Comic Browser:

#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#20
#21
#22
Selector

Hawkeye #4

Jan 2013
on-sale: Nov 21, 2012
Matt Fraction, Javier Pulido

Hawkeye #4 cover

Story Name:

The tape: 1 of 2


Synopsis

Hawkeye #4 synopsis by Rob Johnson
Rating: 4 stars
The issue begins with a video frame of Hawkeye (Clint Barton) killing someone with arrows to the eyes.

Then we're at 1 of Clint's apartment building's regular rooftop barbecues, and Kate Bishop is asking him if he's ever killed anyone. He doesn't actually deny it. He's also trying not to let his neighbours know he's Hawkeye and an Avenger, but a SHIELD helicarrier ruins that when Agents descend and whisk him up and away. (But the neighbours really already knew anyway.)

Barton is brought before Captain America and Maria Hill. They tell him that the videotape of Operation: Eucritta is in the hands of bad guys and will be auctioned in Madripoor in 72 hours. This is bad news for Hawkeye, the Avengers, SHIELD, the US military and the President. SHIELD will give Barton an AmEx Black card to use to win the auction.

That night he sneaks into his own apartment via the fire escape and finds Kate waiting for him. She was worried when he was 'kidnapped' earlier. He can't tell her what's going on but advises her to stay clear of the place for a week or so, and don't go out Hawkeye-ing. He takes the case with his bow and arrows in and exits the way he came.

30 hours later he's in Madripoor airport where he's hustled away by 3 armed guards. But he's the 1 who walks out of the interrogation room, and then out of the airport. He grabs a cab and asks to be taken where the action is. Then he falls asleep in the back seat and the driver tries to steal his wallet. Clint foils that attempt but 2 opportunistic thieves lean in to take the prize and 1 of them gets away with it. He bemoans the loss of his cash, credit cards and Avengers ID, but his passport and the AmEx Black are still safe. So he takes the cab and picks up some cash as a cabbie despite having no idea where anywhere is. Then he has lunch (I think at a cabbie haunt) and finds out how to get to where he's really supposed to be ...

... the Madripoor Pearl hotel where he's severely underdressed and is immediately grabbed by more goons and taken to another interrogation room which he's not going to waltz out of. They've got his passport and his weapons from the cab (but not the AmEx Black). They're about to kill him when Madame Masque walks in and takes the passport and tells them to knock him out and take him up to her room.

When he wakes up he's still tied to a chair and MM has his bow. He strangely tells them that he's here for the same reason she is, to bid for the tape which shows an Avenger assassinating the world's most wanted terrorist, and he's got a SHIELD AmEx Black to do it with. Masque asks him where he's hidden it and he grins. But he loses the grin when she performs a rectal examination and retrieves the object. She's going to take it to the auction and meanwhile Barton is taken to 'his' room and left tied to the chair but lying on a bed. He falls asleep and 5 ninjas creep in.

In the auction room MM's goons have checked that the AmEx card is legit. Kingpin demands to know why the auction is late. The auctioneer says they're missing a bidder (ie Barton) but Wilson Fisk overrules him. The auctioneer tells the room the Hawkeye is the assassin on the tape. He starts the bidding at 100 million Euros which an Agence Byzantine agent takes on. Then the Maggia, Kingpin for the Hand, the Mandarin, Crimson Cowl raise the bidding until Madame Hydra reaches 350 mill. But then Madame Masque silences the room with 1 billion Euros and wins the auction.

She asks Hotel security to guard her room and then enters it. She takes off her mask and we see it's Kate-Hawk. And the real Madame Masque is bound and gagged in her underwear (but conveniently with another of her golden masks on to hide her terribly scarred face). And Kate prepares to watch the tape.


 

Review / Commentaries


Hawkeye #4 Review by (January 22, 2022)
This 2-issue story is actually told linearly, except that we won't see the videotape of the 1st-page assassination until next issue.

Clint seems shocked and worried that SHIELD let the tape get out, which doesn't really fit with what we learn at the end of part 2.

Captain America is at least relieved that it's an analog tape because a digital version could be copied. What, the bad guys have gone so digital they no longer have access to a video recorder! (But it seems they do have a video *player*.)

Marvel Fandom Wiki believes the ninjas belong to Kingpin's Hand. (It's never explained what they were after.)

This 1st section of this series takes place between the end of the Heroic Age Avengers and New Av series and the start of Jonathan Hickman's replacements. But Cap has already participated in #9-11 of the still continuing Av Assemble series and has kickstarted Uncanny Av as well as appearing in the AvX: Consequences mini-series. After this issue he'll join Clint-Hawk in Savage Wolverine #6 before joining Kate-Hawk in a couple of issues of Young Av vol 2.

Maria Hill of SHIELD has also been in an issue each of AvX:C and UAv since the end of Av & NAv.

Madame Masque came here straight from #2. Kingpin made a stop at Daredevil: Dark Nights #2-3.

Madame Hydra (Viper) is here with some Hydra troops. She was last seen in #30 of the recent Av series. Hydra itself of course dates back to the 1st SHIELD story in Strange Tales #135.

The Maggia are even older, introduced with Count Nefaria (Madame Masque's father) in the original Av#13, and lastly appearing in the Mysterio arc in Amazing Spider-Man #618-320.

Agence Byzantine on the other hand are very new since Daredevil (2011) #6, and lastly in DD#13.

Mandarin was killed by Ezekial Stane in Iron Man #526. His cameo can be taken as the 1st indication that he's back but he won't actually be (very briefly) active again until Punisher (2018) #1 where Punny will kill him again.

Crimson Cowl was a recurring foe of the original Thunderbolts and in the Iron Man (2008) series ending in the Legacy Numbered #527 in the middle of the Heroic Age. She's referred to here as having been absent for some time and she's not been seen again since.

AIM and the Secret Empire (both spin-offs of Hydra) also have agents present. The ubiquitous AIM was last in Iron Man (2012) #1, and the more reclusive SE in Captain America & Black Widow #636-637. AIM will hang around for next issue but the Empire will duck out and not reappear until Fantastic Four (2013) #3.

I don't know the remaining 2 bidding parties would be.



> Hawkeye comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
DIAMOND SELECT TOYS Marvel Premier Collection: Avengers Endgame Captain America Statue, Multicolor
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Main/1st Story Full Credits

Javier Pulido
Javier Pulido
Matt Hollingsworth
David Aja (Cover Penciler)
David Aja (Cover Inker)
David Aja (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos.
Editor: Steve Wacker. Editor-in-chief: Axel Alonso.

Characters

All stories. Listed in alphabetical order.

Captain America
Captain America

(Steven Rogers)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Katherine Elizabeth Bishop)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye

(Clinton Barton)
Kingpin
Kingpin

(Wilson Fisk)
Madame Masque
Madame Masque

(Giulietta Nefaria)
Plus: Crimson Cowl (Justine Hammer), Viper (Madame Hydra).

The Marvel Heroes Library is a fan Marvel Comics site
Version 14.8.25 (Nov 22, 2024. VS22)

Copyright © 1997-2024 Julio Molina-Muscara (creator, webmaster)
Site content is a collective effort by the MHL team and Marvel aficionados

Characters are copyright © Marvel or their respective owners. All portions of this Marvel fansite that are subject to copyright are licensed under a creative commons attribution 3.0 unported license All rights reserved