Graphic Novel: Collected Run: Hawkeye, Fraction, Aja, et al.

This review covers the entire run of Matt Fraction's Hawkeye: Issues 1-22, plus Young Avengers Presents 6, and Annual 1.

Volume 1 (the hardcover) was also our Graphic Novel Book Club book for March 2016

Hawkeye, Volume 1
Collecting Hawkeye #1-11, and Young Avengers Presents #6
Matt Fraction, writer
David Aja, main artist
Matt Hollingsworth, main colorist
Chris Eliopoulos. letters
Javier Pulido, artist for #4 & 5
Steve Lieber & Jesse Hamm, artists for #7
Francesco Francavilla, art & color for #10
Annie Wu, "romance covers" for #8
ISBN: 9780785184874

(Hawkeye, Volume 1 is a hardcover containing the issues collected in the softback Vol. 1 and 2.)

Hawkeye, Volume 3: L.A. Woman
Collecting Hawkeye #14, #16, #18, #20, and Annual #1
Matt Fraction, writer
Anne Wu, main artist
Matt Hollingsworth, colorist
Javier Pulido, art and cover for Annual
ISBN: 9780785183907

Hawkeye, Volume 4: Rio Bravo
Collecting Hawkeye #12 & 13, #15, #17, #19, and #21 & 22
Matt Fraction, writer
David Aja, main artist
Matt Hollingsworth, colorist
Francesco Francavilla, artist, covers, colors for #12
Chris Eliopoulos, art for # 17
Jordie Bellaire, colors for #17
ISBN: 9780785185314

Short review: It's amazing. It's everything perfect about comic books. Go read it.

Longer review.  What we have here is a perfect look at heroes off-duty - this run gives us Hawkeye when he's not off "Avengering" with the other heroes.  He goes home to his apartment, has cookouts with his neighbors on the roof, deals with tracksuit mafia (Bro) and tries to do the right thing and help out his friends.

This being Hawkeye, he screws things up on the regular.  He also gets the everloving snot stomped out of him on the regular.  He starts the run in traction, and ends it temporarily deafened. I love that we see the consequences of his choices here - he's not Cap, he's not got armor, and it shows. Poor Clint.  

We also get to see the other Hawkeye: Kate Bishop of the Young Avengers.  She pops in and out of Hawkeye's life for the first dozen or so issues, but then there's a bit of a mess that sends her off to Los Angeles to try her hand at solo heroics. Which is really an excuse to get her into the clutches of Madame Masque and her creepy shenanignans over there, and also to get Clint on his own.

What I like about the collected issues is that they've decided to make Volume 3 into the Kate Hawkeye book, and Volume 4 into the Clint Hawkeye book - so Volumes 3 and 4 alternate comic issues and give you a full story of one Hawkeye or the other, whereas if you read them during the actual run, you'd be alternating between the coasts every month or so until the finale.

The run is pretty fantastic. It's internally cohesive, has stakes that range from the mundane to the global conspiracy, has roots in the real world (there's an issue about Hurricane Sandy) and ties back into the Marvel universe (shout-out to Moon Knight!) all while keeping the focus sharply on the Hawkeyes and their attempts to be heroic and good, and to beat the bad guys without lowering themselves to the level of the bad guys. Truly excellent writing.

Now for the art. I can't enjoy a comic unless the art appeals to me, and boy howdy does this appeal.  Aja (pronounced A-ha) is a genius, and Hollingsworth's colors are like an intensive study course on color theory and how to color block without making people's eyes bleed, or boring them to death.  Annie Wu's exuberant work shines through in the retro covers of My Doomed Love and in the wild excess of Hollywood with Kate (although I felt the chibi "internal voice" was a peculiar choice).  The scenes are fresh and powerful and flow beautifully - I rarely felt lost (I always feel lost in the thicket of panels) even when we're being led around by Pizza Dog, or in an issue where everything's narrated in sign language and lip-reading.  Massive appreciation for stellar work by everyone involved.

I have to say, I know all good things come to an end, and runs often don't make it quite to their full potential, but I really do feel like this one rose to the challenge, smote it to death, and strutted on into the sunset.  I'm truly sorry that it's over.

Graphic Novel: The Invincible Iron Man, Vol 1 The Five Nightmares, Matt Fraction, Salvador Larocca

The Invincible Iron Man, vol 1. The Five Nightmares (2009's issues 1-7)
Matt Fraction
Salvadore Larocca
ISBN: 9780785134121
Tony Stark's technologies and companies are threatened by Obadiah Stane's oldest son, Ezekiel, who is becoming an Extremis-fueled nightmare.
Comic Book Club read for July 2015.

Despite the fact that this won an Eisner, I have to say I was a lot less impressed with this than with Fraction's Hawkeye run.  For some reason, he just didn't seem to nail the biting commentary Stark is known for, and the threat from the younger Stane never felt personal - never felt real.  Stark was always in control, and even during this break from Civil War, I didn't get the feeling that Stane was actually occupying much of Stark's attention.

The artwork was also a little iffy for me.  Larocca's compositions and figures seemed oddly distorted much of the time, and the coloring was inconsistent and distracting.  I was constantly pulled out of the storyline by a strangely drawn figure or an oddly framed scene.

Lots of people enjoyed the arc, and the overall run, so I am probably just a strange picky minority, but it really didn't make a very good impression on me.