What has always made Matt Fraction’s take on Hawkeye so magical is how the story shifts from really funny to seriously emotional instantly. I have not always been a fan of Fraction’s work, but he has continuously brought his “A” game to this series. Issue #15 is no different, and has an ending that will make fans vibrate with anticipation over the next issue.
Hawkeye is in trouble. Real trouble. The kind where Russian mobsters in tracksuits are surrounding him with guns, and Hawkeye (aka Clint Barton) has no pants. Well, he does, but they’re around his ankles. Why? More on that later. The main problem is that Clint has these guns in his face, no arrows, and he’s not exactly brimming with super powers. How does one get out of such a predicament? Why, magic of course.
The trick in question is Barney Barton, Clint’s crossword-puzzle-obssessed, typically wayward, hard-hitting brother. Clint gets his tracksuit attackers to scream Barney’s name, and then the beat down is on. The suits are attacking Clint’s building for multiple reasons. The most pressing reason is the land developers, who are trying to force Clint out in order to build a mega-complex of some kind in the neighborhood. While various amounts of mob tactics have been used to get Clint out of the building, it turns out the easiest way was right in front of his enemies’ eye. Clint is technically a worker in the building, and it’s not actually owned by him.
That realization has led to Clint’s current circumstances. With his brother as his only ally, Clint sets about trying to rid the building of the tracksuits who are trying to kill him, his brother and the tenants. Fraction does what he does best here, he keeps the action high end, the humor flying and the stakes high. The investment in the story becomes such that you never see the ending coming. When it does, it’s a smack across the face – one that I won’t spoil, but I assure you is savage. How it all works out is very unclear. Fraction leaves things in such a way that the visuals tell a story that can’t possibly be real. Of the entire run of Hawkeye, this is probably one of the most powerful issues thus far.
Fraction has taken care of keeping Hawkeye’s writing something unique from the rest of comic books, and his art team is no less driven. David Aja’s work is without equal. I say this because it’s difficult to describe exactly what his style is. Sure, there are aspects of Silver Age books in what he does, as well as pop art and minimalist modern art. Still, that’s only a surface description, and it doesn’t’ relay how well he takes those images and makes them very specifically comic book art. It’s more than just great penciling – Aja’s whole approach is very different.
Helping to fully realize the composition are Matt Hollingsworth’s colors. He understands the visual style Aja is working with and applies the colors perfectly. As scenes change, so do the themes of the colors in the pages. It’s all subtle, but with great impact to the overall visuals.
Hawkeye doesn’t just entertain, it inspires. Fraction and Aja have raised the bar by completely rethinking the narrative and visuals in comics.
