Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 2 - Masks

by Kelly Thompson

[Quirky Cat]

I read Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 2 as individual issues through the Marvel Unlimited app.

Kate Bishop continues her tale in Hawkeye: Kate Bishop Vol. 2: Masks. This volume deals with a lot of different issues for Kate, so in many ways this is a deeply personal quest all of the sudden. What had started as her needing to be in a new setting has suddenly become a quest for the truth for her.
Like in all previous examples involving Kate…she’s not very good at shielding herself. Sure, she can kick butt and take names. But block? Nah, it’s just easier to invest in a ton of frozen peas. It’s what makes her who she is though.
There are some unexpected cameos in this volume, but honestly I couldn’t have been happier by their appearances. Though I may be biased, since I adore those characters.


Kate sure has had her hands full these last few weeks, hasn’t she? She’s gone up against an antagonist that accidentally blew himself up, realize there was a conspiracy in her new home town, set up a new base of operations, oh and she’s even started making some new friends. Now she just has to keep those friends safe while figuring this town out.
So, quick confession before I move on. I’m so behind in reading this series, but I have been reading West Coast Avengers as it releases in single issues. So I already have a bit of an idea where things are going to end up (ie: she realizes just how painfully under-protected the West Coast is and forms a new team).
This issue was fast-paced and a lot of fun. Well, okay it probably wasn’t a ton of fun for Kate. She not only took a few hits, but she had some pretty heavy emotional stuff to deal with. What I should have said was that this volume was super interesting, because there was so much going on.
The fight scenes for Kate are always so great. She’s so good at analyzing the situation and taking charge. Immediately followed by kicking butt, of course. Sometimes her plans don’t work out for her, and then she ends up taking a few more hits than expected, but she always gets back up.
Madame Mask is turning out to be a really good antagonist for Kate. They think in completely different ways, so they both struggle to get a good read on the other. Mask challenges Kate, yet Kate somehow keeps managing to get in Mask’s way. It’s a good balance, at least for the readers.
As I mentioned above, I really loved the cameos in this volume. (Spoiler warning) Laura and Gabby are an amazing pair, but it was something else to see Kate appreciating the two of them. Also, I guess it never occurred to me that these three had never actually met before. Their interactions were hilarious and borderline adorable. I almost wish they’d end up forming a team together. But that’d be too much to ask (and honestly, in the long run their abilities would clash too much).
I have one more volume of Hawkeye: Kate Bishop to read before I’m all caught up on this series. To be honest, I’m not really sure how I feel about that. But there’s not too much I can do about it. I am looking forward to seeing what happens with the impending team-up (but again, I know that the forming of West Coast Avengers is probably imminent).


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