Hawkeye (2003 Series) #7

April 23, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Proletariat Knights (A Little Murder Part One)

Hawkeye throws down with the Russian mob and runs across an old acquaintance.

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Joe Bennett
Inks: Sandu Florea
Colors: Kickstart
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Scott Kolins
Publisher: Marvel Comics

It’s really sad that there’s only one issue left in this title, because it really feels like it’s finally hitting its stride in this issue. Hawkeye heads out to track down a man associated with the Russian mafia. Along the way he runs across some very interesting old friends and one nasty new enemy.

Nicieza, as always, displays his love and knowledge of our title character. Hawkeye and, in a brief training sequence, Captain America, are your classic tough-guy heroes who rely on skill and guts rather than superpowers, but he manages to keep them distinct nonetheless. The villain introduced in this issue is sadly high on ordinance and low on originality, it’s like a 90s villain crawled out of the wreckage of an old Rob Liefeld comic to wreak havoc.

I’ve heard Joe Bennett’s name a lot lately, but this is the first time I can recall seeing any of his artwork. I’m mostly impressed. He has a very good rendition of Hawkeye, with a sort of raised mask like we got in the Batman movies, and it’s a look that works well for the character. He also draws beautiful female characters, reminiscent of a Milo Manara graphic novel. Add some nice high-action scenes and you have a solid comic visually.

I’m a huge fan of the character, and I think this series could have taken off if given a chance to build an audience. Unfortunately, Marvel doesn’t particularly operate that way any more, and only books with Xes or Spiders are given time to build an audience. This is one of the classic characters, though, and hopefully he’ll find a new home if a new Thunderbolts series finally comes through.

Rating: 7/10