Hawkeye: Private Eye

by Kelly Thompson

[Quirky Cat]

Hawkeye: Private Eye collects the first twelve issues on the Kate Bishop run of the Hawkeye mantle. And that means it’s full of chaos and Kate’s attempts at running her own P.I. business. Which usually results in her getting into even more trouble.
I’ve read all of the issues that were in this collection (both as solo issues and as a complete volume) but I just couldn’t help picking up this collected edition and giving the series another read through. Why? Because Kate Bishop is awesome and I would love to see her get another solo series sometime.
So, people unfamiliar with this series might be asking: who is Kate Bishop? Kate Bishop is many things. She’s an archer, a woman with a complex past, an Avenger, a West Coast Avenger (brilliant series, if you haven’t checked that out), and she’s Hawkeye. Yes, you did read that right. She’s on the select list of characters that get to carry that mantle. And she has some fun in the process.

Hawkeye: Private Eye collects the first two volumes worth of Kate’s solo adventure. She’s decided to move to a different coast and start up her own business – and she’s taking a page from Jessica Jones (or Drews) book here. She’s going to become a P.I. while also being a superhero. Sounds perfect, right?
Well…she does get herself into quite a bit of chaos all on her own. And it’s the best sort of chaos – the type that is highly entertaining for the readers. Though I might be a bit biased, since I adore Kate Bishop, as well as the series writer, Kelly Thompson.
Bishop’s journey is highly entertaining and introduces several new characters into her world. And I honestly believe that this is the rounding out her character has always needed. The occasional cameos from other superheroes (including the other Hawkeye) were nice touches, of course.

Oh, and did I mention that I love the style behind Hawkeye: Private Eye? For one thing, I love the covers and their designs. But it’s more than that as well. I love the way they portray Kate, from her costume down to the way she moves and the confidence she portrays. I also love watching her fight, though she could probably afford to learn a few dodging moves – just sayin’.
The artists involved in this collection were Leonardo Romero, Michael Walsh, and Julian Tedesco. And I basically love everything they did here. They put up well with Thompson’s shenanigans, and that resulted in some fantastic artwork to support some quirky plots.

In short: I loved Hawkeye: Private Eye, and was totally thrilled to get a chance to read it for the third time in this lovely collection. I can only hope that it sold well enough to encourage Marvel to give Kate Bishop another solo run. That news would make my day.

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