| Title | : | Hawkeye, Volume 2: Little Hits |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0785165630 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780785165637 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 136 |
| Publication | : | First published July 10, 2013 |
| Awards | : | Harvey Awards Best Single Issue or Story (for Hawkeye #11: "Pizza is My Business") AND nominated for Best Writer (for Matt Fraction), Best Artist (for David Aja), Best Colorist (for Matt Hollingsworth), Best Continuing or Limited Series (2014), Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Cover Artist (for David Aja) & Best Single Issue (or One-Shot) (for Hawkeye #11: "Pizza is My Business") AND nominated for Best Continuing Series, Best Writer (for Matt Fraction) & Best Coloring (for Matt Hollingsworth) (2014) |
Collects Hawkeye (2012) #6–11.
Hawkeye, Volume 2: Little Hits Reviews
-
Bro.
Bro.
Seriously, bro.
You gotta read this, bro.
Even if you read it before, bro.
Read it again, bro.
Bro.
Bro.
Seriously. Seriously.
Bro. -
Despite being an Avenger, Clint Barton is a really just a regular guy who kills time during a slow night at their headquarters by playing cards with other superheroes. It doesn’t seem to occur to him that hanging out with his ex-wife, his current girlfriend, and an old flame at the same time might not be a great idea. It’s also an especially awkward scene when a beautiful woman that he recently slept with shows up at the door begging for help because she’s wanted for murder. And yet Clint wonders why his personal life is such a mess….
This second Hawkeye collection builds on what was established in the first one, and it adds more fantastic layers to both Clint and what he gets up to when he’s not running around with the Avengers. The first story is a self-contained gem set during Hurricane Sandy in which Clint helps one of his neighbors get his elderly father evacuated from his beachside home and Kate (The other Hawkeye. Yeah, there’s two of ‘em. Just go with it.) tries to get some medication for an ailing woman during the storm. Not only was this a fantastic nod towards the rescue workers and citizens who helped each other out, it’s a nice reminder that you don’t have to save the world to be a hero.
Things take a darker turn in the rest of collection which see Clint taking some time off over the holidays to try and get his life together and recover from the constant beatings he takes as an Avenger. However, his involvement with the woman on the run brings him more trouble with the gang of track suited bros that he tangled with before, and his interference with the local criminals gets a bounty put on his head. Plus, every woman he knows is furious at him for potentially embarrassing the Avengers by helping a wanted criminal that he slept with. It’s refreshing that Fraction has written Barton as being kind of a irresponsible dumb-ass in a lot of ways, and while he rightly gets called out on it, he’s still very much a likeable character.
I flat out loved the interactions with the other Avengers that feel like behind the scenes glimpses of the superhero life. There’s lots of little touches like Wolverine and Spider-Man discussing a TV show as the bad guys from their latest fight are being hauled away by SHIELD, and Clint yells at them not to spoil it for him. Clint calls Tony Stark for help when he can’t figure out how to set up his TV. When his ex-wife Mockingbird comes over to get the divorce papers signed, she ends up beating up some thugs who are watching Clint’s building. All of this plays out like it’s just another day in the life of the Marvel Universe.
And of course the collection ends with the issue that comic fans are buzzing about, the adventure of Lucky a/k/a Pizza Dog. The idea of telling an entire story from the perspective of Hawkeye’s dog could have just been a gimmick with its clever use of pictograms to represent the smells that Lucky experiences, but it’s actually surprisingly touching.
Believe the hype. Read Hawkeye. -
Hawkeye is the least powerful member of the Avengers. This is his life when he's not avenging.
6 - Hawkeye takes a few days off work for Christmas. Shit goes down with the Russians.
Hawkeye trying to hook up his DVD player was pretty awesome. The ethical dilemma he wrestles with promises to have future consequences. I can't get over how well the art fits the story and how much Matt Fraction makes me care about Hawkeye and the supporting cast. Bro.
7 - With a hurricane on its way, Clint helps a neighbor tend to his elderly father and Kate goes to a wedding in New Jersey.
Another slice of life tale. The Clint and Grills thread was touching and Kate's side of things painted New Jersey in a favorable light for once. I love that Grills called Clint Hawkguy and Kate gets called Lady Hawkman.
8 - Cherry walks back into Clint's life and she's in trouble again...
