HAWKEYE #1

Chubby tourists, raunchy bar-goers, super-strong thugs, and oddly tattooed Southern gentlemen populate this lively premier issue. After years as a superhero archer, Clint Barton is ready for vacation. But, in "The High, Hard Shaft: Part 1," by Fabian Nicieza and Stefano Raffaele, Hawkeye's attempt to defend a stripper escalates into perilous altercation in a dirty and darkening world, at the center of which is a hero's heart.

Hawkeye's holiday in Myrtle Beach quickly spirals towards something more familiar-conflict. Yet, though action looms, the story's main strength is in Nicieza's portrayal of Hawkeye, who is as heroic in plain clothes as in a purple costume. He has stumbled across more than a stripper's doomed love affair and can't repress the urge to save the girl and her world. Thus, by the closing panel, Hawkeye finally raises his bow.

Raffaele's art captures the energy and skill of the archer. Superior is a one-paneled scene where, with a waitress' hairband and a spoon, Hawkeye creates a chain-reaction of tumbling people in order to drop his foe. This composition highlights Hawkeye's extraordinary gifts, while flaunting the creative team's mastery of movement and detail. Here, the world jumps to life with the ugly and the pretty, the menace and the hilarity.

Overall: A