the reader coming back and Fraction gives us that in a strong opening to his new project.
I do have a few small complaints though. I absolutely loved David Aja’s work in the first three issues, giving it a style reminiscent of Sean Phillips (one of my favorites). What confused me was the sudden shift to Javier Pulido for issues four and five. Pulido isn’t bad per se, it just made me wonder where Aja went. The final chapter, which is an issue of Young Avengers Presents, seemed tacked on to pad out the book.
I’m interested to see where things go from here. Bring on Volume Two!
April 3, 2017
Really enjoyed this one! So almost everybody I know praises this series to no end; and for the most part this one lived up to it! So the story is basically a week in the life of Hawkeye kind of thing; and turns out ya Hawkeye has a life outside the Avengers, who knew? I really like how Matt Fraction writes this comic, its like his usual stuff: simplistic approach and plot, but written so so well! I honestly can't imagine reading a solo Hawkeye comic from any other writer; but it doesn't surprise me, as I really liked the Iron Fist series Fraction wrote with Brubaker years back. But overall the issues are fun, as they are all one shot stories, but really good! Artwork is what people talk most about in this series; to be blunt at first glance its ugly! Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut it works for this series; it suits Fractions writing and the character of Hawkeye; and I grew to really like David Aja's art (#1-3) and Javier Pulido's art (4-5)! And I really liked Kate as the other Hawkeye(Yes these two seem to switch places), she's badass, funny, and her and Clint's banter reminded me of a sort of Batman & Robin dynamic! Wasn't a big fan of the young avengers issue they tacked on at the end focused on Kate, but that's because I couldn't get into the story, other then that Kate is awesome! But otherwise ya really good, definitely gonna pick up volume 2!
March 26, 2013
This contains the first five issues of Fraction & Aja's Hawkeye series, a clever, quippy, sometimes unexpectedly moving grunge noir comedy of a superhero comic. It is notable for the intricacy of the structuring and the superlativeness of the art and layouts -- they are both complex and clear, theatrically artificial and naturalistically meaningful. The layouts -- whose style continues in the two issues with guest artist Javier Pulido -- is the kind of thing you only get with a brilliant writer/artist or writer/artist collaboration: they are perfectly designed to guide you through the beats of the story, and so perfectly designed that sometimes they stop you dead. It is the kind of thing you can hand a design tyro to show design is art and the kind of thing you can hand a master to make them feel like a tyro.
The writing, too -- there's one two-issue arc, but otherwise these are all done-in-one stories which you can come to cold, no knowledge of the characters or the continuity necessary. The knowledge is nice -- you get to see characters revealed and relationships developed over time -- but it isn't necessary. This series pulls off a lot of paradoxical balancing acts like that. I don't know how long Fraction & Aja can go without falling off that balance beam, but for now they are putting out pretty much the platonic ideal of an episodic narrative.
Clint Barton (Hawkeye I) is rough edges and a soft heart, bumbling through his life and awkward in interpersonal interactions and absolutely focused in the moments he aims and fires. His protege and partner, Kate Bishop (Hawkeye II), is Nora Charles as a 19-year-old, a brilliant surface and a fierce heart and a quick mouth. Together they fight crime.
Sadly also included is the Young Avengers one-shot in which Matt Fraction established my most hated bit of Kate Bishop backstory:
ETA: And now that the book has come out I see that I was completely wrong about which backstory issue was included, and instead it's the one where Kate Bishop first encounters Clint Barton, which I quite like.
The writing, too -- there's one two-issue arc, but otherwise these are all done-in-one stories which you can come to cold, no knowledge of the characters or the continuity necessary. The knowledge is nice -- you get to see characters revealed and relationships developed over time -- but it isn't necessary. This series pulls off a lot of paradoxical balancing acts like that. I don't know how long Fraction & Aja can go without falling off that balance beam, but for now they are putting out pretty much the platonic ideal of an episodic narrative.
Clint Barton (Hawkeye I) is rough edges and a soft heart, bumbling through his life and awkward in interpersonal interactions and absolutely focused in the moments he aims and fires. His protege and partner, Kate Bishop (Hawkeye II), is Nora Charles as a 19-year-old, a brilliant surface and a fierce heart and a quick mouth. Together they fight crime.
