The days of cracking jokes at Hawkeye's expense are coming to an end, as Clint Barton is taking the spotlight for himself in Marvel's Hawkeye: Freefall. The best archer in the world makes his solo return on January 1st, 2020, and we're getting a preview with writer Matthew Rosenberg to get fans excited for his new adventure debut... and wondering how Clint has gotten himself into this new mess.
The new series from writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Otto Schmidt was announced with few details beyond Rosenberg and artist Otto Schmidt's involvement. With several prominent roles in Marvel's Universe over the past few years -- Civil War II, leading the West Coast Avengers, and crossing paths with Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier in Rosenberg's previous Tales of Suspense -- Freefall #1 marks Clint's return to a solo book. While that might be cause for celebration, the presence of the demonically-equipped Hood, a mysterious new Ronin giving Clint a bad name, and a deadly new (mystery?) villain all suggest Hawkeye is in for a rough adventure. Screen Rant got the chance to speak with Rosenberg about what's in store, so read on for our full interview and preview pages below.
How long was the process of getting this new Hawkeye series off the ground? Readers can head back and read your Tales of Suspense series for some Clint/Bucky/Natasha intrigue, but was there a sort of dotted line connecting your work there to this new book – either for Marvel or you personally?
While I was working on Tales of Suspense with my editor Alanna Smith, I was having such a blast that I pitched this series. Hawkeye is a dream book in a lot of ways, so I threw myself into it. But while we were developing it I got sucked up into the world of X-Men and the Punisher and didn't really have time to give the book the attention it needed.
So this has been a long time coming and I'm so excited for it to finally come out. Initially the idea had a little more direct connective tissue to the Tales of Suspense story, but we really wanted to make it stand on its own a bit more. That doesn't mean there won't be nods, or that Bucky and Natasha won't be stopping by, but we made this as new reader friendly as we could.
Clint has continuously been popping up in different stories pretty regularly of late, but he’s been through some serious stuff over the past few years (whether it’s Civil War II, West Coast Avengers, Tales of Suspense). So where does this book find Clint when it starts, in terms of his status quo, or his plans at least for the short-term – before they’re completely destroyed, presumably?
Clint is a funny one. He sort of prides himself on being unflappable. But in a lot of his best stories we start to see the cracks in the facade. When this book starts Hawkeye is doing his usual Hawkeye thing. But before long events unfold that really get to him, and those cracks begin to appear. What follows is Hawkeye taking a joke way too far. Dangerously too far. And once again finding out what it really means to get in over his head.
Fans of Hawkeye have been begging for an ongoing series for some time (myself included), but that title – Hawkeye: Freefall – gives a pretty ominous tone to the entire story. Not to judge a book by its cover, but you obviously choose that title for a specific reason. What part of the story, or of Clint, is that speaking to?
My original pitch was actually called HAWKEYE: IT'S NOT FUNNY ANYMORE which, ironically, I thought was very funny. But the powers that be thought it left us open to a lot of cheap shots so HAWKEYE: FREEFALL came around. The Freefall title speaks to an idea that Hawkeye lives his life on a tightrope, it's a careful balancing act. And this is his stepping out of his comfort zone, away from safety. So maybe the title Freefall can be seen as liberating? Or maybe he's just moving at top speed, out of control, and it's going to end badly. I guess you have to read it.
The inciting incident for this series, at least from the solicitations, seems to be the emergence of a new Ronin. Obviously Avengers: Endgame means more people than ever know the basic idea of Ronin, but what can you say about this new version? How does Clint respond to seeing an identity with so much meaning to his past being used by a stranger?
Well there are a few things at play. A big one is The Hood and Hawkeye going toe to toe, which sort of sends Clint down a weird path. But the new Ronin is definitely a big problem for him. Obviously other characters have assumed the Ronin persona after Clint and not always done things exactly to his liking. But things are a bit different now. The new Ronin is particularly brutal and his methods are... a problem. But more than that, people are assuming it's Clint and they are not happy about it. So while he is trying to stop The Hood he also has to try and solve this mystery that is leading people to question his motives and his reputation. He's pretty pissed off about the whole thing.
The variant cover art by Otto Schmidt already proves the kind of energy he can bring to Hawkeye, Ronin, and The Hood, but how much is his artwork shaping the feel of this series?
Oh, completely. Otto is such a next level brilliant artist. He is the complete package -- a great storyteller with a unique style, he can layout a page well, handle humor with ease, and makes action scenes feel alive. It's a gorgeous book and I find myself more and more writing things that I just want to see Otto draw. Issue #3 especially was built to lean into what he does best. But the thing I love the most about his work is just how great and expressive his characters are. You just want to live in their world with them. It's been a blast seeing this book get built.
The solicitations promise Clint is going to be making some big waves in the underworld of New York City, which is obviously the stomping ground of several Marvel Comics characters. Can fans start crossing their fingers that other heroes might be checking in on Clint for themselves?
This book is going to be full of cameos and guests. Some are fun little moments. Some are major characters. Some of them just like to keep people on their radar. But where Clint is going in the book is going to mean he has a lot of eyes on him. And that might not be in his best interest. But it's going to be fun.
Readers can find the rest of Marvel's preview in the pages below, along with the full plot synopsis and solicitation details for Hawkeye: Freefall #1 arriving Jaunary 1st, 2020:
- HAWKEYE: FREEFALL #1
- Release Date JANUARY 1ST, 2020
- Written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG
- Art by OTTO SCHMIDT
- Cover by KIM JACINTO
- HAWKEYE RETURNS IN A BRAND NEW SERIES!
- When a mysterious and ruthless new Ronin starts tearing a destructive path through the city, suspicion immediately falls on Hawkeye, but Clint has more to worry about than who’s wearing his old costume. After a clash with the Hood ends badly, Hawkeye gives himself a new mission that will place him in the crosshairs of one of New York's most dangerous villains.
- Hawkeye's mission and Ronin's secret plans will set them on a collision course that only one of them will walk away from.
Hawkeye: Freefall #1 arrives on January 1st, 2020. Don't forget to pre-order now at your local comic book shop.