I like that Hawkeye is structured in such a way that numbers mean nothing. Apparently, David Aja, the mastermind behind Hawkeye’s art, is a wee bit late getting his work in for Hawkeye #15, so Marvel decided to put out issue #16 first. This is a Kate Bishop story, penned by Matt Fraction and Annie Wu, a young woman I featured in my list of 30 Creators To Look Out For In 2014.
Kate Bishop, the other Hawkeye, the woman just as badass as Clint Barton, has moved to LA and, strapped for cash, is attempting to become a private eye. Issue #16 opens in a recording studio, where a rather menacing man is commanding a studio engineer to record every sound made by the young man in the studio. The artist is wearing a bathrobe, crying, and repeating “I’m done.”
Jump ahead 46 years and the same young man is now old, still in a bathrobe, and wandering through a busy LA highway backing up traffic. Zipping through the parking lot in her scooter, Kate looks to aid the man, who tells her that his wish has been stolen. It turns out the wandering crazy man is Will Bryson, one half of the Bryson Brothers, a '60s group that stood to become the American Beatles. Instead, they crashed an burned because of Will, who spent his life trying to record “Wish,” his ultimate artistic statement.
These days, Will lives in huge mansion with his dying brother, who is attempting to leak bits and pieces of "Wish" to the public. Bishop breaks into the Bryson house and attempts to help Will. Instead, she gets beaten up and tossed out. Months later, after Will’s rather bitter brother finally dies, Will plays "Wish" live for the first time. Bishop is in the audience and the moment is equal parts funny and touching. The end of issue #16 is a mystery, and clearly sets up a larger arc that Fraction and Wu are going for.
I’m not sure who had more to do with the plot design of Hawkeye #16, but I give for respect for the homage to Brian Wilson (hence Will Bryson). For those who don’t know, Wilson was originally one of the Beach Boys, and easily the most brilliant one. Early in his career, Wilson got lost, and went a bit insane. During his life, Wilson was constantly working in parts on "Smile," an album he called a teenage love story to God. Bits and pieces were leaked out over the years, until Wilson collected himself and began performing it.
Matt Hollingsworth is on art duty here, and he does a capital job. Hollingsworth has a really solid independent comic vibe to what he does, in other words, it’s much more personal than most artists. His line work is light, but never comes across as thin. He also excels with cool ideas within the panels. Hollingsworth knows how to draw faces to bring in the emotional impact, but also elicit the inner monologue of the character and bring those thoughts into the visuals. Exceptional work across the board.
Whether Burton or Bishop, Hawkeye continues to be one of the best titles Marvel cranks out. Fraction, Wu, Aja and Hollingsworth are a revolution.