Writer: Ethan Sacks
Art: Ibraim Roberson, Dijjo Lima, and VC’s Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 22nd, 2021
Reviewer: kcscribbles
Wastelanders: Hawkeye #1 continues Old Man Hawkeye’s adventures, kicking off with a confrontation with a formidable former X-Men villain that gets you locked in immediately. It’s a confrontation I’ve always been curious about, and one I don’t think ever happened in a Marvel book before.
Since this is a one-shot book, the story was simple, a one-and-done affair. It was too simple, in my opinion, building up to an anti-climactic ending, but it had some great martial arts sequences along the way. I’m a sucker for martial arts scenes, though, so I enjoyed that aspect of the issue. In many ways, it reminded me of one of those old low-budget direct-to-video Ninja films from the ’80s and ’90s, the kind that would feature Sho Kosugi laying waste to dozens of enemies while throwing down some Karate moves and hurling swarms of darts.
THE STORY
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I’m only slightly familiar with this time period and the characters within it, but I enjoyed this version of Clint Barton. I’ve always liked Clint, especially back in the West Coast Avengers days, and here, he seems his usual glib and impulsive self. It’s strange seeing him in a robe with the long beard, resembling a combination of Robin Hood meets Gandalf as he races across the Wasteland. I understand that in this dystopic future setting, no one’s going to be sporting gaudy costumes, but I feel the “old wizard” look doesn’t suit him, but everything else about him was on point.
ART
Ibraim Roberson’s art for Wastelanders: Hawkeye #1 depicts desert landscapes and snow-covered mountains equally well.
Terrain and backgrounds are where his art shines, but his action scenes are also spot-on, and his use of splash pages captures the overwhelming enemies that Hawkeye faces throughout the issue. Hawkeye is drawn to resemble actor Stephen Lang, with the muscle tone of a man who’s stayed in fighting shape, despite his age.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Wastelanders: Hawkeye #1 is an enjoyable one-shot book, especially for anyone who’s followed the Wasteland stories from the beginning. I would have preferred a deeper story with a better climax, but given that this is a one-shot, any shortcomings with the story can be overlooked.