Ultimate Hawkeye Review

The new Ultimate Hawkeye is here and is starting off in condition orange. Let’s see if this new Ultimate Hawkeye  really is ultimate. With Jonathan Hickman writing, Rafa Sandoval penciling, Jordi Tarragona inking, and Brad Anderson colouring, Hawkeye is  one of four new comics coming out to revamp the Ultimate line (the others being the Ultimates, Spider-man, and X-men). I’m curious to see if it’s even worth the effort. Let’s see if this writer and trio of artists can bring Hawkeye back to life, or if the comic should be upgraded to condition red.

The cover does not give a good first impression. I mean, yes, it’s a cool action shot of Hawkeye, but that’s what they’re doing for every new Ultimate comic. The same concept is used for all other Ultimate comic covers. The hero always bursts through something that resembles glass. If you ask me, it’s a good idea for one cover, maybe two, but not all four. It’s like they didn’t even try.

The story is okay. If you’re like me and haven’t been following the Ultimate line, then you’ll probably be wondering: how did the story get there? Though the story does go back and explain everything later, it still doesn’t do as much as I’d like it to. I enjoy it when an old character is brought back, as it can serve as a good jumping-on point for new readers (like in the new Daredevil), but the new Hawkeye just doesn’t cut it. Unless they explain more later on, I can’t see myself collecting this comic. That’s not to say the story is bad — as I mention earlier, it’s okay. If you’ve been reading the Ultimate collection, then Hawkeye is probably much clearer and more entertaining for you than it is for me.

I’m about 50/50 on the art. When the pencil, ink, and colors come together perfectly  I want to keep on reading, but when it hits a rough patch where it’s just gross, I want to stop. Thankfully, these rough patches are no more than a page long. If they were any longer, this comic book wouldn’t be worth reading. There is one joke at the end which I found hilarious in the last panel: Nick gives Hawkeye an order and the way he looks is just like Uncle Sam.

To wrap things up, Hawkeye is a fairly good read with swaying art. Though Hawkeye’s cover is just like all the other new Ultimate titles, it holds its own everywhere else. It’s not a good jumping-on point, although I suspect that will change in the next few issues. I would recommend Ultimate Hawkeye if you are familiar with the Ultimate titles. If you’re not, well, maybe you should wait for the collection.