We love that Hawkeye
What will he do for the win?
We love that Hawkeye
What will she do now with him?
Buy it! Buy it!
Buy it! Buy it!
You best go feast your eyes
On Hurtt's Sixth Gun art
The action really flies
Bunn's writing's really smart
Evil seems to thrive
Held by wendigo
Will they escape alive?
Just go read it, bro.
Clint will help the dark storm's victims
Kate will give a good what for
Clint will help the dark storm's victims
Fraction come on give us more!
"Friends through eternity, loyalty, honesty, stay together through thick and th-in. Friends forever, we'll be to-gether, we're on top cuz we play to wi-in." Hello Donist World readers. Ahhhh, we can just feel the power of Dragon Sound here
Friday Slice of Heaven
***Possible Spoilers Below***
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| Hawkeye #7 |
It's October 29, 2012 and Sandy is coming to town. Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?) Sandy is not your evil second girlfriend who still hasn't returned all your CDs, but rather Hurricane Sandy. Clint Barton (Hawkeye), upstanding citizen he is, agrees to help his neighbor, "Grills," get his stubborn father out of his house, which lies right in Sandy's path. Meanwhile, Kate Bishop (Hawkeye) is dead set on attending a New Jersey wedding despite the impending fury of the hurricane. When the bride-to-be's mother falls ill and is in need of medication, Kate sets out into the storm to find help. What she finds is looters and something totally unexpected.
Bravo, Fraction, Lieber and Hamm. Another great issue of a great series and one that seeks to be informational without being preachy or forced in any way. Fraction's aim (get it?) on this book has always been to focus on Barton's time spent outside of the Avengers as he helps real people, one at a time. Through his characters' wonderfully-written dialogue we learn so much about not just Barton, but the side characters such as Grills, who I liked an issue or two ago, but now truly feel for with this issue. Hell, I would gladly help this completely fictional character out if he was in a bind and if Barton came by needing a cup of sugar, you betcha I would help him out too, superhero or not. Fraction coaxes you into liking these guys, and you genuinely hope things end up okay for them.
Lieber handles the art for the Barton portion of the story and I can gladly say he is a fantastic stand-in for David Aja on this issue and hopefully future issues as well. Hell, make a spinoff series with Lieber (Fraction writing of course) and I would be a happy camper. The character expressions are perfect and the storytelling and action riveting. If you have a chance, pick up the exceptional Underground and Whiteout for more beauty from Lieber.
Kate Bishop's story is illustrated by Jesse Hamm, who I unfortunately previously only knew from his work on Paul Allor's "Cage Around My Heart" story from his Clockwork anthology. Hamm provides a different art style than I am used to seeing on this comic, but his style is wonderful and emotionally charged, providing a fantastic second (not girl)Hawkeye story. I hope to see more work from Hamm in the near future...Captain Marvel?
Fraction hasn't had a weak issue yet. To be honest, he hasn't even had an issue that was a measly "good." Hawkeye has become my goto book for introducing non-superhero comic book readers to the world of superheroes. Yes, it is a bit of a stretch, since Barton and Bishop rarely show up in costume and most of the time they are fixing more realistic small-scale problems, but as this issue shows, just helping the guy down the hall can elevate the Average Joe (or not-so average Hawkeye) to superhero status without resorting to colorful tights. I can't wait to double dip this series with a nice, shiny new hardcover...get on that Marvel! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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| The Sixth Gun #28 |
Becky Montcrief is on the run and in a parallel world ruled by a wendigo, a powerful creature of hunger and cold, a creature that has possessed the body of her friend Drake Sinclair. The wendigo knows of Drake and Becky's mystical cursed guns, and it means to keep the weapons in its realm where it can keep a close watch on them. Meanwhile, Kirby Hale, Gord Cantrell, and the nine-foot tall mummy Asher Cobb know where to find Drake and Becky, but first they must evade a secretive group who desperately want the six guns for their own purposes. As Gord makes a deal with a literal devil, will he be in time to free his trapped friends before they kill each other?
Alright. I usually talk about how Bunn has a fabulous and unique story, with cool characters and a looming mystery that leaves me coming back for more. I also usually talk about how Hurtt has a style that is so perfect for this comic that regardless of the talent of the occasional fill-in artist, the book is just not the same without him--oh yeah, his storytelling skills are phenomenal, too. Without Bunn and Hurtt, this comic would lose most of its charm. Today, however, were going to talk about Bill Crabtree and Douglas E. Sherwood, the colorist and letterer respectively.
Crabtree's colors bring a remarkable depth and mood to the series, all while avoiding the hyper-realistic styles seen in many of today's comics, causing his covers to stand out amidst a sea of competition. At every turn he reminds us that we are reading a comic book and uses his color palette to pull your eye directly to the characters and the action, even when we are seeing the monochromatic winter world of the wendigo. A quick flip through this issue and you will see just how different his style is.
In the 250+ Donist World posts, I don't believe I've said more than a sentence about a letterer on a given book, but on this particular issue, the lettering is a HUGE component to the story and Sherwood's talent is worthy of praise. Yes, we have the usual well-crafted parchment-like captions that disappear into the art to the point that you pay little attention to them. If you read a comic and don't notice the lettering at all, then you are experiencing lettering done right. Wendi-Drake's word balloons are fantastic with their two-toned blue scheme driving home that all is not well with our "hero." Then there are the fantastic sound effects that weave in and out of Hurtt's artwork, to the point of being sometimes in front of a tree, sometimes behind a tree and other times weaved throughout the branches. In the world of Photoshop, these are called clipping masks and are not an easy thing to do. Providing the "invisible art" is unfortunately oftentimes a thankless job, but Sherwood's lettering in this issue was so creative I had to call it out. Trust me, take a look and see.
A wonderful story/characters/dialogue, beautiful art, striking colors and brilliant lettering all make The Sixth Gun a fabulous book that more people need to be reading, especially now that a television series is on the way. This month we had another great issue, and after seeing next month's cover, I'm hungry for more...wendigo hungry! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Other Heavenly Items:
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| I, Vampire #16 |
This issue has Cain telling a story John, Mary and Deborah don't want to hear, while Andrew and his gang find the Van Helsing weaponry cache. Armed to the teeth, Andrew sets a trap for his old friends that could be the death of them all.
All griping about multiple artists aside, I did like all of the artists' work involved in this issue. The jump in styles within the same scene, however, was terribly distracting and only serves to pull the reader out of the story with each turn of the page. The story was good as ever and we can only hope that Fialkov has enough time to satisfactorily wrap up this series. It's really too bad that sales on this book dictated the onslaught of guest appearances, crossovers, and mini-events that took a bite out of the rich story Fialkov had to tell. Still, I will say I, Vampire is RECOMMENDED!
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| My first "flatting" exercise from 2011. Guess who I picked. |
Slice Into the Woods
"Colorists Aren't People, My Friend"- A week ago some comic book convention promoter refused to grant colorist Jordie Bellaire (Captain Marvel) a table at their convention, telling the comic professional "this is not a colorists thing." This degree of short-sightedness is simply appalling. This promoter basically relegated Bellaire to production, hell, he/she might as well have pushed him to being part of accounts payable while they were at it. Not allowing Susie in AP her own table at a con makes sense (sorry, Susie in AP), but if this promoter had any clue as to the amount of artistry, time and dedication that goes into a coloring a comic book then maybe they would change their tune. Come to think of it, maybe the promoter should have attended Soto's coloring night, or maybe the promoter should try reading a dang comic book.
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