CREDIT: Marvel
Rating: 4.5/5 – A Strong Prequel to Old Man Logan.
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
Old Man Hawkeye is a prequel to the immensely popular Old Man Logan story from close to ten years ago. In that original story, Logan and a blind Hawkeye travel the American wasteland that has been conquered by the villains who had finally teamed up to kill most of the Marvel heroes. Old Man Logan, whether you’re a fan of the story or not, could be considered a modern classic. I personally loved it and was excited to see that a new twelve issue series starring Hawkeye was going to be published giving us more insight into one of the main characters of that tale.
Writer Ethan Sacks is the mastermind behind this series and up till now, he’s only had one other work at Marvel (a short story in Secret Empire: Brave New World #3), spending a twenty year career with the Daily News. I’m surprised at just how well this story flows for someone with limited “comic book” writing experience. The story moves quickly with Hawkeye first learning that he’s going blind, which speeds up the mission he needs to complete that much more. If you’re not familiar with the original Old Man Logan storyline, then a lot of the story beats may not have the same impact, but I assume most people reading this have read what chronologically comes later. Artist Marco Checchetto does an amazing job with the pencils in this issue. The storytelling is great and again, when you’re a fan of what the original story brought, seeing some of the nods to that series drawn by Checchetto is a treat. The colors fit the tone perfectly and there’s an especially violent scene that shows just how deadly Hawkeye can be, which is smartly choreographed with a perfect layout and panel choice.
I really enjoyed this first issue and am looking forward to what’s ahead. Although I know where this timeline ultimately leads, I’m excited to revisit this world and see another story told by a new group of creators using the characters and setting.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
http://comicspectrum.com/ By Fans who Love Comics For Fans who Love Comics
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