Clint Barton: Hawkeye Appreciation 2020

[babyblob]

I cant belive this thread was on page 7. Okay so just read Freefall. I really enjoyed it. I loved that he was hooking up with Night Nurse. I hope it works out but I doubt it will. Clint seems to have trouble keeping his mouth shut. He has always been my favorite hero. But I just didn't know how badass he was when it comes to fighting with out his bow. I have only read his early stuff and West Coast Avengers stuff and he didnt seem to be so amazing in hand to hand combat. I mean he was going toe to toe with Bucky. Where and when did he get this training? And when did he get rich?

[Matternativ]

I cant belive this thread was on page 7. Okay so just read Freefall. I really enjoyed it. I loved that he was hooking up with Night Nurse. I hope it works out but I doubt it will. Clint seems to have trouble keeping his mouth shut. He has always been my favorite hero. But I just didn't know how badass he was when it comes to fighting with out his bow. I have only read his early stuff and West Coast Avengers stuff and he didnt seem to be so amazing in hand to hand combat. I mean he was going toe to toe with Bucky. Where and when did he get this training? And when did he get rich?

Canonically: Cap started training him in hand to hand combat back when he first joined the avengers.
The real reason: Clint returned as Ronin in New Avengers around the time after Civil War and spent a couple of years fighting with kicks, flips and melee weaponry until the end of the Dark Reign after which he spotted purple again and used nothing but his bow (with exceptions).
And we find out about his hand to hand training expertise from a flashback.

About the money thing: In Fractions Hawkeye solo he stole money from bad guys and bought an apartment complex. In Freefall we find out he sold it.

[babyblob]

Canonically: Cap started training him in hand to hand combat back when he first joined the avengers.
The real reason: Clint returned as Ronin in New Avengers around the time after Civil War and spent a couple of years fighting with kicks, flips and melee weaponry until the end of the Dark Reign after which he spotted purple again and used nothing but his bow (with exceptions).
And we find out about his hand to hand training expertise from a flashback.

About the money thing: In Fractions Hawkeye solo he stole money from bad guys and bought an apartment complex. In Freefall we find out he sold it.

Thanks for the info.

[Dermie]

Canonically: Cap started training him in hand to hand combat back when he first joined the avengers.
The real reason: Clint returned as Ronin in New Avengers around the time after Civil War and spent a couple of years fighting with kicks, flips and melee weaponry until the end of the Dark Reign after which he spotted purple again and used nothing but his bow (with exceptions).
And we find out about his hand to hand training expertise from a flashback.

To be fair, the fact that Cap trained the other Avengers in hand-to-hand combat was established decades before Bendis came along. There were various references to it over the years with several different Avengers. We just rarely saw Clint need to use those skills because as Hawkeye he was more of a distance fighter and as Goliath he was more brawn over style.

I expect that Mockingbird also helped improve Clint's hand to hand skills while they were together, although I'm not sure it has ever been directly addressed.

[Matternativ]

To be fair, the fact that Cap trained the other Avengers in hand-to-hand combat was established decades before Bendis came along. There were various references to it over the years with several different Avengers. We just rarely saw Clint need to use those skills because as Hawkeye he was more of a distance fighter and as Goliath he was more brawn over style.

I expect that Mockingbird also helped improve Clint's hand to hand skills while they were together, although I'm not sure it has ever been directly addressed.

I'll take you word for it. I know there was stuff like Clint beating Bartoc with a single punch or some such but my knowledge of these older comics is severely lacking in general so I just kind of went with what I heard from other people who pinned it all on good old Bendis but that was back when people even blamed him for comics he didn't even write.

[Dermie]

I'll take you word for it. I know there was stuff like Clint beating Bartoc with a single punch or some such but my knowledge of these older comics is severely lacking in general so I just kind of went with what I heard from other people who pinned it all on good old Bendis but that was back when people even blamed him for comics he didn't even write.

