I don’t read many comics now, and a lot of water’s been under the bridge since I was actually READING the Avengers comics, instead of just reading ABOUT them.
So I just picked up the new Hawkeye compilation, and liked it, but have a few questions:
When was Hawkeye Ronin, for how long was he Ronin, and why was his costume so godawful?
When did Kate end up *out *of the Young Avengers?
This collection has a mime-faced person as an antagonist introduced in the middle, and the last comic in the book is from the dog’s point of view, and I feel like I need someone to spell out for me whether that got dealt with or not. I’m thinking not, but it seems an odd place to have a break-off point. (Trying to avoid blatant spoilers.) Is the mime-faced person a continued threat after Hawkeye #11?
(I actually read #19 because of the sign language, but I don’t recall that person being involved.)
God I hate getting out of something and then trying to get back into it. I feel like I missed about half-a-million in-jokes along the way.
Clint took on the Ronin persona after returning from the dead after House of M.
Stark tried to get him to take on the mantle of Cap since Cap was then dead. He tried it out and ended up running into Kate Bishop and I think Patriot. They both knew he wasn’t the real Cap and called him out on it. He then talked to Kate about why she took up the mantle of Hawkeye. Suitably impressed he left them. He knew he couldn’t be Cap and there was a new Hawkeye. He also wasn’t quite ready to reveal himself as being alive to the greater community. He adopted the Ronin persona which now become a kind of mantle people could take on if they needed. Originally a character named Echo adopted it and since Hawkeye, Blade has now also used it. Originally it was supposed to be Daredevil as Bendis’ big surprise for New Avengers but everyone guessed it so they changed to it this female side character, Echo, who wearing a “padded suit” to hide that it was a woman.
Regarding Kate and the Young Avengers-- after their last series, which in continuity takes place before the Hawkeye series, the Young Avengers weren’t so much operating as a real team, but rather a group of friends (somewhat loose) who are only a text message away. They played with this in side story recently in the Original Sin series. The Young Avengers end up having to team up with the Hood for some reason and I think Hulkling or Noh-Var text Kate and she responds with something like “I’m in California guys, sorry. Have fun.”
I actually didn’t read past the “pizza dog” issue either, so I cant help with the other questions.
Thanks for clearing up the Young Avengers being just friends and not an official “team” - that’s what I had thought originally also, and I was really thinking I had missed something with that throwaway comment about her being not with them - they apparently just meant “not here right now” which makes much more sense.
The story you’re talking about is still ongoing as a part of the current (masterful) run by Matt Fraction and David Aja & various other artists. The mime-faced dude, the Clown, has been the primary antagonist, despite minimal appearances, and is responsible for the situation in #19. Much of the run has essentially been two parallel stories told in an extremely elliptical fashion, with the same events restaged from multiple points of view and the fallout until recently mostly hinted at. That said, the series is set to end with #22 (#20 came out I think last week), and presumably all of these threads will be tied up then. It’s a fine series, though, and you’d be better off reading the whole thing from the beginning. It stands almost completely on its own with no important references to other books. Mind you, the book has been notorious for its delays, so it could be six months before #22 comes out.
I was hoping that was the case, because I was confused as hell by the Pizza Dog issue. I mean - cool concept, and I enjoyed it, I just can’t say that I had ANY clue what the hell was going on. (Which, on reflection, might be the point, as the dog probably was a little clueless himself.)
