Little Hits

Although Marvel is currently in the process of  re-launching its family of Avengers titles, it makes no sense to me that there are no comics that feature the line -up of the Avengers which movie-goers or dvd customers might recognise.

Furthermore, one of the disadvantages of featuring any and all superheroes in the MU as Assemblers, including obscurities like Blue Marvel or Quake, is that we are deprived of the pleasure and the moment of a new roster.

The example above, from the early 80s, is intriguing because, aside from the Surfer and Rom, every single one of these characters has now been in the roster of an Avengers team. You may of course know that the two members" picked" here were Hawkeye and She-Hulk ( the former seemed a bit of a cheat to me, as we'll see ). However, Jim Shooter put together an effective team dynamic here that Roger Stern went on to develop. Today, I wanted to discuss collected editions of recent comics featuring both of these "newest members.

Hawkeye's 2013 series was the work of the creative team behind the Iron Fist collection I raved about this summer. Collected in four volumes ( My Life as a Weapon, Little Hits, LA Woman and Rio Bravo), we learn about Clint Barton's "down time" in a hard-boiled urban thriller.

Hawkeye was introduced as an Iron Man villain in 1964 and has been an Avengers mainstay for fifty years.  Depicted as an orphan raised by carnies and living in Bed-Stuy ( a Brooklyn neighbourhood  I was warned not to go to, twenty years ago), we follow Clint through a romance comics parody; revisit his abusive childhood; witness the revitalisation of antique villains like the Ringmaster, the Clown and the Swordsman; and are gripped by the human cost of a hurricane and the final cinematic homage to a Western town under siege. The Pizza Dog adventure made me laugh very hard indeed but murky moral waters are explored in the series.

LA Woman is a  temporary but critical departure with protege Kate Bishop: a great character with flaws and a lethal integrity. Kate encounters Madame Masque,  Dracula's old pal Harold H. Harold ( modelled on Elliot Gould and, I think, Columbo) and a  (very) thinly-veiled Brian Wilson. This is a compelling, gritty series which suggests a Lalo Schifrin soundtrack and titles by Saul Bass. I can't recommend it highly enough.

The most recent run of She-Hulk by Soule and Pulido reminds me, visually, of Underground comix and more specifically of Love and Rockets. It's a very clever,charming and stylish look at superhero litigation.

Jennifer Walters quits her job and launches her own  legal business after a lawsuit by Tony Stark. After a night on the town with Hellcat, Jen offers Patsy a job as an investigator, Then, the son of Dr. Doom applies for asylum and Jen has to rescue him from Latveria. The first volume ends with a mystery about a lost adventure with a number of C-list heroes and villains.

The second volume features a Land of the Giants-style backyard adventure for Jen, Patsy and Hank Pym. Then Jen has to defend Captain America in court from Matt Murdock ( portrayed here, like Jen, as a very confident and sexy opponent in both of his roles). This is a funny and moving serial.

The final arc wraps up the mystery of Spawn-homage Nightwatch and Tigra and Hellcat receive some long-overdue rehabilitation. This is a series which is colourful, amusing and respectful of the work of previous creators- especially, I think, Steve Englehart's Avengers and West Coast Avengers. 

Coming soon here or on the 'Optikon: Supergirl; Plastic Man; the Metal Men; Dr. Strange; Doom Coalition.

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