Sadly also included is the Young Avengers one-shot in which Matt Fraction established my most hated bit of Kate Bishop backstory:
ETA: And now that the book has come out I see that I was completely wrong about which backstory issue was included, and instead it's the one where Kate Bishop first encounters Clint Barton, which I quite like.
October 7, 2021
This is what he does when he's not being an avenger. That's all you need to know
Hawkeye re-teams the creative force behind the Immortal Iron Fist, Matt Fraction and David Aja, to bring a new take on the sharp shooting Avenger. It opens with a shot directly taken out of the Avengers movie (it's also a shot that was used for one of the Ultimate Comics: Hawkeye variants), and then we see Clint falling onto a car. He only spends the first two pages in costume, because when Fraction says "this is what he does when he's not being an Avenger", he means it.
Fraction quickly finds his Barton's voice, as we're taken along one his "day off". A "day off" that includes beating up drug lords and saving a dog. It's a very good comic, but what makes it stand out most is the art. David Aja has changed his style from the days of Iron Fist. In Hawkeye, he's almost more 'cartoon-y' with his art, similar to that of Chris Samnee or Palo Rivera. It's a stylistic change that works though, and thought and care has been put into panel layouts to make the book look interesting and to also make it more of an interesting read.
I'll be honest: Hawkeye is a character I don't really care about. I didn't care for him much in the movie, and I've never been much of a fan with him. But Fraction and Aja succeed here in trying to do something new and interesting with a C (possibly B) list Marvel character.
Merged review:
Holy S&*%, this is a good comic
The creative team behind The Immortal Iron Fist re-team to bring us a new take on a B-list Marvel Superhero. Unlike Iron Fist, were Fraction delved into the history and mythology of the character, his take on Hawkeye is quite different and simple: Clint Barton - just your average guy.
It's a concept some people wont take to, since Hawkeye is a superhero comic and he's in costume for very little of the book. But it's something new and fresh, for a character I honestly had no interest in beforehand.
We see Clint take on a partner in his doings, Kate Bishop from the Young Avengers, who took on the name Hawkeye when Clint was dead (for a brief period). There's a really good relationship between the two characters. There's a slight sexual tension there at times, but then Clint is reminded of Kate's age, so he tries to act more as the older brother figure.
The first 3 parts are self contained stories, which is a dying story telling technique in modern comics. The volume rounds out with a two part story called 'The Tape', which see's Clint take on an undercover mission to retrieve a videotape that has incriminating footage on it.
What really makes this comic work is the art. David Aja has changed his style since Iron Fist, now going for a more cartoonish approach to his craft. It's a style that's quite different from many of the books Marvel are putting out, and makes this book so much fun to read and look at. 'The Tape' is drawn by Javier Pulido, whose style really works well with Aja's in this volume.
2011 was the year of Daredevil thanks to Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera. 2012 is the year of Hawkeye thanks to Matt Fraction and David Aja. This comic is awesome.
Hawkeye re-teams the creative force behind the Immortal Iron Fist, Matt Fraction and David Aja, to bring a new take on the sharp shooting Avenger. It opens with a shot directly taken out of the Avengers movie (it's also a shot that was used for one of the Ultimate Comics: Hawkeye variants), and then we see Clint falling onto a car. He only spends the first two pages in costume, because when Fraction says "this is what he does when he's not being an Avenger", he means it.
Fraction quickly finds his Barton's voice, as we're taken along one his "day off". A "day off" that includes beating up drug lords and saving a dog. It's a very good comic, but what makes it stand out most is the art. David Aja has changed his style from the days of Iron Fist. In Hawkeye, he's almost more 'cartoon-y' with his art, similar to that of Chris Samnee or Palo Rivera. It's a stylistic change that works though, and thought and care has been put into panel layouts to make the book look interesting and to also make it more of an interesting read.
I'll be honest: Hawkeye is a character I don't really care about. I didn't care for him much in the movie, and I've never been much of a fan with him. But Fraction and Aja succeed here in trying to do something new and interesting with a C (possibly B) list Marvel character.
