REVIEW - Hawkeye #1

"You cowboy around with the Avengers some. Guys got, what, armour. 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 Palaeolithic era."

I've always liked Hawkeye, but I've never really enjoyed his standalone titles. I enjoy seeing him in the Avengers, or running around causing mischief in the Thunderbolts, but his individual series has always brought me nothing but disappointment. So when I heard Matt Fraction and David Aja were working on a new Hawkeye series, I was hopeful, but still sceptical. Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised; this unveiling issue is a solid introduction to a book that puts its focus on Clint Barton rather than his alter ego Hawkeye. What we get is a whole lot of gritty action and a display of Clint's pinpoint accuracy with a host of different weapons against regular schmucks. No Cap or Iron Man for him to compete with, just Clint kicking ass.

Fraction plays up Clint's genuine personality. He's rough around the edges but a good person at heart, a roguish gentleman. Hawkeye #1 forgoes the regular Avenger-level pressures, instead focusing on Clint's battle against a suspect landlord as he sticks up for the other tenants in his building. Fraction manages to take what's often been Hawkeye's shortcoming in the Avengers - the fact that he's got no super powers - and manages to use it to sculpt Clint into real Robin Hood. This debut issue rejoices in the fact that Clint is the everyman, and is able to take on the problems that are usually below the Avengers typical fare.

I did find that Fraction's dialog is a bit overdone at times, particularly when it comes to the shady landlords, whose over employment of the word "bro" is funny at first but quickly gets irritating (Fun Fact: "Bro" is used 35 times in the entire book).

Aja's art is a little Darwyn Cooke mixed with a touch of Sean Phillips assimilating together stunningly into something that becomes distinctly his. His action scenes are so fluid and fun, it's hard not to stop and stare for a while. It's in his depiction of New York City that Aja really shines. His work is so vivid and suggestive that you can practically feel warmth of the street radiate off the page and taste the smell of sweat and garbage. It's gorgeous subtle art work that effortlessly adds as much emotion to the book as Fraction's writing.

I wouldn't recommend this issue for those readers who are looking for super heroics action. This is not that at all, this is a character introduction and character study similar to Batman Begins. If you've ever read a Fraction book then you know he is about character first, then action. If you are okay with emotion and depth, with a little punching on the side then I highly recommend you pick up Hawkeye #1. You won't be disappointed.

5 broken ribs out of 5

-Nic Shaw