| Title | : | Hawkeye, Volume 4: Rio Bravo |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0785185313 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780785185314 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 160 |
| Publication | : | First published August 11, 2015 |
| Awards | : | Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best Continuing Series (2015), Goodreads Choice Award Graphic Novels & Comics (2015) |
Collecting: Hawkeye #12-13, 15, 17, 19, 21-22
Hawkeye, Volume 4: Rio Bravo Reviews
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“Can you spare some change for an American down on his luck?”
Any writer who tosses in a quote from the film Treasure of the Sierra Madre and/or that classic Bugs Bunny cartoon about the cute penguin is okay in my book.
This is the culmination of Matt Fraction’s excellent run on this title as Hawkeye’s life goes from bad to worse, as the Bro’s thwart his attempts to keep his tenement building.
This one’s also about family: the Barton family and the extended Hawkeye family. Clint’s brother, Barney, is back in town and he’s dragging along the family baggage with him.
Fraction and illustrator, David Aja reach new heights in collaborative goodness as Aja continues to explore the comic art landscape.
Welcome back, Kate!!!
Kudos for the Winter Friends issue: not only a slam at children’s banal PC holiday programming but a nice overview of the basic themes of the series.
Bottom line: If you read super hero comics and have not checked out Fraction’s Hawkeye, you should have your nerd card revoked.
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Hey, guess what?
FINALLY! Finally we get the conclusion to Matt Fraction and David Aja’s defining run on Hawkeye! I read this one in single issues and the earliest one in this collection was advertising Thor: The Dark World, coming soon, to the latest one advertising Ant-Man, in theatres now - that’s how long it’s taken!
Was it worth the wait? Of course it was. It might’ve suffered from enormous delays (Marvel got impatient waiting for this Hawkeye series to end and pulled the trigger on Jeff Lemire and Ramon Perez’s All-New Hawkeye which, at the time of writing, is already 4 issues in!) but you can’t argue with the quality results.
So. The fourth and final Hawkeye volume sees Clint reunited with his down-but-not-quite-out, hobo brother Barney. The Barton brothers are gonna take out the Russian bros once and for all – with the help of Clint’s tenants. The subtitle, taken from the John Wayne movie, has a similar plot as Clint and co. make a final stand in their apartment building against the enemy, led by the fearsome Polish assassin in clown makeup, Kazi (Grills’ killer). Rio Bravo, bitches!
Masterful storytelling from both Fraction and Aja has been the defining quality of the series (who could forget the award-winning Pizza Dog issue?) and this book is full of equally brilliant moments. The first two issues take place at the same time but focuses on a different Barton, the phone call between Barney and Clint connecting them, almost like the characters are communicating across comics.
And here I’ll say minor spoilers if you’ve not read it yet - but of course I’m recommending the book. I won’t say anything about the final issues either except to say Fraction/Aja deliver a flawless finale, perfect down to the last panel (those last 3 pages!).
A preliminary assault on the apartment building by Kazi leaves Clint deaf and Barney in a wheelchair. In a similarly innovative style to the Pizza Dog issue (Hawkeye #11), Aja draws almost an entire issue of untranslated sign language comics between Clint and Barney. Slooowly, speech is reintroduced but I loved how the comic wasn’t just clever visuals but that it was the difficult communication that brought the brothers closer.
Fraction spends some time on the Barton brothers’ abusive childhood. Older brother Barney teaching Clint how to throw, and take, a punch, after another fraught evening with their alcoholic dad, was really sweet. It beautifully informs their present dilemma and tells us so much about their characters. It’s easy to see why Jeff Lemire would want to go back and develop that aspect of their story for his run.
If there’s one easy cut to make from this volume it’s the Winter Friends episode (Hawkeye #17). Set back in Vol 2 around Christmastime, Clint falls asleep watching a kid’s Christmas cartoon called the Winter Friends and dreams about his life if everyone in it were talking cartoon dogs! It’s weird and whacky as hell, and I appreciate that Marvel published something this peculiar, but it’s easily the most throwaway issue. It doesn’t make me dislike this comic any, it’s just an odd, kinda pointless tangent.
