Hawkeye #6 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

So, I was disappointed with last issue, because I felt like Fraction would up getting lost in the story that he was trying to tell.  Even after a few readings, a good numbers of the plot twists didn't particularly make sense to me and I noted that Fraction probably needed to tighten up his plotting if he was going to continue telling these sorts of espionage stories.  The good news is that Fraction returns to basics here and gives us the type of story that made me fall in love with this series.

Fraction does a great job contrasting how Hawkeye thinks everyone views him -- as non-essential personnel, essentially -- with how everyone actually sees him -- as a remarkably good guy.  Plus, Fractions shows us that he is a remarkably good guy.  He feels bad that he broke his neighbor's satellite dish, so he lets her and his kids watch Christmas movies at his place.  All he really wants to do is watch "Dog Cops" on his DVR and "Blade Runner" on his Laserdisc.  He has a sentimental attachment to his possessions, even if they're mostly broken.  As he's done throughout this series, Fraction carefully weaves together these moments, big and small, to give us a sense of the vulnerable Clint that we don't see in "Avengers," when he's forced to be arrogant Clint because he's just a guy with arrows standing shoulder-to-shoulder with gods.

But, this issue isn't just a character study.  The bro mafia has returned and I really like the vague, but real, threat that Fractions makes them be.  By making them just real guys with guns, Fraction actually makes them scarier than your average super-villain.  Maybe they'll go after Lucky.  Maybe they will blow up the building.  Aja does a great job conveying the fear that Clint feels as he decides to stay put, nervously laying down the gauntlet to the bro mafia that he'll protect his building and his people.  In fact, the whole point of this issue is Fraction showing us Clint finally starting to let himself set down roots.  Sure, he got Lucky in the first issue, but Lucky's pretty portable.  I mean, I assume wherever Clint was going to go has pizza, so Lucky would be good.  But, Kate reminds him that he's a good guy so he has to act like a good guy, to draw a line in the sand, to stand outside his building with nothing but his bow and arrow.  It's what you'd call a moment and it's one that tells you everything you need to know about Clint and this series.

(Did we know that Cherry was a gangster's wife?)