Hawkeye #1

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for Hawkeye, the Avengers' master archer. Clint Barton has been an Avenger for nearly 50 years and, to me, the team always feels like it's missing something when he's not around. There have been a few Hawkeye solo titles in the past, but he's viewed by many as very much a supporting character who works best in team books so they haven't always done that well. I disagree with this and have always thought that given the right type of book, Clint could shine. I think this is that book.

Hawkeye #1 shows us what Clint gets up to when he's not being an Avenger. I just love this idea. We often get to see what Peter Parker gets up to when he's not being Spider-Man and that makes him all the more accessible and relatable, so why couldn't this work for the most human of all the Avengers? The idea intrigues the hell out of me and I loved getting to see where Clint lives and discovering that he gets bashed up in the line of duty sometimes and has to take time out to recover. I loved getting to see that his good heart extends into his life outside the Avengers, but that when he's out and about on his own he can muster up a thinly-veiled threat or two.

Clint can be a bit of a dick sometimes, he's cocky and arrogant and it's landed him in big trouble in the past. I hope that we get to see how this side of him impacts on his 'civvie' life in future issues. We do get to see a bit of his cockiness and arrogance in this issue, but you're with him all the way because you know he's morally in the right.

David Aja's art in this book is astounding. Helped by Matt Hollingsworth's colouring, the whole issue is just a beautiful thing to behold from start to finish. I understand that Aja's art might not be for everyone, but the whole look and feel really adds something to the story. I love how Aja draws Clint. We never see him in costume (and he's never referred to as Hawkeye), we see him dressed in jeans and a t-shirt or a in suit and tie. There are some really beautiful panels and I was going to pick some out, but this Bleeding Cool article talks about some of them and is well worth a read (no.9 shows my favourite panel - go, Clint!). The use of colour to help distinguish the time jumps is executed really well. Events that take place during the day are coloured in yellows and the night time scenes are muted greys and blues. Some people have commented that they found this confusing, but I fail to see how.

I really haven't been this excited about a new series for a long time. I can't wait for #2 and I really, really hope that people spend their money on this title because I'd like to see it run and run.