"All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened
and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you
and afterwards it all belongs to you; the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse,
and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was."
Ernest Hemingway

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon (Volume One)

Hawkeye - Volume 1: My Life As A Weapon (Marvel Now)
Image courtesy of
www.barnesandnoble.com
Hawkeye:  My Life as a Weapon (Volume One)
Matt Fraction
David Aja
Javier Pulido
2013

The Summary
Hawkeye chronicles a series of adventures had by Clint Barton - a.k.a. Hawkeye - as he tries to live up (or live down) his status as a member of the Avengers, fulfill his obligations as an agent of SHIELD, and live a relatively normal life.

Or as normal a life as possible when you're a human weapon.

The Good
Hawkeye is full of interesting stories.  Packed with plenty of action and adventure and questionable moral activities by powerful villains, Fraction and company's novel is sure to please that comic-loving junkie in all of us.

But, perhaps, one of the more memorable qualities of Hawkeye is actually its namesake, Clint Barton, who narrates the entire comic from beginning to end (excluding the final episode of Young Avengers, which features Kate Bishop - also Hawkeye).

Barton is especially intriguing over the course of this comic, because he is undeniably human.  Susceptible to human folly, to injury, to mistakes and failures, Barton is the human element in a world full of superheroes, ancient gods, geniuses, and other powerful beings.

He's the odd man out:  no superhuman strength, no magical weapons, no enhanced suit or shield or abilities.  But Barton certainly knows how to hold his own - which makes his story particularly compelling.

The Bad
While the reader certainly has an opportunity to see Clint Barton's skills as Hawkeye - as an archer and sharpshooter - Hawkeye doesn't always portray Barton's talents at their finest.  I can certainly appreciate the human element this adds to his character, but it also proves to be a little disappointing.

Kate Bishop definitely has the opportunity to show off, shouldn't Barton?

The Ugly
Arrows in eyes.

That's all I have to say.

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