Before Kate Bishop's appearance in the MCU's Hawkeye, Marvel has announced she will star in a new comic series. Hawkeye: Kate Bishop is intended to be a perfect jumping on point for new readers while continuing her adventures for longtime fans of the character, bringing Kate back to the East Coast after her stint with the West Coast Avengers.
Kate Bishop is a young hero who took on the Hawkeye mantle following Clint Barton's death, later becoming his ward after his House of M resurrection. She was first introduced in 2005 and has predominantly worked with the Young Avengers and the West Coast Avengers. Disney + has already announced the original show, Hawkeye, will star Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop. This show is scheduled to begin in November - the same month Marvel's comic series will start, though the story will be set in the mainstream comics universe.
Marieke Nijkamp (The Oracle Code), the author of this new series, recently talked to Bustle about her latest project, revealing some cool details. She is partnering with artist Enid Balám (Reptil) to tell the next chapter of Kate's story. She reports that no prior knowledge of Hawkeye or Avengers comics is necessary to read this series. This will be a five-issue series that takes Kate out of California and throws her back to New York, her previous home. Check out the cover by Jahnoy Lindsay, character designs by Enid Balám, and an issue summary shared by Marvel below:
Following a stint in Los Angeles, HAWKEYE: KATE BISHOP picks up at a turning point in Kate's life when she returns to New York after being convinced by many friends, and a few clues from the case she's working, to come back to the East Coast. When Kate gets invited to a resort to solve a mysterious jewel heist, she sees it as a confidence-boost, a sign that she's making the right decision and not going to backslide into her past. The case is perfect...and it's almost definitely a trap.
In this upcoming series, Kate Bishop is going to Resort Chapiteau and according to Nijkamp, there will be "some familiar faces... a very excitable dog... someone from Kate's past... villains with a flair for the dramatic," as well as some new foes to face. It seems like there will be a little bit of everything, and it does appear that beloved sidekick Lucky the Pizza Dog is part of the series. After all, the sketch of Kate's canine companion above even includes a slice of pizza. Sadly, it doesn't seem that Jeff the Land Shark - a more unusual pet from Kate's West Coast Avengers day - will appear. Fans of Kate Bishop will love seeing Lucky return, while new readers will certainly fall in love with him.
Kate Bishop fans will be glad to know a new series is on the horizon. The Young Avengers archer wrapped up her solo series in 2018, with West Coast Avengers ending in 2019, right as the team was starting to gel. This will be Kate's third solo series, coming just in time for her MCU debut. Fans can meet - or read more about - Kate Bishop and her canine companion Pizza Dog when Hawkeye: Kate Bishop releases in November 2021.