1. Hawkeye #14 by Matt Fraction and Annie Wu (Marvel)
Look at that cover. The honeycomb design has been done countless times before on other comics but for some reason on this one it looks more fresh and stylish than anywhere else. So this is a Kate Bishop Hawkeye issue and establishes what'll be the template for the rest of the foreseeable series with the inestimable David Aja drawing the Clint Barton issues and Annie Wu drawing the Kate Bishop stories, the issues alternating between the two (with hopefully more Pizza Dog comics!). LA Woman opens with Kate living in a trailer in California, Pizza Dog at her side, and she's flat broke. But she's a superhero and decides to put her skills to good use, selling herself as a hero for hire, an investigator - her first case: who stole the orchids intended for her neighbours' wedding and why? The whole issue reads like a syndicated detective TV series from the 80s, all to the good, as Kate encounters a gruff real detective and a mysterious stranger who may or may not be real(!). Difference being of course that she gets to use her mad archer skills against the bellboy goons (the West Coast version of the tracksuit bros) she encountered in the Hawkeye Annual. I love the way Fraction writes Kate. I'm loathe to use the word "spunky" but you get the idea - kinda cheeky, kinda funny, lotta energy, all the while being a good person too. She's an adorable and hugely likeable character you're rooting for right away, especially as she doesn't seem to think chasing down an orchid isn't a good use of her time - she just does it! Like so many issues in the series, this one is a hoot - Hawkeye is a comic you read with a big ol' goofy grin on your face the whole time, and I love that about it. I don't know what it is about this title but Hawkeye attracts the best artists. Annie Wu is quite the find. Kate's black shorts and purple poncho look is awesome as she can (and does) do so many things with it, plus those purple shades? Wow. Marvel chic! Wu's character designs are awesome, the layouts are great, but what I'm so impressed with are the facial expressions of the characters which are so unnervingly realistic! I can't remember the last artist who made me look so closely at the page and who could so effortlessly convey exactly what the script is calling for and more. It's like Fraction's script was written to match Wu's art, not the other way around. Other great qualities about the comic are Matt Hollingsworth's colours which are always a perfect addition to any comic he works on and an absolute treat for the eyes, and of course seeing Pizza Dog immediately makes this comic that much better. The ending is really cool too as the big reveal of who's behind it all is a callback to previous storylines in Hawkeye. Is it any surprise that the latest issue of the best series Marvel's publishing is awesome? Nope. Kate Bishop. Pizza Dog. Perfection. * Those are my picks of the week. As always, let me know what you thought and hit me up with some recs of your own. Until next week, amigos, read some awesome comics!