REVIEW: All-New Hawkeye #1

Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Ramon Perez
Published by Marvel Comics

Matt Fraction and David Aja“s run on Hawkeye has been, without a doubt, one of the finest of any Marvel book in recent memory, and that means a lot coming from a guy who has dropped all but a few “big two”“ books from his pull list. Yet, with creative team with the pedigree of Jeff Lemire and Ramon Perez at the helm of a relaunched title, there should be no doubt that this book is sure to be an amazing follow-up to the previous series.

If you“re familiar with Jeff Lemire“s independent books, you“ll find All-New Hawkeye #1 to be completely different from those works in style and pacing. That“s not to say the book isn“t good though as there are definitely some Lemire touches in this story, but with Hawkeye being a well-established, and by now, fairly prominent character for comic book fans, I feel like some of what makes Lemire“s other work stand out is somewhat missing here.

The way the book is structured though is great as we get two stories, one taking place in the past focusing on Clint and his brother Barney, and one in the present as Clint and Kate Bishop are on a mission inside a Hydra facility. Of the two, the story dealing with Clint“s childhood, abusive father, and absent mother was my favorite and definitely provided the book with the heart that many hero books sadly lack these days. As the issue progresses, there are some definitely similarities to see between the two stories, a comparison which Lemire does so well. The switch between past and present can often be jarring to many readers, but this is a technique Lemire has used in the past and does so well.

Perez“ art is beautiful, eye-catching and captivating. The art styles between the past and present stories are very different, but really helps differentiate the two time frames and also Clint“s state of mind. The flashbacks look somewhat dreamy, filled with various purple tones with loose lines reminiscent of watercolors. Definite kudos to Ian Herring on the color department for really bring the story together visually.

All-New Hawkeye #1 is a great start to Clint and Kate“s adventures and with a creative team as talented as this, there“s no doubt in my mind that the book will continue in the tradition of its predecessor.

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Martin Ferretti

Martin Ferretti is an avid comic book reader, Hearthstone player, IT professional, father, and all around geek. His fascination with Valiant Comics may be bordering on the insane, but hey, it keeps him happy. Follow him @Valiant_Central on Twitter or his Valiant news and reviews site ValiantCentral.com