WRITER: MATTHEW ROSENBERG | ARTIST: OTTO SCHMIDT | PUBLISHER: MARVEL | FORMAT: SINGLE ISSUE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
It’s got to be said Hawkeye is not many people’s favourite Avenger. His total lack of superpowers may be one element, and that Edna Everage-style winged face mask, or his slightly swashbuckly purple costume. However, those in the know, like this reviewer, know that he is hands down the best Avenger ever (except when played by Jeremy Renner) and more than merits a comic of his own, possibly just by virtue of bringing a bow and arrow to the party.
Freefall knows people may look down on Clint Barton for his lack of super and addresses the issue (and turns it on its head) right from the opening pages (also letting him get his arrow on, to bad guy defeating effect). Hawkeye here is a sassy, wise-cracking version of himself, trading on some Spiderman/Deadpool style self referentialism and unreliable narration to bring a real sense of fun and immediacy to both the dialogue and the drive of the narrative. Why is Clint Barton a crime fighter? Why should he be taking on bad guys without orders or help from the Avengers? Freefall takes answering the questions as a core of its storyline and gives a nuanced and witty take on the answers.
The plot itself sees Barton butt heads with Hood, a demon-powered low-level crime lord with a taste for the high life, before being brought face to face with a former incarnation of himself – Ronin (and a very welcome team up with some familiar, and soon set to be ever more familiar, Marvel faces). The artwork is solid, with some nice action scenes and an accomplished sense of place (New York, naturally), and it’s good to see Hawkeye in the more-or-less classic costume (minus the Edna Everage wings, sorry true fans) but it’s the writing that really pops from the page, particularly Barton’s narration (and its interaction with the main dialogue).
Hawkeye may not be superpowered, and this adventure may not see him save the multiverse, universe, or even the planet, but with writing like this, and an admittedly low key adventure that promises to be this much fun, who needs super?
