Pick of the Week

September 5, 2012 – Hawkeye #2

What did the
iFanboy
community think?

827
Pulls
Avg Rating: 4.7
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 72.7%
 
Users who pulled this comic:
Story by Matt Fraction
Art by David Aja
Colors by Matt Hollingsworth
Letters by Chris Eliopoulos
Cover by David Aja

Size: 32 pages
Price: 2.99

Is it possible that this is the most beautiful comic book ever? From top to tails, this new Hawkeye series is a piece of museum quality pop art. The pages beg to be read over and over again, and the covers make all the comics surrounding it look positively remedial. This is a comic book for people who love comic books. If you happen to like Hawkeye, just as well.

In this second issue, the series makes good on the promise to bring Kate Bishop in to the equation. Kate, you may remember, was known as Hawkeye while adventuring with the Young Avengers. I wasn’t really relishing the prospect of her showing up, because loner Clint trying to find his place in the world when not Avengering was attractive to me. However, Kate was pretty all right in this. There’s a very intriguing personal dynamic going on with her and Clint. She’s just old enough to be considered young, but I think they’re trying to suggest that she is also “legal,” if you follow me. So if you were a character with questionable self control issues (such as Clint Barton), you might not listen to your better instincts in judging a situation with an attractive young woman for whom you have great respect. But Clint is older and wiser, aware of his bad decisions in the past, and when dealing with Kate, he throws that meatball out there, proclaiming “because I don’t want to sleep with you,” and then going to say some things that indicate that he does, at least a little. Now I don’t want this to turn into a will they/won’t they situation, but like I said, there’s that meatball, just sitting there. I guess we’ll wait and see if anyone nudges it.

There’s some other adventure and fighting and angry criminals and such in the issue, and it’s all well and good. Clint goes to the circus both run and attended by bad guys, and takes care of another of Swordsman’s pupils, of which Clint is one, obviously. I also like that these arrows are actually used as arrows. There are some outs, stating that people weren’t necessarily killed, but they were definitely bodily pierced by the arrows, and that just makes sense.

So did I mention that David Aja’s work in this book is simply beautiful? I mean, it’s maddeningly gorgeous. You know when people were talking about JH Williams’ work on Batwoman? This is as groundbreaking as that. To my taste, it’s better. Somehow, Aja gets away with packing pages full of panels, and they still breathe. He’s combining the grace of David Mazzucchelli, with a dash of Darwyn Cooke, and a bit of his own special magic on every page, and every page is better than the last. There’s a bit where they introduce Kate, and there are three not quite identical panels of her face. The middle panel is about her hero identity, and it’s uncolored. But it’s also done with the barest of brush marks, indicating shapes rather than just putting them on the page. He uses the technique a couple more times throughout the issue as well. He also makes Hawkeye look good, with Daneil Craig level denim and everything. So often in the history of comics, our great artists don’t seem to know what people are actually wearing and what looks good on people, but this is the artwork of a man who is hooked in to what is contemporary, but not showy. But the clothes take a big backseat to the strength of the characters’ acting. Body language and facial expressions are rendered with the slightest of touches, but perfectly communicated. These guys know who their Clint Barton is, in both words and presence. His bravado all but ends when he doesn’t have the bow in his hand or someone’s not shooting at him. I just love looking at these pages, and each glance only adds to my admiration. It’s not often that a cover that good looking is peeled back to reveal pages that actually go along with it, but this series has just that, and it shouldn’t feel as rare as it does.

Let’s talk about color. This book is wicked purple. So purple. We are living in a golden age of comic book coloring, where the best in the business have gotten over the myriad tricky possibilities of Photoshop color, and are now concentrating on making something that just looks really good. From Bettie Breitweiser to Jordie Bellaire to Matthew Wilson, and their coloring godfather Dave Stewart, comic book colors can have a style and have a point instead of just lens flairs. Matt Hollingsworth knows this, and he kept his palette beautifully subdued and simple. This book only has a touch more color than your average Parker book. It’s refreshing and compliments Aja’s style perfectly. They’re keeping it simple, and keeping it elegant, and it’s working perfectly.

