I have been pleasantly surprised by a few Dark Reign miniseries and New Avengers: The Reunion is one of them. Author Jim McCann had a tough task in front of him – to make Bobbi Morse, a.k.a. Mockingbird relevant. Would anyone really care that Mockingbird returned? Would the gaps from Secret Invasion be filled in adequately or glossed over? Once again, would anyone care? My answer, yes.
Good writing made me not only care, but really like this series, and hope for more. Hawkeye (I refuse to call him Ronin) and Mockingbird reunite to take down an A.I.M. threat. Woven throughout this Mr. and Mrs. Espionage tale is a fantastic, rekindled relationship. McCann provides solid answers to Bobbi’s Skrull abduction, making her a compelling and noteworthy character. Most importantly this is an interesting and enjoyable story.
The chemistry between Hawkeye and Mockingbird is engaging. In between the spy action, flashbacks reveal all we need to know about Bobbi and her feelings for Clint. Like I always say, nothing brings a couple back together like a good fight. Once the dust settles from the series-ending showdown with A.I.M., Bobbi and Clint finally have the heart to heart these issues have been building up to. McCann writes this dialogue authentically and it’s believable.
David and Alvaro Lopez provide the pencils and inks. Overall, the art was average with some shining moments. The more intimate moments between the former lovers were most notable for their softness and passion. My biggest complaint with all four issues is that the colors were too bland and lifeless.
In the end, it was surprisingly satisfying. Mockingbird is back and hopefully she can find a place in the Marvel Universe. Now we just need Clint to drop this Ronin crap. He’s Hawkeye and always will be.
3.5 out of 5
It’s hard to keep track of all Dark Reign limited series spinning through the Marvel universe. I wasn’t expecting much from this five-issue series. However, I was very pleasantly surprised as this book came close to my favorite read of the week.
The only thing “Hawkeye” about this book is the title and the costume. It’s all Bullseye and he rightly deserves the spotlight. Bullseye is a sadistically fun villain and when written well can be a blast to read. Andy Diggle proves that he can write Bullseye and has a great story to tell. He’s the perfect man for the job.
Jumping out of the pages of Dark Avengers, Diggle shows us what life is like for Bullseye. Osborn wants to keep his pet assassin on a tight lease. Bullseye just wants kill. You can dress up Bullseye like a superhero, but you just can’t get him to be good. Bullseye is very bad in this issue. He challenges Osborn, hoping his boss returns to his evil ways and stops playing good guy. Diggle adds an appropriate sense of humor to Bullseye without letting this bad ass become goofy.
Artist Tom Raney has a surprisingly bright and crisp style for this book. With Bullseye primarily in the pages of Daredevil’s noir style, it took me a few pages to get. He handles the conversations and action panels very well, providing a good pace for this first issue.
There are some sick and shocking scences in this issue. I just recounted and there were three holy crap moments. These are some good times with Bullseye!
4 out of 5