The thing that really appeals to me about Hawkeye is that while he's the world's greatest marksman, he's still a regular dude whose brain turns to mush when a beautiful woman shows up.
I can't say enough about David Aja's art being perfect for this series.
9 - Some of Hawkeye's female Avenger friends give him a talking to because of Cherry. Meanwhile, some crime heavies want Hawkeye dead.
It seems that every woman Hawkeye knows is pissed at him for one reason or another. Didn't I say he was relatable? The last page was a jaw dropper.
I haven't mentioned Matt Hollisworth's coloring job on this but it is perfect for the art style and tone of the series.
10 - While Clint mopes around, the assassin gunning for him cozies up to Kate.
That was futzing tense at the end. Next issue is going to be a blowout for sure. This issue nicely illustrates how Kate and Clint are just as human as the rest of us.
11 - Pizza dog tracks down a killer! And some stuff happens with Kate and Clint.
It sure looked like Kate walked out on Clint and took Pizza dog with her. By the by, the entire issue was told from the dog's point of view and it was pretty spectacular.
Closing Thoughts: Another futzing volume down already? Grumble, grumble. I think Hawkeye appeals to me so much because it is a throwback to the early days of Marvel. Marvel heroes were the heroes with ordinary problems, something I think they lose sight of in these days of endless deaths and resurrections and big honkin' crossovers. 5 out of 5 stars. -
I gave
Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon (Hawkeye 5 stars, so what am I supposed to do now that I've read Little Hits, and it's even better?
Fraction is doing the impossible with this title.
With all the jumping around this volume does, I should hate it. Really. I'm not known for my tolerance of the confusing or trippy. If I have to go back and re-read pages because something didn't add up, I normally get pissed off.
You can sort of compare me to one of those giant dinosaurs with the itty bitty brains.
I just don't have the computing power necessary to do much more than lazily graze on shoots and leaves.
Also, I tend to roar...and sometimes stomp on scientists when I don't like something.
So there's no way I should like Hawkeye's title. At all. It's a crazy mess! Everything is happening backwards, sideways, and inside out. It's not a linear story, so I was flipping back and forth the entire time to check out when parts of the story were happening.
It was SO awesome!
And to end the volume with an issue written entirely from a dog's perspective?
What the fuck brand of crazy are you trying to sell me, Mr. Fraction?!
Gah!
And why am I LOVING every minute of it?!
I don't understand why this is the best comic I've read all year...but it is. -
“I wonder If Anybody’s Ever Been Fired from the Avengers Before”
In this second volume, Clint Barton aka Hawkeye struggles with personal and professional/super-heroic issues that don’t differ all that much from those he experienced in the first volume, yet the storytelling felt less organic to me this time around. Tone, style and even content change rapidly from one page to the next in places, partly as a result of fill-in artwork. I also didn't find this second volume as funny as the first one, and so I eventually found myself wondering: Why does everybody love Clint Barton so much? Could the success of the series have more to do with its updated hero concept than with anything else?
Let’s see, Clint Barton gets pushed around and exploited a lot (“I need your help again.”), lacks “job” security (“I wonder if anybody’s ever been fired from the Avengers before.”), lives in a dinky apartment (“Who still has an answering machine?”), likes to watch TV (“Gaah spoilers spoilers shut up. I got the whole season on this DVR at home.”), has no interest in political economy (“I don’t know anything about Wall Street.”) and generally lives what he refers to as a “car-crash life.” It's a scenario, in short, that probably does not feel all that far-fetched to many young people these days.
And yet Clint Barton is clearly awesome, isn’t he? He’s athletic, handsome, funny, charming, fights crime, rescues a dog, does good in the community, and beautiful women fall for him left and right (even if he is unaware of it and “the thought of a serious relationship makes [him] nervous”). When it comes to problems, humor takes the edge off, and we are given no reason to believe that the world of Wall Street Clint Barton knows nothing about could have anything to do with them. In fact, the only people who shout “We! Are! The ninety-nine percent!” in this book are terrorists. And fear not, true believer, the Avengers and a reliable police force quickly arrest those troublemakers: “No you aren’t. Shut up. Gahhd.”