The final two issues are action-packed goodness. A couple of beloved characters reappear to join the fight and their entrance is so baller thanks to David Aja’s eye for framing. You know Clint’s gonna beat Kazi and co. but Fraction throws in such curveballs in the final showdown, my heart was in my mouth – and I’ll leave it at that. It’s one helluva showdown. Afterwards you’ll feel like you’ve been in the wars a bit yourself!
I can’t say enough good things about Fraction’s writing and Aja’s art so I’ll just say it’s among the best Marvel has ever put out – ever – and certainly the best in Hawkeye’s history. This title’s single-handedly cultivated a readership for a second-tier character hardly anybody cared about before. And what a high note for Fraction to leave Marvel on after so many years – Hawkeye is an awesome curtain closer.
(I’m reading between the lines by the way – Fraction’s not officially announced he’s leaving Marvel but he’s got no titles lined up with them either for the first time in a long time. Couple that with several ongoing titles at Image along with TV/movie projects being developed by his and wife Kelly Sue DeConnick’s production company Milkfed Criminal Masterminds and he certainly seems to have moved on from Marvel for the time being. Kelly Sue as well for that matter.)
Rio Bravo is a completely satisfying final chapter to this wonderful series. It’s full of the artistry, humour, inventive and imaginative storytelling, emotional character-work and outstanding art that has made Hawkeye one of Marvel’s prestige titles. If you’ve enjoyed the series so far, you’ll love how it ends – and hate that it’s over!
Take a bow, Fraction, Aja, Hollingsworth, Wu, Pulido, Francavilla and the whole creative team behind Hawkeye – you guys repeatedly hit the target!
Hey, guess what? -
One of the first books I reviewed in 2015 was the last Hawkeye collection
L.A. Woman so it’s nice symmetry that Rio Bravo is the one I’m closing out the year with.
It’s also bittersweet that this marks the end of Fraction and Aja's time on the title which will be remembered as one of the best runs of a mainstream superhero comic book. There’s already been plenty written and said in praise of what they did here, and I’ve gushed about it in my other reviews, too. So I’m not going to rehash all of that other than to say that they wrap this up as strongly as they started it. I particularly liked the inspired issue which used the idea of Clint falling asleep while watching a Christmas special with his neighbor’s kids to come up with a cartoonish but effective way of exploring the inferiority complex that he has as a non-super powered Avenger as well as the stubborn streak that results from it.
There’s one thing that knocks this down from 5 to 4 stars for me. The last two trades have been a mix of issues that focused on Kate Bishop on her own in the last one, and Clint is the main part in this one. That makes sense thematically as a collection, but it does make some of the story seem a little disjointed and confusing, especially since there’s a lot of skipping around in time of the narrative anyhow. I wish I’d read them in order as released rather than in the trade paperbacks because I suspect that the story would have flowed better.
It’s still a great ending to one of the best runs we’re likely to see on a mainstream title. If I ever meet Fraction, I’d just like to say, “Thanks, bro.” -
I found Matt Fraction's run on Hawkeye vastly overrated. It was kind of boring. He turned Clint Barnes into a sad sack Peter Parker at his worst written clone.
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"Let every last one of those tracksuit-wearing, sub-verbal, bullying, murderous scumbags come at us. Because you and me? Together? . . . can pretty much do anything." -- Kate 'Hawkeye' Bishop
The Fraction-penned tale of two Hawkeyes story-line converges to a satisfying finale. Kate returns from her quasi-slapstick West Coast 'Hero For Hire' (mis)adventure to provide a helping arrow with Clint Barton's increasingly deadly problems as "interim superintendent and owner" of his aged NYC apartment building. ('Problems' = the Russian mob, who want control of the property by any means necessary.) The conclusion has a noticeable cinematic quality, outright referencing the classic 50's western by title, but drawing inspiration from its great mid-70's update "Assault on Precinct 13" as well. The Aja / Hollingworth art and unique color scheme also stays strong 'til the end. -
Serious shit is going down on both coasts. Kate's getting screwed and Barton's been screwed. It might be the low point in the tide of the story, but it's done nothing but make me feel close to them both. Hot damn. Characters I can truly love.
