Solo Avengers #1 (December 1987)

In the late 80s, Marvel released a little book called Solo Avengers. Solo Avengers was a "split-book". What this meant was that the book told two tales, focusing on various characters. The book lasted a surprisingly long time. With issue #21 (August 1989), the series' name would be changed to Avengers Spotlight, which was a better name in my opinion. The title would last 40 issues, the "split-book" format lasting for 35 of those issues.

Hawkeye was the "main" star of the book, often being the focus of the first story. The second story would give focus to a variety of characters, like Moon Knight, Hellcat, and the Scarlet Witch. The book would also be used as a "try-out" book for new talent like writers and artists. For example, artist Amanda Conner's first comics work was in this title. She worked on issue #12 (November 1988), which had a story focusing on the Rita DeMara Yellowjacket.

The comic we're going to look at here is the debut of the book, which gives solo stories to Hawkeye and his then-wife at the time, Mockingbird. Will we see the First Couple of the West Coast Avengers shine in the solo spotlight, or wither like dying plants? Let's look at Solo Avengers #1!

The cover is a Mark Bright and Joe Rubinstein piece. It depicts Hawkeye and Mockingbird leaping into action against some unknown assailants. It's a nice cover, basically showing who the stars of the comic are.

"Here Comes Hawkeye"
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciler: Mark Bright
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Colorist: Ken Feduniewicz
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Mark Gruenwald
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with the Avengers' Ace Archer preparing to unleash a storm of arrows on some implacable foes, while riding a horse like a boss.

What are these villainous targets of his? A bunch of...targets. Yup, he's practicing for a benefit performance he's going to be doing for charity. The charity is a local orphanage. The cause is something that is close to Hawkeye's heart, as he grew up in one alongside his brother Barney.  I like this. I like seeing superheroes do stuff like this. I think it makes sense some of the more famous ones would do this. It not only helps them win over the public, it helps underscore that they are good people under the masks, despite their flaws.

Anyway, after the Barton brothers ran away, they ended up joining a traveling carnival. It was there that Hawkeye met Jacques Duquesne, aka the original Swordsman. It was under his tutelage that Clint Barton became the master archer that he is today.

"But wait!" you ask. "Isn't the Swordsman's whole gimmick that he's a master of swords? How could he have taught archery?" 

Well, that's the same question that fellow West Coast Avenger Simon "Wonder Man" Williams asks to another WCA member (and Clint's wife at the time) Bobbi "Mockingbird" Morse. She herself is unsure of that question. She does later on try to ask him, but...

Yeah, it's hinted that he did that deliberately, almost as if the question set him off in a way. The two departing Avengers are observed by a man who goes to report to another archer. This archer is training some assassins.

It seems this mysterious archer wants Hawkeye's blood, and in comic book fashion, he's going to sabotage the Avenging Archer's performance tonight. How is he going to do this? Well, Step One: Sneak into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and use a gas arrow to knock out the clowns Hawkeye is working with. Step Two: Dress up as the clowns. Step Three: Use the performance to kill Hawkeye. Step Four: Profit.

The disguised assassins try to take out our hero, but he's got on his Plot Armor today. He's able to defeat them, despite getting his bow broken in the process. Backstage, Mockingbird arrives late, so she decides to go visit her hubby in his dressing room. It's here she finds the gassed clowns...and an unusually-bent arrow.

It's not one of Hawkeye's arrows. And it seems someone wants to prevent her from investigating further. Meanwhile, Hawkeye is able to finish taking down his potential killers. Mockingbird was able to escape her assilant, albeit getting her costume torn-up in the process. She shows Hawkeye the bent arrow, and Hawkeye realizes who it is. You see, someone else actually trained Hawkeye in the fine art of archery. And that man vows to show Hawkeye that there is only one World's Greatest Archer...and that man is him: Trick Shot.

"Listen to the Mockingbird"
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciler: Jim Lee
Inker: Al Williamson
Colorist: Ken Feduniewicz
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Mark Gruenwald
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The second story begins with the Mockingbird leaping through some traffic.

The heroine uses her acrobatic skills to hitch a ride on a helicopter to the Los Angeles Coliseum. We get a brief recap of Bobbi's origins. She was a scientist who eventually became a SHIELD agent, and then went solo. This story ties into the Hawkeye story as we see her enter the dressing room to visit her hubby and find Trick Shot's bent arrow. A costumed man attacks her, but she deals with him easily. However, he's got friends.

Bobbi is able to fight this crew off, mocking them the entire time. It's how she became known as "Mockingbird", you see. They flee, with Bobbi overhearing how their compatriots should have managed to finish off Hawkeye earlier. They're able to get the ex-SHIELD agent to back off by taking a hostage. They try to flee in a van, but Mockingbird is able to catch up with the help of a bit of polevaulting.

She's able to rescue the hostage (causing the getaway van to crash in the process) and fight off the remaining goons. She is watched by Trick Shot, who shoots a fiery arrow from his limo at the crashed cars. Mockingbird manages to catch the arrow with her feet, but the limo gets away. We then see her return to Hawkeye, showing him Trick Shot's arrow. We get a bit more to the ending with Mockingbird making Hawkeye promise her he won't face her alone.

Yeah, he's totally going to go face Trick Shot alone. Clint Barton is kind of an idiot like that.

I liked this issue. I really enjoyed that the two stories linked together. It made sense in this case, as the two leads were romantically linked at the time. I also liked that the Hawkeye story fixed a bit of a flub in the Avenging Archer's backstory. After all, when you think about it, it would seem odd that an expert on swordmanship would teach archery. I also think the titular characters were given good characterization. Both Hawk and Mock were shown to be very skilled and capable heroes. 

The art for these stories was done by Mark Bright and Jim Lee. They both turn in fine work. I was surprised to see Lee's name on the credits for the Mockingbird story, as his art didn't resemble his style that would make him famous on X-Men. It looks much cleaner, with much less hatching than in his X-Men work. I'm not sure if that's because of art style evolution or Williamson's inking. But still, it's good stuff.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2012 trade paperback Avengers: Solo Avengers Classic Vol. 1. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! take care of yourselves, and each other. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! Join me next time, when we look at a team of Asian heroes brought together to stop a world from burning...