Clint Barton isn’t exactly the best with women, but he’s definitely surrounded by some of the best women. In the latest issue of Matt Fraction’s amazing ‘Hawkeye’, we get a closer look at the four most important women in the Avenging Archer’s life right now, plus the one who stormed in, raised hell, and ran out.

In the last issue, Hawkeye was greeted at the Avengers Mansion by the fiery redhead that sold him his beloved car and then some, Cherry (which isn’t actually her name). Of course, her greeting of a very passionate kiss didn’t exactly sit well with Black Widow, Mockingbird, and Spider-Woman. Without a word of explanation, Hawkeye left with Penny (which isn’t her name either) to fend off the tracksuit-wearing bad guys once again.

Now, the lady Avengers all want answers from Mr. Clint Barton, so they each approach him separately about what’s going on with Miss Darlene Penelope Wright (which is the redhead’s real name according to Black Widow). Meanwhile, Hawkgal Kate Bishop tries to run some interference for her friend and mentor, but she comes up a little short of saving Clint a tongue-lashing at the hands of his kinda sorta girlfriend that he may or may not have been faithful to. Spoiler alert: He may have made a big boo-boo.

Practically every review that I write for ‘Hawkeye’ includes some words of praise for artist David Aja and this review is not going to be any different. As I touched on in my review of issue eight, I love the clothing choices that Aja went with for Bobbi, Jessica, and Natasha. Sure, Kate looked very fashionable as well, but when doesn’t she? Even though they weren’t wearing their uniforms, Aja and Matt Hollingsworth made each woman’s attire match them perfectly. I just love the idea of heroes only dressing in their trademark colors. It reminds me of the original Power Rangers. The only difference here is that Fraction’s heroes are much more fashionable than the kids from Angel Grove.

Next, I love how Matt Fraction shows us how each of these women cares for Clint in their own way. Even though he’s wronged them in one way or another, they all still care for him very much and they go through great lengths to make sure that he’s safe. While the cast of this series is usually quite small, I liked seeing other characters pop up from around the Marvel Universe since they’re all connected and inhabit a shared world. I wouldn’t mind seeing them around more since they’re all integral parts of Clint’s life, but I definitely look forward to Hawkeye and Hawkeye getting into more adventure. And you know it’s coming too because of the last page.

Oh man, that last page! I read an interview with Matt Fraction that said that issue #7 wasn’t a part of the original story. It was added in after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy to show solidarity and support for the victims. So if that issue never came out, then the last page wouldn’t have had as big of an impact. But because that story was added to the mix, we all feel a greater sense of loss from that last page. It’s such a bummer, but it’s another example of how Matt Fraction likes to play with our emotions. And he’s so good at it too, so you can’t even get mad about it.

Retribution is on it’s way. Business is about to pick up. And we have to wait a few weeks to find out what happens next. Though it’ll be excruciating, I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next chapter in one of the best comics available on the shelves today.

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HAWKEYE #9

Written by MATT FRACTION

Art by DAVID AJA & MATT HOLLINGSWORTH