After a very long wait the team of Matt Fraction and David Aja have reunited for a new Hawkeye series.  Their first series together, The Immortal Iron Fist, was nothing short of spectacular.  It completely rejuvenated the Iron Fist character and brought him to the front line of Marvel Comics and a big spot in the Avengers.  The question is, can they work the same magic on Hawkeye?  After one issue I can safely say they are on the right track.

I’m not sure what I expected in a new Hawkeye book.  It definitely wasn’t this.  Which is not to say it wasn’t good.  In fact, I would go so far as to call it great.  The art is fantastic which should be expected from Aja.  His work is consistently clean, easy to follow, and does a great job of conveying the story.  I’m very excited to see him get to draw some true action sequences in the future.  The writing is very good as well.  While some of the dialogue comes off as a bit heavy handed, to me anyway, it fits in with the tone and setting of the story.  The plot itself plops Hawkeye directly in Bed-Stuy New York dealing with a crooked landlord.  It gets a little crazy from there but it does a great job of showcasing Hawkeye’s morals.

Overall the book hits on many levels.  I cannot wait for the rest of this series.  With the popularity of Hawkeye coming off the Avengers movie, he is primed for a huge breakthrough.  Many consider him a poor imitation of Green Arrow which I’ve never really seen.  The differences between the two are huge.  Hawkeye stands on his own.  I’m hoping this book will break Hawkeye from the comparisons to Green Arrow and out of Captain America’s shadow.

9/10