Bottom line: Hawkeye's hero concept is designed as wish-fulfillment personified for increasingly marginalized young North Americans who already grew up in a largely corporate-controlled environment that promotes commercial culture over political awareness, and whose suicide rates have increased four- to five-fold since the 1960s. To troubled young men in particular, the series sends the reassuring, apathy-inducing message: You may hold very little political and economic power, but don’t you worry your little heads about that—you can still be “real men.” Just, you know, learn to roll with the punches, put on a few tough-looking band aids, be a good sport, develop a pacifying sense of gallows humor, keep watching TV, and for God's sake don't even think about rocking the boat! You'll see, everybody will love you for it: It's the new brand of masculinity!
Anyway, that's my attempt to make sense of the Hawkeye phenomenon, and you’ve probably gathered from the previous paragraphs that I’m not a fan. I realize not many (none?) of you share my ideological concerns, but I think they are a big part of what has prevented me from enjoying the series as much as everybody else.
PS: I did enjoy this volume’s final issue which is narrated from the perspective of a dog and manages to be both sweet and a little artsy. -
#TeamPizzaDog
-
Hawkeye is an amazing comic, pure and simple. It might be THE Marvel comic to be reading at the moment over other current greats like Mark Waid’s Daredevil, Jason Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men, and Brian Michael Bendis’ All-New X-Men. And it’s about Hawkeye of all characters – Hawkeye!
Well, it’s about 2 Hawkeyes actually, Clint Barton and Kate Bishop. Both are kinda human car crashes. Clint can’t seem to get his life together, has all sortsa women troubles (including his protégé, Kate), as well as self-confidence issues, while Kate is a headstrong young woman trying to find her own identity despite also being called Hawkeye and wielding a bow and arrows in her team the Young Avengers. And it’s also about Pizza Dog aka Lucky – but more on him later.
The structure of the series is episodic so nearly every issue is self-contained like a sitcom and might be why the book is called Little Hits. However things happen towards the end of this book that splits the story from New York to California, and one of the new characters gets iced by a clown killer, so longer plot threads do emerge and take shape. Also – and this is to the comics’ credit - the stories tend to have very little resembling usual Marvel superhero comics.
Issue #7 for example is set during Hurricane Sandy, the natural disaster that laid waste to America’s East Coast last year, as Hawkeye helps his buddy Grills out at his elderly father’s place in Queens, preparing for the flood. Meanwhile Kate does the only real superhero-ing by setting out in the midst of the storm to get medicine from a nearby pharmacy only to see it being looted. A failed confrontation later and ordinary people show up to help Kate and stop the thieves in an excellent scene showing the camaraderie and decentness that is brought out in people when faced with epic disasters.
Without going into why I loved every single issue in the book, I’ll just say that there’s a great scene where Clint gets Tony to try and hook up his VCR in his new flat (yup, Clint still uses a VCR) and there are more shenanigans with the Russian tracksuit wearing toughs who use the word “Bro” like audible punctuation. But one issue towers above the rest and MUST be talked about – I’m talking about the Pizza Dog issue, #11.
This is the issue told from the perspective of Lucky, the dog eating pizza in the first issue in this series, who is saved by Clint from abusive owners, the Russian track suit bros. As this is the dog’s perspective, there is almost no dialogue, except for the occasional word that Lucky understands like pizza, Hawkeye, and Good Boy (which is followed by the best panel ever). Dialogue and actions are interpreted through symbols in an attempt to show how dogs think through images, smells, sounds, and we see a day in the life of Pizza Dog. It too is a self-contained comic with some scenes in it that at first appear cryptic but that are explained in later issues – I know this because I’ve gotten to the point now where I can’t wait for the trade paperbacks, I’ve got to buy the single issues as soon as they come out. Yes, it’s that good.
It’s artist David Aja that makes the Pizza Dog issue work so well. In fact, every issue Aja has done has been gobsmackingly gorgeous, unlike anything that you would expect in a Hawkeye book. Aided by colourist Matt Hollingsworth who brings a minimalist colour palette to the pages and you’ve got among the best art in a mainstream superhero comic ever seen. Aja deservedly won an Eisner this year for his work on this series and the Pizza Dog issue might well wind up winning best single issue at next year’s Eisners – it’s certainly got my vote.
And of course Matt Fraction – what else is there to say about this guy, except Hawkeye is his unexpected masterpiece. I’m not the world’s biggest Fraction fan but after his work on this and Fantastic Four/FF, I’m all about this guy’s work now.
