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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5/5 stars. The story is very good and the art is FAN-TAS-TIC. All in all it was an incredibly enjoyable read, with an amazing last chapter.
EDIT: I don't log rereads on Goodreads (not that I do a lot of them anyway), but I'm going to make an exception for this. After struggling a little with The Immortal Hulk and struggling a little bit more with Grant Morrison's Green Lantern, the directness and playfulness of Matt Fraction's Hawkeye run resonated in my head stronger than I had anticipated it would. So I went back in for another spin and...yeah, this book rules. For anyone out there who, like me, enjoyed their time with this - just not as much as they'd hoped - then a second attempt is an absolute necessity. I still don't know if the non-linear storytelling is absolutely necessary all of the time, but reading again knowing how things unfold is enough to melt any comprehension issues I might have had. Now I get to appreciate the detail in the storytelling, the freshness of the style, and the joy of a story about people getting to be messy fuckups and fight their scrappy struggles in a medium that so often wants them to fight Gods and incomprehensible mumbo jumbo. Nothing against your mumbo jumbo, mind, but without your heart and energy, it doesn't count for quite as much.
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I like Matt Fraction, I like non-linear stories, and - by and large - I liked this first Hawkeye Omnibus. In fact, there are some parts that are straight up terrific. When creators hop aboard long-running properties, you often hear them talk in interviews about how much the "deeply care" about the source material, but its rare that you see a writer turn one of their runs into a real 'desert island' escape - where it feels as though they are piling everything they've ever possibly wanted to see into the story whilst its their go-at-bat. Rian Johnson did it with Star Wars, Steven Moffat did it with Doctor Who, and Matt Fraction does it with Hawkeye, turning every issue into an opportunity for some of the most explosive stylistic storytelling the medium can deliver. There is no wasted space here, and if Fraction and co. had an idea that made them excited, they went for it. This extends beyond aesthetics and into the heart of Barton's narrative. A lot of people discuss the Fraction run in terms of its 'ordinary people' texture, but I think that's often mischaracterised as feeling quite breezy and chill (probably because it features a character called 'pizza dog'). That stuff shows its head, but I was surprised by how seriously Fraction approaches the deep melancholy underpinning Barton's life, and how the story around him reflects that difficulty. For all its comedic value, this is a story with teeth - arguably skirting close to noir territory at various moments.
But I started this review with a hint of tension - a sense that I wasn't feeling entirely at ease with the experience - so let's get into it. Because even as someone who like non-linear narratives, the jagged chronology of Fraction's storytelling is often hard work. It doesn't help that I'm new to superhero comics - a medium with decades of history behind, necessitating an endless hamster wheel of continuity and retcons. It's a sphere that often feels impenetrable to newbies because it's not always clear what twists and turns pivot on information I'm supposed to already know about (returning villains, for instance) and which ones do not. Throw in some aggressively calibrated out-of-sequence storytelling into the mix, and you have a recipe for making a newcomer like me feel like they've often missed a step. Which is a shame, because the actual story being told here is fairly straightforward and welcoming to newcomers, but on first read the chronology feels like it is working against you. Combine that with Aja's stunningly retro artwork that nonetheless relies on somewhat indistinct character designs, and you have a frustrating experience on your hands. I constantly felt myself on the brink of adoring it, only for confusion to push me back, and being pulled between the two is borderline-headache inducing. I want to see what happens next, but I think a reread is a necessity before I feel comfortable pushing onwards.
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I like Matt Fraction, I like non-linear stories, and - by and large - I liked this first Hawkeye Omnibus. In fact, there are some parts that are straight up terrific. When creators hop aboard long-running properties, you often hear them talk in interviews about how much the "deeply care" about the source material, but its rare that you see a writer turn one of their runs into a real 'desert island' escape - where it feels as though they are piling everything they've ever possibly wanted to see into the story whilst its their go-at-bat. Rian Johnson did it with Star Wars, Steven Moffat did it with Doctor Who, and Matt Fraction does it with Hawkeye, turning every issue into an opportunity for some of the most explosive stylistic storytelling the medium can deliver. There is no wasted space here, and if Fraction and co. had an idea that made them excited, they went for it. This extends beyond aesthetics and into the heart of Barton's narrative. A lot of people discuss the Fraction run in terms of its 'ordinary people' texture, but I think that's often mischaracterised as feeling quite breezy and chill (probably because it features a character called 'pizza dog'). That stuff shows its head, but I was surprised by how seriously Fraction approaches the deep melancholy underpinning Barton's life, and how the story around him reflects that difficulty. For all its comedic value, this is a story with teeth - arguably skirting close to noir territory at various moments.
