Hawkeye is back and this series is just a ton of fun! I’ve supported lots of solo Hawkeye books before and he has traditionally been a very serious character with the occasional wisecrack. The one time I sat out a Hawkeye book happened to be Matt Fraction’s run, and boy, did I miss out. That was some lightning in a bottle and the next couple of series just didn’t give me that vibe, so to be honest I was hesitant about this new series. I’m glad to report that this was a fun page turner and Matthew Rosenberg hit the mark with his take on Clint Barton.
First thing that hooked me with this book is the voice. Matthew Rosenberg absolutely nailed Clint’s voice — it was a perfect 10. Clint’s writing has just the right amount of character sprinkling in some sarcasm that would make Jeremy Renner want to say these lines — Disney+, take note! The way the thought process was presented was perfect for someone who is supposed to be an eagle eye shot. The way Clint analyzes people and situations does make me believe there is more depth to him. Of course there is a bit of an immature kid running around in there too, but it makes great reading. The use of the narration boxes was perfect and really took me back to the fun of when Mark Waid would use them on his run of the Flash.
The main cover was provided by Kim Jacinto and Tamra Bonvillain but the interior art is done by Otto Schmit. They are similar in style, but Otto really sells it with his take. At times it can be satirical, but it really sets in the feel and the voice of the book. There are guest stars in the issue and they are drawn just perfectly — a wee SPOILER but Winter Soldier, Falcon, and Night Nurse make an appearance in the issue. I like how the relationship between Bucky is still present from Rosenberg’s Tales of Suspense miniseries and just wait till you learn about Night Nurse’s role in the book. The great thing about the appearances is costumes are up to date, so this book feels fresh in the Marvel Universe.
So we’ve talked about the good guys, but what about the bad? The first one we see is Parker Robbins and it isn’t the fact that he is a villain that makes you hate him, it’s in how he plays the system. So that was handled nicely to put you in the same frame of mind as Clint was in. Plus, again, this really ties in nicely with modern Marvel as Wilson Fisk is the Mayor of NY. The second villain and the main mystery is Ronin…just who is it? The only thing we can rule out for sure is that it isn’t Clint, and that helps to get the other heroes off his back. I love that we don’t know squat about this current Ronin so the guessing game does make it fun to ponder until the next issue. Otto does a great job with the choreography of the fight between Clint, Bucky, Falcon, and Ronin which ends on a comical note.
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