Clint Barton: Hawkeye Appreciation 2020

[Dermie]

Y'know, I kind of take it for granted that most heroes already know Daredevil is blind, but I guess it's probably not that well known even before he got his secret identity back.

Yeah, its not generally public knowledge, even among the superhero community.

Back in John Byrne's FF run, where Sue Richards was turned into the villain Malice, DD helped the FF fight her and made some comment about the "amorphous blob" they were fighting--since his radar senses were only picking up the shape of her force field, and not the woman inside. Johnny Storm made a comment about him needing his eyes examined, since Malice was anything but shapeless (at this point, Johnny didn't realize it was his sister), and Reed revealed that he had suspected that DD perceived the world with something other than regular vision.

I would imagine that over the years various other heroes have either figured it out or suspected it--but it definitely isn't something he makes a point of telling everyone.

[cc008]

That is the greatest interaction in a decade.....

"Wait...can he never see? Is he friggin' blind?"

What a great preview.

[Snoop Dogg]

tfw spend extra money on shipping to get #3 mailed to you and it's totally worth it

[Matternativ]

So about issue #4: spoilers:

A lot happened in this issue and despite the comedic dialogue it was far and beyond the "darkest" issue yet. I expected Clint's scheme to go on undiscovered for longer and that Natasha's and Ryce's discoveries would remain an exception but it feels like that's not what's gonna happen. Spidey knows, the taskforce is suspicious, Bullseye seems to know and I have no doubt that Cap won't be fooled either. And there's no way no one will find the LMD. Considering the cover of issue #6 I suspect there will be a moment when all the Hawkeyes and Ronins be in the same panel and the taskforce will be pretty damn confused.

end of spoilers

[Zaresh]

So about issue #4: spoilers:

A lot happened in this issue and despite the comedic dialogue it was far and beyond the "darkest" issue yet. I expected Clint's scheme to go on undiscovered for longer and that Natasha's and Ryce's discoveries would remain an exception but it feels like that's not what's gonna happen. Spidey knows, the taskforce is suspicious, Bullseye seems to know and I have no doubt that Cap won't be fooled either. And there's no way no one will find the LMD. Considering the cover of issue #6 I suspect there will be a moment when all the Hawkeyes and Ronins be in the same panel and the taskforce will be pretty damn confused.

end of spoilers

This issue felt... I guess "anxiety inducing" is a way of putting it. My God, what an absolute disaster. It's like watching a train in its way to derail but being unable to prevent it. It was a good issue, but, somehow, it left me with some bad vibes.

[Matternativ]

This issue felt... I guess "anxiety inducing" is a way of putting it. My God, what an absolute disaster. It's like watching a train in its way to derail but being unable to prevent it. It was a good issue, but, somehow, it left me with some bad vibes.

Yeah I get ya.
But I think it's great way to show that there is more than just fun and games and going on.
Certainly doesn't make waiting for the next issue any easier.

[Zaresh]

Yeah I get ya.
But I think it's great way to show that there is more than just fun and games and going on.
Certainly doesn't make waiting for the next issue any easier.

Yep, absolutely.

[OOTCS]

The thing is that Clint isn't completely wrong. His ideas and even his execution have strategy to them, and there's some good stuff in there, but he's working alone and he can't cover every possible contingency. One of his biggest problems is his inability to ask for help. Even Daredevil, who works against crime bosses all the times, relies on other people. The members of the task force care about him and would be able to help him come up with a more fleshed out plan; I just hope he can swallow his pride long enough to bring them into his confidence.

[Matternativ]

I don't think the book is trying to tell us that he is wrong at all.

[Dermie]

I don't think the book is trying to tell us that he is wrong at all.

I dunno about that. Basically every single character in the book is telling us that what Clint/Ronin is doing is wrong. His intentions are good, absolutely. And we're starting to see that he's got more of a plan and method to his madness than it originally seemed. But still, the methods he is using are extreme and still uncharacteristic of him...which is why all of his friends are concerned. The fact that Clint feels the need to go through all of these elaborate deceptions to distance his actions from himself suggests that even he knows that he's at least partly in the wrong here.

Thoughts on #4....the series has found its footing and is now really getting into gear.

spoilers:

