If, a year ago, anyone had told me that I would count a Hawkeye comic in my top five “must reads” for 2013, I would have laughed. Really hard. Hawkeye has been one of the Marvel characters I could care less about, right up there with Wonder Man and that little booger guy from X-Men. I do, however, enjoy Matt Fraction’s writing, so I picked up Hawkeye #1 when it hit the comic shop, and was pleasantly, if not overwhelmingly, surprised.

Hawkeye tells the story of the Avenger’s Clint Barton when he’s not wearing the purple gimp suit. The comic also features Kate Bishop, the “other” Hawkeye, and a host of great supporting characters. Hawkeye also introduced what has quickly become my favorite group of villains in comic-dom, the Tracksuit Draculas. These guys are a constant foil for “Hawkguy”, but mostly cannon-fodder and comic relief.

Issue 9 of Hawkguy saw the sudden murder of Grills, a nice guy who gives Clint advice from time to time. His killer was wearing a tear-drop Harlequin mask, and claimed to be straight from Hell. Issue 10 tells the back story of the killer, an kid named Kazi who was orphaned, became an assassin, and was recruited by the Tracksuit Draculas. The story itself is told in flash-backs while Kazi is flirting with Hawkeye Kate, then wraps up on the roof of Clint’s building with the same scene that ended issue 9.

The story is great, as should be expected with Fraction. You really feel for Kazi, as tragedy after tragedy befalls him. You can see how a life of non-stop catastrophe could turn someone into a sociopathic contract killer. Kate has some great lines, and there is a very poetic ode to Manhattan at night that I loved.

The only thing holding me back from flat-out loving this issue is the art. Up until this issue, David Aja has handled the illustration, and while simple, it works. Aja’s drawings have a great narrative elegance to them that reminds me of Matt Wagner during his early Grendel days. The colors are complementary to the art, sticking to unshaded, flat hues and a cool color palette. Issue 10’s art was provided by Francesco Francavilla, who’s work I normally hold in pretty high regard. I have to assume that he had very little time to complete the issue, because it feels rushed, muddy, and at times sloppy.

Still, sloppy art doesn’t interfere with the overall quality of this issue; snappy dialogue, clever word-play, and excellent character work flows through every page of this story. Hawkeye #10 is at your local comic shop now.