Who knew that what a superhero does when he’s not being a superhero could be more interesting than when he is? Fraction, Aja, and Hollingsworth did that’s who. Hawkeye x 2 + Pizza Dog = this book rules. Little hits, BIG payoff. -
I felt the first volume in this story was better. This was okay. There is a lot going on and I wasn’t entirely sure about some of the plot points. Hawkeye is having some girl trouble and it appears that he is dating multiple women. There’s that.
Clint is also having trouble with his apartment building he owns and these Russian (I think) mob guys that say mostly bro that want to take the building and they gang up on Clint. It seems a bit silly, but it’s alright. Also, Clint is looking really rough after he is beat on several times.
Kate Bishop is in the story and she is a fun character. I thought it was an okay story overall and I’ll keep going with it for now. I think this will lead into Kate Bishops own story run and I want to know these stories before the Disney + show hits the screen. -
Wow its been a year since I read this lol but I didn't like it at first but on the second reread it was quite fun seeing Clint and his messed up life and its like switching back between dates it might seem a bit frustrating but I guess its the charm of it of how Clint helps people and then the mess he gets stuck in once he helped that girl and well his ex's coming to save the day sorts of, its fun with repetitive dialogue and over-exaggeration like Nat calling the woman her full name every time which was weird but oh well haha! The story with Lucky the dog was cute too! So yeah definitely read it!
-
2.5 stars
Yeah, I dunno.
Not too much to say really, just a few points:
- As long as David Aja is doing the art it's awesome. Every other guest artist they get on this title? Sucks.
- Kate Bishop is kind of a bitch.
- I'm sorry, but Clint Barton is not that stupid, or that much of a loser. Next thing you know they'll try convincing us Kyle Rayner is really Green Lantern or something.
- Not jazzed to continue this series really. Too bad. -
Bullet Review:
This was just so much fun and so clever. Great characters, great story, excellent art style and layout (I love the issue from the dog's POV), and in general fabulous.
I'm not sure what I was thinking before about not following this series. The episodic (kinda) nature of the series is its saving grace. -
As great as Matt Fraction’s work on Hawkeye has been so far, I can’t help but feel this was all a part of a plan to have the character’s name changed to “Hawkguy”, which I’m 100% in support of.
Oh, and to also introduce Pizza Dog as the next Avenger.
At the urging of Spider-man and Wolverine, Clint Barton (a.k.a Hawkeye/Hawkguy) decides to take some time to himself over the holidays to repair his battle-damaged personal life. Unfortunately, when you’re an Avenger, time off is more of an abstract concept than a real option. It isn’t long before he’s tangled up with a gun-toting, tracksuit-wearing mob with a penchant for using the word “bro”.
While Fraction has been doing some excellent work with Marvel’s often overlooked Avenger, I feel the real star here is David Aja. Aja’s work isn’t flashy, it’s not over the top, it’s almost minimalist in a way. He’s not trying to wow audiences with loud colours or inventive two page spreads; he’s dialing it back to a point where it’s refreshing. Now, if I could only get my hands on some prints..
Little Hits is another strong entry into Fraction’s acclaimed Hawkeye series. If you haven’t been reading this, you’re missing out.
Also posted @
Every Read Thing. -
Are all women this scary? I mean, I know that Barton has it coming, but women are SCARY!
I'm really enjoying the shiny jumpsuit guys. The even say 'bro to the women. That kind of dumbness just screams out, "Kick Me!" Thankfully, all the women have it under control.
Barton has a good heart. Too bad his head is kinda soggy and slagged.
Here come the clowns! -
3.5 stars, because how fun this series is. Review to come. Don't hold your breath, though.
-
Okay before we begin both Kate and Clint are wrong about the best Bruce in rock and roll is... it’s Bruce Dickinson! Okay, now that I’ve said that, it’s time for the review.
What’s it about?
Just like volume 1, this is a collection of various short Hawkeye stories.
Pros:
Most of the stories are pretty good, fun stories.
I really like the art style. It’s not detailed at all but it’s fun, it looks good and really works for this book!
Kate is still a great character in this volume!
This is not a predictable story which is good. I often complain that Marvel and DC stories are predictable but note that there are exceptions, this is one of those exceptions!
There’s lots of great humor in this volume, I was laughing a lot throughout. I especially loved the Hawkguy jokes!
There’s some great action scenes in this volume.
