Book: Hawkeye volume #3: L.A. Woman (issues Annual #1 and #14, 16, 18 and 20) by Matt Fraction
Illustrations (Annual #1) by Javier Pulido, color by Matt Hollingsworth and letters by VC's Clayton Cowles
Illustrations (#14, 16, 18 and 20) by Annie Wu, color by Matt Hollingsworth and letters by Chris Eliopoulos
Cover Art by David Aja
Edition: Trade Paperback
Rating: 5 stars
Review:
In these five issues, Kate Bishop fed up with Clint Barton took Lucky the dog and left New York to head out to Los Angeles. Kate had plans to rejuvenate at a luxury hotel but what should have been the start of a fun trip immediately turned into trouble the minute they arrived.
Her first day was off to a horrible start, first her credit card was declined at the hotel, then her stuff was stolen from her car by a group of bellmen followed by her car being repoed. She had no idea that someone as in Madame Masque was out to ruin her stay in L.A. but that was only the beginning. Madame Masque was seeking her revenge after what occurred in the first volume (issues #4 and #5).
Pretending to be a good Samaritan, Madame Masque going by the name Whitney Frost offered to help Kate who at the moment only had about $80 in her possession. Whitney invited Kate to stay at her home until she can get on her feet which was a nice gesture that is until Kate realized who Whitney really was. As a superhero Kate accepted the offer which she of course knew it was a trap but how else was she going to find out what Madame Masque was really up to.
Perhaps that wasn't the best decision but she did find her car and all her stuff too bad she wasn't quite ready to take on Madame Masque and her minions. But thanks to one of Clint's clever devices, Kate and Lucky were able to escape but not without sacrificing her car and all her stuff.
It would be an understatement to say that Kate was having a horrible time but that's not going keep this hero down even if Madame Masque was still out to get her. Instead of calling her father for money she decided to do it on her own. First she got a job house sitting and taking care of a picky cat for a couple of nice old ladies then she set up shop as a private investigator.
Being a superhero almost seems easier than being a private investigator because she quickly found herself up against a string of trouble as she took on cases. From missing flowers to something downright sci-fi, Kate's main goal was to help her clients. However, it wasn't long before she was crossing paths with Madame Masque again leading to Kate discovering that Clint was in trouble. But that's not the only thing she found out and it really threw her for a loop.
I loved reading this third volume, it's a fun and action packed adventure as Kate tries to build a new life in Los Angeles. However, things didn't seem to be working out for her but she did unexpectedly make some new friends, her neighbors Marcus and Finch who pretty much became family. She learned a lot about herself because taking on cases and solving mysteries is so much different than fighting the standard villain. She made a few mistakes which unfortunately kept her in contact with a very cranky police detective who would have preferred if Ms. Bishop left L.A. all together.
After reading this it's easy to see why Marvel decided to give Kate her own series as well as continue her PI adventures in L.A. It was an entertaining and surprising take that gave her more character development because now she's more than just a superhero.
With the way this ends with Kate and Lucky heading back to New York, I can't wait to read the fourth volume.
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