But I started this review with a hint of tension - a sense that I wasn't feeling entirely at ease with the experience - so let's get into it. Because even as someone who like non-linear narratives, the jagged chronology of Fraction's storytelling is often hard work. It doesn't help that I'm new to superhero comics - a medium with decades of history behind, necessitating an endless hamster wheel of continuity and retcons. It's a sphere that often feels impenetrable to newbies because it's not always clear what twists and turns pivot on information I'm supposed to already know about (returning villains, for instance) and which ones do not. Throw in some aggressively calibrated out-of-sequence storytelling into the mix, and you have a recipe for making a newcomer like me feel like they've often missed a step. Which is a shame, because the actual story being told here is fairly straightforward and welcoming to newcomers, but on first read the chronology feels like it is working against you. Combine that with Aja's stunningly retro artwork that nonetheless relies on somewhat indistinct character designs, and you have a frustrating experience on your hands. I constantly felt myself on the brink of adoring it, only for confusion to push me back, and being pulled between the two is borderline-headache inducing. I want to see what happens next, but I think a reread is a necessity before I feel comfortable pushing onwards.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Very low stakes for a superhero comic, just a guy who barely counts as a superhero not having his shit together at all and just being miserable and making everyone else miserable too.
Actually funny at times and the art is brilliant, particularly ending on a issue from a bloody dog's point of view.
Stupid cliffhanger ending, gotta track down omnibus vol 2.
Actually funny at times and the art is brilliant, particularly ending on a issue from a bloody dog's point of view.
Stupid cliffhanger ending, gotta track down omnibus vol 2.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Holy fuck, how did it take me this long to re-read this (the answer is because vol. 2 took 2 YEARS to come out but ignore that). This remained in my memory as one of my favourites; it is certainly one of my most lent-out comic books. But still, I'd forgotten just how fantastic it is on every front. Of course, it's hard to ignore David Aja's downright stylish art (almost!) throughout. His covers were just made to be posters, and he uses creative panelling, awesome imagery, and a limited colour palette to absolutely fantastic results. I just LOVE how iconic his art is, and how he wasn't afraid to diverge from classic "comic book style". Of course, I also need to mention Fraction's grounded, hilarious and sometimes emotionally resonant writing. Hawkeye is just a regular-ass guy, and you can't forget it for a moment - but while that adds to the hilarity sometimes, it also emphasises the humanity of these stories. He's just a guy with a particular skill who's trying his best to make things better, despite his disaster of a personal life. I also don't want to forget the other artists in this volume - while Aja is my favourite, the use of other artists does not frustrate me as much as it does in other runs. It's been done thoughtfully, both so that complete stories are always with the same artist throughout, but also by leaning into their strengths. Francavilla lends dramatic and creepy art to issue #10, and it's the perfect thing for Kazimierz Kazimierczak's backstory. Honestly, I just really love this book and I feel like I could talk about all the little details for forever. It's incredible how a series of stories loosely connected through the so-called "Tracksuit Mafia" (and also Clint's desire to do good in the most miserly way possible) is this fantastic. I love the way that the Avengers are certainly a part of this but never the focus, and Clint (and Kate too) are always a counterpoint to them. I love the exploration of Clint and Kate's relationship, and their stupid banter ("Thanks, Hawkeye." "After you, Hawkeye."). I LOVE the issue about Hurricane Katrina, although I wish it had been provided alongside the editor's note, because it's a really great one. I also love the issue that's entirely told fron Lucky's (that's the dog, for those that don't know) perspective. It finds the coolest ways to represent both Lucky's thought process, and the story going on with Kate and Clint in the background. I love the way every issue begins with "This looks bad" and then works backwards from there, often in a non-linear or at least disjointed style. Actually, on that, the Valentine's issues are specifically really cool for that in the way they intercut multiple stories (along with the most GORGEOUS art) and clearly give you the big picture. Sometimes it takes a bit of thought to piece the original narrative back together, but I really liked that about it. Graphic novels/comics can feel much too quick, and despite only being 200-odd pages, this does not feel this way. I enjoyed taking the time to digest each story, sometimes flipping back through to reconstruct the story in my head. What I'm saying is, it took more than one day to read, and I liked that about it. All in all, I really think this is the pinnacle of comics (not like. the one peak. but one of the peaks. yk?) - it's really really funny, does really cool things with the form, and really understands who Hawkeye is and what makes him (them? her?) interesting. And if you were able to actually digest this disjointed and somewhat frantic review, I think you'll like it too.
Unpopular opinion, I suppose, but I actually found this run (the first half of it anyway, I’ll be reading Omnibus 2 soon) to be incredibly mixed. Some issues are an utter treat: fun little one offs that are entertaining and consistently hilarious in a unique way with some super solid artwork. Other issues, though, are just a bit of a slog to get through, which sucks, because it’s otherwise a funny yet deep character study of the title character.
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced