Before I get into this edition of Deep Dish Themes, I wanted to let everybody know the purpose of such an unusually large article. Several weeks ago I had made a post on a Chaos War pull thread mentioning that I couldn't afford any due to the extremely tight economic situation that my Wife and I are in. Out of the blue I was contacted by HCRealms member daemiendrake (Profile linked for rep and awesome messages). I had never met him nor do I believe that our paths have ever crossed on the realms before. He told me that he and his friends were going to do their best to put together a Chaos War CUR set and send it to me without wanting anything in return. I was truly touched by the fact that a complete stranger was going to do something so completely selfless.

Flash Forward a little more than a week and I get this large box in the mail. Not only did he send me the CUR set as he said he would, but he also sent me a SR The Unspoken, SR Taskmaster, and even more suprising...a Chase Hawkeye & Mockingbird. As if that wasn't way above and beyond what was already heroicly kind, he and his girlfriend even arranged the figures in booster packs/trays and taped them shut so my Wife and I could get the closest simulation of opening a brick as possible...believe me we were flabbergasted when we opened super rares and a chase! I have since become friends with daemiendrake and we have talked often. The only thing he asked for in return was a Deep Dish Themes article featuring the chase that he so kindly gave. It was the least that I could do. So, without further ado, I bring you...

Origin: Clint Barton was born in Waverly, Iowa. At a young age he lost both of his parents in a car accident. After six years in an orphanage, Clint and his brother Barney ran away to join the Carson Carnival of Travelling Wonders. Clint soon caught the eye of the Swordsman, who took the young boy on as his assistant. Along with the help of Trick Shot, the Swordsman trained Clint to become a master archer. Clint later found the Swordsman embezzling money from the carnival. Before he could turn his mentor over to the authorities, Clint was beaten and left for dead, allowing the Swordsman to skip town. Clint's relationship with his brother Barney and Trick Shot soon deteriorated as well.

Clint adapted his archery skills to become a star carnival attraction, a master archer called "Hawkeye", otherwise known as “The World’s Greatest Marksman”. After a misunderstanding on his first outing as a costumed adventurer, Hawkeye is accused of theft and believed to be a criminal. On the run, the naive Hawkeye meets the Black Widow, a spy for the Soviet Union, with whom he falls in love. Blindly following the Black Widow, Hawkeye aids her attempts to steal technology developed by Tony Stark. In one of their battles with Iron Man, the Black Widow is seriously injured. Hawkeye rescues her and flees the battle to save her life. But before Hawkeye can take her to a hospital, the Black Widow disappears. Hawkeye decides to be a "straight-shooter" from then on.


ct052 R Hawkeye
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 6
Points: 29
Keywords: Avengers

7 8 15 0

6 7 14 0

6 6 13 0

5 6 12 0

5 5 11 0

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: Let's see...what can I say that is GOOD about this figure. I'm really going to have to think hard on this one as well as the other Clobberin' Time Hawkeyes. They were really stinkers. I'll have to be creative to put a positive spin on it. Let's start out by looking at his keyword. Avengers is arguably the best non-generic keyword in the game right now. Sometimes you need a figure that is cheap to fill in those cracks in your build total and at 29 points, rookie Hawkeye isn't your worst option. He has a six range which is close to the average as of late. With five clicks of life he can serve a purpose even if all you use him for is tie-up. What most people don't look at is the fact that he can serve as a dedicated character to be your theme team probability controller. You won't need to give tokens to your main attackers with this little guy around.

CONS: I'll try to keep this relatively short. I'll start with his double targets. It serves absolutely no purpose with his main trick of range combat expert. You can only do that to a single target, and if you choose to use both targets he is doing zero damage. It doesn't come up until his last two clicks of life where he has incapacitate, and at that point his attack is so low that you are likely not going to be able to incapacitate anything of importance. It is extremely unfortunate that any figure in the game can shut Hawkeye down by just standing next to him.