I'm actually getting into Hawkeye, people. Real folk blues. I know, I know, it's all obvious and stuff, but it's no less true for being what it is.
That being said, I just have one thing I have to say. "WHAT THE FUCK, WINTERFRIENDS?"
Okay, that was some balls-to-ass freaky acid trip.
Other than that, I loved the homage to Saga on the front page. Maybe that little tangent was a little bit of an homage to Saga, too, but it really came off as a wtf weirdo-action. Sure it was a cute cue to finally ASK FOR HELP already, that of course Barton slept through, but something sunk in, finally.
I may like this volume better than all the rest, and that's saying a lot. :) -
It's entirely possible, and even seems likely to me, that twenty years from now, we'll look back at Fraction and Aja's Hawkeye as both the defining run on the character and one of the best creative team ups in comics. Yes, it really is that good, from beginning to end. Very well-written, highly creative, visually stunning, fun to read... This book pretty much has it all. Great, great stuff.
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Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? There are lots of positives in this volume, with a special nod to the visual portrayal of being deaf; both the broken sentences and the sign language are wonderful touches. However, the narrative feels somewhat rushed, and I think that's what stops this from being a higher rating. Whilst Fraction has a knack for writing charming main characters, the plots and villains always seem to feel lacklustre in comparison, and you can tell that it's being carried by Clint and co with the conflict feeling a little tacked on. That being said, if you loved Fraction's previous entries, you'll probably not be disappointed by the wrap up.
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So, this took a while to come out. If you were like me and reading it in individual issues, you had a long time to wait for the full arc. But in the end, it was totally worth it, and the final volume of Fraction and Ajas Hawkeye is a satisfying finale to the whole run, while also being a good volume in itself.
I liked volume 3, with Kate heading out west with Lucky and the Annie Wu art. But Aja, Fraction and Clint are what make Hawkeye HAWKEYE. AND Kate returns home in this issue to help Clint once and for all in defeating the tracksuit vampires and saving the apartment block.
The volume starts with the Eliopoulos 'Winter Friends' issue. Eliopoulos is a long time Marvel Comics letterer and creating of children's books (none of which I've read, but maybe one day when I have sprogs of my own I might). It's pretty cool how they got him to draw an issue and tie it into the book. But I am glad it was just one issue, and didn't become a longer thing for the book.
We then get the introduction of Barney Barton - Hawkeyes brother. This is were things could get potentially a little flimsy, because they start touching on larger Marvel continuity, which is something Hawkeye doesn't really do that much. Barney is a sometimes on and off again villain, and he's ran with the Dark Avengers in the past, but now he wants to become bros with Clint again? It's best to not over think it too much, and just enjoy the story. There's (kinda) a good reason he's here, and it becomes more apparent as we go further into the story.
And then there's the finale. I thought this would be a bit more emotional than what it was. I was half expecting to be in tears, but I wasn't. Instead, they take a more bad ass action approach to it. Clint confronts The Clown. Finally. Lots of people who have been in the title come back and there's lots of stuff going on which I won't spoil because you should just read it.
It was a good run, Hawkeye. A really good run. -
Clint Barton is Hawkeye, the Avenger with the bow and arrow. He is now currently dog-less and partner-less.
17 - Clint watches the Winter Friends with Simone and her kids.
This was a fill-in issue with Chris Eliopolis on art. The events of the Winter Friends cartoon reflect the events of Clint and Kate so far in the series. I didn't really care for this one.
12 - Clint's brother Barney, aka Trick Shot, comes to town.
Some of Hawkeye's childhood is revealed, as well as some differences between Clint and Barney. I'm guessing Barney will fill Kate's shoes while she's out in LA.
