Tales of Suspense #57 (1964)
by Stan Lee & Don Heck
The cover promises that this issue will feature “The Power of Iron Man”.
And Hawkeye.
We begin with Iron Man saving one of his own employees from an industrial accident.
Uhm, Tony, I think you should concentrate on the safety of your factories rathern than playing matchmaker.
Especially when you suck at it.
As a billionaire genius playboy philantropist, Tony brings his date to a luna park.
The Marvel Universe is famous for having like a hundred superheroes operating in New York.
It’s often made fun of, but considering the place can’t go five minutes without lives being put in danger… sounds legit.
All this attention being paid to Iron Man makes the archer jealous.
Here’s a thought: if you want to look flashier, couldn’t you incorporate trick arrows and a new costume into your act? Why did you need Iron Man to show up? Especially if it’s THIS easy for you to build all these arrows!
Some heroes start their career to answer a higher calling. Others to fight demons from their own past.
Hawkeye just wanted to be famous.
So Hawkeye eagerly begins his career.
This is well-known goof (the panel was even in the Marvel No-Prize Book): you’re not WEARING gloves, Hawkeye!
His first case is to stop a thief, who escapes after leaving the loot behind.
Missed opportunity here: considering the impact on this moment on Hawkeye’s career, it’s astonishing that we are yet to see the thief again.
This is important because this incident is the entire reason why Hakweye is initially considered a criminal.
Stan Lee must have really liked this plot; it reminds of Amazing Spider-Man #4, whee Spidey couldn’t arrest some thieves because he caught them BEFORE they could do any crime.
Instead of explaining his actions to the police, Hawkeye accepts a lift from Black Widow.
Hawkeye blindly following Black Widow, that I understand.
Black Widow thinking Hawkeye has what it takes to fight Iron Man when HE HASN’T DONE ANYTHING YET, not so much.
Why do I get the feeling this would not be the first time Stark forgot about his pants?
A lot of early Iron Man is about his love triangle with Pepper and Happy.
Once I’ve seen someone point out that it’s basically the same setup of the love triangle between Matt Murdock, Karen and Foggy, you can’t unsee it.
I remind you that the reason why Hawkeye is after Iron Man is 95% being horny for Black Widow and 5% being jealous of his fame.
That’s enough for breaking and entering into a weapons facility during the Cold War.
Hawkeye is never going to let Stark forget about the time he forced him out of his armor.
Honestly Black Widow shouldn’t have needed any help to get Stark to strip down.
Something that got lost over the years is just how much of a technological genius Hawkeye must be.
Another goof: once he finds a spare armor, Tony complains about missing the right boot…
…only to later put on his LEFT boot.
This armor includes a precursor to the trademark Iron Man weapon, the Repulsor Ray.
That one if emitted from the palm, but the original Repulser (note the spelling) is shot from the wrist.
Of course the palm repulsors are iconic, but I rather like this design.
I think we can all forgive Iron Man for dismissing Hakweye as a minor threat.
But come on.
The fight is not over, because Hawkeye is fully prepared to murder a guy for the love of a woman he has met for five minutes.
Maybe don’t go around shooting demolition charges around regular people?
That arrow staggered Iron Man just long enogh for Hawkeye to take Black Widow to safety.
And that’s the end, because Iron Man can’t pursue him being so close to the airport.
Bonus: the backup feature is the Watcher serial.
Where we see that he actually does interfere directly to stop an alien invasion…
…because these idiots accidentally attacked the Watcher’s homeworld, where the non-interference rule does not apply.
Historical significance: 7/10
Not only it introduces Hawkeye, but it’s also important for the Black Widow’s history.
Silver Age-ness: 6/10
Stark Industries continues to have no security, but it also has no safety standards.
Does it stand the test of time? 5/10
The Iron Man series is still far from reaching its peak. The story is extremely simple and straightforward, which might have been a strength if Hawkeye wasn’t so one-dimensional.
The reason for him being mistaken for a criminal is interesting, but it falls flat when he’s immediately willing to kill for the woman who he declares to be the love of his life after meeting her once.
I know that’s Black Widow, but come on Clint, have SOME dignity.
How close is this to the modern character? 3/10
The only Hawkeye traits I recognize are the bravado and the need to prove himself… but that’s about it. Points for already wearing something very close to his most classic costume.
Hawkeye would fight Iron Man again in Tales of Suspense #60, but #64 is way more significant. In addition to being the issue where Black Widow gets a proper costume, it’s the last time the two are acting as a supervillain pair.
Hawkeye would likely have faded into the background or be forgotten if it wasn’t for one of the riskiest (and smartest) moves in superhero comics.
Avengers #16, where Stan Lee breaks up the Avengers to change them from a team composed by flagship heroes to one composed by unlikely heroes.
Including Hawkeye, who has reformed after believing Black Widow has died.
All you really need to understand the appeal of Hawkeye is already there in the way he auditions for the team. By kidnapping their butler.
AND IT WORKS.
Hawkeye ends up joining the Avengers in what is nicknamed “Cap’s Kooky Quartet” together with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
As much as I love the original formation, this move is what really MAKES the Avengers.
And it’s also what truly differentiated them from the Justice League, because can you even IMAGINE the JLA of the 60s replacing its roster (save one guy) with reformed villains?
But it’s also what made Hawkeye: this team wouldn’t work with him, as much as it wouldn’t work without Captain America himself.
From his arrogant showboating…
…to his constant clashes with Captain America.
In fact I would argue that Hawkeye being the “guy who is always butting heads with the more traditional superhero” of the team, he kind of predates Wolverine’s role in the X-Men.
Avengers #19 would give us a proper origin story for Hawkeye. Which, for now, is just “orphan who really got into archery”.
It’s also where we learn that he learned everything he knows by the Swordsman, affectionally called (by me) “nobody’s favorite Avenger”.
Just don’t think too hard about the fact that the world’s greatest archer was taught archery by the world’s greatest swordsman.
Hawkeye proved himself to be an important member of the team, and he’s involved in so much stuff that I couldn’t POSSIBLY go through all of it.
I should mention that in Avengers #63 he completely abandons the Hawkeye identity to become the new Goliath (by this time, Hank Pym was Yellowjacket).
He would get back to his senses in Avengers #98. I’ve always hated his Goliath identity: the whole POINT of Hawkeye is that he doesn’t NEED superpowers to be a superhero!!!
He does need pants, though.
Around the time of the Avengers movie, it became fashionable to make fun of Hawkeye for being the least useful member of the team.
But without him the Avengers are missing something; there’s a reason why I put him in fifth place in my ranking of the Avengers, right below the trinity and Wasp.
He’s been a member of multiple Avengers teams, including being the longest-serving leader of the West Coast team… where I believe he’s the second best leader the Avengers have ever had, right next to Wasp and Captain America (yes, in THAT order).
He’s been partner to Two-Gun Kid, Black Widow, Mockingbird (who he married, but I’ll talk about that once I talk about HER origin), he’s been a mentor to Kate Bishop, he’s been one of the Defenders, he’s led multiple incarnations of the Thunderbolts… and he’s technically the only Marvel character to be a member of the Justice League, thanks to their crossover with the Avengers.
Because I have read far, FAR more Hawkeye comics than Green Arrow comics, I’m probably one of the few who thinks that Hawkeye is THE superhero archer.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Hawkeye.
Sure it is utterly ridiculous that a guy could join the World’s Mightiest Heroes just because he’s really, REALLY good at archery. And the more obnoxious part of his personality can sometimes get tiresome.
But when Hawkeye boasts about being good enough to have more than earned his spot as one of the core members of the Avengers… he is absolutely right.