Merged review:
Holy S&*%, this is a good comic
The creative team behind The Immortal Iron Fist re-team to bring us a new take on a B-list Marvel Superhero. Unlike Iron Fist, were Fraction delved into the history and mythology of the character, his take on Hawkeye is quite different and simple: Clint Barton - just your average guy.
It's a concept some people wont take to, since Hawkeye is a superhero comic and he's in costume for very little of the book. But it's something new and fresh, for a character I honestly had no interest in beforehand.
We see Clint take on a partner in his doings, Kate Bishop from the Young Avengers, who took on the name Hawkeye when Clint was dead (for a brief period). There's a really good relationship between the two characters. There's a slight sexual tension there at times, but then Clint is reminded of Kate's age, so he tries to act more as the older brother figure.
The first 3 parts are self contained stories, which is a dying story telling technique in modern comics. The volume rounds out with a two part story called 'The Tape', which see's Clint take on an undercover mission to retrieve a videotape that has incriminating footage on it.
What really makes this comic work is the art. David Aja has changed his style since Iron Fist, now going for a more cartoonish approach to his craft. It's a style that's quite different from many of the books Marvel are putting out, and makes this book so much fun to read and look at. 'The Tape' is drawn by Javier Pulido, whose style really works well with Aja's in this volume.
2011 was the year of Daredevil thanks to Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera. 2012 is the year of Hawkeye thanks to Matt Fraction and David Aja. This comic is awesome.
June 2, 2022
Nunca había leído un cómic de Hawkeye antes. Desde luego lo conozco y siempre lo he odiado en los cómics. En las películas cae mucho mejor, es más recto menos mujeriego y menos cruel.
Leí este volumen desde luego por Kate Bishop luego de haber visto al serie. A ella también la conocí desde que Marvel decidió incluir y cambiar por mujeres a muchos avengers durante un tiempo (2014 creo).
No conozco tanto a Hawkeye pero recordaba que no era tan débil. Salvando eso y aceptando que necesita a Kate para hacer más divertida la historia puedes disfrutar el volumen.
Desde luego Kate luce muy bien aquí. Las historias son en Brooklyn donde Hawkeye dejando de ser Avenger se mete con algunos ladrones peligrosos e incluso hay un viaje a Madripoor por proteger un importante video de un avenger matando a sangre fría a una persona.
Me gustó saber que sirvió de inspiración a la serie, aunque ésta lo desarrolla mucho mejor. Se habla de Maynard Tiboldt quien fue entrenado por Swordsman (Jacques Duquesne), la Mafia del chandal (los famosos bro, bro conocidos como la Mafia deportista en la serie de Disney) y también aparece Madame Mask. También el perro-pizza de la serie. La historia de este cómic en sí no me gustó tanto y la dinámica de Kate y Barton es aceptable.
El arte me parece adecuado, le da buen tono a la historia, simple, directo como lo que se cuenta. Te reduce a los eventos y al crimen. Pero desde luego no es de mis favoritos
Leí este volumen desde luego por Kate Bishop luego de haber visto al serie. A ella también la conocí desde que Marvel decidió incluir y cambiar por mujeres a muchos avengers durante un tiempo (2014 creo).
No conozco tanto a Hawkeye pero recordaba que no era tan débil. Salvando eso y aceptando que necesita a Kate para hacer más divertida la historia puedes disfrutar el volumen.
Desde luego Kate luce muy bien aquí. Las historias son en Brooklyn donde Hawkeye dejando de ser Avenger se mete con algunos ladrones peligrosos e incluso hay un viaje a Madripoor por proteger un importante video de un avenger matando a sangre fría a una persona.
Me gustó saber que sirvió de inspiración a la serie, aunque ésta lo desarrolla mucho mejor. Se habla de Maynard Tiboldt quien fue entrenado por Swordsman (Jacques Duquesne), la Mafia del chandal (los famosos bro, bro conocidos como la Mafia deportista en la serie de Disney) y también aparece Madame Mask. También el perro-pizza de la serie. La historia de este cómic en sí no me gustó tanto y la dinámica de Kate y Barton es aceptable.
