The best book being published by the big two ( )

My general expereince with Marvel comics is usually one of disappointment and general "meh". I had heard so many good things about Fraction's Hawkeye though, I had to pick it up when I saw it used at the bookstore last week. I am very glad I did. Fraction and company have got something very refreshing going on here. The cool factor is two fold: 1) Aja and the other illustrators have clearly been influenced by some of the indy graphic novels coming out over the past decade or so. There are a couple pages that look like they came straight out of a Chris Ware book. Also, the color palette is way toned down and is muted to only 5 or 6 colors per page. This gives it an edgy rough pulpy look that had me hooked from the first issue. I am sure there is a more technical term for this, but Marvel's usual fair has been high gloss, 100 colors in a single box, with extremely disproportionate anatomy for both genders. Sometimes I'm all about that, but Fraction's Hawkeye characters look more realistic. Gone are the latex booty pants and Captain Upperbody physiques. Clint and Kate look like normal fit people doing regular things.
That gets me to the second reason why this Hawkeye is so intriguing: the story isn't about Hawkeye the Avenger, it's about Clint after work hanging out in his apartment complex chilling with regular people. Sure there are the bad guys, but it's not "end of the world" bad guys. They are the local Russian Mafia buffoons in their matching Ali G track suits saying "Bro" in every text bubble. Clint also has regular everyday lady problems. The relationships are complex, there are no gratuitous sex bits (well, maybe one), and the female characters are clearly more intelligent and thoughtful than Clint is.
There are other superheros here and there, but their not doing superhero stuff that much. The Christmas Issue has Hawkeye and Tony Stark arguing over how to hook up a DVR in Hawkeye's run down loft apartment. Why are they intensely trying to get a DVR hooked up? Because Hawkeye's single-mom neighbor's kids want to watch a Christmas special and she needs some time to go out with her girlfriends. Everybody in the apartment building knows he's "Hawkguy" or "Hawkface" but they don't really care. They just want to hangout on the roof BBQing. Anyway, Fraction's writing is clever and funny. I laughed out loud in every issue. I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you looking for a fresh look with some classic Marvel characters. ( )