Snowflake Challenge Day 5

[turps]

In your own space, promote a canon/talk about a part of the canon that you love. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

The thing about doing Snowflake from the start, is I've done this challenge a few times now so I wasn't sure if I had anything new to talk about. Then I realised I'd never really posted about my love of Hawkeye/Clint Barton.

Hawkeye has always been my favourite character in the MCU movies. I can't even say why exactly as when I first started to watch I didn't have any background knowledge from the comics, so I fell for him literally in the limited time he was shown on screen.

Moving on a few years and I read Hawkeye centric fic every now and then, and from there discovered the winterhawk pairing, a pairing that made sense and really worked for me, and that was the start of a tentative step into the fandom. I'm still not active there beyond reading a lot and posting a few stories here and there, but the more I read the more I wanted to know about Clint.

I was so confused back when I started reading more extensively, there seemed to be two very different characteristics of Hawkeye/Clint, one I recognised from the films, and another where he'd grown much taller, had messy bright blond hair, was deaf, somehow had a one-eyed dog and was pretty much a human disaster living on pizza, coffee and often landing in dumpsters while being addicted to Dog Cops. I didn't recognise that guy at all, and sent a few emails to friends already in the fandom pretty much saying, wtf?!

And that's how I learned about the Fraction verse of Hawkeye and very quickly realised that while I still enjoyed MCU's Hawkeye as played by Jeremy Renner, I much preferred Fraction verse Clint. I love that he's shown as so very human, and so often broken. Despite being amazing at his job, he also has to cope with depression, feelings of self-doubt and negativity about his own self worth and lack of super abilities. But, he was also funny, always ready with a quip, loyal and ready to thrown himself into trouble at a moments notice. I really liked those contrasts, an Avenger but also someone who is very human with very real faults and just trying to make his way through the world one day at a time.

I'm lucky enough to have my own hard copies of the series as sperrywink sent them to me last year and they've been read and enjoyed often since then. I'm not a comic expert in the slightest, but these I'd recommend.

Plus, this version of Clint goes so beautifully well with Bucky, I'm just saying.

Comments

[sperrywink]

I remember when you didn't know where Fraction!Clint came from! Ahaha.

But I agree about Winterhawk working best with that Clint. No one needs someone to take care of them in the way Bucky did for Little!Steve than Clint does. Add in the sniperbros thing and snark, and they are wonderful together.

Love the comic scans!

[turps]

I was so confused! Who was this person with Clint's name but acting nothing like the Clint I knew.

Yes, they are wonderful together. I really love that they're both broken at times and yet prop each other up when needed. Bucky is an excellent caretaker, and I love the stories where it's him and Clint making a life with Alpine and Lucky.

I especially love when Bucky is a neat freak and Clint just isn't.

Did I ever tell you I spent time Googling if Dog Cops was an actual show? I read about it and the characters, like Sgt Whiskers, so often I was convinced it must be.

[sperrywink]

I'm sure you've read it, but the story where Clint picks up stray-Alpine and Bucky, who occasionally drops by Clint's for food or medical care, is instantly in love and wakes CLint up demanding information is my favorite. Maybe by flawedamethyst?

So yes the addition of Alpine and making Bucky a cat person was A+++++.

WAIT, IT ISN'T?!?!! Ahahaha!! I thought it was some Animal Planet show or something. OMG.

[used_songs]

Here from Snowflake - I love the Fraction Hawkeye books! They were recommended to me by one of the clerks at my local comic book shop and they were so good! I never cared much about the MCU Clint positive or negative, but the Clint in these books is so compelling for all of the reasons that you cite.

[turps]

Clint tends to fade in the movies, just there mostly, which is a shame as the comic books show he can be a really compelling character.

I'm just glad he did get a chance to shine in the comics, and that so many people share that love of Fraction verse Clint with me.

[wenchpixie]

The multi-verse nature of comics can be SO CONFUSING, but it does give the fandom a lot of options to love.

[turps]

I agree comics can be really confusing. So many characters die and come back to life and end up being the parent to someone hundreds of years older than them or get blasted and have wings in one verse or twelve legs in another. Characters change sex, get older, get younger, die, die again, come back to life, and die in another horrible way.

Really, in terms of fic/fanish works comics can be a gift as you're right, you can do and love so many versions.

