The Comic You Should Be Reading This Week: ‘Hawkeye’ #5

Most of this week’s number ones were good, but they were mostly set up. Hawkeye, however, gets better with every issue.

Essentially, both writer and artist get to show off in their own way. Fraction writes a caper that’s by turns hilarious, ridiculous, and sad. The story centers around a tape that shows Hawkeye just flat-out assassinating a bloodthirsty dictator in spectacularly brutal fashion.

The tape leaking is bad in more ways than one: It’d besmirch the Avengers, it’d put a target on Clint’s back the size of New Jersey, and it would trigger an international incident.

So, Clint has to buy it back, at an auction with all of his most hated enemies. And using SHIELD’s credit card.

Yeah, this does not go according to plan.

Perhaps the best moment in the issue is a monologue a villain delivers about cigarettes and quitting smoking. It’s simultaneously threatening and hilarious, offering a brilliant insight into a character whose job in the story was to get beaten up.

Javier Pulido, meanwhile, is filling in for David Aja and enjoying every minute of it. To avoid spoilers, here’s just one example of the fun he’s having throughout:

Marvel’s creative teams are doing some very strong work right now; this week’s launch of Thunderbolts revealing a team of Deadpool, the Punisher, Venom, Red Hulk, Elektra and Mercy, for example. But this is still easily among the best written, and most joyous. It’s not just some of the best superhero comics on the stand. It’s some of the best comics, period.

Weigh in below; if you don’t agree, tell us, what comic should everyone be reading this week?