Hawkeye: Freefall #4: Three’s Company Too

All right, that’s it. After reading this issue of Hawkeye: Freefall, I’m planting my feet firmly on the ground and saying that even though it’s only four issues in, this book is the BEST Marvel superhero book being published right now. Author Matthew Rosenberg needs to be the top guy at the next Marvel Creative Summit. He knows how to blend the world of today with the traditional superhero hallmarks and put it together into something that it’s retro or a callback or hokey in the least. It’s just plain bad-ass.  The story that Rosenberg has been telling has been a real thriller. Full of cliffhangers and surprises, it’s been a consistently exciting read. This issue turns even that up a notch when Hawkeye gets backed into a situation that is almost impossible to get away from, yet Rosenberg delivers an amazing solution that’s both fantastic yet believable, and then promptly ends the book on another “Holy Balls!” cliffhanger. I can honestly say that I haven’t been let down by an issue of this series yet and each month I keep asking myself “How can they top this?”, yet every month they do!

Artist Otto Schmidt is a perfect match for Rosenberg because they’re both in the same league, talent-wise. Like the author, Schmidt’s work continues to get noticeably better each issue, with no real signs of stopping or even slowing. This issue he gets the chance to draw a few new things, and he hits a home run in every single case. He also gets to play in a different environment, and he does a great job with that, with a big assist from his excellent talent for colors.