Yeah, Bendis got a lot of flak for Clint suddenly being expert with swords and having all these acrobatic and martial arts skills, etc. And it is fair up to a point, since it WAS a big change from what we usually saw of Clint, but some of it was exaggerated by the people who disliked Bendis. As noted, it was long established that Cap gave other Avengers training in hand to hand combat. Clint having the agility and acrobatic skills had already been seen many times over the years -- Clint would be swinging in from ropes from his arrows, etc. His skill with swords is the main thing that was a sudden add-on...but even then there is stuff in his backstory that could account for it, given that his mentor was the Swordsman and we know he taught Clint stuff.

Don't get me wrong; I am not saying everything Bendis did with Clint was right. Far from it -- there were a number of things he did with Clint that I felt was out of character or was a poor use of the character. I just feel that people tend to exaggerate when it comes to Clint "suddenly" having all these never-before-seen skills as Ronin, and overlook things that were already established in his history.

[Electricmastro]

Hawkeye’s life from New Avengers Annual #3 (February, 2010).

[OOTCS]

Hawkeye’s life from New Avengers Annual #3 (February, 2010).

Aww, poor Clint. So much heartbreak.

I recognize most of the scenes here, but what's the one in between Natasha and Bobbi's death with what looks like Mephisto cackling?

[Dermie]

I recognize most of the scenes here, but what's the one in between Natasha and Bobbi's death with what looks like Mephisto cackling?

That is from the AVENGERS WEST COAST storyline where "Bobbi" dies. Mephisto has the entire WCA team imprisoned in a pillar of rock. You can also make out USAgent, Mockingbird, War Machine and Scarlet Witch along with Clint in the image there (although you might not immediately recognize Wanda as she is drawn with the shorter hair there).

[OOTCS]

That is from the AVENGERS WEST COAST storyline where "Bobbi" dies. Mephisto has the entire WCA team imprisoned in a pillar of rock. You can also make out USAgent, Mockingbird, War Machine and Scarlet Witch along with Clint in the image there (although you might not immediately recognize Wanda as she is drawn with the shorter hair there).

That would have been my guess, but for some reason I assumed they wouldn't put two pictures from the same arc right next to each other. I also thought I saw Jan in her white and blue costume, but she wasn't in those issues. Now that I look closely, I see that it's War Machine's helmet that I mistook for her costume, so I guess that's Wanda?

[cc008]

Since I have so much more time on my hands, was thinking about going back and checking out KT's West Coast Avengers. How did Clint end up fairing in that book?

[OOTCS]

Since I have so much more time on my hands, was thinking about going back and checking out KT's West Coast Avengers. How did Clint end up fairing in that book?

He came off as competent enough. He stuck out a little as the oldest member, although I don't remember the book actually calling attention to that. I don't think I would read the book specifically for Clint content, since it doesn't advance his character arc, but if you like Thompson's writing style, especially her Hawkeye series, you'll like this run.

[Matternativ]

Since I have so much more time on my hands, was thinking about going back and checking out KT's West Coast Avengers. How did Clint end up fairing in that book?

I thought it was actually interesting seeing Clint (and America Chavez for that matter) as the straight man in a group full of jokesters tbh.
He's got one or two Hawkguy moments but it fits the tone of the book.

But if you read the book specifically for Clint you might be disappointed. It's a team book and everyone gets stuff to do and unfortunately it wasn't a very long one so there is a limit of just how much you can expect.

[Zaresh]

I thought it was actually interesting seeing Clint (and America Chavez for that matter) as the straight man in a group full of jokesters tbh.
He's got one or two Hawkguy moments but it fits the tone of the book.

But if you read the book specifically for Clint you might be disappointed. It's a team book and everyone gets stuff to do and unfortunately it wasn't a very long one so there is a limit of just how much you can expect.

I share this opinion almost word by word. I actually liked it more than Kate's Hawkeye book, to be honest. It was a fun read, but short and without much of a sense of developement, unfortunately, because it was so shortlived.

[Matternativ]

I share this opinion almost word by word. I actually liked it more than Kate's Hawkeye book, to be honest. It was a fun read, but short and without much of a sense of developement, unfortunately, because it was so shortlived.

Yeah same.
I liked Kate's book but I felt Kelly thrived more with a whacky, diverse cast around Kate than with just a bunch of normal everyday people to interact with.