Matt Fraction // David Aja
September 2015
*****
Together Kate & Clint save the BK brownstone & its families from the ‘Tracksuit Draculas’ & harlequin hit-man. Fraction & Aja close their outstanding run, adding a gesture to set up next ‘season’. Superlative comics on every level, the sort of collection you can lend to a non-fan of superheroes.
last issue: Hawkeye #21
continued in Hawkeye #1
Matt Fraction // David Aja
November 2014
*****
This arc has been a phenomenal backdoor pilot for Kate Bishop, Hawkeye—or a grand reward for her fans. Frac, as if acknowledging the character’s maturity, writes her finale in classic non-linear Hawkeye style. Try & put together the twists of this LA noir, or just marvel at Wu’s gangly teen heroine.
last issue: Hawkeye #19
next issue: Hawkeye #21
Matt Fraction // Annie Wu
May 2014
****
Fraction reveals that his LA plot has been a film noir all along (of course). Its California corruption is a plot to keep the rich young & immortal, and it’s run by Kate’s archenemy. The Elliot Gould detective even has a link to vampirism: he’s a minor character from Marvel’s classic Dracula!
last issue: Hawkeye #17
next issue: Hawkeye #19
Matt Fraction // Annie Wu
February 2014
****
If any run can shoulder an out-of-sequence issue, it’s Frac’s Hawkeye. Hawkgirl helps a reclusive ’60s musician (a stand-in for Brian Wilson) get his mojo back. Note that this sidekick arc is also a variation on Peter Parker (life lessons of a super-teen) the same month that Ms. Marvel debuts.
last issue: Hawkeye #15
next issue: Hawkeye #17
Matt Fraction // Annie Wu
January 2014
****
Back to LA, where Kate has gone to learn the hero-ropes solo. She makes delightful mistakes as she helps a gay couple & finds a mentor in… Elliott Gould from The Long Goodbye?! Comparing Wu to Aja isn’t fair, & misses how her loose, lively style expands on the youthful tone of these Cali adventures.
last issue: Hawkeye #13
next issue: Hawkeye #15
Matt Fraction // Javier Pulido
early September 2013
****
Kate Bishop, everyone’s (= my) favorite Young Avenger, stands on her own for a whole annual, effectively set-up for a solo arc. She’s in LA, escaping a trap set by her arch-nemesis, Madame Masque. Pulido returns to provide continuity. He works in the cartoon-like new standard for Marvel vigilantes, adding a touch of D. Cooke’s lush curves in echo of Fraction’s happy millennial patter.
continued from Hawkeye #11
continued in Hawkeye #13
also indexed for Sept. ’13
Hawkeye #12
Matt Fraction // David Aja with Annie Wu
April 2013
*****
The redheaded femme drags Barton into another encounter with the tracksuit gangsters of “Little Irkutsk”. Delightfully, she gets the evil eye from the other gals in H’s life: Widow, Hawkgirl, Mockingb, & naïve GF Spider-W. Covers to fake romance comics, by Wu, act as exposition and punctuation.
last issue: Hawkeye #7
next issue: Hawkeye #9
Matt Fraction // Javier Pulido
early February 2012
*****
Kid Hawkeye impersonates an Iron Man villain—the criminal mastermind w/ a gold mask—& earns an archenemy. She also learns that the video of her mentor sanctioning a terrorist was a fake, to protect the IDs of Navy Seals: a clever comics application of the Bin Laden op a few years ago.
last issue: Hawkeye #4
next issue: Hawkeye #6
also indexed for Feb. ’12
Hawkeye #6
Winter Soldier #13
Matt Fraction // Javier Pulido
January 2013
*****
SHIELD’s lost a VCR tape of Barton assassinating a global terrorist for them—so it dispatches him to buy it at auction in an ersatz Asian megacity! As an international man of mystery, he’s a flop. Pulido, however, proves Aja’s near-equal, using minimalism & softer curves to strike a lighter comic tone.
