Clint Barton: Hawkeye Appreciation 2024

[Frontier]

Black Widow & Hawkeye #2


And here are some variant Covers:

I hope this is solid.

[PowerPlay25]

I am looking forward to these issues. Clint and Natasha have been around for a Long time. What do you think still links them? Do you think there are deep seated romantic feelings still buried deep? Are there any issues or stories I can get that best displays Clint and Natasha?I hope to see good things from both during the "Blood Hunt" Event.

[Matternativ]

What do you mean buried deep? It's been on the forefront for both of them in many of the stories again since Secret Empire.
- Tales of Suspense
- Heroes Reborn
- Captain Marvel
- Black Widow
- Marvel's the Avengers (Game)
- Old Man Hawkeye
- Occupy Avengers
They all featured them as lovers or at least perma romantic interests.

But since you mentioned it:

There's an interview with the author somewhere that goes pretty hard on their deep bond but also calls it platonic more than once which I think is kind of hilarious given the last few years being full of the things I mentioned above.

But oh well, would hit me much harder if I was a shipper. As it stands I find that just odd and willfully ignorant of what's been going on but we'll see how it is actually handled next month.
The article also mentions Bobby a lot so we'll probably follow up their last interaction in Thunderbolts which I certainly could have done without but I don't want to complain too much after such a long wait for a new Hawkeye book.

[PowerPlay25]

I feel like Marvel has been saying Bucky and Natasha are written in the stars more then emphasizing how much Clint and Nat mean to each other.

[Dermie]

I feel like Marvel has been saying Bucky and Natasha are written in the stars more then emphasizing how much Clint and Nat mean to each other.

Yeah, its fair to say that Bucky has been painted more as the likely "endgame" partner for Natasha....but the feelings and attraction between her and Clint has still been pretty close to the surface for a while now.

Personally I think they fall more into a friends-with-benefits situation than an actual couple these days. I think both of them know that they are never really going to get together and stay together long term at this point...but the chemistry between them will still occasionally boil over as long as they are both single and available.

[Frontier]

Personally I haven't seen a lot of romantic sparks between Natasha and Clint in a while.

They're incredibly close and care about each other a lot but usually it ends up feeling like Natasha uses Clint's feelings for her own purposes and strings him along like in some of their past few team-ups. It really kind of soured me on their whole relationship.

I hope this mini treats both of them respectfully.

[K7P5V]

I am looking forward to these issues. Clint and Natasha have been around for a Long time. What do you think still links them? Do you think there are deep seated romantic feelings still buried deep? Are there any issues or stories I can get that best displays Clint and Natasha? I hope to see good things from both during the "Blood Hunt" Event.

If the Classics don't bother you, then my recommendation would be...

• Avengers #43 ("Color Him... the Red Guardian!")
  
  
• Avengers #44 ("The Valiant Also Die!")

[ARkadelphia]

They had one thing in common
They were good in bed

[Matternativ]

I feel like Marvel has been saying Bucky and Natasha are written in the stars more then emphasizing how much Clint and Nat mean to each other.

Yeah, its fair to say that Bucky has been painted more as the likely "endgame" partner for Natasha....but the feelings and attraction between her and Clint has still been pretty close to the surface for a while now.

Personally I think they fall more into a friends-with-benefits situation than an actual couple these days. I think both of them know that they are never really going to get together and stay together long term at this point...but the chemistry between them will still occasionally boil over as long as they are both single and available.

I can't really make an unbiased comment on this since I don't like Bucks and Nat together (just because I ain't a shipper doesn't mean I can't have frosty iceberg like ship-sinking feelings dang it ) but it felt to me that certain writers like Spencer, Thompson and Sacks went much harder than friends-with-benefits for Nat and Clint. I mean I don't think we'd have met their future daughter if everyone working at marvel had plans like that.
I honestly don't think there are fixed romantic plans for most characters and rely more on whichever author is currently writing said characters.
And realistically what is and isn't <the> go-to love interest for certain characters can change with influences from outside the comics.
If people had actually cared more for age of Ultron and clints plot device family there's a good chance we'd have gotten comic Laura(?) and kids now or Natasha could be the Bruce Banner girlfriend now and wouldn't that be something, lol.

