Hawkeye #18 Review

Perhaps it's been a reflection on the chaos of youth, but the Kate Bishop issues of Hawkeye have so far lacked the narrative direction of those starring her male counterpart Clint. Issue #18, however, sees the story get some much needed steam. Writer Matt Fraction and artist Annie Wu take Kate on a rollicking adventure that is best summarized by the uttering found on page two: "Ooh, girl. You messed up."

The words are in reference to the cat-induced madness that strikes Kate's life when she takes in the hellish feline belonging to Harold H. Harold (the H stand for…wait for it…Harold) who's got a target on his back the size of Los Angeles. The seemingly disparate threads of the plot come together in this issue as we're shown how Madame Masque's fingerprints are all over just about everything. And while Kate's life is falling apart in spectacular fashion, the character is injected with a healthy dose of focus. The Kate of issue #18 isn't just a lost girl trying to find herself in sunny California; this Kate is practically an Avenger.

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