From villain to hero, Hawkeye has been on some of the greatest adventures in Marvel history. But fortunately, you don’t need to be a master marksman to narrow down the best among them. Relax and breathe easy, we’ve already done the hard part for you. Here are the best Hawkeye comics.
Best Hawkeye comics as of 2025
If you’re only familiar with Hawkeye in the MCU, get ready for a thrill. Hawkeye first appeared as a villain in Tales of Suspense (1957) but later assembled with the Avengers as a superhero in Avengers #16. Try to add those to your reading list as well. But beyond these pivotal moments, we’ve given you a bit of everything that’s both fan-freaking-tastic and essential for reading. Let’s get into it.
Hawkeye Vol. 1 (1983)
In 1983, Hawkeye finally got his first solo title with Hawkeye Vol. 1, a four-issue limited series written and penciled by Mark Gruenwald. For a character who had been bouncing between the Avengers and guest appearances, this was a big deal. The series gave Clint Barton his own spotlight, showing what he could do when gods, geniuses, or super soldiers didn’t overshadow him. This run is a street-level story where we get to Clint’s everyman personality and get to know the guy. You know, on a fictional-character-to-reader basis.
There aren’t too many cosmic battles here, but we see Clint juggling his personal life, romance, and a career as head of security at Cross Technological Enterprises. The arc also brings in Mockingbird (Bobbi Morse), who would become both his longtime partner and love interest. Beyond a great story, Vol. 1 set the tone for many later Hawkeye stories. While it’s very much a comic of its era, Hawkeye Vol. 1 is a must-read if you want to see where Clint truly started making his own identity outside the Avengers. Really, if you think Iron Man or Captain America is the soul of the Avengers, you might start to sing a different tune after this one. But who’s picking favorites, right?
Hawkeye Vol. 4 (2012)
Matt Fraction‘s Hawkeye run, officially Hawkeye Vol. 4 (2012–2015), is one of the best series in Marvel Comics, spanning 22 issues. This run completely redefined Clint Barton by focusing on his life outside the typical superhero spotlight, along with numerous Kate Bishop appearances that highlight this duo. There’s everything from a trip to the vet to taking on a landlord who’s trying to price out all of his tenants (seriously, the worst kind of villain, right?). Of course, there are other villains too, mainly the Tracksuit Mafia and a seriously creepy clown. What we’re saying is, there’s so much in this run that’s just flat-out fun and great to read.
The series also earned tons of critical acclaim and awards. Issue #11, famously known as the “Pizza Dog” issue, won the Best Single Issue Eisner Award in 2014. The series itself was nominated for Best Continuing Series in 2013. Matt Fraction also picked up a nomination for Best Writer that same year, while artist David Aja won awards for Best Penciler/Inker and Best Cover Artist. Accolades don’t always signify how great things are, but in this case, we have to agree.
All-New Hawkeye (2015)
When All-New Hawkeye launched in 2015, it picked up right after the massively acclaimed Matt Fraction and David Aja run, so expectations were sky-high. But writer Jeff Lemire and Eisner award-winning artist Ramón Pérez took a leap here to make something of their own. It’s not necessarily everyone’s favorite, but it’s one of our favorites, so it’s on the list. And while it doesn’t hit the same iconic level as Fraction’s run, All-New Hawkeye deserves credit.
The art style in collaboration with the writing is what makes this succeed. In Lemire’s Marvel debut, he leans into the beautiful and often painful topics like family, memory, and, of course, legacy. There’s a dreamlike quality to this new launch, evident aesthetically in the shifting art style. Pérez uses a watercolor aesthetic for flashbacks (a personal favorite) that takes us back to Clint and Barney Barton’s rough childhood in an orphanage. This visual duality of the story feels layered, as if we’re seeing Clint not just as the Avenger but as the kid still carrying the weight of his past. In addition to these past-look sequences, the present timeline has S.H.I.E.L.D. deploying Clint and protege Kate Bishop on a mission to rescue powerful, mutant children from Hydra.
Avengers: Disassembled (2004)
This one ended up on our best-of Avengers list just because it’s really good. Avengers: Disassembled (Avengers #500-503), published in 2004, is one of the most pivotal Avengers storylines. Although the series featured multiple writers, it was primarily led by Brian Michael Bendis, with art by David Finch. It marked the end of an era for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. What you should know is this arc tears apart the classic team and reshapes the Marvel Universe for years to come. In the story, the Avengers suddenly find themselves under attack from within, as a series of catastrophic events unfold —an alien invasion, an out-of-control She-Hulk, and plenty more — all orchestrated by a force they can’t initially understand. The result is tragedy and the dissolution of the Avengers as they had been known.
But we’re on a Hawkeye best-of list, right, so we’ll get to it and say one of the standout elements of the story is undoubtedly Clint Barton’s arc. Unlike many of his teammates, he doesn’t have superhuman abilities, armor befitting a mega-billionaire, magic, or mutant powers to shield him from harm. He’s just a guy who has skills with a bow and grit to boot. During the assault, Clint makes the big sacrifice to save the day.
Generations: Hawkeye & Hawkeye (2017)
Generations: Hawkeye & Hawkeye is a one-shot comic published by Marvel in 2017, written by Kelly Thompson with art by Stefano Raffaele, whose work here is outstanding. The colors by Digikore Studios bring everything to life, making the visuals just as compelling as the story. Between Thompson’s top-tier writing and Raffaele’s art, this issue is one of the best Hawkeye reads. Take our word for it, you won’t be let down.
But speaking of the story, things get rolling when Kate Bishop is transported to a mysterious island that’s twisty in terms of time. It’s there that she runs into a younger version of Clint Barton. The island is hosting a deadly competition among the world’s most skilled archers, including some of Hawkeye’s most notorious enemies. Kate and young Clint have to survive these lethal challenges while figuring out who’s orchestrating the deadly game.
How we chose the best Hawkeye comics
We narrowed down the best Hawkeye comics by balancing great storytelling and artwork with character moments that are essential to Clint Barton’s journey and mythos. We focused on stories that capture his humor, heart, and the mix of ordinary-ness and extraordinary-ness that makes him so lovable. As always, it’s often newcomers to a character that end up on these lists, or fans looking for something they may have missed. So we try to include stories that are worth anyone’s time – newcomers and longtime fans alike.
