Hawkeye #11
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by David Aja
Published by Marvel
Now this is the reason why Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye series is one of the most popular and talked about titles in the market right now. Seamlessly blending together story, art, humor and all around creative genius to deliver what most fans will believe as the best comic in the series yet, all told through the eyes of Hawkeye’s rescued dog Lucky, the pizza dog.
Presented in a taut, noir fashion, #11 follows Lucky as he investigates the mysterious murder of Hawkeye’s friend and neighbor Gil and who might be responsible. Along the way, he meets a new dog that he conjures feelings for as well as has a brief encounter with his previous owners. The highlight here, however, is not the story, as it doesn’t shed any new light on the current situation that has been unraveling for the past few episodes. No, the highlight here is how Fraction and artist David Aja handle the perspective of Lucky, and create an interesting landscape in which a canines mind might actually work, even if the intelligence is exaggerated for comedic effect.
Every frame in the book shows how Lucky understands the world around him, how he associates certain doors and smells
with people and items. It’s not a thought process of words; it’s a process of what simply things. This approach is thoroughly entertaining to watch as Lucky puzzles over the crime. This is a much-needed break from the usual Hawkeye moaning that has taken up the last few issues.
Lucky doesn’t see human drama like we do, and when watching a conversation, he would only and become confused and eventually leave. It represents the reader in the sense that it has become apparent to Fraction that Hawkeye is simply just droning on about his girl troubles when he should instead be looking into the sudden death of his neighbor. The audience is getting bored of Hawkeye and his soap-opera troubles, and so is Lucky.
With that addressed, Hawkeye #11 creates a wildly entertaining detective story starring a dog, ditching the sad sap routine that the title character has fallen into and delivering what could be the best comic in the series so far.
