Best Kate Bishop Comics: Where to Start, Key Issues and Reading Order

Kate Bishop was born in a team of teenagers, established herself as the partner of a veteran Avenger, and then earned her own series. That three-stage path forces a choice: you can read her as a team member, as half of a duo, or as a lead hero, and the best entry point changes depending on which one you pick.

As always in this guide, we only state verified information (creators, issue numbers, dates); the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected artwork or dialogue.

Her first appearance

Kate Bishop first appears in Young Avengers #1, with an April 2005 cover date. It is written by Allan Heinberg and drawn by Jim Cheung, with John Dell on inks. The issue's title, "Sidekicks," announces the subject: teenagers who draw inspiration from the Avengers without belonging to them.

Kate arrives in a story that brings together teens with a range of powers and weapons, including Wiccan and Hulkling, and whose team comes together over the course of the issues. Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung establish a character with real personality from the start, who then becomes the team's archer. The archer whose name she takes, Clint Barton, has his own first-appearance entry in our guide, linked above.

Before getting into the details, a note on method: we ranked these six series with two simple questions. Is Kate present enough that you would read the book because of her? And does the story stand on its own without demanding fifteen years of continuity? Ensemble titles, like the two volumes of Young Avengers, are flagged as such.

1: Young Avengers #1-12, Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung (2005-2006)

This is the logical starting point. The 2005 volume runs twelve issues, plus one special, with Allan Heinberg writing and Jim Cheung drawing. You follow the team's formation, the first dilemmas of wearing a costume, and the meeting with the adult Avengers.

Kate takes the name Hawkeye and an archer's costume here. The story remains a group effort, though: she is one of several protagonists, and the title is not hers alone.

Cheung's art, precise and readable, gives these issues a blockbuster look that has aged well. Who is it for? Any reader who wants to understand where Kate comes from, and those whom the Disney+ series has sent toward the comics. How should you read it? In order, from #1 to #12, preferably in a collected edition, adding the special if you want the complete period.

2: Hawkeye, Matt Fraction and David Aja (2012-2015)

The series runs twenty-two issues and reads like an urban serial. Matt Fraction writes, and David Aja draws most of it, joined by Javier Pulido and Annie Wu on several issues. Annie Wu in particular draws the episodes set in Los Angeles, where Kate settles while Clint stays in New York.

Here, Kate is no longer a teenager in training: she is a young woman who makes decisions, and her path runs in parallel with Clint's. The two archers share the billing, in a run of short, formally daring stories.

The whole forms a coherent block of twenty-two issues: you read the birth of a partnership, with dry-humored episodes and deliberate shifts in point of view. Who is it for? Readers who are new to Marvel and want a self-contained series. How? In publication order, following the collected editions: the Disney+ version of Kate borrows a great deal from the spirit of this period. For more of the writer's career, see the Matt Fraction page.

3: Hawkeye, Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero (2016-2018)

This is the series that puts Kate alone in the lead. The first issue came out on December 14, 2016: Kelly Thompson writes, Leonardo Romero draws, with covers by Julian Totino Tedesco. It runs sixteen issues and moves Kate to Los Angeles.

The first collected edition, Anchor Points, gathers issues #1-6; it is enough to judge the tone. Thompson writes Kate with humor, leaning on the fact that she has no superpowers: her detective work and her skill with a bow drive most of the action.

The series settles into a rhythm of investigations and encounters, with a heroine who has to learn to live far from New York. Who is it for? Readers who want to follow Kate as the main character, without Clint. How? From the beginning, by collected edition. To find this writer on other titles, see the Kelly Thompson page.

4: Young Avengers #1-15, Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie (2013-2014)

Kate is part of the cast of this fifteen-issue series, launched in March 2013 as part of Marvel NOW!. Kieron Gillen writes, and Jamie McKelvie draws most of it, with guests such as Mike Norton and Emma Vieceli. This is an ensemble series, not a title devoted to Kate: we rank it for the role she plays in it as a team member, and for what she learns from her relationships with the others.