DOGS! Lots of stuff about dogs! There’s even an entire issue about Clint’s dog. Can we get a whole Marvel Dogs series? I’d read that for sure. Anyways, the dog stuff makes this perfect for reading while cuddled up to a little puppy (or fully grown dog that you call a puppy, I often call my dog a puppy but she’s actually considered slightly old for a dog).
Cons:
The first couple of stories were not good at all. I was actually disliking this volume at first because of those stories.
The dialogue is so bad! The only issue that didn’t have bad dialogue was the dog one and most of the dialogue there was stuff like “ruff!” so that should tell you about it.
Remember when I said Kate is cool? Clint isn’t in this volume. He just gets sad and f***s up almost constantly. Very disappointing.
Overall:
Good volume but not as good as volume 1. This is a good series, I just have some problems. I absolutely love the humor, art and action as well as some other things but the dialogue needs work and I hope Clint is cooler in volume 3.
4/5 -
*More like 3.5 stars than 3.*
Reading this vol was like some kind of mad ballroom dance where you’re whisked away by your partner every time you inch closer towards the one spot in the corner of the room that you’ve been waiting all night to reach. That’s a bit of an oddly specific simile but so very accurate.
Despite the strong start this comic had, the non-chronological storytelling combined with the slow pacing in this vol made for a confusing and frustrating back and forth.
Still, I found Fraction’s writing to be somewhat amusing and all the “bro bro”ing of the tracksuit thugs made me laugh. David Aja’s art was not as good as his work on
Hawkeye, Volume 1: My Life as a Weapon, or perhaps the novelty of it and Hollingsworth’s minimalistic colouring style had worn off by the time I read this.
Issue #10 with its different artist and colorist stood out like a sore thumb. That’s not to say the style employed in it wasn’t nice, it was just that it looked so weird to have it randomly inserted in the middle of the vol and I’m not a fan of how abruptly the creative teams were switched out. I didn’t like it when they did that in vol 1 and I didn’t like it in this vol either.
Overall, the storyline was going somewhere but not nearly fast enough. I’m compelled to read the
Hawkeye, Volume 3: L.A. Woman just to see if what was hinted at actually comes to pass. -
First of all, Lucky the Pizza Dog rocks!
This is the first Marvel Now title I’ve read and if the rest are this good, I’m hooked. Hawkeye is a Marvel character that’s been around for a long time. He started off as a villain; joined the Avengers and undermined Captain America’s authority (often); due to feelings of inadequacy he became the giant man, Goliath; went back to the bow and arrow; was part of the West Coast Avengers, the Thunderbolts, the Great Lakes Avengers; became Ronin; and went back to the bow and arrow.
In this title, written by Matt Fraction and perfectly illustrated by David Aja, he’s a landlord, a mentor to a female Hawkeye, and a superhero seemingly out of his depth in dealing with everyday life. The latter is what makes this story work. The only misstep is the villain/assassin piece; it even has a different artist. It seems out of step with the rest of the volume. Otherwise this is a comic I could recommend to someone who doesn’t read comics. -
Another fun volume. I will say this one did seem to start being in love with its own quirky cuteness. Started to get slightly annoying.
-
This is just insanely good. If any superhero comic is a total package, it's this one. Great writing involving superheroes that act like heroes, talk like people, and have realistic but not overwhelming flaws? Check. Brilliant art that gives the characters expression and individuality? Check. Eye-catching colors that are subtle yet unique? Check. Covers that make this title pop on the shelf? Check, a thousand times check. Add in one of the most creative individual issues I've read in recent years, and this is close to perfection. It's worth reading for the Pizza Dog issue alone, but it would be a crying shame to read only one issue of Hawkeye. In all seriousness, I did not care a bit about Hawkeye as a character before I picked up the first trade, and now he might be one of my favorite mainstream(ish) heroes. Fantastic work, all around.
-
Of course I'm going to love Hawkguy. Who doesn't love Hawkguy?
I guess his Ex-Wife, Work Wife, Friend Girl, and Kate. And Grills really doesn't love Hawkguy.
Russian mobsters, a creepy-ass mime assassin, a flood... Only one man can save Hawkguy now.
That man is Pizza Dog. -
No entendí bien este volumen. Tanto que pareciera como que tiene las partes cortadas o no están completas. Se supone que seguimos a Darlene Penelope Wright, pelirroja que ha estado trayendo muchos problemas a Clint. Sin embargo, trae un poco la parte divertida.
