(Im)perfectionist, we like Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye, warts as well as all
Matt fraction has been pushing the limits in mainstream comics for years. even after the label ended up being synonymous with huge two event comics, fraction has always discovered a method to stay creatively relevant, establishing characters as well as titles by setting them squarely outside of their traditional comfort zones.
His critically-acclaimed runs on The Immortal Iron Fist as well as The Uncanny X-Men provided fans with new as well as insightful takes on properties many believed drained of originality long ago. It should come as no surprise then, that Fraction, when once again teamed with the inimitable David Aja, discovers himself at the vanguard of mainstream comics writers with marvel Comics’ Hawkeye ongoing.
Although set firmly within Marvel’s main 616 Universe, Fraction’s handle fan-favorite Clint Barton focuses shrewdly on characterization, grounding the residential property in the everday. This is a “Hawkguy” with genuine problems, issues anybody who’s in a relationship, pays rent, as well as has nosy neighbors can associate to extremely quickly just by reviewing their day. What fraction performs in Hawkeye is nothing new, really. He’s not reinventing the wheel. After all, didn’t Stan as well as Steve make us care about a specific young guy named Peter Parker, flaws as well as all, when the Silver Age very first exploded in the prominent imagination?
Fraction’s Hawkeye gets hurt – physically as well as emotionally. He gets knocked unconscious on a routine basis. His deal with usually bears a band-aid or ten. His bones break with disturbing frequency. as well as let’s not fail to remember the genuine danger: Barton’s fascination with women who usually end up wanting to kill him. It’s a question the guy survives 22 action-packed pages every month. even his dog can’t stand him. with everything though, fraction reminds us this is the Hawkeye that always was.
Despite his dazzling storytelling techniques as well as David Aja’s stylish graphics, fraction never veers away from the core of the character. The arrow he’s loosed on the comics world flies directly as well as true to the heart of Hawkeye’s humble beginnings, each problem reminding us this is a man, very first as well as foremost. He’s not a god or even a super-soldier. He ain’t no brilliant either. He’s got a bit of a stock (but let’s not get into where all that coin really came from). true to his roots as a roguish carny with a heart of gold, not an problem of Hawkeye closes without Barton coming to terms with his flaws as well as inadequacies. Whether he’s fighting the great fight or fighting with the latest femme fatale out for his household jewels, Fraction’s Hawkguy is somebody we can all associate to.
We all like the underdog. That’s what made Peter Parker resonate with so many fans in methods Steve Rogers as well as Tony Stark never could. Fraction’s Hawkeye is the next rational step in the development of the contemporary superhero, written for a more advanced audience, who while they still pine for the action-packed adventures of costumed vigilantes, want to see themselves in their heroes more than ever before. That means sometimes we like to see our heroes mess up. In this, Clint Barton is relentless. He can’t stop trying to do the right thing – even when it gets him in trouble.
That, more than anything else, makes Hawkeye a true hero of our time as well as Matt fraction damaged Frontier’s finest Mainstream writer of 2013.