Hawkeye is written by Matt Fraction, who is one of my favorite authors at the moment. David Aja provides the art, and never before have I read a comic where the art enhanced the storytelling to such a large degree. Usually, I don’t care much about artwork. For me, it just needs to be adequate enough to tell the story. And occasionally I’ll read a comic with art that is so good that it would be appropriate to hang up each panel in a museum, but that sort of thing still rarely enhances the story. If Hawkeye had been drawn by a different artist, it would be an entirely different comic. It’s like a cross between a superhero comic and an alternative slice of life comic such as Adrian Tomine’s Optic Nerve or Strangers in Paradise.

Marvel is doing something similar to DC’s New 52 called Marvel NOW! where they’re cancelling most of their comics and starting new ones in their place. Unlike the New 52, Marvel isn’t erasing all of their continuity. Hawkeye is one of the few titles that isn’t getting axed, probably because it’s critically acclaimed, a fan favorite (at least I assume), and hasn’t been going for very long (so it’s a good time to start reading it).

I’m the kind of comic reader who follows writers rather than characters. Ordinarily, I hate the character, Hawkeye, but I love this comic. (The comic also star Kate Bishop. She is a teenager who also goes by the Hawkeye name.)