What Happens In Hawkeye By Matt Fraction & David Aja?

Matt Fraction and David Aja's 'Hawkeye' is this brilliant, grounded take on Clint Barton that strips away the usual superhero grandeur and just lets him be... well, a mess. The series kicks off with Clint buying a crappy apartment building to save tenants from a landlord who's basically a cartoon villain, and it snowballs from there. There’s this hilarious yet heartfelt vibe where he’s constantly getting his ass kicked—whether by Russian mobsters, his own dumb decisions, or his equally chaotic protégé Kate Bishop (who steals every scene she’s in). The storytelling is so tight, with issues like 'Pizza Dog' (told from the perspective of his dog, Lucky) or the silent 'Christmas issue' where Clint’s deaf brother Barney shows up. It’s all about family, found and otherwise, and how Clint’s heart’s in the right place even if his aim isn’t always. Aja’s art is minimalist but explosive, with these bold colors and layouts that make even a rooftop brawl feel like jazz. By the end, you’re left with this weirdly uplifting feeling—like yeah, Hawkeye’s a disaster, but he’s our disaster.

What really stuck with me was how Fraction humanizes Clint. He’s not saving the world here; he’s just trying to do right by his neighbors, his dog, and Kate. The tracksuit Draculas (‘bro bro bro’) are ridiculous but weirdly menacing, and the whole arc with the ‘Clown’ crime boss ties into Clint’s past in the circus. It’s a series that makes you laugh one minute and then hits you with a gut-punch moment, like when Clint signs ‘I love you’ to Barney. And Kate? She’s the perfect foil—competent where Clint stumbles, but just as flawed in her own way. The dynamic between them is gold, especially when they’re snarking at each other mid-fight. Honestly, it’s less a superhero comic and more a love letter to underdogs.

Fraction and Aja’s 'Hawkeye' feels like a indie film masquerading as a Marvel comic—small-scale, deeply personal, and packed with style. Clint’s life is a series of wry misadventures: he adopts a one-eyed dog, gets embroiled in neighborhood drama, and somehow becomes the worst/best mentor to Kate Bishop. The art’s a standout, with Aja’s panels often telling whole stories without words, like the iconic ‘arrows in the elevator’ sequence. It’s quirky, heartfelt, and proof that the best heroics are sometimes just helping the people next door.