13 - Clint has to tell Grills' dad about his death and goes to his funeral.
Clint is at a low point when Kate leaves town and his brother moves in. The Russian bros are still at it. I'm curious to see how Clint's relationships develop from here with the new status quo.
15 - The Russians really want Clint's building. Too bad his pants are around his ankles.
Barney proves his worth. The ending sure was a jaw-dropper. How the hell is this going to pan out?
19 - Clint is now deaf and Barney is all shot up. The storm is coming!
I loved this issue, the way Clint's deafness is expressed in the art, the flashbacks to Clint and Barney's youth. Everything. This is the best issue since Hawkeye volume 2, in my opinion.
21 - The Battle of Bed-Stuy is here!
Holy shit, that was brutal. Clint rallies the tenants of the building and the Russians arrive in full swing. The ending was a cruel cliffhanger. Have I driven home the point of how much I've enjoyed this series?
22 - The Final Bow is here. The stolen safe from way back when is back and so is Cherry.
The cavalry arrives in the form of Kate and pizza dog. Things are finally settled with the Russians. So it goes.
Closing Thoughts: If the series had to end, I'm glad Fraction and Aja chose to end it here. While I preferred the first half of their run to the second, this ranks right up there with Starman and Gotham Central as one of my favorite runs of all time. 4 out of 5 stars for this volume, a 4.5 for the series as a whole. Now to try to fill the Hawkeye-shaped void in my life. -
I know that everyone thinks Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye run has been the best thing since sliced bread, and I wish I could feel it too. I can see objectively that it’s good — I like Aja’s art, I like the inclusion of Kate Bishop as Hawkeye, I like that Clint’s a doofus and I love the experimental storytelling like the issue from Pizza-Dog’s point of view and showing Clint’s sign language. Hell, I love the inclusion of Clint’s brother, the way Fraction re-introduces Clint’s deafness (which I think was originally a story in the 70s?).
But somehow it just doesn’t quite come together for me — possibly because there’s a lot of visual storytelling, and I am a dunce when it comes to visual skills. I can’t even imagine rotating a simple shape, or picture someone’s face in my non-existent mind’s eye, so even if I spoke American Sign Language (which I don’t and wouldn’t, since when I learn it I’ll learn British Sign Language) I wouldn’t be able to read Clint’s signs, and… the dialogue in a comic really helps to orientate me.
I still think this run on Hawkeye is fun, but I just don’t appreciate it in the way other people do, and I’m sure there are awesome parts I’m not even appreciating. I suppose that’s, in part, why I’m an unlikely comics fan. Still, I get some enjoyment out of it, and I do see why this run has been so popular!
Originally posted here. -
Full points to the art in this one, for all the skills Fraction has as a storyteller, the impact here comes from the super expressive artwork by David Aja and FRancis Fradjncjdncunducnuguy.
There's tons about Clint's broken relationships, his good intentions gone wrong, and his (unknown to me) horrible upbringing, alongside his older protective brother Barney. The relationship between the brothers is a focal point, and utterly moving for the finale of this excellent series/definitive look at Hawkeye.
Read it bro. -
Loved it. loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!
When we think of 'super heroes', we always think of heroes who have awesome super powers. But those cool looking super powers don't make them unforgettable badass heroes that we come to love and care. The hero underneath all that super things, all the flashy bits, the person they are that we can relate to, can connect to, can feel their pain, their sufferings that just like the same we boring normal people feel... that's what makes them special, Super (Which is why Batman is much more fan favorite than Superman, I think). And Hawkeye is exactly that. He doesn't have any fantastic power (other than his otherworldly archery skills, at least), he gets hurt (like a lot!), he gets his ass handed to him more often than he would prefer. He's the oddball Avenger among all the thunder gods, flying machines, super soldiers, mountains of muscles who doesn't have any of those. He has to rely on his skills, what he learned, what he knows. And much more than that: his inner strength. Not the strength of how hard you can hit, but the strength of no matter how badly you get hit, whatever amount of pain you are in, no matter how many times you fall down... You. Get. Back. Up. Every time. Always. That's what makes him special, a real pure perfect SUPER HERO. An Avenger like the best there is. This mindblowing book showed us just that.
