The Good

Every once in a while we'll see a comic issue deal with real life events. Sometimes they're handled well and other times they come across as forced. This is a case where it's handled perfectly. With Matt Fraction's HAWKEYE, we see him as a true streel level hero. He's a guy with a bow. Sure, he can shoot really well and he's a really great leader, but he's just a guy. No super-powers. When nature calls and a storm hits the east coast, you wouldn't expect Hawkeye to be able to do much. But he does do what he can, that means helping those living in the building he owns. He does this as a regular guy.

You would think that a story with the main character trying to help a tenant with his father would make a lackluster comic. But Fraction knows how to sprinkle in the right amount of humor, suspense and then a little more humor. We don't often see natural disasters in comics. That's sort of a good thing since we get enough of that in the news.

This issue has two separate stories. It also has two different artists. Steve Lieber does the Hawkeye and Jesse Hamm does the Kate Bishop section. The colors by Matt Hollingsworth does the color for both sections which gives it a more unified look. Kate's presence in the book continues to add a different and welcomed dynamic to the series.

This issue is for a good cause. Fraction has pledge to donate his royalties to the Red Cross.

The Bad

Even though we do have Hollingsworth's colors on both art styles, it is a bit of a difference between them. Hawkeye even looks a little different. There are moments when Kate just looks a little silly.

Some of the ink from the cover and letter page actually smeared off onto my fingers. It was almost like I was reading a newspaper.

The Verdict

This is a comic reflecting some real-life events that is handled perfectly. Seeing both Hawkeye and Kate Bishop act as heroes during a disaster shows how great of characters they are. Matt Fraction gives a glimpse to what disasters like this can be like. The comic is executed in a way that doesn't come across as too forced or preachy. It's showing what people could do and the reaction to these sort of events. Having it illustrate that even heroes like Hawkeye who has faced incredibly powerful supervillains is still at the mercy of Mother Nature. Along with this heavier tone, we still get some great humorous scenes. If you've been reading HAWKEYE, you know what you're getting here. It's always a great time. We have some different artists filling in since there was a quick turn around to getting this comic made quickly. There are a couple moments where the art isn't perfect but it's a great story that deserves to be read. And it's for a good cause as well.