|
By Ben Morse
When disasters like Super Storm Sandy hit, we wish we had super heroes to help us out. But just because you don’t have special powers or abilities, doesn’t mean you can’t lend a hand.
This January, HAWKEYE #7 will feature two stories following Clint Barton and Kate Bishop as they navigate the landscape of storm-ravaged New York and New Jersey with guest art from Steve Leiber and Jesse Hamm.
We got the story and circumstances behind this special issue from writer Matt Fraction.
Marvel.com: When did you decide to put these stories together for HAWKEYE #7 and what the process to do so?
Matt Fraction: The 29th or 30th of October, sometime in there; pretty much as the storm was rolling in. It's been kind of hectic so I might have some of this wrong, but as I recall: I asked, and we talked about it some, and then [editor] Steve [Wacker] decided to make it happen. We blew up our schedule a little bit and got to work. I had the very faintest idea of the stories I'd tell; Steve suggested a split format, doing two 10-page stories; since the book shares stars that seemed wholly logical. With my vague sense of what the stories would be and a 10-page length, we went after our artists. Luckily Steve [Leiber] and Jesse were literally the first two people we asked. Then I wrote the stories pretty much over the Thanksgiving weekend, sending the guys pages as soon as I'd finished them.
And now we bang drums to get the word out.
Marvel.com: How do Steve and Jesse’s styles suit what you’re trying to do here?
Matt Fraction: They're both geniuses, and total pros, and neither flinched when we asked if they could do 10 pages in like seven minutes. Neither of them wanted to replicate what [regular HAWKEYE artists] David [Aja] or Javier [Pulido] had done, but rather use the space they'd carved out to make HAWKEYE what it is to make their stories work for them. The stuff is looking fantastic. For an issue like this, that really counts and, man, Steve and Jesse continue to deliver.
Marvel.com: What will each story focus on?
Matt Fraction: Clint goes to Far Rockaway to help someone in his building get their father to safety; Kate has a wedding to attend in Atlantic City that the family of the bride refuses to cancel. All wet hell breaks loose.
Marvel.com: Why is HAWKEYE the right venue for stories like these?
Matt Fraction: Well, it's a book about a regular guy doing superhuman things, you know? And what better way can you describe the heroes of [Super Storm Sandy]? You didn't need eye-lasers or capes or giant robots to tell a story about this kind of heroism.
Marvel.com: Aside from telling two good stories, is there more you hope to accomplish with HAWKEYE #7?
Matt Fraction: I'm giving all my royalties to the Red Cross. So Team Hawkguy, you guys are all amazing and your support has been literally stunning, I'm asking you on bended knee: maybe grab two copies of HAWKEYE #7? And give one to somebody not reading it? It'll be good for the book and you'll be helping out the Red Cross. Or helping me help the Red Cross anyway. And people that hate HAWKEYE, or the character Hawkeye, or me, or my books, or the Red Cross: buy one. Buy 10. I dare you to make the check I gotta write hurt, haters. C'mon.
Tell your retailer you want HAWKEYE #7. The order code is NOV120725. It's out in January. Thank you.
|
