Hawkeye #2
Hawkeye #2 (Vol. 5, January 2017) is a structurally important issue in Kate Bishop's first true solo series, delivering the first appearances of Johnny Watts and LAPD Detective Rivera while formally cementing Ramone Watts's place inside the Hawkeye Investigations team. The issue also marks the first full appearance of the antagonist group T.B.C. (Take Back Control), establishing the street-level, neo-noir Venice Beach conspiracy that would drive the entire opening arc. Writer Kelly Thompson used these introductions to build one of the more distinctive civilian supporting casts in contemporary Marvel — a group of non-powered friends whose later evolutions (Johnny eventually becomes the superhero Fuse; Ramone gains Vibranium powers as Alloy) made these early pages retroactively significant to Marvel's street-level corner.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series launched as part of Marvel's 2016 Marvel NOW! initiative, giving Kate Bishop her first solo title with writer Kelly Thompson and artist Leonardo Romero — Thompson coming off her acclaimed Jem and the Holograms run, and Romero having previously worked on Doctor Strange. Colorist Jordie Bellaire and letterer Joe Sabino rounded out the creative team, with editors Sana Amanat and Charles Beacham overseeing production. The book was designed to stand apart from its predecessor, the Fraction/Aja/Wu Hawkeye run, by relocating Kate to Los Angeles and leaning into a private-investigator format; #2, released January 4, 2017, continued that setup by broadening Kate's world with new faces. Thompson's Eisner nomination for Best Continuing Series in 2018 confirmed the critical standing the series earned in its early issues.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Released January 4, 2017, written by Kelly Thompson, with interior art by Leonardo Romero, colors by Jordie Bellaire, and letters by Joe Sabino.
- First appearance of Johnny Watts, the Venice Beach civilian who later becomes the superhero Fuse — a character with the power to absorb properties of anything he touches, defaulting to Vibranium inherited from his Dora Milaje-connected mother.
- First appearance of LAPD Detective Rivera, who becomes a recurring foil and uneasy ally to Kate throughout the series.
- Ramone Watts, who first appeared in Hawkeye #1, formally joins Hawkeye Investigations in this issue after revealing that the missing client Mikka is her ex-girlfriend.
- First full appearance of T.B.C. (Take Back Control), the cult-like antagonist organization at the center of the Venice Beach mystery arc.
- Larry Gort, the cyberstalker Kate apprehended in issue #1, carries over into this issue as part of the ongoing case.
- The issue is part of the 'Anchor Points' story arc (issues #1–6), later collected in the trade paperback Hawkeye Vol. 1: Anchor Points (2017).
- The series as a whole earned an Eisner Award nomination for Best Continuing Series in 2018, reflecting critical recognition for the Thompson/Romero run begun with these early issues.
Cast · 10 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1 (2017), Hawkeye: Private Eye #[nn] (2019)
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