THEME: He only has the one single keyword, so your official theme team options are limited to Avengers. As I already said, I would use him to fill a gap in an Avengers theme team and probably use him as tie-up and/or a dedicated theme team probability controller. Who knows?...He might even get off a cheap shot or two.

Other players' comments/reviews


ct053 E Hawkeye
Team: Avengers
Range: 8
Points: 43
Keywords: Avengers, West Coast Avengers

8 9 15 0

8 8 14 0

7 7 13 0

6 6 12 1

6 6 12 1

4 5 11 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: For only 14 more points the experienced Hawkeye does add some significant improvements over the rookie. For starters, his stats are a tad higher and he has a new power to work with...running shot. Now if you can manage to use his incapacitate you will be able to do so with a newly improved eight range and some mobility. If you're using this version as tie-up or TTPC you will now also be able to use the Avengers team ability so you're not wasting actions getting him into poisition. Yes, he lost half of his ranged combat expert, but in this situation, it's actually probably saving him some unnecessary points.

CONS: It almost seems insulting and you feel as if you're being toyed with when you look at this dial. When he has a decent attack, his natural damage is a zero. Once again you can shut Hawkeye down just by standing next to him. Once he loses all or most attack potency his damage goes up and he suddenly becomes this capable and mobile fighter?! It's almost like watching one of the old George Reeves Superman shows where the criminals are trying to shoot Superman with their guns and they are inneffective. Once they're out of ammo they try to throw their guns at him instead. That's what this Hawkeye feels like.

THEME: The same kind of role that the rookie would fill in the regular Avengers team is the kind that I would probably assign this Hawkeye in a West Coast Avengers team. If you're going to be using him as point filler in a regular Avengers team, you'd probably be better off using the rookie. This Hawkeye would probably work halfway decently in a West Coast theme.

Other players' comments/reviews


ct054 V Hawkeye
Team: Avengers
Range: 10
Points: 64
Keywords: Avengers, Thunderbolts

8 9 16 1

8 9 14 1

6 8 13 1

6 7 12 1

6 6 12 1

5 6 11 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: FINALLY Hawkeye can do some damage even if outwitted or based no matter where he is at on his dial. He has also made some upgrades to powers and keywords. Where powers are concerned he has traded up his dual target incapacitate for an even higher range and dual target running shot combined with energy explosion. This could make this Hawkeye far more dangerous and threatening than what your opponent has planned on from this piece. Gone is his Avengers West Coast keyword and now he has the Thunderbolts keyword. As any experienced player can tell you, that opens up a whole new universe of usefulness with the Thunderbolts ATA.

CONS: Clint got robbed overall as he should have at least a single click of toughness. The fact that he has absolutely no defenisive powers on any of the Clobberin' Time versions is a travesty. They weren't very creative with powers back then so it should come as no suprise, but it's something that can't be ignored when looking back. It's nice that they moved the running shot to top dial, but it is another thing that can't be used with the ranged combat expert. Sure, it gives you the option to stand your ground or be mobile, but neither are great when done indepently with this guy. He's too many points to be considered good, but he's not cheap enough to be used in a "Filler" position. I fear he may forever be locked in a limbo state of dust collecting.

THEME: There are far better options to be used in an Avengers theme team. Given that fact, he's probably best suited as a back-up attacker for a Thunderbolts team. No matter what team you play him on I wouldn't hesitate to put that ATA on him. You might as well have some semblance of control over what he is or isn't bringing to his team.

Other players' comments/reviews


ct118 LE Clint Barton
Team: Spider-Man
Range: 8
Points: 51
Keywords: Avengers, Great Lakes Avengers, Thunderbolts

8 9 15 0

8 8 14 0

7 7 13 0

6 6 12 1

6 6 12 1

4 5 11 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: Like many of the older LE figures, this one serves as a stepping stone that takes it's place between the experience levels. This one is like being experienced plus or veteran minus. One of the key differences is the Spider-Man team ability over the avengers that the experienced and veteran both have. With the invention of ATA's not only can he have any Marvel team ability for a mere eight points, but he can also copy whatever team ability that your team has handy (that is copyable). He's also added an extra target onto his ranged attacks. This could be big in board control when he gets to that running shot and incapacitate combo. Even adding in the ATA for the Thunderbolts, he is only a mere 59 points which is more economical than his Veteran dial.