So if it's not Superman and Lois Lane or Rogue and Gambit I'd be very hesitant to speak of endgame pairings for anyone with a medium that is so in love with it's status quo and keeping all options open at all times.

Personally I haven't seen a lot of romantic sparks between Natasha and Clint in a while.

They're incredibly close and care about each other a lot but usually it ends up feeling like Natasha uses Clint's feelings for her own purposes and strings him along like in some of their past few team-ups. It really kind of soured me on their whole relationship.

I hope this mini treats both of them respectfully.

Save for arc #3 of Black Widow and a one shot Marvel Unlimited comic I don't actually think Nat ever asked Clint to come help. He just kinda does that by himself.
You've certainly got a more one-sided read on their dynamic than I do, because I don't see her using him.
She's usually uncharacteristically open with him outside of maybe Freefall where she was a bit of a b!tch in that one scene but like everyone was kind of like that in that book, including Clint himself.

[Frontier]

Save for arc #3 of Black Widow and a one shot Marvel Unlimited comic I don't actually think Nat ever asked Clint to come help. He just kinda does that by himself.
You've certainly got a more one-sided read on their dynamic than I do, because I don't see her using him.
She's usually uncharacteristically open with him outside of maybe Freefall where she was a bit of a b!tch in that one scene but like everyone was kind of like that in that book, including Clint himself.

Even if it's on his own terms it still felt like she was being standoffish towards him and just stringing him along. It's felt that way since Secret Empire and makes Clint come off like a puppy dog that follows Natasha around.

[Matternativ]

Even if it's on his own terms it still felt like she was being standoffish towards him and just stringing him along. It's felt that way since Secret Empire and makes Clint come off like a puppy dog that follows Natasha around.

Stringing him along to where and standoffish how?
You've used these words a lot over the last few years in that context but I'm not sure I really get what you mean.

There's that one scene in Occupy Avengers where they have an odd argument that transitions into a scene played for jokes for some reason but in the actual event book she is the one supporting him and bigging him up to quell his self doubts.
In Black Widow by Thompson she's thankful for all his support, tells him so multiple times and they have a great interaction even before she regains her memories, she also bigs him up as much more than the Himbo people often see him as in front of the Bucksman.
So the aforementioned tone-whiplash scene I mentioned before and Freefall's like three sentence interaction aside there's really very little of her being rude, dismissive or as you say standoffish.
Even when she knocks him out in secret empire it's clear she does it because she knows he won't ever agree to kill Steve and she respects him for it but thinks Stevil must die. Like that's an issue that's bigger than them but she still goes for a personal and impactful goodbye (pun intended) when she could have just left.

Of course you are entitled to your opinion but it seems to me you paint with very broad strokes and focus on some smaller scenes while choosing to ignore moments that really define their dynamic much more than her just not being a people person on occasion.

That out of the way: I'm dying to find out how Natasha's symbiote factors into things. The interview states that Nat chooses to ignore the lie detection ability the symbiote is capable of because it's Clint and she simply doesn't red it.
That's a compelling start, especially if the Symbiote disagrees with her but it's not enough to fill multiple issues with if interactions so I'm curious what more there will be.

[Matternativ]

Clint spotted!

in addition to a host of limited series and one-shots, jed mackay and pepe larraz’s blood hunt will spin out into a four-issue anthology series that explores the full breadth of this latest earth-shattering marvel comics crossover event! The blood-soaked tales found within blood hunters will spotlight iconic and fan-favorite marvel characters in a wide variety of adventures. Here’s what fans can expect from the debut issue:

Hawkeye is on the run—but does he have enough trick arrows in his quiver to avoid both the long arm of the law and vampires out for his blood?! See clint band together with a brave group of civilians in a pulse-pounding story by writer mark russell and artist bob quinn.

source

There's also this sick variant cover for black widow & Hawkeye #3 by Ben Harvey

[Frontier]

Stringing him along to where and standoffish how?
You've used these words a lot over the last few years in that context but I'm not sure I really get what you mean.