Sure, it’s almost too cool for its own good, but like a rock band with a touch too much swagger, Hawkeye makes it work. I want to know what’s happening next. I want to come back next month, and most of all, I want to see more of this artwork. I realize that Aja probably can’t keep this up indefinitely, but I’m going to appreciate it while the appreciating is good. That it’s all happening to one of my most beloved superhero characters is but a bonus.

Josh Flanagan
They were hypnotized!
josh@ifanboy.com

Comments

  1. Sounds like this was a good one, bro. If it keeps up, I’m definitely thinking trade, bro.

  2. I couldn’t agree more that we’re in a golden age of colorists. There was a time when Dave Stewart was the only colorist I noticed or knew and the past few years I’ve had the hardest time choosing my favorite colorist of the year (I don’t know if some of this is a result of my being a more discerning reader and noticing the colorists more). Between Dean White’s work on Uncanny X-Force, Jordie Bellaire’s work on John Carter, and Hollingsworth’s work on Hawkeye (just to name a few), I anticipate this being another tough year making a decision.

  3. Great review Josh – completely agree with the Mazuchelli and Cooke parallels.

    Fraction gave some great insight into the process of the book on a Very recent Word Balloon podcast. Really made my re-read of the first issue much better.

  4. Another stunning all-round picture perfect issue, I really love Fractions Invincible Iron Man & luckily I have found a perfect Fraction replacement for when it ends.

    This is such a great book that just deserves to be re-read again & again, visually wonderful also from the mighty(& soon to be coming my current favourite artist) David Aja!

    PLEASE MARVEL DON’T CANCEL THIS AFTER 10 OR 12 ISSUES??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  5. I would like this book a lot more if it didn’t involve….Hawkeye. Characters who shoot arrows don’t do a whole lot for me. Does he use those ones with the big boxing gloves on the end? Those are awesome.

    Seriously, Aja art seems like a repeat of what he did on Iron Fist a few years back. Just great stuff.

  6. You got me. I’m going back and picking up issue 1 and this issue. Excited to crack it open!

  7. loved the first issue cant wait to read this

  8. David Aja could very well be our modern day Jim Steranko. His keen design sensibilities definitely elevates the comic book reading experience.

    Thanks Marvel for taking a chance on this new Fraction/Aja parade of goodness!

  9. I just read the issue and all I have to say is this: “Okay… this looks good.”

  10. My favorite panel is when Kate is talking in and there are multiple boxes to show how relative it is in time with Clint taking aim.

  11. Josh picked Haweye!? Wow… didn’t see that coming…

    Ok… seriously, this book looks amazing. And the creater team alone make this a must buy.

  12. Thanks for pointing me to a book I would not have otherwise read. I really enjoyed both 1 and 2, perhaps 1 even more than 2–loved how the dog was handled. I’m not a Hawkeye fan but who wouldn’t love work this great.

  13. Picked up #1 in the shop and did not like the art at all. But then again that’s whats wonderful about comics. There’s diffrent stuff for every one.

  14. Great review Josh! I’ve had a “wait and see” attitude towards this book (Fraction is hit or miss for me), but I did end up picking up the first issue since Josh and the iFanboys said it was pretty much a done-in-one and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I may pick this one up as well as long as it maintains.

    BTW- I love the phrase “Top to Tails.” Also the meatball metaphor makes me think of Lady and the Tramp, particularly because of the use of the word “nudge”
    😉

  15. Totally agree – showed my wife this book (she doesn’t read comics) and she thought the art was beautiful. I can’t imagine this book with any other artist!

  16. Bought this on the strength of Josh’s review & it is spectacular in every way. Went back to the LCS for #1 but they’d sold out of the 2nd printing (damn!). Haven’t felt this good about a new Marvel title since Waid’s DD run (which it is a worthy companion to). Can’t wait for more.

  17. Top review Josh, I loved this. The only thing I didn’t get – and maybe I missed something – is why Clint and Kate didn’t go to the party more prepared, with weapons. It’s not like he couldn’t have had a good guess at who he’d be facing.

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