Issue(s): Daredevil #99
Cover Date: May 73
Title: "The mark of Hawkeye!"
Credits:
Steve Gerber - Writer
Sam Kweskin - Penciler
Syd Shores - Inker

Review/plot:
Hawkeye shows up and demands to fight Daredevil for the right to take Black Widow back. The Black Widow rightly dismisses the whole thing as nonsense, saying it's her choice if she wants to date either of them at all at this point, but they fight anyway.

Daredevil has the edge over Hawkeye the whole time, which doesn't say much for Hawkeye's right to be an Avenger.

Meanwhile, the Avengers are about to face Magneto and find themselves short-handed. They can't find Falcon, Spider-Man, or "even the Times Square mercenary Luke Cage", so the Black Panther suggests they travel across the country to pick up Daredevil. When they get there, they're happy to find Hawkeye as well but he's done with the Avengers (he also thinks the Black Widow called them there to break up his fight). The Black Widow gets to tag along too, but it's basically an afterthought.

Hawkeye's characterization is dead on, meaning he's incredibly annoying and thick-headed. There's a great panel where Thor says "Dude, you're pissing me off", but in Asgardian, which is awesome.

Daredevil seems out of character to me, even for this time period. Everyone's very whiny and angsting.

The art by Sam Kweskin isn't very good and was probably a rush job. There's a very silly picture of Daredevil standing in a funny pose while he's mad at Hawkeye.

Sam Kweskin previously went by the alias of Irv Wesley when he was a Silver Age horror artist, but the only other issues i have that feature his art are contemporary issues of the Sub-Mariner where he's helping out Bill Everett and one (very poorly received) issue of Marvel Premiere featuring Dr. Strange.

The letters page in Daredevil #103 indicates that fan reaction to this issue wasn't very favorable. There's a quote from Steve Gerber saying he liked parts but wasn't happy with all of it.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - furthers the development of Black Widow's relationships with Hawkeye and Daredevil, and follows Hawkeye after he's quit the Avengers

Chronological Placement Considerations: Continues from Avengers #110 and leads directly into Avengers #111.

References:

• Scarlet Witch, Iron Man, and Captain America are out of action due to the events of Avengers #110.
  
• Daredevil has owed the Black Panther a favor since Daredevil #92.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Syd Shores died at about this time while working on Daredevil, making him the second artist to die on the book.

Steve Gerber stated in a Comic Book Artist interview that he never could get a handle on Daredevil, and left the book for the Defenders because of it.

J. Marc DeMatteis has a letter here, and also in #108.

This is both the great thing about the Marvel Universe (and the reason for this website), but also a pain. I was a constant Avengers reader, but I used to have just random issues of other titles because of storylines that wound up in other titles.

That pose DD strikes as Hawkeye storms out does indeed have a camp quality to it!

Daredevil in that pose looks like he's the one upset about the bay window getting broken and all the mess they've made.

@TSL-Come to think of it, DD looks like he's doing his best "Odd Couple"-era Tony Randall pose.

'Sam Kweskin previously went by the alias of Irv Wesley when he as a Silver Age horror artist, but the only other issues i have that feature his art are contemporary issues of the Sub-Mariner where he's helping out Bill Everett.'

Kweskin as Irv Wesley also penciled the Dr. Strange story in Marvel Premiere #5.