Comic Review: Old Man Hawkeye #9

Old Man Hawkeye #9

Marvel Comics

Writer: Ethan Sacks

Artist: Marco Checchetto

Set five years before the original Old Man Logan, Old Man Hawkeye is, in my opinion, one of the best series of this year. Hawkeye is losing his sight, and before he does, he wants to avenge his Avengers teammates. He sets on off one last mission to kill his old Thunderbolts team, who were behind the demise of his Avengers team. There have been some heartbreaking moments so far, and in this issue, we see what’s become of Songbird in the wasteland.

Old Man Hawkeye’s mission of revenge has led him to the Sanctuary of the Silent Sisterhood. Songbird, one of his Thunderbolts teammates has been there, silent for 45 years. Their reunion isn’t a happy one though and gets worse when Bullseye catches up to the hero.

This whole series is fantastic and that doesn’t change with this issue. Ethan Sacks is writing one of the best Marvel stories in recent years. Both the characters and dialogue are great. The interaction between Hawkeye and Songbird in this issue is pretty emotional, as it should be. I do have one complaint about this issue though. While Hawkeye and Bullseye are fighting, we cut away to Taskmaster, who is tracking Bullseye for the Redskull. Then we cut to the old Weapon X facility, where Zemo is running some kind of experiments on people. Eventually, we will see Hawkeye and Zemo fight, but this cutaway seems out of place to me. It doesn’t relate to what’s happening in the story at the current moment. It’s a tease of things to come, and while that’s not bad, it definitely stands out to me.

I have no complaints or nitpicks about the art in this issue. Marco Checchetto’s art is really good. The church that this issue takes place in looks appropriately old and decrepit. The character designs have been great and consistent throughout the series. I think the fight between Hawkeye and Bullseye is great, and is easy to follow, without being confusing.  Andres Mossa, the color artist really compliments the main art. To go with the whole wasteland/post-apocalyptic feel, everything looks washed out and faded. It just makes the blood (and in this issue a stained glass window) really stand out compared to everything else.

Old Man Hawkeye is nearing its end, with only three issues left. There’s still some story left to finish, but I have no doubt that everything will come together nicely. This issue is another great one in a great series. The story and the characters are written well, and the art is fantastic. If you aren’t already, you should totally be reading this series.