The Good
There's so much I love about this comic. I've always rooted for Hawkeye in the Marvel Universe and it's great seeing him in his own comic once again. This isn't a Hawkeye comic like any other. A large part of that is obviously due to Matt Fraction's direction on the series. Even though he's so implanted in the rest of the Marvel Universe and Avengers, this title has such a separate feel. And that's a great thing.
Seeing Clint and Kate together in a teacher/mentor role is wonderful. She has more than proven herself in the field and as co-leader of the Young Avengers. There is a reason for her to be here besides the fact that they both use bow and arrows. This adds another layer to the book.
We also have Clint not in his actual costume. I'm a fan of the original even though it's not a very practical look. I am warming up to his newer one and dug the touch of purple we saw last issue. David Aja's art and Matt Hollingsworth's colors give this comic such a distinct feel. I wouldn't think a comic with so much purple could look so nice. You get sucked into this world and it's so easy to forget about every other Marvel comic while you're reading.
Of course the many times Fraction sprinkles in his subtle humor make it so much better. It's to the point where I now don't want to see anyone else write the character.
The Bad
Even though Clint and Kate face a bigger threat in this issue compared to the first, surprisingly I enjoyed the fight against the evil landlord over those here. I can't quite place my finger on it exactly. I think it was the overall vibe and tone of the first issue really blew me away. Because of that, I had high expectations for this issue. This is still one of my favorite new series. There are definite repercussions from this issue waiting to happen. Maybe we just need an appearance by a character that was absent here.
You also get a tiny sense of trouble that hopefully Clint will be able to steer clear of.
The Verdict
I've never loved purple as much as I do when I read an issue of HAWKEYE. Matt Fraction and David Aja (with Matt Hollingsworth) have created a great little corner of the Marvel Universe for Clint to hang out in. Having Kate Bishop appear is a great mix and adds a different dynamic. I wasn't completely thrilled with the 'villains' in this issue but I definitely welcome the repercussions that will result from this fiasco.
With this creative team, I feel I could read this comic all day. But I won't actually attempt that until there's more than two issues, of course. Now the bad part is having to wait another month until the next issue.