Paperback, 136 pages
Published Oct. 4, 2013 by Marvel Comics.
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.
A lot of fun. Didn't know much about Hawkeye, but love the character in the movies. Read some reviews of this series and decided to check it out. Glad I did.
Probably the best Marvel graphic novel I've read in quite some time. Hawkeye seems more like an indie book than the product of the world's biggest comic company; the artwork is incredibly stylish and, for lack of a better term, hip. The irreverent tone is appealing as well, with Hawkeye--"the Avengers' Ringo"--presented as incredibly competent in his field of expertise, but also a bit of a screwup in other aspects of his life. This book is lots of fun.
Re-read after the Disney+ adaptation.
Better than I remembered it, the words, art, design and colours all work together perfectly. My only gripe was that some of the out of order storytelling verges on confusing, but that's one issue with one story. Overall this deserves its reputation and is indeed a good introduction to the medium.
Fantastic introduction to Hawkeye (both of them). I will follow the rest of this series with interest, good stories, well plotted, good drawing - good all round.
Hawkeye is one great superhero and he doesn’t have any superpowers. In fact most of my favourite superheroes don’t have superpowers (The Punisher, Batman) but unlike them, Hawkeye isn’t doing this for revenge. Most people know that there are two Hawkeye’s (Clint Barton and Kate Bishop) and Matt Fraction (the author) has an interesting approach to including both of them. This is more of a look into the personal lives of Hawkeye rather than a superhero adventure, highly recommend this and will be continuing this series.
When I was reading comics back in the 70s, I was never much of a Hawkeye fan. He always seemed to be the second most useless Avenger (I’m looking at you Pietro). Underpowered, sort of a screw up, he was really a proto-emo superhero years before that label had ever been used. So now I’m sort of amazed that I find myself enjoying a Hawkeye solo series.
The tagline says “this is what he does when he’s not being an Avenger”, and that’s a good summation of the book. The majority of this book is Clint Barton helping out folks in his neighborhood, or accidentally getting into various adventures in NYC. There’s also a short storyline with Hawkeye getting involved in international intrigue, but it’s more of a spy story, not a superhero story. The stories are gritty, in that Hawkeye gets hurt—he’s got no superpowers-- but not grim.
What …
When I was reading comics back in the 70s, I was never much of a Hawkeye fan. He always seemed to be the second most useless Avenger (I’m looking at you Pietro). Underpowered, sort of a screw up, he was really a proto-emo superhero years before that label had ever been used. So now I’m sort of amazed that I find myself enjoying a Hawkeye solo series.
The tagline says “this is what he does when he’s not being an Avenger”, and that’s a good summation of the book. The majority of this book is Clint Barton helping out folks in his neighborhood, or accidentally getting into various adventures in NYC. There’s also a short storyline with Hawkeye getting involved in international intrigue, but it’s more of a spy story, not a superhero story. The stories are gritty, in that Hawkeye gets hurt—he’s got no superpowers-- but not grim.
What about the character himself? Fraction’s Hawkeye is much as I remember him. He’s quippy, brash and bold. Sometimes he makes stupid choices, but he faces the consequences of those choices.
The art duties are split between David Aja & Javier Pulido. For my tastes, Aja’s work is the standout. Simple lines, framing that is primarily close or medium provide intimacy that these types of stories deserve. The coloring is muted, with palette choices that echo Hawkeye’s costume colors, even though he’s in street clothes for the entirety of this collection.
This is one of the best comics that I’ve read in years. I’m very much looking forward to reading volume 2.
Meh. Parts of this were really good, but in parts Hawkeye comes awfully close to becoming a villain again. No one wants to see that. It is an exemplary case of the heist-movie in comic-book form. I especially liked the way they handled the depiction of the frequently ridiculous comic-book specialty arrows.
