Kate’s hanging out with the wealthy. (It’s okay. She was born there.) She’s taken it upon herself to find a kidnapped girl. And a ring. And find out why people are losing their minds. (It’s okay. She’s basically an Avenger. Sort of.) An investigation into strange goings-on continues in the second issue of Hawkeye - Kate Bishop. Writer Marieke Nijkamp approaches the end of the first half of the five-issue mini-series with the aid of artist Enid Balám and inker Oren Junior. As Kate investigates, colorists Brittany Peer and Cris Peter lend a sunny splash of color to the Hamptons.

Yes. Kate’s in the Hamptons. She’s just run into her estranged sister, and now she’s looking for a missing kid who doesn’t seem to realize that she’s been kidnapped. This kind of makes sense as it is the case that the guy who has kidnapped her doesn’t really understand that he has kidnapped her. Kate’s going to have a hell of a time figuring out what’s going on...especially when she finds herself surrounded by mind-controlled zombie guests. Not exactly a normal day in the Hamptons for Kate...but Kate’s not exactly a normal private investigator. 

Nijkamp shoots Kate through a very brisk mystery. Nijkamp’s pacing is quick. There’s a very steady roll of clues and leads for Kate to follow...all of which move her in the right direction without any significant stumbles. It’s neat and tidy...even when she’s not handling it with the greatest of grace. Nijkamp feeds the story through Kate Bishop’s sharp wit with an endearing sense of humor. Nijnkamp seems to have an excellent sense of plot composition...giving Kate just enough to go on to propel her from one scene to the next without making anything seem at all forced the way it so often does in PI mysteries. 

Balám and Junior do a solidly respectable job of keeping Kate in the center of the action even when she’s slinking around the edges of it all investigating. The eye-popping purple and the quiver of errors don’t exactly look inconspicuous. Still, Balám and Junior do a good job illustrating Kate Bishop’s ability to move around without calling much attention to herself. The action is swift and well-executed with a casually impressive sense of kinetics. Peer and Peter’s colors lend quite a bit of texture to page and panel.

There are quite a few villains in Marvel’s rogue’s gallery that could be responsible for the mind control. Nijkamp has done a respectable job of allowing the plot to slowly evolve in a way that maintains interest without revealing too much. Within the confines of a five-issue series, this is a lot of fun. The art fits well with the script...it’s primarily action/drama with just a hint of the humor that Nijkamp is delivering to the story. Kate can tackle more exciting stuff than strange goings-on at an estate in the Hamptons, but Nijkamp has clearly found an enjoyable backdrop for a fun mini-series.

Grade: B