Synopsis / Summary / Plot
This issue's non-linearity is just the standard 'open with a page from the middle of the story' thing. We see Clint Barton in a tuxedo diving into an indoor swimming pool with a bow-carrying female to escape a hail of bullets.
Now we start at the beginning with Kate Bishop visiting Clint at home. He's still got bandages from last issue. His thoughts tell us that she took over from him as Hawkeye for a while. She's a gifted bowman but young (early 20's) and a spoiled rich girl. (But if she was ever a spoiled brat I don't think she is now.) He tells her that he's just got a promotion in the Avengers. And demonstrates firing 3 arrows at once to hit 3 target areas, but Kate claims the Roman Emperor Domitian could do 4 arrows.
Kate asks him why he's collecting newspaper clippings and a selection of photos. The photos show vagabond code that he learned about in his carnival days which is now springing up all over town. It warns hobos to get out of town before the police crackdown that will follow a big crime that's going to happen. And the clippings are Clint trying to second-guess what it might be.
1 that caught his eye is the world's 1st 6-star hotel, the giant-size Metropol, which has been erected by Bernard Gunn in New York. It's opening will be a Cirque Du Nuit performance. Kate uses her connections to get them tickets. Bernie Gunn's an old family friend, but Clint says he's a major crook - as are most of the guests. We see Owl, Hammerhead, Tombstone, Madame Masque and Kingpin (plus an unidentified female).
The master of ceremonies is the Ringmaster (of the Circus Of Crime), Maynard Tiboldt, but our duo have come prepared with special glasses to resist his hypnotic top hat. But 1st they are treated to a knife-throwing act. Barton recognises the style of his old (now dead) mentor (in Clint's carnie days) Swordsman (Jacques Duquesne), and the man unmasks as his spitting image.
Then the real show starts as Tiboldt hypnotises the crowd and minions move amongst them relieving them of their valuables. Meanwhile others raid the safes in their hotel rooms, safe in the knowledge that these bad guys won't call the cops afterwards. The Hawkeye's split up - Clint goes after the safe robbers while Kate explores backstage. Clint battles long odds and goes down for the count. Kate invades the dressing room of a female performer and during a scuffle clocks her with a fire extinguisher. And that performer just happens to have a bow plus arrows stuck in a purple wig.
Clint awakens in front of the Swordsman's other protégé with a fake French accent. He tells his men to take him out into the ocean, shoot him and drop him in. But there's a female hanging around carrying a bow with arrows stuck in her purple wig. As 'Swordsman' leaves she shoots some of the goons (non-lethally). Clint breaks free of the guys holding him with his hands tied behind his back. He leaps into the air and brings his bound hands under his feet and holds them up for Kate to split the tie with an arrow so he can join in the fight. Ringmaster runs in with 2 gunmen. Kate runs to Clint who picks her up and they crash through a glass wall, Kate shooting back at the bad guys all the while. They're exiting a room suspended over a pool, which is where we came in.
They climb out of the pool and Kate fires 5 arrows simultaneously (1 up on Domitian). She hits Tiboldt and his 2 gunnies in the eyes (the arrowheads are blunt so they won't die, just may be severely blinded). 'Swordsman' returns with 2 swords claiming Barton has broken the carnie code. Clint takes the bow and fires an arrow which just misses the baddy's ear, but then rebounds off a wall to stick in the back of his neck, rendering him conscious but immobile.
The duo leave the bow behind and hijack the boat which (presumably) the thieves were going to escape in, taking the loot with them. Kingpin tells all the other assembled crooks that the Avenger Hawkeye has just robbed them all, so they should think about how to remedy the situation.
Later Clint rings Kate at home and asks her to become his partner. She shoots down all the reasons he gives including that she's rich (but now so is he). Another reason is that he doesn't want to sleep with her, because that messed up his previous female partnerships. She's happy with that because he's too old for her. Finally he says it's because he thinks she's driven to right wrongs like he is, but then he ruins that by suggesting she'd be safer doing that stuff with *him*. But still in the end she agrees.
And we see he's got a wall map covered with crime cuttings, from all over the world.
And we see he's still got the injured dog he rescued last issue, which he now calls Lucky.