[shadowhive]

Awww look at him with his pup! Someone I follow on twitter from the kliego discord is very into the comics and one of their ships is Winterhawk, so I’ve seen a few things about them for them. Alas I’ve not read many of the comics in general and it kinda seems a bit overwhelming (though I’ll keep a lookout for that one)

[turps]

Oh I agree, the comics are overwhelming. I only read these because I wanted to check out this characterisation of Clint I hadn't seen before. But I was very glad that I did because it's a really great series.

[kingstoken]

I love Fraction!Clint, and Lucky, and Kate! I love the Clint & Kate friendship, and their little found family with Lucky. Fraction's Clint seems so much more human, and flawed, and yet he is still a superhero.

No disrespect to the MCU, but I love comics Clint so much more than movies Clint.

[turps]

You're making me smile thinking of Clint, Kate and Lucky. Their found family is adorable. You're right, Fraction's Clint is much more flawed, and I like that.

I also completely agree that comic Clint is better than movie Clint.

I'm loving all the Hawkeye icons on the post, too :D

[topaz119]

You know I love me some Fraction/Aja Hawkeye. I have to sit down and really think about which version I'm writing though I've managed to pull both characterizations into the occasional story. :D

I also love that Hawkguy is definitely Fraction's version, but only because his son, who was about 5 or so when he started writing the series, heard the name that way and insisted that was the right way to say it. ;)

[turps]

I do know that :D

Now I've been lurking in the fandom a while, the writer usually tells me what version of Hawkeye I'm about to read. Most Winterhawk writers use the Fraction/Aja one so it's become a bit of surprise when I hit the movie characterisation.

I didn't know that about Hawkguy. I love that detail made the comic.

[stellar_dust]

I love the Fraction comics! Fantastic rec.

[turps]

The Fraction comics are such a good read :)

[frausorge]

I've never read the comics, but I've seen some other excerpts floating around and always enjoyed them, especially the bits with him talking to inanimate objects.

[turps]

I've never been a comic fan, but I really enjoyed these. The humour combined with being all too human really worked for me. And yes, the talking to inanimate objects is fun.

[tsuki_no_bara]

to be fair, i don't read a ton of marvel comics but fraction and aja's hawkeye is my favorite of all the hawkeyes. and not just because he's a dog person. :D for the reasons you mention - he's a mess of a human, he suffers from depression and self-doubt, he can be funny, he's actually good at his job, and he demonstrably gives a shit. he can't take care of himself but he can take care of the other folks who live in his building. he rescues an abused, one-eyed dog. he's worthy enough for kate to put up with him. (i love kate. kate's the best.) and he can't figure out how to untangle a bunch of wires and cords so he calls tony to come help him. i don't dislike mcu clint, but fraction clint is a better mix of the human being and the avenger. plus, you know, he has pizza dog. :D

[turps]

Yes! Everything you said.

I didn't know Kate at all before reading this series, but I really like her a lot, and how she'll put up with no-nonsense.

It's the contrast between Clint having the self-esteem issues and the fact that he is really good at his job that I like so much. It's interesting to think about, that someone can be amazing at what they do, but still don't value themself.

i don't dislike mcu clint, but fraction clint is a better mix of the human being and the avenger. plus, you know, he has pizza dog

Again, yes! That sums it up nicely. And pizza dog is the best.

[silveradept]

The Fraction run on Hawkeye gets lots of good reviews and fannishness from many corners. Maybe at some point I should pick that one up and see if I can get all the way through it.

[turps]

If you do try the Fraction run I hope you enjoy it.

I have to admit, I'm not a comic reader, but it managed to pull me in.

[spikedluv]

I was never a comics reader, but I loved these! Aww, coffee, no! *g* (Oh, and I have the icon!)

[turps]

Perfect icon!

I'm not usually a comic reader either, but I enjoyed this series. I'd branch out more but the sheer scale of available content is daunting.

[turlough]

His dogs love him!!

But it's very confusing that he's called Hawkeye because that's also the name of one of the main characters in Fullmetal Alchemist, Riza Hawkeye.

PS The only icon with a dog I have uploaded is this angry!Snoopy!

[turps]

Fraction verse Hawkeye and dogs is such a thing. I think half the stories I read have him in a dog park *g*

It's an unusual name, so all I can see the confusion.

Angry Snoopy will fit nicely I think!

[why_me_why_not]

Fraction!verse Clint is the BEST CLINT! I love him so much.

[turps]

I agree, he is the best Clint.

I enjoy him both in the comics and fic. He's so human and I love that.