By TJ Dietsch
Comics have had their fair share of troubled couples, but few can say they've dealt with separation due to alien abduction, replacement by a doppelganger and supposed death. Clint Barton and Bobbi Morse, better known as Hawkeye and Mockingbird, however can. This June, writer Jim McCann and artist David Lopez explore this courageous coupling monthly in the HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD ongoing series.
And yes, that's Hawkeye, not Ronin.
"First and foremost, I think the thing that everyone loves is that Hawkeye is back," McCann proclaims. "Clint Barton has reclaimed his place in the Marvel U, wearing the iconic costume, and firing a fistful of arrows into the hearts of fans everywhere. And to top it off, he's got the one woman who was his true love, the only woman who was ever really his equal in life and love, Mockingbird, back from the Skrulls, and in his life. Of course, not everything is perfect."
Far from it, in fact, as Mockingbird and Hawkeye will be facing off against a few familiar foes in the form of super assassin Crossfire and a person who has done more harm to Bobbi than all the Skrulls combined: The Phantom Rider.
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| HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD #1 cover by Paul Renaud |
HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD won't be all psychological torment and melodrama though. McCann notes that while Hawkeye will be an Avenger in the Heroic Age, Mockingbird will be working with her
World Counterterrorism Agency-WCA-compatriots to counter terrorism. Of course, Clint won't be far behind, but he'll have to deal with Bobbi being the boss for once.
"The WCA was put together by Mockingbird upon returning to Earth after Secret Invasion," McCann says. "It's a small group that has managed to grow in resources very quickly. How they've done it is only known by two people: Mockingbird and someone else who isn't named Hawkeye. The team is made of ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were also captured and have come back to a world they didn't recognize. You'll learn how they came to be over the course of the first arc, but there are some really fun, new characters in there. Twitchy and Bangs were seen in NEW AVENGERS: THE REUNION, but not much was revealed then. [Joining them will be a] guy who is going to be trouble for everyone, and is so much fun to write: Dominic Fortune."
McCann, who worked with David Lopez on NEW AVENGERS: REUNION, the limited series which brought Clint and Bobbi back together post-Secret Invasion, has nothing but great things to say about the artist and how their working relationship has grown since then.
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After getting the ball rolling with a Hawkeye and Mockingbird segment in ENTER THE HEROIC AGE and moving the action into HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD #1, the floodgates of have opened in McCann's mind for what comes next.
"Everything you need to know about the tone and pace of the book will be revealed in the first issue," McCann vows. "We hit the ground running and never look back. There's action, deaths, mysteries, betrayals, high-energy super heroics, and some nasty villains. As for the future, I have so much in my mind, so many places to take them, both emotionally and literally. That's the fun with these two-Hawkeye and Mockingbird will be going directly to the trouble. They rush in to meet it head first. Sometimes that works out, and a lot of times, it is nothing like they planned. And the people that have come in and out of their lives are available to me to use in the book as well, so there will be lots of guest stars. In fact, I got to write a Clint Barton/Steve Rogers scene in the first issue.
"So, fans, hop on board. I want to take you all on a wild, crazy ride full of arrows, battle-staves, Phantoms, nightmares, mafia underworlds, backstabbing snakes in the grass, romance, heartbreak, and then some more arrows. And maybe a crazy robot down the road. Maybe. You gotta keep reading!"
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I love Hawkeye; he's a large part of why I became an archery coach. But that drawing makes my head hurt. There's no way that bow can function the way it's shown; the stresses are too great. A folding bow would have to fold forward, away from the archer, not toward him. And we're not even going to discuss whatever that thing on his wrist is. Or the chain mail armor that no archer would ever ...
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I love Hawkeye; he's a large part of why I became an archery coach. But that drawing makes my head hurt. There's no way that bow can function the way it's shown; the stresses are too great. A folding bow would have to fold forward, away from the archer, not toward him. And we're not even going to discuss whatever that thing on his wrist is. Or the chain mail armor that no archer would ever wear on his bow arm. It seems to me that if a superhero's entire premise is based on something that exists in the real world, it would make sense to at least do some cursory research into how that thing operates. I'll make the same offer I always do: Free archery lessons for any comics pro in Los Angeles. Free archery consultation for any comics pro who is remotely interested in getting it at least halfway convincing-looking. www.macqarchery.com
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please give hawkeye some melee weapons that he can use with his bow.a man should always be up close fighting, and not shooting from afar while his wife does the dirty work.
She should pull a reverse Bullseye, take on his name (after actually proving to be more of a sure shot) and, unaware of Lady Bullseye, end up clashing with her as her 'hero's trial by fire' - Naaahhhh! She'd get erased in 3.2 seconds on a good day, but as I typed 'Lady Bullseye,' it dawned on me that 'Lady Hawkeye' is a big possibity.
If Clint is Hawkeye again then what happens to Kate Bishop? She-Hawkeye Ms. Hawkeye, Hawkeye girl. What about the Young Avengers in General?Also the wrist thing looks dumb.Additionally when are they gonna adress all the women Clint's been with, some pretty recently (Echo, Scarlet Witch, Wasp)
:832e5966fb="heroineaddict"]...Does Hawkeye have to be limited to a bow and trick arrows? Can't he be a marksman with all types of weapons?[/quote:832e5966fb]He surely doesn't. Observe though that they made Ronin into a sword user following ... (but they'll have to be specially souped up to actually respect that he can potentially be facing off against the likes of the Wrecking Crew or something)
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:832e5966fb="heroineaddict"]...Does Hawkeye have to be limited to a bow and trick arrows? Can't he be a marksman with all types of weapons?[/quote:832e5966fb]He surely doesn't. Observe though that they made Ronin into a sword user following Green Arrow updating his fighting skill level, broadening his arsenal to swords. It made sense, not to imply everything they do with Clint follows Ollie; more to bring to the attention that Green Arrow has more recently been portrayed only reliant on bow and arrow once again (even his fighting adeptness seems to have been scaled back) and to be fair, that's what their signature weapons are so it needs to be shown as that of the character, but giving him another offensive-but-close-quarters weapon (and having it stick) would be a sensible thing to do for him. I'd prefer a bo staff over the sword mostly because Hawkeye doesn't normally set out to kill, but then he'd be considered horning in on Mockingbird's schtick, so I'm all about him having some nunchuks or escrima sticks (but they'll have to be specially souped up to actually respect that he can potentially be facing off against the likes of the Wrecking Crew or something)
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