Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1 – Review

By Jim McCann (writer), David Lopez (artist), Alvaro Lopez (inker), Nathan Fairbairn (colorist)

The Story: On the road to reconciliation and renewing their relationship, Hawkeye and Mockingbird take time to bust up an arms deal while charting their own course in this new Heroic Age.

The Good: Diehard fans of the Hawkeye/Mockingbird duo will undoubtedly love the existence of this book, and I can’t blame them. There has always been a certain undeniable, geeky fondness for this dynamic duo over the years, and Hawkeye and Mockingbird have gone on to garner much well-deserved admiration from fans and creators. To be honest, I like having them back in the Marvel Universe, and I think their presence adds immense credibility to this notion of a Heroic Age.

What really drew me to this issue was the ridiculously attractive art from Team Lopez. David’s pencils and Alvaro’s inks are sleek and engaging, and they are clearly talented at choreographing some sweet-ass action sequences. The opening chase scene through the streets of New York was every bit as intense as a summer blockbuster movie, and I mean that in the best way possible. These guys are good, damn good, and I honestly think they can take this comic to heights of Greatness.

The Not So Good: I’ve more or less come to expect a certain degree of mediocrity from these Heroic Age relaunches, as creators need to re-establish the status quo and devote an issue to reminding us who their respective characters are and what their Mission is. And to be fair, that is certainly present here in this issue. But there is something too, something slightly more annoying. McCann’s script draws heavily on the extensive continuity of these characters, but slightly to a fault. Crossfire? The Phantom fucking Rider!? Come on. Hawkeye and Mockingbird have battled their ways through death, an alien invasion, and the dark reign of an utter fucking psychopath to find their way into each others arms and the best McCann can give us are some D class antagonists?