Hawkeye #13

Fans of this title will get another dose of beautiful writing, art, and craft in Hawkeye #13. The characters are incredibly expressive, yet there is still a progressive art experiment happening within these pages. This another instance this week of a book that is as good as comic books can ever hope to be. Read Full Review

Hawkeye is brilliant. Touching, heartbreaking and completely engrossing. There is not a better book on the stands right now. Read Full Review

Aja and Hollingsworth's art expertly captures the tone of the story while Fraction's minimalist use of dialogue conveys the quiet detachment Clint experiences all of which come together for yet another must-read comic from Marvel. Read Full Review

Hawkeye 13 is the major turning point in Clint Barton's story. It's very simple to hop on here and follow along. If you are tired of the normal superhero stories and want to read something that breaks the mold, Hawkeye is where it all begins. Read Full Review

Visually, the no-frills layout of the issue works to great effect. Aja and Matt Hollingsworth have a style that's thoroughly unique and thematically appropriate. The book's subdued colors convey a lingering melancholy, and the repetition of the nine-panel page wraps it all up in a sense of metaphorical claustrophobia. Like Clint, we're made to feel trapped by circumstance. Few books manage this type of narrative and aesthetic harmony, but Aja and Fraction make it look disturbingly easy. Read Full Review

If you're passing up Hawkeye, you're missing out on something rare - a truly original comic. Highly recommended! Read Full Review

Another great issue from Fraction and Aja, with its flawless pacing and fantastic artwork. No matter the delay, Hawkeye #13 is definitely worth the wait. Im so glad its back and eagerly await the next issue, whenever that happens to be. Read Full Review

In the end, seeing Clint and Barney Barton come to the realization that they are brothers and need each other was that last touch to make this a brilliant issue. We get that story where action isn't needed, and we can just see the hero for who he is. Clint is just a man, and it's what makes you relate to him in every way. Read Full Review

More good news for Hawkeye is that they will be rotating issues between Clint and Kate. Even numbered issues will be about Kate's Adventures in Los Angeles with art by Annie Wu. Odd numbered issues will be about Clint, with David Aja, just as it should be! They will rotate issues until the end of the year. I only hope that they throw some Pizza Dog issues in there as well, since it rocked! Read Full Review

Death in comics can be such an easy clich. The sideways angle that Fraction and Aja use to approach this issue is like a quiet revelation. Kate's inspiring but melancholy speech to Hawkeye (who sleeps through the whole thing) is the kind of desperate and wonderful missed connection and agonizing humanity that "Hawkeye" is all about. Read Full Review

It's a testament to Fraction and Aja that even with an issue that's mostly bridging the spaces between prior events, it still feels substantial and moving. Read Full Review

What we're getting at is that we are incredibly grateful for “Hawkeye” to be back. You should be too. Read Full Review

HAWKEYE is back! It's enough to make you happy and cheer but then you remember that things aren't going too great for Clint and those in his personal life. Matt Fraction is really giving us a different take on the character and showing us that being a superhero isn't always fun and games. Clint is on a destructive path but there are moments of sunshine. David Aja's art and Matt Hollingsworth's colors are splendid as always. It's great to have the book back. This isn't your average HAWKEYE comic. And that's a great thing. Read Full Review

Above everything else, I'm so excited to be regularly getting this book again. Those tracksuits and their assassin need to be held accountable for what they did to Grills, so I'll be looking forward to the issue where the impending clash finally happens. Read Full Review

Only goofy critics like me care about applying credit to the correct creators, and really we shouldn't care either. We should just admire the wonderful way that this book sustains mood and builds complex, ambiguous characters. We should thrill in the wonderful way that images are created and storytelling builds. We should thrill in the brilliantly elegant linework by David Aja and the brilliantly elegant writing of Matt Fraction. Read Full Review

Hawkeye #13 is hard to really talk about. There's really not much to it, finally returning to a plot point that should have been followed up on a long time ago. It continues makes Hawkeye's life more depressing, despite the arrival of his brother, and has alright art. That's just it and it really only continues to make me wonder why the book is so gushed over by everyone. Read Full Review

Despite being a very low key issue, and me not fully understanding every part of it, the Fraction/Aja team is still as strong as ever. One really feels for Hawkeye over the course of the issue, and the important scenes, like his meeting with Grills' dad and a nice talk with Kate, are handled very well. I would definitely say the delay hurt the ongoing story, but the quality of the comic is still very much in tact. And Marvel promises that the next issue will be coming up soon, so we won't have to wait as long. That's a definite plus. Read Full Review

Master Destructo

Jan 28, 2014

Despite a severe lack of action, this was enjoyable and featured a number of nice character moments. Good cartooning by Aja, and the nine panel grid throughout created a pace that emphasizes the drudgery of Clint's existence, which essentially is one of danger, self-destruction, and obliviousness with empty, lonely moments in-between.