The best superhero comic book in years seems almost parachuted in from some other, better-written, more engaging future. The book is light, breezy, fits well into actual save-the-world Avengers continuity but requires no knowledge or caring about such things (the tagline is that this book is what Clint Barton does when he's not off being an Avenger), and gorgeous to look at. Here's a book with stakes that shrink from the cosmic down to a single apartment building in an outer borough of New York City, where Hawkeye's costume is the work uniform doffed when Clint gets home and where the stakes are having a good relationship with his neighbors or being able to set up his DVR. I'd read comics of his in the past, and they were more of the same, albeit with a terrible costume (and a wife with an even worse one). Then, I came across 'Hawkeye.' Like a lot of people, it took the recent Marvel movies (specifically 'Thor') to make me take a second look at the third-string Marvel hero. Truthfully, after decades of comics, I'd gotten a little jaded with straight-up superhero tales, with sky-high stakes and failure not being an option.

In fact if they left that out and just inserted the next issue of Hawkeye, I would have rated this 5 stars. They wanted to add in a quick explanation of how Clint and Kate know each other, but I thought it was pretty unnecessary. My only complaint about this volume, besides being very small, is the final issue inserted in this volume. Plus it really fits Matt Fraction's story and dialogue style.

But I fould it enjoyable and pleasing on the eyes. The majority of this volume's artwork may not be the typical over the top variety that most comic book readers are used to. My wife, who only knew about Hawkeye from the Avengers movie, (and now like I) love this comic.

The humorous story arc with little outside references is actually well done for anybody new to Avengers or the Marvel Universe. Matt Fraction's take on Hawkeye, (aka Marvel's bow and arrow guy, also aka an Avenger that usually nobody cared about) is dealt justice here. I'm not sure which came first, but Marvel's take on the 'let's pull a DC comics and revamp,' I have to say there are a few that actually pulled this off quite well. Thor: God of Thunder, Deadpool (Version5), and now this.

Hawkeye vol 1 my life as a weapon