The humour of Clint’s character is clearly portrayed via his narration throughout the issue, and this combined with fantastic line work and a brilliant use of colour adds vibrancy to every panel elevating this the story and internal conflict of Hawkeye further.

His thoughts on the lasting impact of his hero work or lack thereof (his participation in an arrest of a villain early on has very little consequences on the big bad) contrasts nicely with the permanent results and severe consequences that Ronin produces. His feeling of inadequacy at stopping a man like the Hood when abiding by his moral code make it so that when we see Ronin take action the reader can’t help but ask if Ronin has the right idea.

Of course the dark reflection of the hero has been done before, from Red Hood and Batman, to Punisher and Daredevil, but it is Clint’s Humour that elevates the material and makes it stand apart from other hero’s more violent and morally lose doppelganger stories. Additionally, where Clint was once Ronin, to now be on the other side of it and seeing how effective it is bound to question Hawkeye’s morals further given he is already questioning his effectiveness.

In summary the first issue is a brilliant starting point for this mini-series. The art by Schmidt is excellent and the character’s expressions are clearly conveyed at all times with some excellent momentum generated during the few action pieces in the issue. The writing is consistently funny and I am looking forward to learning more about how Clint responds to this new iteration of Ronin.
more