Review – ‘Hawkeye’ #8
Spoilers ahead for Hawkeye #8.
This issue could have easily been taken up entirely by Kate’s long-awaited meeting with her father, filled with exposition and not a lot of action. That was mostly what I was expecting, but we get the best of both worlds. Much like last issue and its flashbacks, the story alternates between the night Kate finds her father and the next day. It is a great way to keep the necessary exposition while also providing some fun action.
It doesn’t skimp on the Kate’s quips, either. While Hawkeye is visibly shaken both during and after the talk with her dad, she doesn’t lose her trademark wit. Juggling dramatic moments with humor can easily come off with an uneven tone, but Kelly Thompson makes it look easy. The scenes change rapidly, and we uncover a bit more information about Derek Bishop and his machinations as the story goes on.
Her father’s revelations have an enormous effect on Kate, but not in the most obvious way. Her dad is a supervillain, and a lot of angst could be mined from that concept alone. Instead, what seems to bother Hawkeye the most is the idea that all the friends she has made since she began her mission have been hurt by her dad. He is the one behind their problems, and she can’t bring herself to tell them or involve them anymore.
I’m also happy to see her friends back in the book, and in full force.
Mikka is the standout this time around, taking the initiative to investigate on her own (with Ramone by her side, of course). Kate has a good group around her, and they’ll stand by her even when she does finally come clean about her dad. At least, one can hope anyway. None of that is even getting to the newest client of Hawkeye Investigations, Anna. Dressing up like a middle-aged lady to pass for eighteen is the easiest way to get caught—well, that and stammering through the entire interview. Anna’s father is most likely another one of Derek Bishop’s victims, but apart from leading Kate to an awesome fight-club sequence, we don’t get much information about him.
I couldn’t figure out if there was an actual Purple Man reference here or if it was just a coincidence. Either way, Derek Bishop and his new, superpowered body is certainly creepy. I thought for a moment that he was going to get away with wiping his daughter’s memory and this entire flashback sequence was only going to be for the readers to remember, but this is Hawkeye: being observant is part of the title.
Now that Madam Masque has made a physical appearance, I can only guess how that confrontation is going to look like.
*Images taken from Marvel’s Hawkeye #8.
