Review by Karl Verhoven
In story terms at least, the days are long gone when the superhero publishers issue a new series aware the quality is poor, but figuring the fans will buy it anyway. Even so, one imagines Marvel didn’t quite expect the critical acclaim heaped on Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye series, which ended with Rio Bravo. How to follow that? Well, over at DC Jeff Lemire was at that point not known for superhero action, but had been drawing attention with his version of Green Arrow. As DC were bringing their entire line to a close in preparation for Rebirth, he was suddenly at a loose end, and so it came to pass he went from writing the exploits of one archer to writing the exploits of another.
Lemire plays a clever game. With the previous version of Hawkeye so well received, the easy route would be to produce more of the same quick quipping between Hawkeyes Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, so he does. But that’s not all he does. He combines a present day mission for S.H.I.E.L.D. with a look into the past, adding to Hawkeye’s beginnings as a superhero. For those who don’t know, he took rather a circuitous route, which is expanded on here.
Better still, while David Aja might not have stuck around and Andrea Sorrentino’s archery days ended with Green Arrow, we have the excellent art of Ramón K. Pérez. As seen on the sample pages, he separates past and present with two completely different approaches, but both thoughtful, with the painted past looking more atmospheric.
Past and present are balanced, sometimes running sequentially on the same page, sometimes one taking precedence. The third chapter is primarily the present with single panels at the bottom of the page glimpsing into the past, which monopolises the fourth chapter, relegating the present to the bottom of the page. Key to both is children. In the past it’s Clint and his older brother Barney taken into the Swordsman’s circus tutelage in escaping from an abusive adoptive father, and in the present it’s Clint and Kate as surrogate parents. The phrase “No hurt Katie Hawkeye” signals a terrifying turn into the final chapter.
The past reflects the present well, parallels nicely drawn, and Lemire trades off experience against good intentions, with his Clint a little more mature and reflective than Fraction’s version. That results in a schism and a great surprise ending leading into Hawkeyes.
It’s very rare that an acclaimed and beloved creative team departs to be replaced by new creators able to maintain those standards, and that doesn’t happen with Hawkeye. On the other hand Fraction and Aja’s standards were exceptionally high, and this is still very good.