Among all the world destroying universe shattering carnage and war, we tend to forget the little people, the humans that those superheroes suppose to protect, but more often than not forget to focus on them with all the collateral damages happening around while the gods versus gods fight and their surrounding gets destroyed. Not here. This story is about those puny humans, about the people around us, and how another puny superhero without any flashy superpower puts his foot down and stands his ground to protect them. No matter what the dangerously increasing odds are. The brilliantly clever storytelling, the awesome funny humors, the outstanding artworks and illustrations, and most of all the pitch perfect characterizations make for a seminal one of a kind comicbook that is much more than just another comic. It is the kind of comic that when a fellow reader who never reads superhero comics wants to try something for the first time, you highly recommend it. When a fellow reader who reads superhero comics all his life and kinda gotten a bit wary of all the same old same old KABOOM! stuff, you highly recommend it. You just highly recommend it to any one and everyone who likes to read a good old fashioned enjoyable story. So, yeah, what I'm trying to say is I highly recommend it (as the all four volumes by Matt Fraction) to anyone willing to try a comic. I'm hopeful they won't be disappointed.
10 out of 10. -
Bittersweet ending here, as Matt Fraction’s run on Hawkeye comes to an end, but it’s a good end.
It’s been almost a month since I read this, so this review will not be great. Additionally, I read it and five other comics as part of the Dewey’s Read-a-thon, and fading real fast into the night. I was loopy and barely remember most of what I read during that period.
But with that disclaimer out of the way, this was a good last volume.
The first issue was called “Winter Friends,” and is a stylistically experimental departure, where Clint is asleep on a couch and vividly dreaming about being a dog superhero, and it’s all very correlative to his life in the Avengers as one of the only members without powers. It was fun to read, but also pretty weird.
The next issues are where the story really started. Clint finally deals with the Tracksuit Mafia, and his brother comes to town. There is also another bad guy who I’ve forgotten almost everything about, except he’s scary, and shit gets real, real fast. Oh, and Clint is injured and becomes temporarily deaf, like he was as a child, and the entire issue is silent from his perspective. There’s even sign language panels that I kept trying to look up so I could know what’s going on.
It was absurdly well done.
I miiiight consider continuing this series if somebody whose taste I trust says it’s good, but my guess is with Fraction leaving, it’s really going to lose something. -
Ridiculous. How does Fraction go from serious superhero introspection to balls-on-the-window bizarre so fluidly?
Or from sweet and sentimental to abusive affection, for the same pair of brothers:
Really solid writing craft here. The finale pays off not one but *two* separate moments where Clint ain't his best self. You earned it bro. Real good skills development bro.
And the sign-language issue? Fantastic - Fraction stated that he wanted readers to feel the sense of confusion and loss along with Clint, so while you might be as tempted to get out a spoiler while reading issue 19, go once through it and *then* go through the guide:
http://askclint.tumblr.com/post/93308...
I know I'm supposed to wrap up a legendary run like this with my own philosophical musings and what I learned from this tale of many depths. Y'know, I'm just not there. I'm satisfied. This was a very satisfying run, and a character who will stand out in the pantheon of supes (even if he's a supreme fuck-up and self-destructive twat).
Just gonna end with a couple of cool action shots:
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God, I just love Hawkeye so much.
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A great finish to a much lauded series, Matt Fraction and David Aja's energetic fourth volume turn with Hawkeye, a completely refreshing and contemporary and original version of the archer. Just read Sam Quixote's review on Goodreads for greater detail and better insights, but trust me, if you like the Avengers, you will like this take, and if you don't REALLY like superhero comics at all, this is the one for you.