Luego interviene un villano de nombre Kazi cuyo objetivo e historia actual no se sigue del todo. Lo único que me gustó realmente fue el número de San Valentín que tenía trabajo antes y durante. La aparición de Natasha, Spiderwoman y Monckbird me encantaron.
El último número tuvo una intención innovadora y tierna pero para mí no funcionó. En general no he llegado a entender este volumen y creo que la presentación ha sido defectuosa. -
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Matt Fraction’s “Hawkeye, Vol. 2: Little Hits” is a collection of issues #6-11 of Hawkeye comic book series. Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, is the best marksman on Earth and is one of the Avengers. However, when he is not on duty, his life is everything but heroic: Clint has girl issues, often gets into trouble and makes the worst decisions possible. Good news: Hawkeye’s talented but spoiled protégé Kate Bishop, Lucky the Pizza Dog and a mysterious redhead are back too! And, of course, what fun would it be without the tracksuit bros?
THUMBS UP:
1) Problems fixed!
I absolutely loved the first volume “Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon” (check out my review
here!); however, I thought that the timeline in issue #1 was a little bit hard to follow, and I wished that all the issues were drawn by a single artist. Guess what? Almost all the issues in “Hawkeye, Vol. 2: Little Hits” are illustrated by David Aja (my favorite, yay!). Moreover, issue #6 has a similar retrospective approach to that in issue #1, EXCEPT issue #6 has dates, so it is MUCH easier to trace back the original sequence of the events.
2) Continues to entertain and surprise.
The second volume is as action-packed and entertaining as the first one, plus background gaps slowly start filling in, previous events start connecting, and the bigger story emerges. My favorite part is the beginning of issue #6, when Hawkeye asks Tony Stark over to help untangle his TV equipment. The whole scene is not only hilarious and well done but also serves as a metaphor of Clint’s life. Finally, there is the whole issue told solely from Lucky the Pizza Dog’s perspective with only images, sounds and smells. And it’s not any story; Lucky solves a crime! How cool is THAT?
3) A peak behind the scenes.
Besides the usual extras (a page from the Aja’s sketchbook), “Hawkeye, Vol. 2: Little Hits” includes a step-by-step demonstration of how a page in the comic book is created (man, it’s even MORE work than I thought) AND a commentary from the color artist Matt Hollingsworth on his minimalistic approach.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) A Hurricane Sandy special.
Although issue #7 is nice and quite touching, it’s not extremely captivating. Or maybe I was just put off by Steve Lieber and Jesse Hamm’s illustrations, which are still good but fade in comparison to Aja’s artwork.
2) “He depresses me.”
As Kate Bishop accurately noted, watching Clint Barton is depressing. Don’t get me wrong, I still like Hawkeye a lot, but he is slowly turning into a hopeless looser. He just cannot get hold of his life and persistently keeps making terrible decisions to the point that everyone seems to be pissed at or disappointed in him.
VERDICT: 4 out of 5
“Hawkeye, Vol. 2: Little Hits” is as action-packed and entertaining as the first volume, and the issue from Lucky the Pizza Dog’s perspective is the coolest thing ever. However, Clint’s life is nothing short of a train wreck and it’s getting quite depressing to watch him. Let’s hope for the brighter tomorrow in the third volume! -
If you're not reading Hawkeye yet, you're doing comics wrong. You're missing out on one of the best comics currently being produced.
Matt Fraction is an odd writer, but when he is on form, he is superb, as he is here. His story scoots along nicely, telling scenes from different points of view and bouncing around in time to give a very unique perspective overall.
The art and colours from David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth are absolutely top notch. Minimalist but expressive, and gorgeous to behold. The help from Francesco Francavilla, Steve Lieber, Annie Wu, and Jesse Hamm is all welcome, and whilst none of them are Aja, they are all as good in their own ways. Aja is the star though, with his exceptional visuals bumping Hawkeye up from good to excellent.
Each issue is special, with the Hurricane issue being sweet, the issue focused on Clint's girlfriends being amusing, and The Clown's origin issue being horrific. This book may have a consistent tone, but it is not afraid to do something different every time. The standout issue for me personally is issue 11, told entirely from the perspective of Pizza Dog, which takes visual storytelling to a whole new level.
This is a brilliant book that you owe it to yourself to read. I'm sure this series will go down as a modern classic, so read it already! -
As the name of this collection says, it is a trade of one-offs and short arcs. The stories still work toward the overarching plot and it allowed regular series artist David Aja to take a break and catch-up on the schedule since the shorter stories employed guest artists like Steve Lieber, Francesco Francavilla and mock covers/pin-ups by Annie Wu.