It was great to see Clint using more trick arrows, like the gas arrow and the shock arrow he used on the guards at the warehouse. The Hood got a little more panel time this issue and we got to see that his power set has expanded again. He's definitely more of a threat than the original "turn invisible and walk on air" he started out as. Clint has relocated to the basement in case Linda drops by the apartment. So we haven't abandoned hope yet that she may yet return as his love interest. We'll see. I liked seeing the LMD dressed up in Clint's Goliath costume. I was a little surprised that Bryce didn't have more snark to say about it (although I always thought Clint pulled that suit off well)--but if Bryce thought that one was bad, I can only imagine what he'd have to say if the LMD was dressed in Hawkeye's old miniskirt costume, circa AVENGERS #100. "Fortress of Solid Dudes" - ha! It was good to see this issue once again reminding us that Clint is smarter than people give him credit for, and he is using the money he has stolen from The Hood in a number of creative ways to both help people and undermine Hood's criminal empire behind the scenes and through different channels than just vigilante violence. First time travel, then an LMD, and now a Skrull. Gotta give Clint credit for creativity and adaptability. Also for stubborn persistence in trying to make this deception of his work, despite it continuing to fall apart no matter what he does. Every new effort he makes to try and make it work just seems to add a new thread unravel. Lots of great guest appearances and cameos in the task force -- and in this issue it really worked, in a way that some of the previous cameos didn't seem to. Before it just seemed to be a parade of "look at who is going to come in, accuse Clint of being Ronin for 2 or 3 pages and then disappear". This time the appearances were more meaningful; the characters had more purpose in the story and we got more interesting dynamics and interactions. I am always thrilled to see Mockingbird, and her role here was a lot of fun. Schmidt does a lovely portrayal of her and I hope we get to see more in upcoming issues. USAgent was a pleasant surprise, and a great choice to include because of his complicated history with Clint! The whole bit with both of them wanting to go with Bobbi but getting stuck with each other was funny. I liked that Rosenberg remembered that Clint and the Agent had actually patched things up (around the days of Force Works) and had a much friendlier relationship than they used to be in the WCA days. That respect and inclusion of continuity is always much appreciated. I really liked seeing D-Man included too, although I don't recall him ever having much history with Clint (he does have history with other members of the task force though--particularly Falcon). I'd love to see some flashback to an untold tale where he and Bobbi did bond with D-Man though, given that they were all apparently close enough that Bobbi used his first name, and Dennis hugged Clint on sight. Speaking of the panel where D-Man hugs Clint...check out the bubble butt on Clint! lol. Not a surprise though...various characters over the years have made on-panel comments about how great Clint's butt is. lol More Clint nudity (or near-nudity anyway; he still had his briefs on) when real Clint and Skrull Clint strip LMD Clint. lol That's a lotta Clints! How long until LMD Clint's "corpse" is found? Or, for that matter...how long until it wakes up and walks out of the water on its own? Its an LMD--a simple arrow to the head may not be enough to 'kill' it. Spidey thinks Ronin has killed people. It could be a simple mistaken rumour...or could it be something else? Hood putting out false rumours to try and keep people opposed to Ronin (after all, Hood has murdered a few people over the last few issues--maybe he could try and blame those on Ronin). Surely there's not yet another Ronin out there who has actually killed someone? Clint's claim to be working for Cap bought him some time with Spidey now...but what if Spidey actually asks Cap about it? Unless Cap were to actually back up the claim, that lie would ruin Clint's credibility to try and talk his way out of any further misunderstandings with his friends and teammates. He's backing himself further and further into a corner here. And then there's out cliffhanger with Bullseye showing up! I really don't want to see Bullseye get permanently linked to Hawkeye's rogues gallery...but in the context of this particular storyline with imposters and costume swaps, etc, having one of the fake Hawkeyes show up is thematically appropriate! Things aren't looking good for our Skrull ally here...although Bullseye seems to be aware that the Skrull isn't really Clint, so maybe he won't kill him? We'll see.

end of spoilers

Can't wait to see what's coming up next!

[Zaresh]

Nah, Peter didn't buy that bit about Cap. He's a nice guy, but he's not that naive. I bet he just pretended to let him go, but went to verify his story. I have the feeling that the writer is going to make Buck, Peter, Natasha and maybe Linda the rotating "old, responsible sibling" role in this run. Just a feel.

[Snoop Dogg]

Clint trying to chessmaster is so aces that I cannot believe it is being published and I am reading it.

[Matternativ]

Nah, Peter didn't buy that bit about Cap. He's a nice guy, but he's not that naive. I bet he just pretended to let him go, but went to verify his story. I have the feeling that the writer is going to make Buck, Peter, Natasha and maybe Linda the rotating "old, responsible sibling" role in this run. Just a feel.

I mean it's spoilers if you haven't read the synopsis of the next issue:
spoilers:

Cap shows up to interrogate Clint

end of spoilers

[Zaresh]

I mean it's spoilers if you haven't read the synopsis of the next issue:
spoilers:

Cap shows up to interrogate Clint

end of spoilers

I didn't, I forgot to check the summary for #5. Heh heh. I love this book.

Otto drawing beautiful, cool doodles every few days and gifting them to everyone's eyes in Twitter also helps.

[Dermie]

One thing I meant to comment on before and forgot to...its funny how misleading that cover to #4 is. Cover art not accurately reflecting the story inside is hardly unprecedented, of course--but the covers for the previous 3 issues were all accurate enough, even if they weren't literal scenes lifted out of the comic. The cover for #4 though implies a big fight with Daredevil...when instead DD is only there for a couple of pages, and they don't fight.

With solicits and cover images out so far in advance, and the number of secrets and plot twists this storyline has, I can imagine it was tricky coming up with cover images that didn't give too much away before the readers learned the Ronin plot twists. Still, if I were a DD fan who decided to pick up this issue on the stands because of the cover, I might have been a bit annoyed once I read the issue itself.