So this is Clint reunited with his loser brother Barney, and the two of them take on/out the Russian bros. The subtitle is from the John Wayne movie, has a similar plot and there is a similar kind of last stand quality to it. See the classic movie and thread this. . .. okay, I have seen it, but will review it and reread it, but it obviously is connected in plenty ways. There's a kind of sense of humor and exuberance and edge and originality to this series that is rare, especially in superhero comics. Feels completely in its own category of superhero comics. You get this (thanks, Brad for reminding me) tribute to Saga in it, this tribute to the sheer joy of storytelling invention, and a kid cartoon to open it the story. Lots of brotherly connections, action, I guess what more could you ask for in a comic?
Glad I asked that. The thing I personally don't like so much is Aja's art style, though I am in a minority there, I know. But the character of Hawkeye, the two Hawkeyes in the series, the Russians, all the funny "bro" dialogue, it's pretty much a hit. -
This is what marvel should be doing. Instead of multiple crossovers, confusion and mayhem, this is how marvel should write comics.
Hawkeye right from Volume 1 has been a "story from below". A story that is rooted in the ground, close to the lives of ordinary citizens. The villains are real, the people are real and so is our hero.
What makes Hawkeye so close to reality is his lack of invincibility. Like other ordinary men and women, he gets hurt both physically and emotionally but unlike ordinary men and women, his skills are par excellence. It is this angle that has been beautifully portrayed by Matt Fraction and given life by Aja's wonderful artwork.
Volume four brings to an end the menace of the "Bro"-hood. Clint aka Hawkeye is accompanied by his older brother who just like Hawkeye, kicks ass. The last two chapters of this volume bowled me over as the artwork shows a deaf Hawkeye fighting crime. The use of empty dialogue bubbles mixed with sign language is remarkable. Even in the grim situations one can feel the humour, that has been the base line since volume one. In future I may find stories more interesting than this one but I can stake my life on it that I will never find artwork this good. -
I like these volumes splitting up Kate's and Clint's stories for easier reading. Both are excellent on their own merit.
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This series was such a blast. I loved Aja's distinct artwork. Fraction's plots and dialogue were amazing too. This series is one of the few I have experienced that can manage to be exciting, serious, funny, and quite sad.
This volume was easily one of the best in the series. It was the climactic battle between Clint & Co. and the forces trying to evict him and his friends from their apartment building. Plus Clint's brother shows up as a main character and their backstory was heartbreaking.
This volume perfectly reminded me why Hawkeye is my favorite Marvel character. These comics just feel so realistic. Clint is a super average guy who just so happens to have excellent archery and fighting skills. He's not some invulnerable superhuman who can battle hordes of bad guys without breaking a sweat. He gets hurt. A lot. Like he constantly has bandages on him, and I just love it.
In my opinion, this is the best Marvel NOW! series they've put out yet. I recommend this series to anyone looking to read action comics. I 100% plan on reading this again someday. -
To jest świetne podsumowanie jednej z najciekawszych serii Marvela. Bez supermocy i kataklizmów. Zwykła przestępczość i ludzka bezradność wobec niej i jeden przychlast z Brooklynu, który próbuje poukładać sobie życie. W tej wersji Barton stanowi dla mnie serce Avengers. Jest ludzki, pełen wad, cierpiący i zmagający się ze swoimi najgorszymi cechami. I jednocześnie potrafi wszystkich frustrować swoimi autodestrukcyjnymi tendencjami i motywować ich, aby byli lepszymi ludźmi, bo jeśli Barton próbuje, każdy powinien. Nie tylko lubię te komiksy jako świetną lekturę, ale szanuję je za to, co zrobiły - pozwoliły swoim bohaterom na bezbronność, odsłoniły ich brzydkie strony, dały nam szansę, abyśmy razem z postaciami nauczyli się, jak zmagać się z problemami. To może być najlepsze, co Marvel wydał od 2012, bo zwykle te mikro historie o ludziach bez mocy wypadają im bardziej interesująco. To też jedna z nielicznych historii tego wydawnictwa, która naprawdę coś opowiada, a nie jest tylko serią spektakularnych obrazków. Polecam.