The collection has several wonderful stories but none stand out like the Pizza Dog issue in number 11. Told almost of entirely from Lucky the dog's point of view, it's comic book storytelling that I haven't seen before. Fraction and Aja are pretty inventive on executing it. It's told thru a lot of iconography and blurred dialogue.
I've decided that I wanted this hardcover for my library but I did not hesitate in getting this trade paperback just so I could read issue 11. -
This second volume collects issues 6-11 of the new comic series, and to be honest it's a bit of a mixed bag.
The first story (issue 7) is probably the best of the lot as Hawkeye helps one of his tenants to evacuate his elderly father from Rockaway Beach during Hurricane Sandy. It's a great story, filled with moments of grief and loss and Grills (the tenant) father finds himself unable to let go following the death of his wife. Hawkeye plays something of a secondary role here - he's the hero here, but he is doing something that any ordinary person would do when faced with a disaster like Sandy. The second half of this story follows Kate, trapped in the same storm and faced with doing her own ordinary hero bit whilst wearing a totally unsuitable dress due to the wedding she was attending. It's a fun story, slightly let down by the artwork.
Story two (issue 6, here out of order for some reason) covers six days over Christmas for Hawkeye, where the possibility of danger from the various thugs and villains he has gone up against start to come home to roost, as he is kidnapped, beaten up and threatened with the deaths of everyone in the building if he does not run away. Needless to say, this does not go over well with Hawkeye, who starts standing outside the building with bow in hand. The format of this story is odd as it is not in chronological order, and I'm not sure that it works, though each section is dated so you can read it in order if you want to. There is an amusing cameo appearance by Tony Stark (Iron Man), who totally fails to untangle Hawkeye's Christmas tree lights.
Story three (issues 8 & 9)is a two-parter that sees the return of Hawkeye's bad news girlfriend from previous stories. Here she tries to enlist him in committing a crime against her ex-husband, who turns out to be connected to the thugs we met in the first story, and are now becoming a serious menace. There's a bit of back story where we get to see Hawkeye's previous, often disastrous relationships with other women. The villains decide to hire a hit man to take out Hawkeye, while the women in his life try to work out what is going on. It's a bit of a convoluted story with a rather nasty ending.
Story four (issue 10) introduces the hit man and tells his back story, and it's a bit of a mess. I disliked both the story and the art work for this one. The only good part is where Kate pulls Clint up on his bullshit and it seems that things are coming to a head.
Edit. Sometimes I can be a bit slow - I only just worked out that the psychopathic hitman is . This makes the story a little more understandable, but I still don't like the artwork. It's like someone said "oh look, we have a psychopath in the story, what else starts with psycho - oh, I know - psycadelic!" Grrr.
Story five (issue 11) is a bit of a weird one as it is told entirely in pictograms from the point of view of Hawkeye's dog. This one is entertaining and gets the story told well enough, but was a bit too "out there" for me. The Russian rent-a-thugs and the psychopathic hit man seem to be ensconced in the apartment of one of Hawkeye's neighbours and seem likely to be important in the next story, but this seems to be the end of the road for the dog as Kate takes him and leaves for California. I think it's going to be a long wait for the next story.
On the whole, not as good as the first volume but that Hurricane Sandy story earns this book 4 stars. -
Now THIS is why writer Matt Fraction is a genius, and this series is one of the most critically acclaimed Marvel comics in the last 6-7 years! This is how you do a character-centric solo series of an ages old superhero with literally hundreds and hundreds of backstories and histories, and still make it seem perfectly fresh, original and something brand new to a reader.
I've read the first volume couple of days ago, and while it was very entertaining with a distinctly different way of presenting a day-to-day normal life of an Avenger who regularly saves the world, I felt that the stories themselves were not that memorable or interesting. Some random occurrences here and there with Hawkeye trying to help people around him whenever he can in his downtime as the Avenger. They were all pretty fun and hilarious, but nothing exactly to gush about. Holy shit, was I mistaken!
Because in this second volume, Matt Fraction ingeniously brought all the apparent random situations that happened previously and combined the fallout for all those little things into One. Big. Blowout. Nothing was as random or as forgettable as I was initially thought and every little bits counts in the larger continuity of the series. Awesome!
