Matt Fraction Working On His Final Hawkeye Script

Matt Fraction has revealed via Twitter that his time writing Marvel’s Hawkeye is coming to an end. The writer posted a status earlier today mentioning that he is working on his last script for “Hawkguy.”

The current Hawkeye series was launched in August of 2012, under senior editor Stephen Wacker, with Fraction as writer and his Immortal Iron Fist collaborator, David Aja, as the primary artist. The series focused on Clint Barton’s life outside of his time on missions with the Avengers, casting him as an everyman and saddling him with the responsibilities of a tenement building landlord. Kate Bishop, the Hawkeye of the Young Avengers, was brought into the mix as a partner and foil to Clint.

The focus on Clint’s humanity, Aja’s art, Matt Hollingsworth’s stylish colors, and Fraction’s knack for catchy dialog – best exemplified by the tracksuit mafia’s “bro” speak – earned Hawkeye a cult following. Later issues would see Fraction and Aja experimenting, like with the issue told entirely from the point of view of Clint’s rescued dog, named Lucky but affectionately referred to as Pizza Dog. The series was nominated for five Eisner Awards in 2013 and won two – Best Cover Artist and Best Penciler/Inker, awarded to Aja – and was widely considered to be among Marvel’s best books for some time.

While Fraction says he is working on his final script, we don’t actually know which issue will be his final one. The series has been on hiatus and absent from Marvel’s solicitations for some time. We also don’t know what plans Marvel has for Hawkeye following Fraction’s departure, assuming they have any.

In the meantime, fans should look forward to the remainder of Fraction’s run, which includes an issue told entirely through sign language.