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A touching and action-packed finale from writer Matt Fraction (who is at his best here) and primary artist David Aja, along with a plethora of other artists and colorists. As much as we'll see our favorite Hawkeyes Clint Barton and Kate Bishop in future Marvel titles i.e. All-New Hawkeye, this is a sad farewell to a wonderful creative team who made a compelling series about an avenger on his off-days. As much as Barton is the fish out of water when it comes to being the powerless player of The Avengers, throughout this brilliant run, he's proof he is the most human and we love him for it.
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What a fantastic showdown. What extraordinary curveballs. What a satisfactory ending. It's not purely sunshines and rainbows, but all ties are tied.
I highly recommend Matt Fraction's run on Hawkeye to, well, everybody.
Well-rounded characters, neat dialogue, awesome action, awesome art, couple of gutpunches and near-astonishing creative choices, not to mention the cool commentative messages (which are NOT shoehorned ergo flow with the narrative, who woulda thought?) make this comic top tier. -
A very good ending to Fraction's run here. Fun series.
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Awesome.
The reunion of the Barton bros (no relation with the tracksuits bros) is cleverly done, the "deaf" issue is brilliant. Can't tell more without spoiling... The last two issues, the so-called "Rio Bravo" situation in Clint's building are simply amazing. Storytelling knocked me down, art punched me over, colors put me on my knees.
With the exception of the cartoony issue whith dogs, a rather disposable pseudo flashback, this volume would be flawless.
Couldn't give it less than 5 stars anyway. -
Issue #22 was amazing.
You dont even know. -
A fitting ending to Fraction-Aja part of Hawkeye, though clearly a new adventure/danger starts at the end. The drawing styles fit well, and the story is both scary and funny taking turns. :)
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Mi favorito ha sido el tercero sin duda, pero este ha estado genial también. Sobre todo me ha sorprendido su hermano. En enero han sido unos tebeos que me han gustado mucho y definitivamente recomiendo.
Desde mi punto de vista me han encantado ambos Hawkeye. Sobre todo en un plano más de gustarme sus ideales, que tipo de moral y códigos tienen. Más allá de la trama sus formas de ser y sus personalidades. Creo que eso es uno de sus puntos fuertes.
Además son tebeos entretenidos. Muy muy chulos visualmente que se pueden leer sin tener mucho conocimiento sobre el trasfondo en general y disfrutarlos a saco. Chachi chachi. -
Matt Fraction and David Aja finally brought their first rate Hawkeye series to a close after numerous delays with Rio Bravo.
The interesting thing about this iteration of Hawkeye is that it’s always been more about Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, the heroes that share the name, then about Hawkeye. And after a couple of interesting detours (Clint watching “Winter Friends,” a holiday special celebrating “multidenominational pantheistic all-inclusive winter fests;” a spotlight on Clint’s troublesome brother Barney), Rio Bravo gets down to what it does best.
After the Clown, the chilling killer in white face paint, killed one of Clint’s neighbors, it sends Clint into a mini-spiral. Kate’s decamping for L.A. (with Lucky the pizza dog!) is another blow. But Barney’s arrival starts to get Clint in gear. He reaches out to his Avengers friends for help in figuring out the agenda of Clown and the Tracksuit Draculas. Clint’s first attempt at dealing with the bad guys leaves both him and Barney dealing with some serious injuries. That provide the catalyst for some impactful exploration of the complicated bond between the Barton brothers.
Clint and his neighbors gather for a final stand against Clown and the Draculas that wreaks some more havoc. But Kate and Lucky return just in time and the neighbors come through to defend their homes. The series finishes with Clint and Kate reunited and the subject of a mob vendetta, while Barney proves true to form, putting yet another wedge between the brothers.
It’s almost redundant to heap more praise on what Fraction has done with Hawkeye. He really pushed the boundaries of what a Big Two comic book could be, injecting an indie sensibility and embracing experiments in form, narrative and tone that seemed like big gambles at the time, but in retrospect are obvious creative triumphs. Rio Bravo continues that tradition, whether it’s the whimsical “Winter Friends” allegory or the use of ASL and blank dialogue boxes to dramatize Clint’s hearing loss.
