Family Reunion: A Hawkeye Sketchbook

Reunions can be fun times to catch up with longtime friends, but they can get more complicated when someone’s trying to kill the gathered parties.

That’s the situation Kate Bishop and Clint Barton find themselves in on December 6 with HAWKEYE #13 by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero. Kate intends to ask Clint to assist in finding out about her mom, but he’s got a problem of his own—namely a huge target on his back that sends them both on the run through Los Angeles.

We talked with Romero about bringing these two allies back together, updating Eden’s look for the modern era, and working with Thompson!

Marvel.com: How would you say Kate and Clint react to seeing each other when they first meet up?

Leonardo Romero: Like they’ve never been apart. Clint and Kate are great together and even though they were not around each other this whole time, it doesn’t feel that way.

Marvel.com: The two Hawkeyes obviously use similar weapons and fighting styles, but how do they handle themselves differently, both in quieter moments and in the more action-packed ones?

Leonardo Romero: In terms of personality, Kate is very sassy and full of attitude while Clint can be really laid back. I believe that their [different] personalities is one of the reasons why it is so great to see them together.

In action, I see them both as improvisers. Kate thinks more and scans the environment for alternatives and things that can help her out. Clint kind of figures things out on the way, not planning further than the next action.

Marvel.com: Speaking of action, it sounds like this story features a lot of it as both Hawkeyes wind up under the gun and on the run. What kind of challenges does that kind of tale offer?

Leonardo Romero: Planning the action scenes is always an extra challenge. Both Hawkeyes tend to deal with these situations using everything they can. So a lot of times it’s not only about planning the action itself but also the environment, so everything that they end up using is placed there correctly.

Marvel.com: What can you tell us about Eden and the process that went into designing her modern look?

Leonardo Romero: Eden already appeared [in GENERATIONS: HAWKEYE & HAWKEYE]—which [took] place in the past—as a younger version of herself. Creating her look for the present timeline in HAWKEYE was basically taking the original concept of the character—blue hair, lightning powers, and all of that—and trying to imagine how it would look nowadays in a modern approach. So I looked through a lot designs for Marvel’s [heroes] and villains and tried to come up with something my own.

Marvel.com: How has it been working with Kelly on the series up to this point?

Leonardo Romero: It’s been amazing! Our collaboration is one of the best parts of the book. It’s always a pleasure to work with her.

Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero stage a family reunion beginning in HAWKEYE #13 on December 6!