CONS: Since this one falls between the experienced dial and the Veteran, he has a shorter range than that of the more experienced veteran dial. He also has that same "Criminal in a Superman episode" dial that I mentioned before. I'll take the opportunity at this time to point out the last click that he has. The experienced dial has a near identical look to it. The ability to running shot for two squares and make an attack with a five attack and one damage is helping the user about as much as it's hurting the opponent (Which is not at all).

THEME: I think this version would be equal parts helpful to hurtful no matter what team you play him on. He suffers a very similar fate that the veteran has. Too many points to be considered for filler and too bad of a dial to be a good back-up attacker. He could find his place on a Thunderbolts team, though. I wouldn't expect much from him, but he could get in a lucky shot or even free up the rest of your team from being used for theme team PC. He is also an option if you're having trouble making a Great Lakes Avengers and you need to downgrade from one of the higher point Hawkeyes with said keyword.

Other players' comments/reviews


ul034 R Hawkeye
Team: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Range: 8
Points: 40
Keywords: S.H.I.E.L.D., Spy

6 9 15 2

6 9 15 2

6 8 14 2

6 8 14 2

4 8 13 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: The first Hawkeye that we got since Clobberin' Time was the Ultimate universe version. Right from the get go you can tell that they are going to be pumping the Ultimate REV versions with more power than their predecessors. He has higher range as well as a much higher all around base damage than that of the previous rookie incarnation. He is able to hit for four damage from an eight range. As if this wasn't enough to make him an incredible improvement over the Clobberin' Time rookie, this one is also sporting the S.H.I.E.L.D. team ability. Even before the somewhat recent bump in usefulness to that team ability, it was a desirable thing to have.

CONS: The Ultimate Hawkeye was tough as nails. He could take an absolute beating and still keep coming at you using anything at his disposal as a deadly weapon. Yet this one tops out at a 15 defense with absolutely no powers to show that aspect of his character. As I said before, he could be sporting at LEAST a click of toughness. I think he's earned it. The way his dial is designed, he is just one good hit away from being far less effective than he is top dial.

THEME: I'm very glad that they didn't start him out with the "Ultimates" keyword. He started out as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and therefore has the appropriate spy and S.H.I.E.L.D. keywords. Either would be a good team for him, but I think it's the S.H.I.E.L.D. team that is going to benefit the most from his participation. He's cheap and very effective and could be a good lead attacker in a S.H.I.E.L.D. swarm team.

Other players' comments/reviews


ul035 E Hawkeye
Team: Ultimates
Range: 8
Points: 60
Keywords: S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultimates

7 10 16 2

6 9 15 2

6 9 15 2

6 8 14 2

6 8 14 2

4 8 13 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: The most noteable thing that this Hawkeye has going for him is a nice well rounded point cost, a lot of offensive power, and most importantly the Ultimates team ability. That little red "U" was the bane (No pun intended) of Batman's existence for quite some time. The ability to ignore hindering terrain for both movement and targeting was something that made this character the dominating force that it was back in the day. Even by today's standards he could get in some good shots before getting taken out. You'd get the 60 points worth out of him at the very least.

CONS: Though not quite as useless as it is on some of the Clobberin' Time figures, multiple targets seems just mostly useless instead. When he is at his most potent the multiple target option is pretty pointless. Still no defensive powers or any kind of stats that show how well trained he is in close combat situations. Unfortunately we will probably never get another ultimate Hawkeye. I'd love to see what a modern day interpretation of his abilities look like.