last issue: Hawkeye #3
next issue: Hawkeye #5
also indexed for Jan. ’13
Winter Soldier #12
Matt Fraction // David Aja
November 2012
*****
Hawkeye & his namesake from the Young Avengers steal $ that a criminal circus (shown here as Cirque du Soliel types) stole from organized crime. Aja seems inspired by Steranko’s pop-art layouts, but w/ a 21C graphic angle: see the A+ cover, & a page of Barton slowing time as he draws the bow.
last issue: Hawkeye #1
next issue: Hawkeye #3
also indexed for Nov. ’12
Captain America #17
The Fantastic Four #610
FF #22
Winter Soldier #10
Kurt Busiek // George Pérez
December 2003
***
The crossover ends as it must: in an enormous brawl of punching & zapping. Still, the mag’s creative duo amazingly avoid even a whiff of the corporate avarice that must underpin this mini. The grand scope & casual confidence prove a good capstone to the super-teamwork dynamic that defines the Avengers run of Busiek & Pérez et al. Think of it as a victory lap AWA an impressive work of fan-service.
last issue: JLA/Avengers #3 of 4
also indexed for Dec. ’03
Alias #27
New X-Men #148
Kurt Busiek // George Pérez
November 2000
****
Pérez & Busiek put their all into GP’s swansong for an issue of old-school superheroics. An aristo aims to inundate the globe w/ “ionic energy”, killing millions & putting millions more under his control. Avengers & T-bolts can’t stop him, but his cracked daughter can. High stakes; deft dialogue; exuberant artwork; inspiring heroism; a huge cast: this arc exemplifies the duo’s superb Avengers run.
continued from Thunderbolts #44
continued in Maximum Security #1 of 3
last issue: Avengers #33
next issue: Avengers #35
also indexed for Nov. ’00
Thunderbolts #44
Maximum Security #1 of 3
Fabian Nicieza // Mark Bagley
November 2000
***
Most of #44 exposits on the Avengers crossover (Count Nefaria has a classically baroque supervillain plan), while moving its various hammy subplots forward incrimentally. Fortunately, Bagley’s art looks better than ever due to new inker Adams, who emphasizes the ’90s manga-like physiques.
continued from Avengers #33
continued in Avengers #34
last issue: Thunderbolts #43
next issue: Thunderbolts #45
also indexed for Nov. ’00
Avengers #34
Maximum Security #1 of 3
Kurt Busiek // George Pérez & Paul Ryan
October 2000
****
KB has rarely written 1st-person narration in his Av run, so it’s a surprise that he anchors this issue w/ a villainess’ internal monologue. But it effectively shows Mme. Masque’s struggle to overcome paranoia & trust the team. Atop GP’s layouts, Ryan’s touch of realism adds to her inner conflict.
continued from Thunderbolts #43
continued in Thunderbolts #44
last issue: Avengers #32
next issue: Avengers #34
also indexed for Oct. ’00
Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1 of 1
Thunderbolts #43
Kurt Busiek // George Pérez & Paul Ryan
September 2000
***
Like the cover says, #32 unkinks the bent history of Madame Masque. On top of her daddy issues, the gold-masked Iron Man foe/ex-GF now has clones, a secret NV base, & a paranoid streak. Note that Pérez only provides breakdowns; Ryan, an inoffensive Marvel headliner in the early ’90s, pencils adequately.
continued from Thunderbolts #42
continued in Thunderbolts #43
last issue: Avengers #31
next issue: Avengers #33
also indexed for Sept. ’00
Thunderbolts #42
Kurt Busiek // George Pérez
August 2000
****
The team help bust up the Marvel U’s crime syndicate, but that’s a sideshow to the character-based action of #31’s first half. The Pym double-act returns, as Yellowjacket skulks around the Mansion; the Wasp shows her long-standing aptitude for field leadership; Triathlon pals w/ Ms. M & She-Hulk.
last issue: Avengers #30
next issue: Avengers #32
Index Indigo 