El arte me parece adecuado, le da buen tono a la historia, simple, directo como lo que se cuenta. Te reduce a los eventos y al crimen. Pero desde luego no es de mis favoritos
September 3, 2013
There's a ton of good buzz surrounding Matt Fraction's Hawkeye. It's deserved. The stories are fun, light on continuity, and filled with great dialog and action. The art is almost deceptively simple, but thankfully crystal clear. I never wondered what was going on in any particular panel. And the covers are fabulous, unique and boldly graphic. Clint Barton himself is a fantastic character, rough around the edges but with a fundamentally good heart. Kate Bishop, the other Hawkeye, makes for a great counterpart for him when she's on the page. A seriously great book, and the best thing I've read from the mainstream Marvel universe in years.
March 11, 2021
I really enjoy the MCU. I own and have seen all of the movies, most of them multiple times, but I haven't really gotten into much beyond that. By which I mean, obviously, the comics or graphic novels, and more recently, all of the spin-off shows. I watched a season plus a bit of Jessica Jones, and the first episode of WandaVision, but that was really about it. But then my friend asked if anyone would be willing to buddy up for these Hawkeye graphic novels, and as I really like Hawkeye (as played by the underrated and underutilized Jeremy Renner), I agreed.
OBVIOUSLY this is not going to be THAT Hawkeye, and I knew and was OK with that. I don't actually know what Hawkeye this was... but I liked him.
Mostly. I have one big -HUGE- criticism that comes at the end of this volume, which really bothered me quite a lot... but we'll get there.
First thing's first. This volume was comprised of a handful of smaller stories, and I don't know if it's how they were laid out (I read an e-version) or whether I'm just not really much of a e-graphic novel person, but it took me pretty much the whole thing to figure out the layout. I thought I was good after the first 2 or 3 (slow learner), but then at the end, I thought I was one short, because a cover image/title page appeared at the very end, leading me to think that there should be another story after. I even asked my friend, and he was like "Nah, you're just dumb" (probably) and then I went back to look again, and figured out that it apparently was just additional artwork, and that they had all had it, I just had failed to realize it.
That being said, now I know, and knowing is half the battle. Oh wait, wrong franchise. Anyway, there are three more volumes to read in this set, and now I know what to expect, so it'll likely go much more smoothly and Becky's Brain won't be like "Where more? What happen?" (Probably.)
I really liked the artwork. It wasn't overly stylized or sketchy (though I like that style). I am the type of graphic novel reader who really LOOKS at the artwork, even though I'm no artist, I just live with one. I couldn't tell you anything at all about the technique or skill involved, other than that the artist(s) clearly has and makes good use of both. I enjoyed the use of silhouette and shadow quite a lot, and the different focus/zoom "shots"... or is it panels? I don't know. I just read the things. It was almost always easy to tell what what going on, and added to the narrative story, as I think it should and is meant to. I didn't love the way that women were drawn, all boobs and butt, but you know, that's the world we live in.
I was surprised by how much I liked this more jaded/cynical Hawkeye. I myself am a jaded and cynical beast, but I find myself drawn to characters who are more earnest and vulnerable themselves. Not too much, but just... honestly open in ways that make me, in real life, VERY uncomfortable to show. I like MCU Hawkeye (or I guess Clint Barton) for that quality. He's a family man, and a loyal friend and caring person, and though he is... private? not super accessible? He doesn't hide those things about himself or seem to think that they make him weak, etc. He also doesn't treat those traits as anything other than just... who he is. He doesn't think that makes him some sort of hero or anything. He just has a skill, and uses it to help protect what he values. I really like that about him.
So... THIS Hawkeye was... darker. More sarcastic, jaded, harder. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't really what I was expecting. I did get a chuckle a couple times from his sort of internal monologue sarcasm, and I liked that quite a bit. I find that this is usually a trait of graphic novels that I enjoy, though my experiences with them are pretty limited, given how many are out there. I just usually really like the tone of the narrative. There's something about the shortness of it that just comes across as quippy, and it works for me.
