COMIC BOOK REVIEW - Hawkeye: Anchor Points
By The Masked Medic
When I first started reading DC Comics novels, it was fairly easy to find a place to start. They had just launched the New 52 in 2011 and it was a basic reboot of the whole universe. Marvel, on the other hand, was a lot more difficult to get into because they’re always having these weird semi-reboots. Nevertheless, I thought I’d start with the All-New Marvel era which gave more focus to legacy characters and had them step up into main roles. One such hero was Kate Bishop who took up the mantle of Hawkeye!
‘Anchor Points’ sees young Miss Bishop move to Venice Beach in California to set up her half P.I. and half superhero business. Although there to track down a lead of her own, she is soon paid a visit by a young woman named Mikka who has been receiving a torrent of online abuse. Kate takes on the case and attempts to find the mystery perp. The case looks fairly easy on the surface and after hacking a couple of IP addresses and stalking some college students, she finds her perp taking photos of Mikka. Believing herself to have solved the case, she finds that Mikka has gone missing. After saving another young woman from a number of brainwashed frat boys, Kate puts two and two together and realised that Mikka may have been captured by the same organization that brainwashed the students. She ends up at a frat party, where a beefed-up jock has kidnapped Mikka and is absorbing all the negativity around him to power himself up. The second part of the novel has Kate visited by her mentor, Jessica Jones. Jessica is here to solve a case herself and sees the opportunity for a team-up. The case involves a missing girl named Rebecca Brown who was last seen with a guy named Brad, who just so happens to be the guy that Kate was looking for in her personal case. The two of them follow this guy to a fancy party where they see Rebecca who is now a famous actress named Dahlia Dorian. It’s evident that something fishy is going on, but when Jessica and Kate are ambushed by a dragon, they know that things have officially gotten weird. Can the two P.I.s solve the case together? And just what is with that dragon?
‘Anchor Points’ continues very much in the vein of most Marvel novels that I’ve read, in that it’s a simple plot and it’s easy to follow. Kate as a character is very likeable which is why the basic story is not a massive problem and is fun to read. I have to say, having read the first novel in this Hawkeye series, it’s clear that be it Clint or Kate, the comedic value of the character is the key aspect. In that sense, I’d say that this was a good novel if you were looking for an easy character to read and get into. I liked that we got a team-up with Jessica Jones in the latter half and seeing their relationship was sort of endearing because Jessica is generally a hard-ass. Going forward I think I’d like to see the stakes raised in terms of villains and team-ups!
The artwork was, unfortunately, a little basic for my liking and there was no distinct style that made any of the scenes really stand out. The colours were also a tad muted. The covers on the other hand were flashy and vibrant and did manage to win some points for the novel. Overall, a basic novel that was easy to read, but with not enough stakes!
Favourite Panel:
She channels the spirit of Hawkeye so well!
Favourite Character:
Um, why is this Hawkeye lowkey funnier than the original?
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★★
Character Development: ★★★½
Artwork: ★★
Enjoyability: ★★★½
Re-readability: ★★
Level: Beginner