THEME: He still retains his S.H.I.E.L.D. keyword, so pretty much anything that I said would work well for him on the rookie level will also pay dividends here. The only difference being the bigger point investment and change of team abilities. He now also sports the Ultimates keyword. At the 60 point level you can include any other Ultimates character and still have points left over for more characters. He's nice and powerful and really easy to fit onto teams.

Other players' comments/reviews


ul036 V Hawkeye
Team: Ultimates
Range: 8
Points: 73
Keywords: S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultimates

7 11 16 3

7 10 16 2

6 9 15 2

6 9 15 2

6 8 14 2

6 8 14 2

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: This time I'm going to point out the multiple targets as an asset. It still isn't going to do anything for the ranged combat expert power, but since Hawkeye now is sporting a base damage of three to start out with, he can opt to target multiple characters and still bust any damage reducers. Sure, your damage won't be as high as if you'd used your RCE, but sometimes options are better. With a starting attack value of 11 it is a high possibility that you will hit your target too.

CONS: His point cost is now at the point where he is going to start creeping into the "Main Attacker" territory, and defensively he just can't fill those shoes. He is all about offense and has practically zero defense. Most of the times I've ever faced him in a game I was able to get a close combat piece based to him and shut him down by hitting him once and basically waiting it out to be able to follow it up. Most of the time this could be done with a piece less than half of his points. It's really sad that there was no huge difference between any of his REV versions. Then again, there was a lot of intuitive dial design that was missed out on in the early years.

THEME: Just like the experienced version, the veteran has the S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Ultimates team ability. If you're making a small S.H.I.E.L.D. swarm team, he makes for a solid figure to build around even if he lacks in defense. Some perplex could help that out and there are enough S.H.I.E.L.D. characters now that you should be able to find a small point team to fit your needs. Now that he is 73 points, he also makes a good secondary attacker to a character like Ultimate Thor or Ultimate Iron Man with enough room left over for cheap filler. A team of him, Iron Widow, and Ultimate Captain America could still stand a chance even today.

Other players' comments/reviews


ul212 LE Clint Barton
Team: Ultimates
Range: 8
Points: 75
Keywords: S.H.I.E.L.D., Spy, Ultimates

7 11 15 3

7 10 15 2

6 9 15 2

6 9 14 2

5 8 14 2

5 8 13 1

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

KO KO KO KO

PROS: Many people scoff at this piece for the exact reason that I love it. He doesn't start with his ranged combat expert at this point and he has instead flip-flopped it with running shot as his opening power. Unlike his REV versions, though, this one has incapacitate that overlaps with a couple clicks of his running shot. He has retained his triple targets with an eight range as well. This piece is a SOLID board control piece that can target characters even if they are using stealth and with an attack value high enough that he will hit a lot of his targets. In a 300 point game he could be used to slow down most if not all of your opponent's team and taking the wind right out of their sales. The rest of your 225 points could handily take down an opponent's team if they are too exhausted to fight. While most characters of the era are winding down on their back dial, he is amping up his damage dealing potential with the return of that ranged combat expert.

CONS: Though there is a little bit of dial variation here it is still not enough to help him defensively. In fact, this version has an even lower defense than his previous three iterations. What I wouldn't have done for at least a click or two of willpower on those clicks that have running shot and incapacitate. Sure, not every character can be optimized for game play purposes and that's why there are at least one or two throw-away characters per set where gameplay is concerned, but if he would actually be DESERVING of the power and he would be so much more playable with it.

THEME: Since the keyword has returned with this Hawkeye, I would actually like to play him on a spy keyword team sometime. I could see him running around and laying cover fire down while characters like Mystique and Abbey Chase skulk around in the shadows and get closer to their opponents. This is proof that my Wife's playstyle has rubbed off on me. These are her kind of tricks!

Other players' comments/reviews

KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

This section will be placed on hold. Tune in Friday for the complete list of keywords and personal favorite selections for both Hawkeye and Mockingbird.

WHO NEEDS KEYWORDS?!

This section will be placed on hold. Tune in Friday for the complete list of alternate theme teams for both Hawkeye and Mockingbird.