OK, so... what I didn't like. The last two sections of this volume were The Tape parts 1 and 2, wherein a tape with incriminating and very problematic footage of Hawkeye was leaked, which would obviously damage the Avengers' reputation, so it needed to be recovered at all costs. And, I don't want to spoil anything here, but I will just say that what was depicted here was not at all hero behavior, and the entire plan was unnecessary, in that I think the end goal could have been accomplished in a much less deathcount heavy way. I was bothered by the plan, and the fact that it was sure to result in many henchmen deaths, because... I mean, henchmen are people too. Yes, they may work for a criminal, but probably most of them were hired as glorified security or gophers and are just doing a job. We don't know what socioeconomic situation they may have faced to find "Henchman" to be the job for them. Maybe they made mistakes and were arrested and then other avenues of legal work were closed off because of their record. Maybe the local crime boss is the only gig in town. We don't know... and should those people be expendable for a shitty plot to get back a tape that shouldn't exist in the first place?
To me, no. I realize that I am looking up from the bottom of a liberal rabbit hole here, defending the "lives" of badguys who only exist in ink on paper... but normalizing this kind of bodycount carnage for entertainment no longer appeals to me. I can't help but humanize them and wonder whether they signed up for this kind of thing. It's like Finn from Star Wars: The Force Awakens... He was literally raised to be a Stormtrooper. He knew nothing else... But is he not a person with worth and value and agency? He shows he is. These henchmen are no different.
There's a difference between fighting and knowing you'll have to kill for a worthy, unavoidable cause, or self-defense. But, this plan operated on what I would call false pretenses, and because of the unnecessary aspect of it, going through with it and killing anyway is just not OK to me. And then the handwavery explanation of everything was just... accepted without question, and that bothered me too.
So. Here we are. For the most part, I really liked this, but that end story just deflated me on this Hawkeye. My friend says that the next Volume addresses some of my issues, so I will likely continue. It's not like they are a huge investment of time, but I sure hope that someone calls him, and everyone in on this plan, out for their un-hero-like behavior. Don't make me stop this car!
OBVIOUSLY this is not going to be THAT Hawkeye, and I knew and was OK with that. I don't actually know what Hawkeye this was... but I liked him.
Mostly. I have one big -HUGE- criticism that comes at the end of this volume, which really bothered me quite a lot... but we'll get there.
First thing's first. This volume was comprised of a handful of smaller stories, and I don't know if it's how they were laid out (I read an e-version) or whether I'm just not really much of a e-graphic novel person, but it took me pretty much the whole thing to figure out the layout. I thought I was good after the first 2 or 3 (slow learner), but then at the end, I thought I was one short, because a cover image/title page appeared at the very end, leading me to think that there should be another story after. I even asked my friend, and he was like "Nah, you're just dumb" (probably) and then I went back to look again, and figured out that it apparently was just additional artwork, and that they had all had it, I just had failed to realize it.
That being said, now I know, and knowing is half the battle. Oh wait, wrong franchise. Anyway, there are three more volumes to read in this set, and now I know what to expect, so it'll likely go much more smoothly and Becky's Brain won't be like "Where more? What happen?" (Probably.)
I really liked the artwork. It wasn't overly stylized or sketchy (though I like that style). I am the type of graphic novel reader who really LOOKS at the artwork, even though I'm no artist, I just live with one. I couldn't tell you anything at all about the technique or skill involved, other than that the artist(s) clearly has and makes good use of both. I enjoyed the use of silhouette and shadow quite a lot, and the different focus/zoom "shots"... or is it panels? I don't know. I just read the things. It was almost always easy to tell what what going on, and added to the narrative story, as I think it should and is meant to. I didn't love the way that women were drawn, all boobs and butt, but you know, that's the world we live in.
I was surprised by how much I liked this more jaded/cynical Hawkeye. I myself am a jaded and cynical beast, but I find myself drawn to characters who are more earnest and vulnerable themselves. Not too much, but just... honestly open in ways that make me, in real life, VERY uncomfortable to show. I like MCU Hawkeye (or I guess Clint Barton) for that quality. He's a family man, and a loyal friend and caring person, and though he is... private? not super accessible? He doesn't hide those things about himself or seem to think that they make him weak, etc. He also doesn't treat those traits as anything other than just... who he is. He doesn't think that makes him some sort of hero or anything. He just has a skill, and uses it to help protect what he values. I really like that about him.