Besides the great plot, the writing quality is simply OUTSTANDING and superbly intelligent, undoubtedly one of the best I've read in comicbook format. Plus the illustrations were just PERFECT and brilliantly clever in visualizing the lighthearted quirky tone of the book as well as paying intricate and precise attention to detail on focusing every particular (and unusual) bits of happenings going on in a frame, with a unique eye on presenting a supposed simple proceeding very differently and interestingly. Mindblowing stuff! I can't help but specifically mention that one of a kind story about Hawkeye's dog Lucky, where the plot (that plot was no filler or a simple joke either, it was the climax of the book) unfolds from the perspective of the dog... I can easily say it is the most unique and cleverly narrated-illustrated comic story I've ever read. No wonder that issue won an Eisner Award and a Harvey Award (most prestigious awards in comic industry) for 'Best Single Issue or Story'.
Over all, each story is like a half hour sitcom of a quirky-funny-laugh out loud hilarious TV show (like Seinfeld) starring the greatest marksman himself Clint Barton a.k.a Hawkeye of the Avengers, glimpsing in the everyday life of his when he's not with the Avengers saving the world, and (also like Seinfeld) all the scattered little incidents later come back in a big way. It is absolutely addictive. Great, now I can't stop wishing if there was a TV series based on this fantastic series! -
Wow, this is one of the more experimental comic runs I've ever read. In six issues, we get:
Issue 6: A "six days in the life of Clint" issue that is told out of linear order, featuring cameos of Tony Stark, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.
This collection was so intense, and so varied in its storytelling techniques, that as soon as I finished reading it, I felt compelled to immediately reread the entire trade paperback so I knew I caught everything -- meaning I read the entire thing through twice in one night. Highly recommended, but only after reading the first volume,
Issue 7: A one-shot issue of Clint and Kate separately helping others during Hurricane Sandy.
Issue 8: The return of Penny, interjected with femme fatale comic covers lampshading Penny's character.
Issue 9: The return of Penny, told through the lens of Clint's ex-wife Bobbi Morse/Mockingbord, work wife Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, and friend-girl Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman, and protege Kate Bishop/Hawkeye.
Issue 10: An issue that only peripherally features Clint, but flips between being an origin story of the Clown and a flirtation between the Clown with Kate, before an "I did not see that coming" climax.
Issue 11: An issue told entirely from the perspective of Hawkeye's dog Lucky, formerly known by the tracksuit vampires as Arrow.
Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon. -
Hawkeye has never been an Avenger who appealed to me in the comics. Compared to Super Spies, Super Soldiers, Asgardian Gods, raging Hulks and men in flying armour what kind of a character was he? But then I saw the movie version, saw the tv cartoon Avengers Assemble and saw the usefulness of a character with a bow and arrow.
Hawkeye grounds the team in reality. He's the normal guy with special skills. He doesn't have the strength or speed of Captain America, but he is even more in touch with the normal people of the city. And that is what this comic highlights, the ways in which Hawkeye is a hero by sacrificing for the people of the city, not because he has superhuman power.
So I definitely encourage reading this comic. It's beautiful in terms of the art, with a simple colour scheme across the pages but that works to highlight the story. Aside from that, I can say little else. -
Not as good as the first one. Just wanna punch Clint for hurting Jessica's feelings. I'm also starting to hate how he gets beat up constantly.
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Much the same awesomeness we got from the first volume. Was scratching my head all night last night trying to figure out why I didn't believe the hype behind this book. Figured it out, finally. It's because of Hawkeye. I just don't care about him. And even though this series is in the top 10 books of he last decade, I still don't care about him. I care about this series. Not just because it's Hawkeye though, but because it's Fraction. The man is so hit or miss with his books it's hard to take any hype behind him seriously. His Iron-Man and Punisher and Fear Itself and Casanova books and on and on are just so... so... blah that it was hard to get behind this. After reading it, though, my god, oh my god it's just too damn good.
This volume picks up where the last left off with the same intensity and verve. Aside from a seriously confusing issue with Francavilla on art where none of the scripting or paneling makes much sense, this is a damn fine follow-up to an amazing first volume.
Make sure to pay special attention to the gorgeous issue that is told entirely through the eyes of "Arrow/Pizza Dog".
Aja, I want to marry your artwork.
Writing: A
Art: B+