Mike Norton and Emma Vieceli draw certain issues as backup. The tone is lively and very graphic, closer to pop than to classic superhero comics. The team includes Wiccan, Loki and Kate, among others.

Who is it for? Readers who enjoyed the first volume and want a different take. How should you read it? After the 2005 volume, in a complete collected edition of issues #1-15; the Kieron Gillen page places the writer in context.

5: West Coast Avengers #1-10, Kelly Thompson with Stefano Caselli (2018-2019)

Over ten issues, Kate builds a team on the West Coast, with Gwenpool among its members. Kelly Thompson writes, Stefano Caselli draws the first issues, and Daniele Di Nicuolo takes over for issues #5-7, with other artists toward the end.

Kate leads the team here. You read it for the pleasure of watching a motley group work around her, more than for a large-scale plot.

Who is it for? Readers of Thompson's 2016 series, whose spirit it carries forward. How? In order, starting with the first collected edition, Best Coast, which gathers issues #1-6. Do not confuse it with the 1980s series of the same title.

6: Hawkeye: Kate Bishop, Marieke Nijkamp and Enid Balám (2021)

A five-issue limited series, released in November 2021 as the Disney+ series premiered. Marieke Nijkamp writes, Enid Balám draws, Oren Junior inks and Brittany Peer colors. Kate comes back from the West Coast to New York and gets caught up in a jewel theft at a resort complex.

It is a short, single-sitting read, designed to be accessible: five issues are enough to finish it in an evening, and no continuity prerequisites are required. It suits anyone discovering the character through the TV series, or anyone who wants a standalone adventure with no commitment.

Who is it for? New readers and completists. How should you read it? Right after West Coast Avengers, whose timeline it continues, or on its own.

Where to start based on your profile

If you are coming from the Disney+ series. Read Fraction and Aja's Hawkeye, then Hawkeye: Kate Bishop (2021). Our series versus comics comparison spells out what is carried over.

If you want the character at her origin. Young Avengers (2005-2006) is essential, followed by the 2013 volume for its sequel.

If you want Kate as the lead. Pick up Kelly Thompson's Hawkeye (2016-2018), then West Coast Avengers (2018-2019).

If you are building a collection around her. Aim first for the #1 issues of each series mentioned, which are the easiest to find in good condition, then fill in the arcs you have read. Keep in mind that the historical key issue remains the April 2005 issue, while the other launches are reading landmarks more than rarities.

If you prefer the full history of the Hawkeye lineage. Go through our history of Hawkeye before dipping into the series above.

If you read digitally or in trade paperback. The collected editions follow the arcs: Anchor Points for the 2016 series, Best Coast for West Coast Avengers, and the omnibus-style editions that gather the two volumes of Young Avengers. They suit you better than hunting down single issues if your goal is first to read, since the hunt can come later, once you have identified your favorite series.

The key issues to know

Here are the landmarks around Kate Bishop, ordered by reading and collecting interest, with no pricing:

• Young Avengers #1 (April 2005): her first appearance, credited to Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung. It is the character's key issue.
• Hawkeye #1 (2012): the launch of Fraction and Aja's series, where Kate shares the billing.
• Young Avengers #1 (March 2013): the start of Gillen and McKelvie's volume.
• Hawkeye #1 (December 2016): the launch of Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero's series.
• West Coast Avengers #1 (2018): the launch of the team led by Kate.
• Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1 (November 2021): the opening of Nijkamp and Balám's miniseries.
• Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1 to #9 (2010-2012): Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung reunite the Young Avengers, and Kate holds her place as the team's archer, between their two major series.

To value a copy, compare several completed sales in the same condition rather than a single listing, and identify the exact printing of the 2005 #1 before you buy. The Hawkeye key issues guide helps place these landmarks against those of Clint Barton.

Frequently asked questions