In Hawkeye #16, my future ex-wife runs into a 60s “surf rat” hit rock bottom by his brother, his also former bandmate (think Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson) who shreds his nature through thievery and tabloids. I swear, I run into one of these guys just about every night I work the door at a former-blues-dive-turned-modern-gastro-pub.
Sadly, they are just down-on-their luck dudes waiting for the bus, waiting to tell their story. So, what happens if, let’s say, none of the current sitch is bullshit – despite the fact that 95% of the time it is — and you, in pursue of greener pastures, opt to spend the day with the sad, albeit very wealthy sad-sack?
Smile, it’s the City of Angel$! (Hope you hippy nerds caught that).
What many of my peers can relate to, more particularly within this story, is the everyday struggle of a.. well.. struggling someone. In Katheryn’s case, it’s the struggling superhero. If you’ve ever read or watched Kick-Ass (or more apropos, the HBO Documentary Superheroes), the notion of a struggling superhero is not that far-fetched. In earlier issues of Hawkeye, Hawkguy may have had to deal with the bat-toting “bros” in the Boogie Down over some leasing shit, but what if you didn’t have the Avengers bankroll to fall back on? When grabbing a few groceries at Fresh ‘N Easy is far from it? That’s where Kate’s story comes in, and why my poor gal pal has to take such slimy gigs to make ends meet. And bullshit traffic on the 405? WE CAN RELATE.
Annie Wu finds her name on the cover this month too, replacing the amazing David Aja but never losing a step. Simply put, Wu nails every subtle moment – and there are plenty. While she doesn’t quite have the design skills of Aja, there’s no question her art provides an enjoyable alternative to Fract’s right-hand man when the purple quiver touches Tinseltown.
So, best-coasters, do yourself a favor and snatch Hawkeye #16, the book so good it jumped a month ahead.
