I’m going to read All-New Hawkeye, dammit. I’m going to read it. With comic books, I have so much trouble making the jump to a new writer after I’ve grown attached to the previous one. This is 100% a personal hangup and I hope I can push past it to give this book a chance.
I couldn’t make the jump to Remender Captain America after Brubaker Captain America…ok, that might be a bad example because there are loads of reasons I honestly don’t like Remender Cap, but there at the beginning it was because I was too hung up on Brubaker’s run to care about anything else.
And oh I’m hung up on Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye. I’m hung up on the complexity and pathos he brings to these characters. I’m hung up on how he writes Kate Bishop, on the way he manages to make me cry every freakin’ issue. (seriously, dude, why?) I’m hung up on all the artists. Just everything about this freakin’ book, y’all.
Fraction’s Hawkeye was the first Marvel comic book I picked up after nearly 7 years away from their stuff. I was there right from the first issue, even though I didn’t know what to expect. It had Fraction’s name on it and it was about an archer character I kind of liked. That was enough. I got more than I bargained for.
This book has been shared jokes with friends, something tying us together across distances. This book has been the joy of taking a group of my gal pals to their first comic shop, and friends whispering “aw, coffee, no” followed by crazy giggling. This book has been tight, clinging hugs because something in the story touched an emotional raw spot again.
There will be other comics but this one will always be special. Although I respect the hell out of Fraction’s decision to move on, I’m going to miss this book. Thanks for an awesome ride, man.