Kate Bishop is the new hotness right now with the spotlight shining on the character due to the live-action Hawkeye series on Disney+. Perfectly timed with its debut is Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1 which has Kate Bishop deciding what to do next with her life. Should she stay on the West Coast or should she head back to New York City? No matter where she ends up, this debut has her making a detour to a posh resort where some quirky things are going on.
Marieke Nijkamp takes Kate on her next adventure delivering a nice dose of emotion, reflection, and wtf moments. I’ll admit, Kate isn’t a character I know a lot of. My experience has been what Young Avengers I’ve read and some interaction with Clint Barton. I know the basics and honestly, that’s about all you need.
Nijkamp does a solid job of catching new readers up on the character. We get a good run through of what her skills are and the drama in her life. We also get a good sense of what we can expect in the type of storytelling with intermittent use of text messages to give us a lot on what we need to know. The issue also acts as a way to break away in some ways from everything. This is Kate on her own trying to solve a mystery. Her past relationships are mentioned but that feels more to flesh out a character and give us some flavor instead of a rather dry detective story.
Dry is definitely one thing this comic is not. There’s a good dose of humor throughout, even when Kate is contemplating the more dramatic aspects of her life. The dialogue and interactions work well and even the most intense moments have a bit of humor about them. That’s partially due to the art.
Enid Balám handles the pencils for Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1. Oren Junior handles the inks with Brittany Peer on color, and Joe Caramagna lettering. The art looks good. There’s some good action moments that are balanced well with the dramatic. What’s interesting is Balám sparringly uses some recent visual ticks that have become popular in the Hawkeye and Young Avengers comics, that of the sprawling image that takes the reader on a visual journey to follow. There’s one instance of it here which feels like more of a wink and a nod to what was that a real solid use of the style. We get a good look at the sprawling resort Kate has gone to with a lot to mull over as to how much it means.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1 is a pretty solid start that kicks off what feels like a fun mini-series. I don’t see this as a world-changing story but enough entertainment that long time fans should be pleased and new ones will feel welcomed.
Story: Marieke Nijkamp Art: Enid Balám
Ink: Oren Junior Color: Brittany Peer Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
