Hawkeye #1 *Spoilers*

[NinjaMic]

Nah, you're condescending remarks are allowed, too. So are mine.

That's cool.

Though I wouldn't go out of my way to point my nose upward and patronize people who don't understand the sheer brilliance of this masterpiece just because of something so pedestrian as, say, a difference of opinion.



But thats just me

[GokaiRed]

To anyone who dismisses positive comments as the result of people already prone to love this sort of book, let me tell you. I had very little faith that this was going to be good, based primarily on the fact that it was written by someone whose work I had never connected with. His X-Men and... a certain event that we don't need to bring up... just were not for me at all. I didn't have high expectations for this.

Imagine my surprise when it was actually very well done. Full of clever dialogue, meaningful character work, dripping with urban culture, and a real sense of fun amidst all the grit. Don't give a damn about his costume only showing up for a page or two, or that he's not having apocalyptic battles over a devastated landscape, as long as the book delivers storytelling on this level, with this fantastic artwork. Just an absolute pleasure to read.

Issue #2 can't come out fast enough.

[tigerkaya]

Eh, I can see where she got the Nice Guys Finish Last idea.

SPOILERS BELOW:

That said, I'm still very much unsure whether I'll have a long-term future with this title. You think they'd have learned from the last Hawkeye series, but apparently not. There's literally one page with Hawkeye with a bow and arrow, and that's the first one. Seriously, he's the avenging archer, not Bullseye or someone. Use a damn bow and arrow, not playing cards and coins (though at least there were no guns, so thank goodness for small favors). Not to mention never being in costume (not even that horrible Ultimates/movie costume, much less the real Hawkeye costume), which was one of the main (editorially mandated) failures of the last Hawkeye series.

Still, I don't know that Fraction really got his personality. Yeah, he's a bit dick-ish, but I don't see Hawkeye as whining about not having powers all the time. He's cocky enough that he knows he's the equal of Thor and Cap and Co. despite not having powers. That's the entire point of the character. He's faced down Elders of the Universe on his own, why is he running away from a couple of two-bit hoods with guns? That scene made no sense. He sees the two guys pulls guns, so he runs for cover 30 yards away, even though from the art it sure looked like he was far closer to them, i.e. it would have been far more effective to go toward them. Then, the dog attacks and even though he's now farther away than he was when he started, he decides to turn around and lays out the two guys. I just don't see Hawkeye running away there in the first place.

It was solid enough (no guns or idiotic ninja shit) that I'll come back for issue two, but if Hawkeye's never in costume or using a bow and arrow, I'm not going to stick around that long.

Unfortunate, than again I'm not surprise this story from the preview reminds me of Kick Ass and I hate that crap. Looking forward to this title being cancelled if its penned by that indie writer Fraction. He should of stayed in writing Casanova.

[MagSeven]

Am I the only one that was a bit bored with this comic? There was too much words in every panel. The panels couldn't breathe. Maybe it's just me I don't know. I reviewed it over at the link in my signature. Meh.

What the hell does that even mean?

[MagSeven]

I see people mention they had trouble with the non linear story telling and I... I just don't know what to say to that. It was expertly done, and thus, very easy to follow. Anyone who had trouble with that, I feel sorry for you, because you missed some expert craft at work.

And man, who are these people that don't like Aja?! I guess it isn't Marvel's usual over rendered, shiny coloring stuff, but this was brilliant cartooning. The body language Aja uses and makes look easy was just... again, some master-class level stuff.

I agree. The non-linear bit didn't really phase me on my first read. The only nitpick I have is that on the rooftop party the old lady had a dog named Mitzi that appeared to be the same breed as Arrow. I thought Arrow was Mitzi for a bit before he was named. It looked for a second like the story was going to cover a year of Clint's life. But when Arrow got his name it cleared up for me pretty quickly.

[whiteshark]

My LCS still did not had a copy of Hawkeye#1.
A comic book i was looking forward much because of the creative team and this series featuring Hawkeye.

I could always buy a digital copy of it,but i prefer to read it in print whenever my LCS recieves this comic book.

[Walsh06]

Meh. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. Certainly not deserving of a 4.5/5 star rating as far as I'm concerned. But based on the raging hard-on people seem to have about this creative team, I suspected that even if this debut were a complete turd it still would have gotten rave reviews.

