Hawkeye #19 Review: Few Words, No Problem

There’s no question that Hawkeye has lost a little bit of its luster as it’s been running out of steam. Thanks to delays and the intermittent Kate Bishop-focused stories, the “Pizza Dog” issue that won Matt Fraction and David Aja an Eisner Award feels like it was a lifetime ago.

More from Comics

Yet just when you’ve made peace with the idea that it’s okay that the current volume is ending soon because the book isn’t what it once was, an issue like Hawkeye #19 shows up and reminds you why the series earned all the critical praise in the first place. The lion’s share of attention is sure to be on the work Aja did with the sign language panels (and they apparently took the artist a long time to do), but they’re not a gimmick. Scratch that, they’re definitely a gimmick, but one that works in the context of a terrific story.

Fraction manages to lure readers back in with a tale that bounces between the past and the present and gets Clint Barton to stop feeling sorry or hopeless and take action. It’s got some great moments for Barney Barton dishing out tough love and doing the right thing, signs that maybe he’s prepared for a true redemption arc.

It’s a great example of how a good comic book doesn’t need tons of words to get its point across, something that’s been done plenty of times but not that often and certainly not this effectively in a mainstream super hero series. Mostly, though, it gets readers back to the overall narrative and excited to see how this run is going to end, a good thing since it’s essentially been one long arc.

As for the details …

SPOILER ALERT!

This is one of those times where the recap page is really helpful, because a bunch of real life time has passed since Clint and Barney were wounded. With Clint suffering severe hearing impairment and Barney in a wheelchair, things are looking pretty bad for the residents of Hawkeye’s building.

As Barney explains to those residents while Fraction and Aja do the same for the readers, Clint has been deaf before. He knows how to read lips and can sign if he wants to, but he’s wallowing in self-pity and too stubborn to ask for help.

That’s a metaphor for the state of his life, his relationships and more, but Barney manages to get through to his brother, and the obligatory “rally the troops” scene toward the end of the issue is made that much better because of the way it incorporates the sign language and bits and pieces of dialogue Clint can read or make out. Aja and Chris Eliopoulos deserve extra props, because even the lettering is an important part of the overall design.

And as mentioned above, there’s even some forward motion toward the impending showdown. Ivan is back in the fold and told he needs to take care of the rat problem in the building. The thing is, the Barton brothers decide to strike first, and since Clint has finally sucked it up and asked for help (from everyone), the sense is that people who don’t think Hawkeye is super-heroey enough are going to get more of what they’d like during the final few issues.

Favorite moment: A couple of the tracksuits waiting for Ivan to arrive have trouble deciphering the Arrivals sign at the airport. It’s supposed to be a plane landing, but one thinks it’s an alligator, and the other figures it must be a wolf. It’s a nice little humorous moment that fits in with a story where signs are so important.

Final thought: Hopefully people don’t dismiss Hawkeye #19 as a blatant Eisner grab. The people who have drifted away after waiting for so long? They’re a little more justified for dismissing it.

Home/Comics