So... THIS Hawkeye was... darker. More sarcastic, jaded, harder. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't really what I was expecting. I did get a chuckle a couple times from his sort of internal monologue sarcasm, and I liked that quite a bit. I find that this is usually a trait of graphic novels that I enjoy, though my experiences with them are pretty limited, given how many are out there. I just usually really like the tone of the narrative. There's something about the shortness of it that just comes across as quippy, and it works for me.
OK, so... what I didn't like. The last two sections of this volume were The Tape parts 1 and 2, wherein a tape with incriminating and very problematic footage of Hawkeye was leaked, which would obviously damage the Avengers' reputation, so it needed to be recovered at all costs. And, I don't want to spoil anything here, but I will just say that what was depicted here was not at all hero behavior, and the entire plan was unnecessary, in that I think the end goal could have been accomplished in a much less deathcount heavy way. I was bothered by the plan, and the fact that it was sure to result in many henchmen deaths, because... I mean, henchmen are people too. Yes, they may work for a criminal, but probably most of them were hired as glorified security or gophers and are just doing a job. We don't know what socioeconomic situation they may have faced to find "Henchman" to be the job for them. Maybe they made mistakes and were arrested and then other avenues of legal work were closed off because of their record. Maybe the local crime boss is the only gig in town. We don't know... and should those people be expendable for a shitty plot to get back a tape that shouldn't exist in the first place?
To me, no. I realize that I am looking up from the bottom of a liberal rabbit hole here, defending the "lives" of badguys who only exist in ink on paper... but normalizing this kind of bodycount carnage for entertainment no longer appeals to me. I can't help but humanize them and wonder whether they signed up for this kind of thing. It's like Finn from Star Wars: The Force Awakens... He was literally raised to be a Stormtrooper. He knew nothing else... But is he not a person with worth and value and agency? He shows he is. These henchmen are no different.
There's a difference between fighting and knowing you'll have to kill for a worthy, unavoidable cause, or self-defense. But, this plan operated on what I would call false pretenses, and because of the unnecessary aspect of it, going through with it and killing anyway is just not OK to me. And then the handwavery explanation of everything was just... accepted without question, and that bothered me too.
So. Here we are. For the most part, I really liked this, but that end story just deflated me on this Hawkeye. My friend says that the next Volume addresses some of my issues, so I will likely continue. It's not like they are a huge investment of time, but I sure hope that someone calls him, and everyone in on this plan, out for their un-hero-like behavior. Don't make me stop this car!
November 9, 2023
6.8/10
From the get go, i knew that i will at least like this, based on the art alone. I did indeed find this to be a good read and not only because of the art.
Yes immediately you see nice art, panel layout and visual storytelling, but the writing is good too. Each issue starts in the middle of the action and then it builds up the story of how everything got to that point. I also liked that the first couple of issues are standalone stories. Not something common nowadays.
Now although as i said the execution is good, the plot of the issues were not anything mind-blowing. ( Which i prefer than a good idea that is poorly done ) You have your basic russian bad guys etc. Stuff we have seen before too many times. This graphic novel ends with an issue from Young Avengers presents. Unfortunately it had everything i didn't liked from that run. So the book definitely didn't end in a high note for me.
With more interesting plots this could easily be a 4 or even 5 star book.
From the get go, i knew that i will at least like this, based on the art alone. I did indeed find this to be a good read and not only because of the art.
Yes immediately you see nice art, panel layout and visual storytelling, but the writing is good too. Each issue starts in the middle of the action and then it builds up the story of how everything got to that point. I also liked that the first couple of issues are standalone stories. Not something common nowadays.
Now although as i said the execution is good, the plot of the issues were not anything mind-blowing. ( Which i prefer than a good idea that is poorly done ) You have your basic russian bad guys etc. Stuff we have seen before too many times. This graphic novel ends with an issue from Young Avengers presents. Unfortunately it had everything i didn't liked from that run. So the book definitely didn't end in a high note for me.
With more interesting plots this could easily be a 4 or even 5 star book.
January 20, 2019
Hey, somebody took a character I couldn't care less about and made a FANTASTIC comic based on him. Neat!
This has a very "Tom King character reinvention" feel to it. It's also got a lot of action and a lot of laughs.
This has a very "Tom King character reinvention" feel to it. It's also got a lot of action and a lot of laughs.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,713 reviews