PROS
-I really liked the gritty realism of the narrative. I liked that Clint doesn't always use full sentences, for example.
-We get into Clint Barton's head and get to see him as a real person who is not with the Avengers

CONS
-Like others have mentioned, it jumped around the story's timeline so much that it was really jarring (and not necessarily in a good way)
-In spite of the fact that we are getting a glimpse into Clint's head, I didn't really feel like there were any story-telling elements that distinctly made this a Hawkeye story. I feel like it could just as easily have been Daredevil or Punisher or any other street-level hero. In this way, I thought it was a touch generic. As someone who doesn't know very much about Hawkeye, therefore, it didn't do very much to pull me into the character
-I am a HUGE dog-lover and I felt like the subplot with the dog was emotionally manipulative.
-I didn't like the art. Not. At. All.

I would give this book maybe 3/5 stars. I will try the first arc and see how it goes from there.

I think its funny that your cons are pros for me, well three anyway. The timeskips I loved. I always love non linear story telling and it was easy enough to understand and the transitions were great. I also liked how personal and down to earth it was with Clint. And the dog was just awesome. Im hoping he becomes a permanent character. Just to make it clear Im not disputing your feelings on the book. Im just saying its funny how people can think the exact opposite of each other.

[katie_girl09]

And man, who are these people that don't like Aja?! I guess it isn't Marvel's usual over rendered, shiny coloring stuff, but this was brilliant cartooning. The body language Aja uses and makes look easy was just... again, some master-class level stuff.

That's your opinion. Not everyone has to agree with you about what constitutes "master-class" art.

[katie_girl09]

I think its funny that your cons are pros for me, well three anyway. The timeskips I loved. I always love non linear story telling and it was easy enough to understand and the transitions were great. I also liked how personal and down to earth it was with Clint. And the dog was just awesome. Im hoping he becomes a permanent character. Just to make it clear Im not disputing your feelings on the book. Im just saying its funny how people can think the exact opposite of each other.

That's fair. You know what they say about opinions. ;)

[Leocomix]

Fraction and Aja do their best 80s Miller-Mazzuchelli impression trying to write an urban crime fiction piece. Purposefully, the character isn't in costume. I guess that's what enticed Aja and I'm sure we can get something good but we need an overarching story, and probably a villain. And Aja should try bigger panels, maybe put his small panels inside a large one (like Steranko in Outland)

[nosocialize100]

...sigh...

I didn't say there was too much to read. Far from it. What I'm saying is Aja's art couldn't breathe. I said as much if you quoted more of what I said. You're like some kind of news station, mocking my words but not giving the full quote!

[Jake Fury]

Not a bad first issue, but why is Aja's art so different from this than it was on Iron Fist? Without prior knowledge I would have thought it was 2 different artists.

[motteditor]

The only nitpick I have is that on the rooftop party the old lady had a dog named Mitzi that appeared to be the same breed as Arrow. I thought Arrow was Mitzi for a bit before he was named. It looked for a second like the story was going to cover a year of Clint's life. But when Arrow got his name it cleared up for me pretty quickly.

I was curious if the dog was named for the character in the book "Tell me a Mitzi." With the portrayal of New York Fraction was creating, it definitely made me think of that childhood memory, which I haven't thought of in decades. Of course, I can't remember if that book's set in Brooklyn, or if it's just my recollection that way because that's where my grandparents lived.

[aNamored]

Well, Casanova is about as far from reality as you can get and it's not at all a mean spirited book, really. I can't believe you don't like the art... well, I can, as a Marvel fan I guess that makes sense(maybe?) but Gabriel Ba' is a crazy great illustrator. That book is comics at its best.

I see your points, but I hated Casanova and his sister, perhaps that is the point. Ba's style is just not my taste: a little too crude independent art style for me. I am glad you and so many others enjoy so it much and I'm glad Matt did it so he could be at Marvel and write books that I really enjoy. Difference of opinion is good :)

I was a bit lost reading Hawkeye #1 too, but I thought that was due to my not being familiar with the character. I didn't mind. If I pick up the trade used, I am sure a lot more will make sense.

[Goldgeller]

I don't know Hawkeye well, but I really enjoyed the issue. I read Fraction/Aja's Iron Fist not knowing anything about Iron Fist and I thought Iron Fist was an amazing book. I don't think Hawkeye was as good, but I'll definitely read more! Very good.