Hawkeye is one of the first comics I read as a teenager that brought me back into the medium, and I had a good time re-reading it. It hasn't aged perfectly, but it's still a stylistic blast that took a character I found very boring and showed me their downtime in a way that made the character far more interesting. I wish they did this for the movies.

The biggest flaw of the series is that it can feel more style than substance at times. The one-shot issues are great - the pizza dog POV issue, or the 6 days in the life of issue. I love how the panels are laid in a way that makes it fun to read. Aja's artstyle is also more minimal than "traditional" comics art in a way that looks cool and fresh, unlike most minimal redesigns you see today. But the longer form stories don't land quite the same for me. It feels like the stakes were often a bit low, even when they shouldn't be. For instance, only one character (that I can remember) is killed in this run. That death has impact, but then nothing happens to anyone else. You would think in a battle against the horde of tracksuit goons, some of these civilians would get hurt. Not that the story needs death to have weight, but it does feel like they were afraid of saddening fans or something - even when the characters were really minor (the apartment tenants aren't exactly Marvel staples). Also, the series does an ok job of explaining why Clint doesn't just have the Avengers save the day. I mean sure, what he did isn't technically legal, but do the Avengers not break the law all the time or something? Especially when it's about keeping innocent people safely housed from a deported mob boss... I think he would have gotten away with it.

Kate Bishop is maybe the biggest surprise of this series. She's pretty fun as a character. I'm not sure how she's been written in previous incarnations, but this is good enough that it will likely capture her character for many years after. Her arc in LA is pretty good too - it could have been pretty boring given that it's a sidekick story with less stakes, but the cast makes it fun, Again though, a lack of weight here - even the detective guy we know little about and is seemingly dead.... isn't. For what purpose does that serve? I don't know. The implications of this body swap cloning stuff is quite large, but it feels less important than the war for one apartment building in NYC.

Also, I thought the clown assassin character was not very interesting.... he was a bit of a juxtaposition to Clint? I guess? Madame Masque was more interesting. Would have loved to see some other classic characters used, instead of just being briefly seen. Also also, some of the humour can be a bit dated - all the bro and futz stuff does feel like 2011 internet humour.

Still glad I reread this, would still definitely recommend for people wanting to get into superhero comics and want some fun. ( )

This is weird. The past months I have been bitter because I can't buy this omnibus. Well I can but for 120 dollars and I have to order it from overseas so I would be paying multiple taxes.

I want it because I kept thinking about Hawkeye, Volume 1: My Life as a Weapon. Which I assumed I gave 5 stars. I just discovered I gave it 3 stars? Which in my world means: I liked it. I had a good time but will probably forget about it in a month.

But I still want it... This is such a first world problem. It's ridiculous.

After the Avengers vs X-Men event, Marvel relaunched all their series under a new branding “Marvel Now!” It was supposed to make it easier for new readers to enter the Marvel Universe without needing tons of backstory/continuity. Which is why I decided to try Hawkeye, whose series I had never read. I had only encountered him as part of Avengers team series, or in crossovers. I like the character, so I picked up his newly launched title with Matt Fraction at the helm.

The biggest problem I have with Marvel is that they relaunch, and relaunch, and relaunch series with new writers and artists, without giving readers a chance to get to know and enjoy a character before someone else comes in and changes him/her. Readers get 6, maybe 12 if they are lucky, continuous issues. Fraction got 22: twenty-two issues of character and story development that completely invested me in the series.

One of the things Fraction really dives into is that Hawkeye has no superpowers, and what that would really mean being an Avenger. Hawkeye ends up in the hospital – a LOT. In fact, the story opens with a shot of Barton falling away from a building while shooting an arrow (almost exactly as he did in the Avengers movie during the Battle of New York). Only this time he crashes onto the top of a car and ends up in traction in a hospital bed. Barton is painfully human. He gets beat up often, and through most of the series he’s wearing bandages. His private life is a mess, exemplified perfectly by a panel showing his ex-girlfriend (Black Widow), his ex-wife (Mockingbird), and his current girlfriend (Spider-Woman). The main current of the story is Hawkeye’s “war” with some Russian Mafia-types who are trying to drive him and his neighbors out of their apartment building. This weaves through the entire run up to the conclusion. In between, he runs missions for SHIELD, mentors Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, and interacts with his neighbors. Readers get to know Clint as never before. His relationship with Bishop is a highlight. She knows what a mess he is and accepts it. She does what she can to help, learns from his and her own mistakes, and acts as a foil for him.

The run only seriously stumbles twice. At one point, Clint invites his neighbor and her two boys over to watch Christmas specials, because he damaged her tv dish. Fraction inexplicably decided to write out one of those specials. It went on, agonizingly, for dozens of pages (probably an entire issue). At another point, the POV switches to Kate Bishop after she heads to LA after Clint ticks her off. Kate works best with a partner or team. Solo, she’s damn annoying. The conclusion at first seems weak, it wasn’t an epic battle, but for a very human character it worked.

Overall, the entire run was excellent. I wish Marvel would give more authors a chance to build like this. And the art of David Aja was a perfect fit for Fraction’s story. The minimalist style (which I normally don’t like), in mostly sepia tones with pops of color, worked so well for the character. Highly recommended, especially this omnibus edition. ( )

***after giving up ever finding the omnibus for less than €150,-***
I'm bitter. Still not giving up but I hate this side of being a 'collector'. I just want the damn book and not pay more than retail price.