This wraps it up for Deep Dish Themes: Hawkeye & Mockingbird (Part 1). Once again a HUGE thank you to daemiendrake for the kindness and the inspiration! Feel free to post what you think about the article and feel free to nominate a character for an upcoming edition of Deep Dish Themes. Join me TOMORROW when I begin part two of a three part article that features the covert couple that have earned their place amongst Earth's Mightiest Heroes: Hawkeye & Mockingbird (As requested by and with a special dedication going to daemiendrake)

Another good article. I look forward to the duo review.

Id like to see a Wonder Woman theme.

CT Hawkeye was a casualty of a rules change. It used to be that when you used multiple targets, your damage became 1 for each target.

I got very excited when I saw this article pop up on the home page.

I loved the brief intro as to why it was being written. I will make sure to rep appropriately.

I love both Hawkeye and Mockingbird (even through all the taunts my friends and fellow clixers give me for liking them). I am very much so looking forward to more!

Very cool of the folks to send out a box of figs to a fellow gamer down on his luck. Those are some froods who really know where their towels are.

BTW - I've been a Hawkeye fan since his 80's mini-series - loved the arrowhead in the mouth gimic.

I had gotten some good mileage out of that ultimates vet. Great article as always.

These articles are always great to read, it's fun seeing the old pieces brought back into the light. I know most of them are no good compared to modern ones, but it's nice to see how the game has grown, and that dials have gotten far more clever and fun in design.

On a side note, you'd mentioned us probably never getting another Ultimate Hawkeye. While it's not the 'exact' character, the AVM Hawkeyes are pretty much the same thing, same costume, same team ability (in effect anyway), and I really enjoy playing both of them. The Gravity Feed one especially lacks the close combat shut down that plagues these early Hawkeyes!

WOW!!!! daemiendrake came through for you! amazing story! futher leads me to believe that there are actually really, really great people out there, that actually care about the next person...that was cool as hell of him and his girlfriend!!!!!!!!

Hawkeye being my favorite character, i am of course appreciative of this article. Especially the big nod to ult clint LE. I used that piece so much back in the day...the board control is exactly right. usually with armor piercing to get the most out of the 2 attacks that i used to push myself onto the triple target incap

can't wait for more

fun article and as always, good analysis

I am happy for a number of reasons. What a great move by daemiendrake et alia for getting those clix into your hands, kudos to them for being so generous. Very happy to see that!

Very happy to see Hawkeye and Mockingbird coming through the Deep Dish Themes! Love both characters and many of the pieces.

VERY VERY happy for seeing love for LE Ultimates Hawkeye. My all time favourite piece in the game. Was replaced recently by The Sharpshooting Avenger. Same figure almost with a little more utility. 3 target Incap at a low low cost. While everyone else was pushing to gank people with V Hawkeye, I would quietly move forward my close combat guys into position. After basing them, LE Hawkeye would roll out from behind whatever rock he was hiding behind, usually on higher ground, and then just pin down their heavy hitters. I remember a pushed Shazam laughing at me basing him with Mockingbird with HSS showing. He clears, Hawkeye rolls out, incaps him, and then he had to choose. HSS and get that one attack in and push? Or wait and hope I can't do it again.

I just made people's lives miserable with that piece. When Avengers Movie Starter came out, I did exactly the same thing to a buddy of mine who has never seen me use that tactic. It isn't as effective anymore with so much Indom and Power Cosmic about, but if they have to push, it means they won't be moving for at least 1 turn. That can mean the difference between catching an HSS piece or not.

Looking forward to my long term favourite transporter piece until just last month when it was retired for the new Hawkeye.

A friend of mine who's a range piece machine loves the vet Ultimates Hawkeye. I own and prefer that universe's Clint Barton. We've gone around and around on which one's the better piece.

These Hawkeyes are before I started playing, but I did get nailed by Ultimates Vet Hawkeye in a golden age game years ago.