Written by: Gerry Duggan
Art by: Matteo Lolli (#0-4) & Jacp[p Camagni (#1-4)
Colours by: Cristiane Peter (#0-3) & Nick Filardi (#4)
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover Art by: James Harren with Jordie Bellaire (#0), Matt Wilson (#3) & Cris Peter (#4)
Letters by: VC’s Cory Peti
Assistant Editor: Devin Lewis
Editor: Sana Amanat
Published by: Marvel Worldwide Inc.
Date Published: TPB released March 2015
Intro:
As a fan of archery, birthed from my childhood with tales of Robin Hood and then later in life reading comics of the not too dissimilar hero, Green Arrow, I am sad to admit that I have not yet turned my full attention to the Marvel Comics archer, Hawkeye…until now. Sure I’ve read a few stories with him in it, but I didn’t venture into much of his solo adventures, and I am yet to do so fully. However, one way I find easiest to follow when hoping to gain interest in a character is to read team-up comics, or at the very least, a comic that focuses more on the character you want to gain interest in, whilst other characters tag along for the ride. One such comic is Hawkeye vs Deadpool, and what a ride it is.
Plot:
After Clint Barton, a.k.a Hawkeye, turns away someone in need, he soon learns that that person was more important than Barton could have possibly imagined, but at the same time, Hawkeye would have realized how important he was if he had just listened to Jeremy Ellsden, a hacker to just so happens to have stolen the complete human resource files of every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. However, after Hawkeye turned him away, Jeremy spotted none other than Deadpool, the merc with the mouth, out trick-or-treating with his family, and so Jeremy stashed the USB drive in Deadpools bucket of candy.
After some reluctant teaming up, Deadpool and Hawkeye, along with fellow Hawkeye Kate Bishop, discover that Black Cat, a.k.a Felicia Hardy, is behind the attacks and the one who hired Ellsden to retrieve the list in the first place. With the help of Doctor Lusk, Black Cat seems to have gained an army of brainwashed individuals to do her dirty work for her. Dressed as various heroes and villains, including the likes of Daredevil, The Punisher, and Electro, these individuals attack those who get in their way, but if cornered, take their own lives in order to avoid capture.
Can Hawkeye put aside his own feelings towards Deadpool and work with him to solve the case before Black Cat brainwashes any more innocents to their death to get her sticky paws on the list?
Story:
For a story involving Deadpool, this story was a bit more hard-hitting than I originally imagined it would be. A lot of these ‘vs’ comics are obviously more about team-ups but you get to see a new side to both Deadpool and Clint Barton, that involves the idea of guilt, righting wrongs, and helping those in need.
Of course, for a story involving Deadpool, it’s also hilariously entertaining, but overall it’s a rollercoaster of emotions between the themes, the storytelling, and the art. It may seem like it has a happy ending, but for Clint, the ending isn’t really the usual fairy tale ending. It really feels like even after they won, they lost, and that’s what makes an excellent story such as this.
Conclusion:
Hawkeye vs Deadpool is a story full of heart, humor, and action. It delivers on all the great things we love about these heroes, be it Deadpools blabbermouth and some fourth-wall-breaking, or Hawkeye’s stubborn nature to do what he can to not bring anyone into his problems. The book even focuses on Hawkeye’s disability in parts. For those than don’t know Hawkeye is deaf and there is sign language added into some of the pages, or if Deadpool has his mask down, Clint reminds him that he can’t lip-read through a mask. It’s the little details that make the comic as awesome as it is.
If you’ve hopped onto the Hawkeye hype train through the MCU films or through the Disney Plus series, Hawkeye, and want to read some more of his comics, then I would say Hawkeye vs Deadpool is certainly a book to find.
Media Mallrat 
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