by Lewis E. Ryan
Welcome back to ‘Marvel NOW… NOW!’, the series in which we take a look at how the Marvel universe’s rebranding is progressing. This time I’ll be looking at Matt Fraction’s personal take on wisecracking Avenger, Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye.
Firstly, Matt Fraction and David Aja are somewhat of a pre-proven powerhouse combo. Having already worked together on the well-received Immortal Iron First line, along with Ed Brubaker (one of my personal favourite writers), I was fairly confident about picking up the first trade of Hawkeye on their names alone. It’s times like this I want to pat myself on the back for being awesome at being right.
Welcome back to ‘Marvel NOW… NOW!’, the series in which we take a look at how the Marvel universe’s rebranding is progressing. This time I’ll be looking at Matt Fraction’s personal take on wisecracking Avenger, Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye.
Firstly, Matt Fraction and David Aja are somewhat of a pre-proven powerhouse combo. Having already worked together on the well-received Immortal Iron First line, along with Ed Brubaker (one of my personal favourite writers), I was fairly confident about picking up the first trade of Hawkeye on their names alone. It’s times like this I want to pat myself on the back for being awesome at being right.
Fraction’s take on the purple archer is, for lack of a better word, hilarious. He’s dry, self-deprecating, and constantly ballsing things up. The way that Fraction approaches this differently is to tell the story of his everyday life, away from Avengers Tower or whatever temporary headquarters they’re currently holed up in. He’s not taking down super-villains on an issue-by-issue basis; he’s getting his ass kicked by low-level Russian mob enforcers or carnies. It has a certain humanity that I personally find lacking in a lot of action-based Marvel comics currently.
Of course, this level of initial excellence simply isn’t enough for Fraction. When one Hawkeye is insufficient he takes it up a notch with the old spice-weasel. Bam! Ever heard of Kate Bishop? The third Hawkeye and one of the Young Avengers? Two Hawkeyes co-starring in one book; who could ask for more?
The interaction between the two provides fertile ground for comic relief with Barton acting surrogate big brother to Bishop’s self-assured protégé. Sitcom gold. There is immediately some obvious sexual tension which Fraction navigates easily using Barton’s floundering social ineptitude to highlight the creepy age difference, thus leaving you focusing less on whether they will or won’t and more on their developing professional partnership and friendship. The banter is akin to that of Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in The Professional (or Leon depending what country you saw it in) as Kate bails him out of more than one tight spot, poking fun at his personal shortcomings and just generally being an impressive hero in her own right.
Of course, this level of initial excellence simply isn’t enough for Fraction. When one Hawkeye is insufficient he takes it up a notch with the old spice-weasel. Bam! Ever heard of Kate Bishop? The third Hawkeye and one of the Young Avengers? Two Hawkeyes co-starring in one book; who could ask for more?
The interaction between the two provides fertile ground for comic relief with Barton acting surrogate big brother to Bishop’s self-assured protégé. Sitcom gold. There is immediately some obvious sexual tension which Fraction navigates easily using Barton’s floundering social ineptitude to highlight the creepy age difference, thus leaving you focusing less on whether they will or won’t and more on their developing professional partnership and friendship. The banter is akin to that of Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in The Professional (or Leon depending what country you saw it in) as Kate bails him out of more than one tight spot, poking fun at his personal shortcomings and just generally being an impressive hero in her own right.
David Aja and Javier Pulido (who takes care of a two-issue arc) provide great artwork. While they are two very different artists with individual trademarks, there is definitely a common thread that runs between their works; their style is simple and unglamorous which plays well with the story content. Being the right artist for a project isn’t always about being the most technically proficient. Sometimes it’s about matching the tone of a book. Sometimes it’s about standing out on the shelf as something a little different. This book achieves both. The cover art is simply gorgeous and looks unlike anything else Marvel are doing right now. That goes for the storytelling too. It isn’t exactly a groundbreaking idea to focus on the human element but it’s excellently executed here and unique in the current environment. This is my new favourite Marvel Now product.
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