But Hawkeye hasn’t worked as well as it has just because of Fraction’s willingness to play with the form. At its heart, Hawkeye has been about Clint and his relationships and that focus is fully engaged in the finale. Clint gets important moments with all the women in his life (Kate, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, Mockingbird) and the bond with his neighbors plays a crucial role in the finale. But more importantly, Fraction uses the foundational Clint/Barney relationship to demonstrate some key parts of Clint’s personality and history and also to chart his growth. It’s intricate, subtle writing that pays off in all kinds of ways.
There may be no other mainstream series in recent memory whose success turned on the collaboration of writer and artists quite the way Hawkeye has. Fraction’s narrative experiments had a chance to succeed because his art team was not only simpatico but eager to meet Fraction’s challenges and exceed expectations. Aja may not produce quickly, but there are few artists in the medium whose work is as thoughtful and lovingly rendered as his. His expressive character work grounds every page, whether it’s a panel-packed conversation, some big-screen action or an experiment in form. His layout choices are always spot on and interesting and he gives everything a soft, lived-in feel that has made Hawkeye one of the most distinctive books on the market. Colorist Matt Hollingsworth’s work has been crucial to the equation. His muted palette with well-placed touches of bright color wrap everything in a soft, inviting aura that brings out the drama and power in the images.
Rio Bravo has room for a couple surprises, too. Chris Eliopoulos, the excellent letterer for Hawkeye throughout its run, illustrates the “Winter Friends” detour, turning in some bright, warm cartooning work that’s a visual pleasure. Much admired visual stylist Francesco Francavilla drops in for the issue focusing on Barney, beautifully rendering the flashbacks exploring the troubled youth and strong bond of the Barton brothers. It’s almost an embarrassment of talent tagging in. And while Annie Wu’s contributions aren’t included in this collection (see the excellent
Hawkeye, Vol. 3: L.A. Woman volume following Kate’s West Coast adventures), as this series wraps, it would be a mistake not to mention her strong work as alternating artist with Aja.
Hawkeye changed the game for Marvel in many ways. Fraction, Aja and friends bring the series to the strong conclusion it deserves.
A version of this review originally appeared on
www.thunderalleybcp.com -
If you've made it this far and don't realize how good this series is (was?), then I can't really do anything to help you. Scheduling issues and MASSIVE delays aside, this is one of the best series I've read in recent memory. Matt Fraction was able to reinvent Hawkeye in a way that didn't need to make him badass but made him a guy who stands out just for doing the right thing in whatever way that he can.
Admittedly, the beginning of this was a little rocky for me, but mostly just because it's been ages since I read volume 3, let alone volume 2, which is where this really picks up from. (Volumes 3 and 4 follow the stories of Kate Bishop and Clint Barton as their stories alternated from one issue to the next.) Once I was back up to speed, though, it was a great conclusion to the series. It pulled the story back together to give a really solid and satisfying ending.
There were also two issues told from Clint's perspective while he couldn't hear. The first was nearly all silent with some sign language added in quite effectively. I cheated and looked up what most of it meant, but it could have been frustrating for some. On the flip side, I would think it would be pretty cool to know sign language and actually see it being used in a comic. They also did some neat things with lip reading to show when Clint was clearly unsure of what was being said.
Then Aja was on almost all of the interior art and it was pretty excellent. I love the aesthetic he brought to this title and Matt Hollingsworth's colors. The lines and designs and tones and shades and action and everything is just beautiful. I love the work that he's done here and am eagerly waiting to see where he will pop up next.
This is an excellent story. I am already looking forward to rereading it in its entirety, now that I won't have to wait. The themes of being a better man and living up to what you can and should be and simply doing the right thing shine through in all the right ways. Again, one of the best series in recent memory and I highly recommend the entire run.