There's that one scene in Occupy Avengers where they have an odd argument that transitions into a scene played for jokes for some reason but in the actual event book she is the one supporting him and bigging him up to quell his self doubts.
In Black Widow by Thompson she's thankful for all his support, tells him so multiple times and they have a great interaction even before she regains her memories, she also bigs him up as much more than the Himbo people often see him as in front of the Bucksman.
So the aforementioned tone-whiplash scene I mentioned before and Freefall's like three sentence interaction aside there's really very little of her being rude, dismissive or as you say standoffish.
Even when she knocks him out in secret empire it's clear she does it because she knows he won't ever agree to kill Steve and she respects him for it but thinks Stevil must die. Like that's an issue that's bigger than them but she still goes for a personal and impactful goodbye (pun intended) when she could have just left.

Of course you are entitled to your opinion but it seems to me you paint with very broad strokes and focus on some smaller scenes while choosing to ignore moments that really define their dynamic much more than her just not being a people person on occasion.

Maybe I'm being overly harsh, but it's just how their dynamic has read to me where Clint gives everything to Natasha but she always feels a bit more detached to him. Like there's respect to an extent but it's a little more distant and not near as reciprocal as how Clint is with her.

I didn't like the FWB thing they had going on in Secret Empire or how their dynamic was written there.

In Tales to Astonish it felt like she ditched him for Bucky.

An Unlimited story where it felt like once again Clint follows Natasha and she ends up kind of using him (if harmlessly).

So that's just my take on it.

That out of the way: I'm dying to find out how Natasha's symbiote factors into things. The interview states that Nat chooses to ignore the lie detection ability the symbiote is capable of because it's Clint and she simply doesn't red it.
That's a compelling start, especially if the Symbiote disagrees with her but it's not enough to fill multiple issues with if interactions so I'm curious what more there will be.

I feel like the Symbiote is going to distract me for the entire storyline.

[Dermie]

I can't really make an unbiased comment on this since I don't like Bucks and Nat together (just because I ain't a shipper doesn't mean I can't have frosty iceberg like ship-sinking feelings dang it ) but it felt to me that certain writers like Spencer, Thompson and Sacks went much harder than friends-with-benefits for Nat and Clint. I mean I don't think we'd have met their future daughter if everyone working at marvel had plans like that.
I honestly don't think there are fixed romantic plans for most characters and rely more on whichever author is currently writing said characters.
And realistically what is and isn't <the> go-to love interest for certain characters can change with influences from outside the comics.
If people had actually cared more for age of Ultron and clints plot device family there's a good chance we'd have gotten comic Laura(?) and kids now or Natasha could be the Bruce Banner girlfriend now and wouldn't that be something, lol.

So if it's not Superman and Lois Lane or Rogue and Gambit I'd be very hesitant to speak of endgame pairings for anyone with a medium that is so in love with it's status quo and keeping all options open at all times.

I agree there isn't really a set endgame pairing in mind--that's why I put "endgame" in quotation marks; it was just meant to convey a general sense as opposed to an actual set plan. I just get the impression that if most writers or editors were asked who they felt Tasha was most likely to end up with, it would be Bucky rather than Clint or Matt.

As for the friends-with-benefits, please don't misunderstand me to think that I am suggesting there is a lack of deep emotional connection there. My emphasis is on the "friends" part. I know people often use "friends with benefits" and "f**k buddies" interchangeably but when it comes to Clint and Natasha I am making a subtle but important distinction between those two terms. The latter is a much more a surface and physical relationship, lacking in emotional depth -- like a one-night stand that is ongoing rather than a one time thing. When I say Clint/Natasha are friends-with-benefits, I mean that their former romantic relationship turned into a very solid, very deep friendship, but it still has a physical component when they are both single and interested because those sexual sparks are still there.

I just don't see those sparks actually turning into a real romantic relationship between them again. I think both of them have moved on from the idea of them as a couple. There is still a very strong connection between them and always will be....but the idea of them actually becoming an official "couple" again just doesn't feel right to me.

[Frontier]

She did recently kiss Bucky passionately in an issue of Thunderolts by the by...